VEDIC EDUCATION -GURUKULA SYSTEM OF EDUCATION

INTRODUCTION

The education system which was evolved first in ancient India is known

as the Vedic system of education. In other words, the ancient systems of

education were based on the Vedas and therefore it was given the name

of Vedic Educational System. Ancient education emerged from the Vedas.

They are supposed to be the source of Indian philosophy of life. Vedas

means ‘to know’.
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Vedas occupy a very important place in the Indian life. The basis of Indian

culture lies in the Vedas which are four in number – Rigveda, Samveda,

Yajurveda, and Atharavaveda.

PRE-SERVICE AND IN SERVICE TRAINING FOR QUALITY IMPROVEMENT

INTRODUCTION

 According to Kothari commission, a teacher who unlike an ordinary worker, acts as a master, crafts man, an artist, a strategist and a powerful motivator. The environs of a classroom are enlivened by the inspiring, dynamic, enthusiastic, encouraging, skillful and dedicated teacher. It is he who shapes the destiny of students and that of the future citizens who eventually shape the destiny of the country. Such a teacher only can successfully in culture among children values that strengthen the ideals of social justice, equity, secularism and pluralism.
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By its very definition, a professional, including a teacher is a lifelong learner because of his association with scientific knowledge which keeps growing and so opportunities have to be afforded to ensure that he keeps learning and developing throughout his professional life. This is precisely the responsibility of teacher education system which is more than a mere combination of two of its major components i.e. pre-service teacher preparation and in-service education.

Professional preparation and professional development of teachers is a continuous process. It begins with the selection of an aspirant teacher and includes his initial preparation induction into the profession and his continuous development throughout his teaching carrier. The formulation of policy and design of teacher preparation and continuing professional development should optimally take into account the whole spectrum of teacher learning. 

PRE-SERVICE TEACHER EDUCATION, MEANING AND SIGNIFICANCE

                  Pre-service education of teacher means, education of teachers before they enter into service as teacher. During this period of teacher education programmes, teaching practice goes side by side, while they are getting knowledge about theory papers. 

VOCATIONAL EDUCATION AND TRAINING

Vocational Education and Training

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At present, Vocational Education is provided only at

the +2 stage and, even here, it is restricted to a distinct

stream that is parallel to the academic stream. In

contrast to the NPE 1986 goal of covering 25 per cent

of the +2 enrolment in the vocational stream by the

year 2000, less than 5 per cent of students choose this

option at present. The programme has been debilitated

by a range of conceptual, managerial and resource

constraints for more than 25 years. Apart from being

viewed as an inferior stream, it suffers from poor

infrastructure, obsolete equipment, untrained or underqualified

teachers (often on a part-time basis), outdated

and inflexible courses, lac k of vertical or later al mobility,

absence of linkage with the ‘world of work’, lack of a

credible evaluation, accreditation and apprenticeship

system, and, finally, low employability (Report of the

Working Group for the Revision of the Centrally

Sponsored Scheme of Vocationalisation of Secondary

Education, NCERT, 1998)

INSERVICE COURCES(EDUCATION) AND TRAINING OF TEACHERS

In-Service Education and Training of

Teachers

In-service education can play a significant role in the

professional growth of teachers and function as an

agent for change in school-related practices. It helps

teachers gain confidence by engaging with their

practices and reaffirming their experiences. It provides

opportunities to engage with other teachers

professionally and to update knowledge. The Education

Commission (1964–66) recommended that in-service

education for teachers should be organised by

universities and teacher organisations to enable every

teacher to receive two or three months of in-service

education once in five years; that such programmes

should be based on research inputs; that training

institutions should work on a 12-month basis and

organise programmes like refresher courses, seminars,

workshops and summer institutes. The Report of the

National Commission on Teachers (1983–85) mooted

the idea of Teachers' Centres that could serve as meeting

places, where talent could be pooled and teaching

experiences shared. It suggested that teachers could go

to centres of learning on study leave. The NPE (1986)

linked in-service and pre-service teacher education on

a continuum;

