03-01-2013, 10:29 AM
Value Based Education
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Introduction:
Value Based Education:
Education must prepare to a child for responsible life and effective participation in a free society in a spirit of understanding, peace, tolerance, equality of sexes and friendships among all peoples, ethnic, national and religious groups and persons of indigenous origin. Here, "Values” are core beliefs that guide and motivate attitudes and actions. Values are generally more associated with feelings and connect to our right brain, also pertaining to intuition and creativity, rather than with intellect or rational analysis connecting with the left brain. In short and simple terms, the right brain promotes connection, bonding and communion; the left brain distinction and separation. So, arts, music, sports are ideal vehicles to nurture values and interpersonal social skills, within children and adults, as they will focus on feelings, experience, vibrations or body rather than intellectual analysis as entry points for learning.
Existing Education System:
Education today, in particular in schools, is still heavily or exclusively focusing on cognitive knowledge, math and languages. Indian has made progress in terms of increasing primary education attendance rate and expanding literacy to approximately two thirds of the population. India's improved education system is often cited as one of the main contributors to the economic rise of India. Much of the progress especially in Higher education, Scientific research has been credited to various public institutions. India's education system is divided into different levels such as pre-primary level, primary level, elementary education, secondary education, undergraduate level and postgraduate level. 25% of the Indian population is illiterate. Only 7% of the population that goes to school managed to graduate and only 15% of those who enrol manage to make it to high school and achieve a place in the higher education system.
A few reasons why education in India is given less importance in some areas are as follows:
• 80% of schools are managed by the government. Private schools are expensive and out of reach of the poor.
• More hands to earn remains the mentality amongst many families and therefore little kids are set out to fend for the family over going to school to garner an adequate education, in the most literal sense of the word.
• Infrastructure facilities at schools across rural areas and in slums dispense very poor quality of education.
• The teachers are not well qualified and therefore not well paid and therefore are not willing to work hard enough. This has been a classical Catch-22 problem that the government has been trying hard to fight against.
An Overview Of The Levels of Education in India
The type of education systems in India can be classified as:
1) Pre primary education in India: Pre-primary school education in India is not a fundamental right and is divided into two levels – Lower KG ( for children between 3 – 4 years) and Upper KG ( for children between 4 – 5 years).
2) Primary Education in India: This serves as the link between primary school and elementary education. However, not much emphasis is laid on this level by the prevailing education system and policies in this regard continue to exist solely on paper.
3) Elementary Education: The Government has made elementary education compulsory for children between the age group of years 6 and 14.
4) Secondary Education in India: Serves as a link between elementary and higher education in the Indian education setup, which draws a blank again as far as policy is concerned.
5) Higher Education in India: Under graduate and post graduate level: After completion of secondary education, students can choose fields of their interest and pursue undergraduate and then post graduate courses.
Curriculum Bodies
Catering to the largerst population in the world is no easy task and as the annals of beureaucracy dictate, there are more than 15 education boards across the country.
While some of them are regional, the more interesting ones are listed below:
The NCERT – Apex Body for curriculum:
As far as school education and its functions are concerned, the National Council of Educational Research and Training takes care of all curriculum related matters. Various schools in the country seek technical assistance from this body.
State Government Boards: Since 80% of the schools in India are managed by the government, this is the board under which the most children in India get enrolled. The Board of Secondary Education across major states has achieved its objectives of developing various systems.
CBSE: The Central Board of Secondary Education which falls under the purview of the Central Government is a board of education for both public and private schools in India.
ICSE: The Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations Board is a non-governmental and private education board for education in India.
Value Deterioration in the present society: Values or moral values are the deeply held beliefs about what is good, right, and appropriate. Individual’s values may be derived from the society, religion, or self. When values are derived from the society they may change as the laws and morals of the society change. Today, we can see big change in the moral values of people and this change is not positive but negative. Lack of family, religious values and parental control can be described as the main cause for the decline in moral values among youths today. In earlier times, the younger generation respected elders, but that is no longer the case. Today, they are mocking their elders, abusing them and ignoring their teachings. I believe deeply that the desire to maintain morals is deep rooted within all of us. But it's the technological developments which have eroded this and will continue to do so even more as we become more advanced. All of us imitate the west. Why should one imitate western culture for bad things, take good things from western culture, their work culture, their dignity of labour, not pub culture and violence? Preserve your culture. And add good things to your culture. Give good to the society, good will come back to you. There should be limits for everything and any thing which goes beyond limits is bad.Now, who has to teach moral values, is it the teacher? Is it parents? Is it society? Is it government? Is it your religion? Is it yourself? I say all. All of them have a role in teaching us moral values.Today, most of us are just Human beings physically. Most of the qualities of a “good human being” do not remain within us. We are politically unstable; no justice is available to the common man. Most of the countries of the world are ruled by corrupt people. But we are unwilling to realize this fact. No one wants to raise his voice for the right cause. Arrogance, greed and leg pulling is common in our system. This is all because one never wants to look beyond his own self, unlike before every one is working for his self interest now. Joint family system has declined in recent decades. It is time now that we should wake up from this careless sleep. We should stop day dreaming and identify our own true culture, giving importance to our values. It is not too late if come to our ways and save our heritage. It will be better for our society. As individuals, we should join hands to form a strong nation with its true identity and work hard for a bright future ahead. So we need to look after our values and remember who we are and how we can become role models for generations to come.
Need for value education :
Seeing the acts of violence committed by present society’s youth, all around us, we are left to wonder if most parents and teachers have forgotten their responsibility towards the younger generation. Both parents and teachers are expected to teach youngsters the art of dealing with the various situations of life, and going by the behaviour of some young people, it is clear they have not learnt anything worth knowing. No person having anything close to good values can become a cold-blooded murderer or throw acid on another person’s face, whatever the excuse. But these inhuman things are being done, and that too, by present generation. This brings up the topic of the moral responsibility of all of the society including parents and others to impart value education to children. Parents need to make time for their children and use that time constructively. In ways that children can relate to, parents need to impart ethical values like honesty, compassion, positive courage and consideration for those who are disadvantaged.