THE MEANING AND OBJECTIVES OF EDUCATION Dr Desh Raj Sirswal, Assistant Professor (Philosophy),PG Govt. College for Girls, Sector-11, Chandigarh MEANING OF EDUCATION  The term education usually denotes the technical sense and is generally limited to the context of teachers instructing students. I have quoted some thinkers here to draw out the right meaning of Education. GEORGE F.KNELLER “In its broad sense, education refers to any act or experience that has a formative effect on the mind, character, or physical ability of an individual…In its technical sense education is the process by which society, through schools, colleges, universities, and other institutions, deliberately transmits its cultural heritage–its accumulated knowledge, values, and skills–from one generation to another.” Pestalozzi   “Education is natural, harmonious and progressive development of man’s innate powers.” Education inculcates certain values and principles and also prepares a human being for social life. Sri Aurobindo  “That alone will be a true and living education which helps to bring out to full advantage, makes ready for the full purpose and scope of human life all that is in the individual man, and which at the same time helps him to enter into his right relation with the life, mind and soul of the people to which he belongs and with that great total life, mind and soul of humanity of which he himself is a unit and his people or nation a living, a separate yet inseparable member.” AIMS AND OBJECTIVES OF EDUCATION It is said that education without clear cut aims is like a rudderless ship.  Here is some ojective of a good educational system, we can broadly classfied in (1) Individual Development (2) Social and National Development  (1) Individual Development  Education should enable a human being to attain the greatest possible harmony, internal and external, spiritual and material, for the fullest possible development of human potentialities and capacities. Development of an individual – physically, mentally and spritually is well known aim of education. Aim of education should be to make children self- confident and self dependent, and to make them strong physically and mentally. (2) Social and National Development  The social aim which means that education should produce effective individuals in the sense that they realize their responsibilities towards the society. Social aim of education in equally important because an individual lives in society and has his obligations towards his nation. There is a realisation that, the present education divorced from the real social content and social goals. We will discuss some social aims in next sections: RELATION  Individual and social aims of education are not contrary to one another. In fact they are complementary to one another. The purpose of education should be the development of the fullest possible capacities and potentialities physical and spiritual of a total man. It should make a man capable of earning his livelihood reasonably well to enjoy a happy and secure life while making effective contributions to the society and national effort of making India strong , advanced and prosperous. SOCIALTRANSFORMATION   Education should not merely equip an individual to adjust with society to its customs and conventions, but it should enable him to bring desirable changes in the society. “Every educational institution from secondary school to university college should be developed to become an agency of change….” MORDERNIZATION   Education should enable us to move with times and attain excellence in science and technology. “One of the suggestions explicitly points out that, our education should integrate and unite the people of India, modernise society while preserving what is authentically Indian in our cultural and spiritual heritage”. ACQUISITION OF VALUES   Acquisition of Values is needed for social transformation. Moral, cultural and spiritual values in education have been given immense importance .The following suggestion beautifully reconciles the twin objectives of modern technical sophistication and the ancient spirituality. “New education policy of India should be built on the foundation of ancient spirituality and modern culture and technical sophistication. It should develop scientific temper and spirit of enquiry in the students”. COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION  “The education system in all its branches and sectors should get itself involved in activities related to problems of local Community life and shall thus endeavour through the desirable community participation community involvement in the educational field to bring all education of its rightful place in community life.” UNIVERSALISATION  Emphasis should be given in cultivating good qualities like cooperation, good will, forgiveness, tolerance, honesty, patience etc. in order to encourage universal brother-hood and to prepare students worthy citizens of the country.Values of optimism and secularism, and service to the poor should be stressed on the young minds. CONCLUSION  It may be pointed out that various dimensions individual and social development, social transformation, value- acquisition etc., have been well identified in present time. We are of the opinion that Indian education should aim at producing men and women of knowledge, character and cultural values and trained skills to achieve excellence in their career and life. Copyright (18-03-2011)   © Desh Raj Sirswal 2007-2011 Dr. Desh Raj Sirswal Society for Positive Philosophy and Interdisciplinary Studies, Haryana http://sppish.blogspot.com http://drsirswal.webs.com/