ROLE OF LIBRARY TO IMPROVE QUALITY OF EDUCATION

Libraries

School libraries have been a subject of policy

recommendations for a long time, but a functioning

library in the school continues to be a rarity. It is

important that future planning treats the library as an

essential component of the school at all levels. Both

teachers and children need to be motivated and trained

to use the library as a resource for learning, pleasure,

and concentration. The school library should be

conceptualised as an intellectual space where teachers,

VEDIC EDUCATION

MAJOR FEATURES OF THE VEDIC SYSTEM OF EDUCATION IN ANCIENT INDIA

            

CONTENTS

v Introduction

v Salient Features Of Vedic Education In Ancient India

v Forms Of Educational Institutions In Vedic Period

v Role Of Teacher And Students

v Conclusion

 

INTRODUCTION

 The education system which was evolved first in ancient India is known as the Vedic system of education. In other words, the ancient system of education were based on the Vedas and therefore it was given the name of Vedic Educational System. Vedas occupy a very important place in the Indian life. The basis of Indian culture lies in the Vedas which are four in number – Rigveda, Samveda, Yajurveda, and Atharavaveda.  Some scholars have sub divided Vedic Educational period into Rig

Veda period, Brahmani period, Upanishada period, Sutra (Hymn) period, Smriti period etc but all these period, due to predominance of the Vedas, there was no change in the aims and ideals of educations. That is why, the education of these periods, is studied under Vedic period.

“Swadesh Pujyate Raja, Vidwan Sarvatra Pujyate”
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 This verse widely quoted in India illustrates the significance of education in India. The education system of Vedic period has unique characteristics and qualities which were not found in the ancient education system of any other country of the world.

 According to Dr. F. E. Key, “To achieve their aim not only did Brahmans develop a system of education which, survived even in the events of the crumbling of empires and the changes of society, but they, also through all those thousands of years, kept a glow of torch of higher learning.”

 In the words of Dr. P. N. Prabhu, “Education in ancient India was free from any external control like that of the state and government or any party politics. It was the kings duties to see that learned Pundits, pursued their studies and performed their duty of imparting knowledge without interference from any source what so ever.”

The education system that prevailed during the Vedic times had some unique characteristics. Education was confined to the upper castes, and to those who were BRAHMACHARIS. In Indian tradition, a person’s life cycle is divided into four stages of which BRAHMACHARI is the second phase. This is the time set aside for learning and acquiring skills. During Vedic period, most of the upper castes, which were either Brahmins or Kshatriyas had their education in a unique system called GURUKULAM. Students had their education by living with their preceptors in forests far removed from cities, towns or villages. The life of students who were called SHISYAS was very rigorous and demanding. Those who failed to live up to these high standards would simply fall by the wayside. There were legendary acharyas like Sanandeepani and Dronacharya who taught epic heroes like Krishna and Arjuna martial skills, but what makes the Vedic period unique is the existence of sages like Gautama and Jaimini who were founder of different schools of Indian philosophy like Nyaya and Purva Mimamsa. This was a period of intense intellectual activity and speculation, which we hardly find even now. While Nyaya and Vaisheshika were theistic philosophies, Sankhya was atheistic.

ROLE OF EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY IN EDUCATION

Educational Technology

The significance of Educational Technology (ET) as a

site for curriculum planning has been widely recognised,

but detailed guidelines and strategies for its educationally

optimum use have not yet been worked out. Generally,

technology has been used as a medium to disseminate

information, and as a way of addressing the scarcity

of good teachers—usuallythe consequence of poor

recruitment policies.ET, which is used toredress the problem

of quality of teaching, can only exacerbate the disillusionment

of teachers withteaching. If ET is to become a means of enhancing

curricular reform, it must treat the majority of teachers

and children not merely as consumers but also as active

producers. There must be widespread consultation

regarding use during development and implementation.

