why did nehru shift is focus towards quality education
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As a rationalist, Nehru kept more faith in science than in religion and based his facts on intelligence, experience, and reason. Philosophical problems were not his concern and his sole focus was the man himself. In this way, he formulated the religion of humanity, where he substituted God with humanity. Nehru had always criticized organized religion of every kind and felt it was detrimental to progress. His thoughts bore the influence of the teachings of the Gita and he admitted the importance of the text in human society. Dr. Radha Krishnan said that Nehru was not a religious man in the sectarian sense but that he had the deepest faith in spiritual values. Nehru accepted that education was the most important means of social change. “Only through right education can a better order of Society be built up”, said Nehru (Nehru JL, Soviet Russia). He believed that freedom from ignorance is as essential as freedom from hunger. He realized that a country’s problems cannot be solved only through social and political reforms. Improved human relations are also required to achieve social development and that cannot be carried out without adequate mental development. Nehru, in his address to Allahabad University students, said, “A university stands for humanism, for tolerance, for reason, for the adventure of ideas and the search for truth” (Nehru JL, Independence and After). Rabindranath Tagore expressed similar ideas when Vishwabharati University was established. Nehru stressed on the spiritual aspect of social development, without which, “the disintegration of society will proceed despite all material advance.” Nehru supported the Russian approach to education and said that the object of education was to “produce a desire to serve the community as a whole and to apply the knowledge gained not only for personal but for public welfare.” Education, according to Nehru had economic as well as social objectives. It should culturally improve a man and also enable him to generate wealth in society. Gandhi’s concept of basic education was welcomed by Nehru who believed education must be based on the actual environment and experiences of the child and it must fit him for the work he will have to do in the afterlife” (Nehru JL, Soviet Russia). Keeping in view the expenses that would be required to educate the millions of uneducated children in India, Nehru believed India’s massive unemployment crisis could be solved with basic education. This gave people the capacity “to coordinate manual labor with the mental and intellectual ability” (Nehru JL, Speeches vol III). Technology and industry are the primary requirements to battle poverty and unemployment. As such, Nehru, who introduced the concept of five-year plans for the overall development of India, laid great importance upon scientific education. This was done so that the nation could produce a workforce, which was skilled enough to implement the plans. He also established national science laboratories in core areas of science all over India and started the IITs, which together helped take India to great heights in technical development. However, Nehru also warned that “we should accept technology without leaving basic values which are the essence of civilized man.” Nehru gave equal importance to cultural education as well as it was integral to the development of human personality. He advised the establishment of special institutions to propagate rapid growth in art and culture in the culture. As the president of Sahitya Academy, he believed that the government should interfere as little as possible in this field and should only move in if art and culture turned into a social menace. Developing countries such as India have a huge gap between the different sections of society and one of the aims of education is to shorten this gap by uplifting the backward sections. Nehru brought attention to the fact that educating the nation’s women would make them economically independent and “everybody should be a producer as well as a good citizen” (Nehru JL, Discovery of India). He also felt that educating rural women would help in the success of family planning and other rural development schemes. Nehru’s main objective via education was to do away with the narrow religious and communalistic views and promote a scientific and humanitarian mindset.
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