LIFE CENTERED EDUCATION
Education
in India was child-centered to a certain extent, from times immemorial, though
there had been a decline in later days. The child was given the central place
in the process of teaching and learning. During the British period, with the
westernization of education, the educational system of India
Became
teacher centered and text book oriented. This system of education had many
defects. It was unrealistic and unproductive. It was inadequate to foster right
interests and attitudes in children. It was to meet this challenge that
Gandhiji evolved a scheme of Life-Centered Education. According to Gandhiji
“Education is for life, through life and through out life”
CHARACTERISTICS OF LIFE CENTERED EDUCATION
1. Education is imparted
through a craft or productive activity. Closely related to the life around.
Here pupils learn by doing something directly related to their life
2. Education inculcates a
love for work among children, and teaches them the dignity of labour.
3. Subjects are not compartmentalized.
All that the children learn become meaningful, correlated to life and
significant to them.
4. If offers children various
kind of activities for their all round development .It makes them self-reliant,
creative, co-operative and socially efficient.
5. It develops qualities of
leadership, loyalty, co-operation, sympathy, honesty, etc.
Gandhiji’s
Basic Education is essentially an education for life and through life. It aims
at creating a social order free from exploitation. The teaching of a craft makes
education meaningful and realistic. Basic education equips children with the
basic tools for character building and citizenship training. It emphasizes
community living and vocational training. Every thing learnt is related to the
present and future life of the child. Hence it is a kind of life-centered
education.