ET facilities need to be used at all levels of schools —

cluster and block resource centres, district, state and

national level institutions — in order to provide handson

experience in using ET. Such experiences provided

to children, teachers and teacher educators, could

include something as simple as the audio-recording of

an interview with a village elder, to making a video

film or a video game. Providing children more direct

access to multimedia equipment and Information

ROLE OF TEXTBOOKS IN EDUCATION

Texts and Books

Popular perception treats the textbook as the prime

site for curriculum designing. Though curriculum

planning is a much wider process, curriculum reform

seldom goes beyond changing the textbook. Improved

textbooks that are carefully written and designed,

professionally edited and tested, offering not merely

factual information but also interactive spaces for

children are important. But curricular reform can go

much farther if textbooks are accompanied by several

other kinds of materials. Subject dictionaries, for

instance, can relieve the main textbook from becoming

encyclopaedic, burdened by carrying definitions of

technical terms, and instead allow the teacher to focus

on understanding concepts. The triangular relationship

between high-speed classroom teaching, heavy

homework and private tuition, which is a major source

of stress, can be weakened if textbook writers focus

on elaboration of concepts, activities, spaces for

wondering about problems, exercises encouraging

reflective thinking and small-group work, leaving the

definition of technical terms to a subject dictionary.
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ROLE OF HEALTH AND PHYSICAL EDUCATION

HEALTH AND PHYSICAL EDUCATION

It is widely acknowledged that health is influenced by

biological, social, economic, cultural and political forces.

Access to basic needs like food, safe drinking water

supply, housing, sanitation and health services influences

the health status of a population, and these are reflected

through mortality and nutritional indicator s. Health is a

critical input for the overall development of the child,

and it influences enrolment, retention and school

completion rates significantly. This curriculum area

adopts a holistic definition of health within which

physical education and yoga contribute to the physical,

social, emotional and mental development of a child.

Undernourishment and communicable diseases are

the major health problems faced by the majority of

children in India, from the pre-primary to the higher

secondary school stages. Therefore, the need to address

this aspect at all levels of schooling, with special attention

to vulnerable social groups and girl children. It is

proposed that the midday meal programme and medical

check-ups be made a part of the curriculum and

education about health be provided that address the agespecific

concerns at different stages of development.

WORK AND EDUCATION (SOCIALLY USEFUL PRODUCTIVE WORK)

WORK AND EDUCATION

Work, understood simply, is an activity directed toward

making or doing something. It also means making

one’s work or capabilities, or both, available for

someone else’s purposes for monetary or other forms

of return. A number of these activities are related to

producing food, articles of daily use, looking after the

physical and mental well-being of people, and other

activities related to the administration and organisation

of society. In any society, in addition to these, two basic

dimensions (producing goods and establishing smooth

functioning), various other activities also contribute to

human well-being, and in that sense are considered

forms of work.

Understood in this sense, work implies a

commitment to other members of the society and/or

community as one is contributing one’s work and

capabilities for fulfilling their needs. Second, it implies

that one’s contribution made through work will be

submitted to public standards of performance and

hence will be valued and judged by others. Third, work

implies contributing to the functioning of social life as

it either produces something that makes life possible

or helps in the functioning of society in general. Finally,

work enriches human life as it opens up new dimensions

of appreciation and enjoyment.

ROLE OF CRITICAL PEDAGOGY IN EDUCATION

Critical Pedagogy

Teacher and student engagement is critical in the

classroom because it has the power to define whose

knowledge will become a part of school-related

knowledge and whose voices will shape it. Students

are not just young people for whom adults should

devise solutions. They are critical observers of their

own conditions and needs, and should be participants

in discussions and problem solving related to their

education and future opportunities. Hence children need

to be aware that their experiences and perceptions are

important and should be encouraged to develop the

mental skills needed to think and reason independently

and have the courage to dissent. What children learn

out of school — their capacities, learning abilities, and

knowledge base — and bring to school is important

to further enhance the learning process. This is all the

more critical for children from underprivileged

backgrounds, especially girls, as the worlds they inhabit

and their realities are under represented in school

knowledge.

