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Education and its Importance

N.RamakrishnanPrincipalGovernment college of Education for Women, Coimbatore

Education and its Importance

History has established beyond doubt the crucial role played by human resources in the development of nations, and the development human resources is the main function of education. Education is one of the fundamental needs of human beings. In the history of mankind, education has formed a continuum and a basis for the development of human society.

Though development of attitudes, values and capabilities both of knowledge and skills, education provides strength and enables persons to respond to changing situation and enables them to cause and contribute to societal development.Education has the dual function of transmitting to the new generation the heritage of the part with its accumulated wisdom and preparing it for the present and the future that the emergent needs of society and individual hold before us.

At the same time, a fully satisfying life has many other facts intellectual, physical, vocational, social, aesthetic, spiritual that have to be taken into account. Education as a basic human need opens up unlimited possibilities calling for responses that are constructive, creative and challenging.

Since independence UEE (Universalisation of elementary education , has been long accepted as a pre-condition to socio-economic and political development of any society.) has been an important and basic goal of educational development in India. There is an urgent need to measure performance essentially on the basis of enrolment retention; girls and children of poor and illiterate families need special remedial programmes.

In this direction concerted efforts have been made to provide free and compulsory education to all children up to the age of 14 which is a directive principle of the Indian Constitution under Article 45.Education is the indispensable instrument for the propagation of science and technology which is fundamental to the success of developing countries current endeavors.

EXPERT VIEWS ON EDUCATION

Education has been widely discussed and interpreted by different thinkers, philosophers and educationists with reference to its aims, functions and implementations. It is complex idea. Hence, divergent options and views have been expressed by the Indian as well as the western thinkers about education in different ages with reference to their philosophies, needs and temper of the social order.

Indian Concept of Education

According to Upanishads, hindu vedhaEducation is that whose and product is salvation.Salvation(Latinsalvatio;Greekstria;Hebrewyeshu'ah[) is being saved or protected from harm[1]or being saved or delivered from some dire situation.Inreligion, salvation is stated as the saving of thesoulfromsinand its consequences.

According to Swami Vivekananda, Education means The manifestation of divine perfection already existing in man.Aurobindo considered education as Helping the growing soul to draw out that is in it. Mahatma Gandhi, the champion of basic education thinks of education, as a means to developed man. He says, By education, I mean an all-round drawing out of the best in child and man body, mind and spirit.

According to the report of Indian Education Commission (1964-66),Education ought to be related to the life, needs and aspirations of the people; and thereby made powerful instrument of social, economic and cultural transformation.

TEACHER

PLACE OF THE TEACHERTeachers are the real architects of the nation.The greatness of a country does not depend on lofty buildings, gigantic projects and large armies. The ultimate test of a nations greatness is the qualify of her citizens.

If a nation possesses men of sterling character and unimpeachable patriotism, she is bound to make rapid progress on all fronts.Young men are entrusted to the care of the teaching profession and it is, therefore, the duty of the teacher to impart the right type of education to students in order to make them right type of citizens.

Teachers can play a vital role in shaping the future of India by paying attention to the young men entrusted to their care.The importance of a teacher is as the presence of the sun.Since Vedic periods, teachers have played an important role in the society.Society has these teachers the highest respect because they were committed to bringing about the comprehensive and harmonious development of the student personality.

Even during the Buddhist and Jain periods, teacher occupied a very respect place in society. Teaching is essentially a spiritual process involving the contact of mind with mind. A good teacher is a powerful and abiding influence in the formation of character.

The influence of a teacher indirectly extends over many generations; it transcends national and geographical boundaries, and it advances the cause of civilization and world order. The world today is rapidly changing and so in India, new goals are being set up and new techniques are being devised in order to achieve readjustment of society to new situations.

Teachers are expected not only to keep up with the changes initiated in society but to keep up also with the changes that are being made continuously in the techniques of education. Hence, there is great need for teachers to possess a broad, deep and through understanding of life. In short as is the teacher, so is the school; the school is, what the teacher makes it.

The place and importance of the teacher in society need not be overemphasized. He imbibes, interprets and disseminates the culture and traditions of the past.He plays a vital role not only as an interpreter of culture and dispenser of knowledge but also acts a builder of attitudes, values and beliefs. The young boys and girls in modern India look to the teacher for interpretation of culture and traditions and also for values, ideas, beliefs, discipline, wit, fact, resourcefulness and above all a way of life.

The role of teacher in forming loyalties, values and attitudes which are a necessary part of the development of a national, social and cultural entity is being increasingly realized.Evans (1971) has rightly said the importance of teacher seems to derive from two aspects of his role: (a) as a conveyor of a message and (b) as a model whose attitudes, feelings and values are consciously transmitted to the pupils.

