Cultivation of human values through education!! Speech
Answers
Answer:
Education is necessarily a process of inculcating values to equip
the learner lead a life – a kind of life that is satisfying to the individual in
accordance with the cherished values and ideals of the society.
Philosophers, spiritual leaders and educationists of our country, all in
various ways, have emphasized the role of education for ‘character
development’, ‘bringing out the latent potentialities and inherent
qualities’ and developing an ‘integrated personality’ for the well being of
the individual and the society at large. Whatever term me may use, the
importance of developing values has long been embedded in the age old
traditions of India’s civilizational and cultural heritage, spanning over
the centuries. The diverse and rich cultural heritage that we are so
fortunate to inherit in our country is in many ways symbolic of the
foundation and wellspring of values from which we draw our values
nourishment. Life of individuals and communities and that of our saints,
sages and philosophers are examples of values like self-discipline,
survival in the absence of material resources, simplicity, handling
conflicts without violence, exploring simple but revolutionary ideas as a
mark of superior conduct and living.
The concern for value education are reflected in our key policy
documents from time to time. After independence the National
Commission of Secondary Education (1952-53) was a significant
landmark in emphasizing character building as the defining goal of
education. “The supreme end of the educative process should be the
training of the character and personality of students in such a way that
DEPFE, NCERT
they will be able to realize their full potentialities and contribute to the
well-being of the community.”
The Report of the University Education Commission (1962) noted,
“If we exclude spiritual training in our institutions, we would be untrue
to our whole historical development.” The Report went on to make a case,
not for religious or moral education, but for evolving “a national faith, a
national way of life based on the Indian outlook on religion, free from
dogmas, rituals and assertions.” The Education Commission of 1964-66
put the spotlight on “education and national development”, from which
perspective it identified the “absence of provision for education in social,
moral and spiritual values” as a serious defect in the curriculum. The
Commission recommended that these values be taught “with the help,
wherever possible, of the ethical teachings of great religions.” Agreeing
with the Sri Prakasa Committee Report, it recommended “direct moral
instruction” for which “one or two periods a week should be set aside in
the school time-table.”
The National Policy on Education (1986) expressed concern over
“the erosion of essential values and an increasing cynicism in society”. It
advocated turning education into a “forceful tool for the cultivation of
social and moral values.” Education should “foster universal and eternal
values, oriented towards the unity and integration of our people”. The
Programme of Action of 1992 tried to integrate the various components of
value education into the curriculum at all stages of school education,
including the secondary stage.
The Government of India’s report on Value Based Education
(Chavan’s Committee Report, 1999) submitted in both houses of
Parliament, provided impetus to resume work on value orientation of
education.
The National Curriculum Framework for School Education (2000),
echoing the National Policy on Education (1986), lamented the “erosion
of the essential, social, moral and spiritual values and an increase in