ROLE AND NEED OF DIFFERENT TYPES OF PLANNING IN EDUCATION

Approaches to Planning

Our educational practice is still based on limited ‘lesson

plans’ aimed at achieving measurable ‘behaviours’;

according to this view, the child is akin to a creature

that can be trained, or a computer that can be

programmed. Hence, there is too much focus on

‘outcomes’, and presenting knowledge divided into bits

of information to be memorised directly from the text

or through activities after ‘motivating’ children, and

finally on evaluating to see if children remember what

they have learnt. Instead, we need to view the child as

‘constructing knowledge’ all the time. This is true not

only of ‘cognitive subjects’ such as mathematics and

science, language and social science, but equally of

values, skills and attitudes.

CONSTRUCTIVIST MODEL OF EDUCATION

Teaching for Construction of Knowledge

In the constructivist perspective, learning is a process

of the construction of knowledge. Learners actively

construct their own knowledge by connecting new ideas

to existing ideas on the basis of materials/activities

presented to them (experience). For example, using a

text or a set of pictures/visuals on a transport system

coupled with discussions will allow young learners to

be facilitated to construct the idea of a transport system.

Initial construction (mental representation) may be

based on the idea of the road transport system, and a

child from a remote rural setting may form the idea

centred around the bullock cart. Learners construct

mental representations (images) of external reality

(transport system) through a given set of acti vities

(experiences). The structuring and restructuring of

ideas are essential features as the learners progress in

learning. For instance, the initial idea of a transport

system built around road transport will be reconstructed

to accommodate other types of transport

systems—sea and air—using appropriate activities.

AIMS OF EDUCATION

AIMS OF EDUCATION

The aims of education serve as broad guidelines to

align educational processes to chosen ideals and

accepted principles. The aims of education

simultaneously reflect the current needs and aspirations

of a society as well as its lasting values, and the

immediate concerns of a community as well as broadhuman ideals. At any given time and place they can be

called the contemporary and contextual articulations

of broad and lasting human aspirations and values.

Educational aims turn the different activities

undertaken in schools and other educational institutions

into a creative pattern and give them the distinctive

character of being ‘educational’. An educational aim

helps the teacher connect her present classroom activity

to a cherished future outcome without making it

instrumental, and therefore give it direction without

divorcing it from current concerns. Thus, an aim is a

foreseen end: it is not an idle view of a mere spectator;

rather, it influences the steps taken to reach the end. An

aim must provide foresight. It can do this in three ways:

First, it involves careful observation of the given

conditions to see what means are available for reaching

the end, and to discover the hindrances in the way.

FORMAL EDUCATION AND ALTERNATIVES OF FORMAL EDUCATION

INTRODUCTION

The word education is derived from the Latin word Educatum which means the act of teaching or training. There is another word in Latin that is Educare which means to bring up or to raise. The word Educare means to lead forth or to come out. All these meanings indicate that education seeks to nourish the good qualities in man and draw out the best in man.Education helps to develop the inner capacities of man.

  By educating an individual we attempt to give him some desirable knowledge, understanding, skills, interests, attitude and critical thinking. That is he acquires knowledge of history, geography, arithmetic, languages and other sciences. By education people develops some understandings about the deeper things in life, complex human relations and cause and effect of relationships etc. The person gets some skillsinwriting, speaking, calculating, drawing, operating some equipments etc.

     Education is necessary for the survival of the society. It is a purposeful activity. The aims of education will vary from time to time and from people to people. Educational aims can be immediate and ultimate. Immediate aims are those which fulfill the immediate needs. The ultimate aim of education is the perfect happiness.