Teachers occupy a place of paramount importance in any system of education. No other aspect of education is so vital for its progress as the teachers. They are the pivot of the educational system. The whole system of education revolves around them. It is they who have to select and interpret the curriculum and aids of instruction. They have to influence our boys and girls by their conduct and behavior.

Dr. Radhakrishnan has aptly remarked, The teachers place in society is of vital importance. He acts as the point for the transmission of intellectual tradition and technical skills from generations to generations and helps to keep the lamp of civilization burning.But only those teachers who are well trained can play a vital part in education as well as in society.

The secondary Education Commission has rightly stated: We are however, convinc2ed that the most important factor in the contemplated educational reconstruction is the teacher, his personal qualities, his educational qualifications, his professional teaching and the place that he occupies in the school as well as in the community.

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TEACHERS AS HOLY PERSONS AND TEACHING AS A HOLY DUTY

Dr. Veda Mitra (1964) has observed in education, In ancient India teaching was considered to be a holy duty when a Brahmana was bound to discharge irrespective of the consideration of the fee. The teacher succeeded in creating an image of being a very useful member of society.

Teachers were expected to devote their lives to the course of teaching in the missionary spirit of self sacrifice, and the society laid down the principle that both the public and the state would help the learned teacher, and educational institutions very liberally.He taught both secular as well as religious arts and sciences.

The relationship between the teacher and his pupils were regarded as filial in character. The teacher was regarded as the spiritual and intellectual father of his students. It was the function of the teacher to lead the students from the darkness of ignorance to the light of knowledge. The lamp of learning was concealed under a cover and the teacher removed it and let out the light.

TYPES OF TEACHERS

We find three kinds of teachers in ancient India namely1. Upadhyaya2. Acharya3. GuruAn Upadhyaya was one he who taught only a portion of the Vedas.An Acharya taught the Vedas after having performed only the ceremony of Upanayana. An Acharya was ten times more than the Upadhyaya.

INSTRUCTION

Instead of just lecturing in the classroom, teachers are facilitators of learning, providing students with the information and tools they need to master a subject.At times, teachers act like tutors, working with small groups of students or individual students within the classroom or after class.Teachers also play the role of evaluators, constantly assessing students' abilities through formal and informal assessments, providing suggestions for improvement and assigning grades.

STUDENT INTERACTION

Perhaps the most important roles teachers fill involve interacting with students. Teachers must be leaders in the classroom and in the school, earning the respect of students and setting a positive example.They must be disciplinarians, doling out fair and consistent punishments to students who break the rules. At the same time, teachers must show care and concern for students. A teacher has the power to build up or tear down a student's self-esteem and make a student's day or ruin it in an instant.

At the same time, teachers must show care and concern for students.A teacher has the power to build up or tear down a student's self-esteem and make a student's day or ruin it in an instant.When interacting with students, a teacher must fill the role of a counselor, a surrogate parent, a nutritionist and someone who has the best interests of every child at heart.

CREATION

Because teachers must use the curriculum, they should have input in its creation.A teacher can gauge whether an activity will fit into a specified time frame and whether it will engage students.If multiple teachers will use the curriculum, allow as many of them as possible to provide input during the creation stage.

As teachers provide input, they will gain ownership in the final product and feel more confident that the curriculum was created with their concerns and the needs of their particular students in mind.

IMPLEMENTATIONTeachers must implement the curriculum in their own classrooms, sticking to the plan that has taken so much time, careful planning and effort to create. When a teacher fails to properly implement a strong curriculum, she risks not covering standards or failing to implement effective practices in the classroom.

That does not mean a teacher cannot make minor changes. In fact, a strong curriculum is designed to allow a teacher to be flexible and to insert a few personalized components or choose from among a selection of activities.

SOCIETY

Asocietyis agroupof people involved in persistentsocial interaction, or a largesocial groupingsharing the same geographical or social territory, typically subject to the same political authority and dominant cultural expectations. Societies are characterized by patterns of relationships (social relations) between individuals who share a distinctivecultureandinstitutions; a given society may be described as the sum total of such relationships among its constituent members. In thesocial sciences, a larger society often evincesstratificationordominancepatterns in subgroups.

Information society: A society in which information is a good that one can exchange, buy, sell, store, transport, process. The society of the digital divide.Knowledge society: A human society, in which knowledge should bring justice, solidarity, democracy, peace... A society in which knowledge could be a force for changing society. A society which should provide universal and equitable access to information (UNESCO).The Knowledge Society needs new kinds of Knowledge, that cannot reduce to traditional disciplines

REFLECTION

Reflecting on a curriculum allows teachers and others involved in the process to find any weaknesses in the curriculum and attempt to make it better. Teachers reflect on curriculum in multiple ways, such as keeping a journal as they implement the curriculum, giving students surveys and reviewing the results or analyzing assessment data and individual student performance. Not only can reflection serve to improve a specific curriculum, it may guide the creation of new curriculum.

Thank You