Gandhian Idea of Nai Talim in Contemporary India

Possibilities and Challenges

Authors

  • Deepak Mishra Ph.D. Research Scholar, Centre for Development Studies, University of Allahabad, Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0377-9211

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5958/2347-6869.2020.00002.3

Keywords:

Quality Education , Nai Talim , Sustainable Goals, Social Inequality, Gender Equality

Abstract

Quality education encourages social development and reduces social inequality and is a means to attain gender equality. Education fosters tolerance and contributes to a more sustainable society. It prepares people with knowledge, skills and self-reliance, which open avenues for expanding opportunities for employment and overall development of an individual. It gives people a voice and increases a nation’s productivity and competitiveness, which is an instrument of social and political progress.

Mahatma Gandhi’s vision about quality education focuses on learning basic skills and all-round development of human personality that includes physical, intellectual, and spiritual development, a key component of quality education. Buniyadi Shiksha, ‘Basic Education’ also known as Nai Talim, was the foundation of educational practices as envisioned by Mahatma Gandhi. It was introduced in 1937 at Wardha and subsequently became known as Wardha Scheme or Basic National Education. It focuses on developing qualities that are necessary for building a non-violent sustainable society. The idea was firmly against exploitation and centralization.

India is committed to achieving the goals as mentioned in the Agenda 2030 of the Sustainable Development Goals. Ensuring quality education is a crucial development goal that India seeks to achieve. In this backdrop, the paper argues that Nai Talim or Wardha Scheme could be a road map for an egalitarian and empowered Indian society. A major challenge India faces today is that whether our present education pattern capable of building a sustainable society. Does it provide the younger generation with the required knowledge base to become a responsible and conscious citizen? The paper will analyse the basic principles of Nai Talim in terms of educational curriculum and pedagogy and examine its role in contemporary India.

DOI: 10.5958/2347-6869.2020.00002.3

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References

Gandhi, M. K. (2011). India of My Dreams. (K. Kriplani, Ed.). New Delhi: Rajpal and Sons.

Kumar, W. G. P. (2019, August 29). MGNCRE. MGNCRE. Retrieved from https://www.mgncre.org/pdf/publication/MGNCRE - Experiential Learning - Gandhiji's Nai Talim.pdf.

Mishra Anil Dutta (2015). Mahatma Gandhi on Education. Noida, Uttar Pradesh: Vikash Publishing House.

Ramachandran, P. (2016). Millennium development goals (MDG): India’s progress and way forward to sustainable development goals. Proceedings of the Indian National Science Academy, 82(5), 1351-1365.

Shri, Venkaiah Naidu “Addresses to 1st National Conference of Educators for Nai Talim” 2019, Press Information Bureau: Government of India.

Sykes Marjorie, “The Story of Nai Talim: fifty years of education at Sevagram, India, 1937-1987; 2009, National Council of Educational Research and Training, New Delhi.

 Gandhian Idea of Nai Talim in Contemporary India

Published

17-08-2020

How to Cite

Mishra, D. (2020). Gandhian Idea of Nai Talim in Contemporary India: Possibilities and Challenges. SOCRATES, 8(1), 8–17. https://doi.org/10.5958/2347-6869.2020.00002.3