Education has been classified into three types,

1. Formal education

2. Informal education

3. Non-formal education  

ROLE OF NAAC IN PROMOTING QUALITY ON HIGHER EDUCATION

INTRODUCTION

The core mission of higher education is to educate, train, undertake, research and provide service to the community. The Higher Education in India is the Second largest system in the world. It has witnessed many fold increase in its institutional capacity since independence- from 1950 to 2012, the number of universities from 20 to about 431, colleges from 500 to 20,677 and teachers from 15, to 5.05 Lakhs with student enrollment from 1.00 lakh to over 116.12 Lakhs. Then to protect the quality of the higher education institutions, the National Policy Mission propose the Accreditation unit.  Based on this, University Grants Commission (UGC), under section 12 CCC of the UGC Act (Act 3 of 1956), established the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) as an Autonomous Institution on 16 September 1994 with Registered Office at Bangalore.

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The National Assessment and Accreditation Council is in its 18^th year of operation now. Seventeen years may not mean a long time in the annals of Indian higher education, which may data back to the ancient period of ‘Nalanda’ and ‘Takshashila’, but it can certainly be a sufficiently long period for a National Quality Assurance Agency to take stock of its policies and practices. The decade-old history of NAAC is a story of many triumphs and tribulations. Addressing the quality concerns of world’s second largest higher education system has meant, adding several dimensions to the experiences of quality assurance initiatives of NAAC. Quality assurance models, as with higher education systems themselves, are designed to fulfill long- term collective needs. The quality assurance agencies are obliged to face enduring questions such as defining and maintaining standards of quality and equally important need to keep their methodologies up- to –date and responsive to shifting societal needs. The important actions and methodologies of NAAC are explained here.

POST LITERACY AND CONTINUING EDUCATION

INTRODUCTION

How does an electric bulb light up? Why does it take such a short time cook “dal” in a pressure cooker? What is the area of your room? The answers to these and to other similar questions of everyday life cannot be given if the person is ignorant and not educated even in such simple things which one comes across every day. It is learning of information skills, and ideas that make a person knowledgeable and thus a useful member of the society. Education is change in behavior and improvement in abilities, when ignorance is changed into knowledge and awareness. The unskilled becomes skilled and his values, appreciations and outlook on life also change in a more positive way. Education meaning change in behavior and attitudes need not necessarily be through formal schooling; it can also be imparted in a non-formal setting. When education is imparted in a free atmosphere, without the rigidity of rules and regulations associated with school or college education it is termed as non formal education (NFE). Non Formal education imparts depth and meaning to that work of the recipient which he is already doing, or wants to do and thereby can make him more efficient and quite likely much more productive also. The non-formal approach to education can be described as the absence of a formal and captive way of teaching and evaluating. Non-formal education emphasizes learning. In the non-formal education; it is not necessary to put work into education because, most of the persons coming for non-formal education would already be working. Therefore; non-formal education is built around the work of the people who take up non-formal education. It enables the learner to increase his productivity in terms of output and also to improve the quality of the work in which he/she is already engaged. The large proportion of India’s population is poor; living in rural as well as urban areas. They live in pathetic conditions. Education in any form needs to be provided to them to improve their quality of life and to help them to participate productively in the national development. The formal education system; because of its rigid chronologically graded structure; excludes the poor from its advantages. The non-formal education, which is flexible and relevant to the lives of illiterates and the poor, needs to be encouraged. Formally educated persons can also continue their education for either self-development or higher professional advancement in a non-formal way.

Though, the basic concept of non-formal education is simple, educationalists responsible for its operation has developed academic objectives for this form of education also. The academicians have introduced such objectives not only to explain the concept of non-formal education, but also as a reminder of the dissimilarities in formal and non-formal education. Some of the academic objectives of the NFE are described below;

·                     To educate the dropouts from formal education

·                     To raise the extent of functional literacy

·                     To prepare individual for self-employment

·                     To retain adults for the changing requirements of jobs and family life.

·                     To complement formal education in a country of largely uneducated people

·                     To provide life-long education.