Rabindranath Tagore and Mahatma Gandhi on education
Rabindranath Tagore and Mahatma Gandhi both saw education as a means of fostering the growth of the human mind and consciousness. They had similar and divergent views on education in various respects.
Mahatma Gandhi’s view on Education
Promotion of Indian Languages: Gandhiji believed that the medium of instruction as English made Indians “strangers in their own lands”.
Focus on Knowledge: He focused on oral knowledge rather than writing and reading and emphasised more on practical knowledge than textbook knowledge.
Development of mind and soul: Education should develop a person’s mind and soul. These led to the development of a system of national education.
Western Education: Gandhiji was highly critical of Western civilization and its worship of machines and technology.
Rabindranath Tagore’s view on Education
Believed in Children’s Freedom: He always admired founding a school where children were happy, free and creative, where they are able to explore her own thoughts and desires.
Self-Learning: He emphasised on self-learning in childhood rather than the rigid and limited discipline of the school education system.
Promotion of Creative Learning: He focused that creative learning should be encouraged only within a natural environment.
Western Education: Rabindranath Tagore wanted to combine elements of modern Western civilization with balance Indian tradition.
Similar Views on Education
Integrated Development: They both agreed that education is essential for the holistic development of the human character.
Linking with Practical Knowledge: Both agreed that education should be connected to practical knowledge and that the value of mother tongue in education should be highlighted.
Both Tagore and Gandhi viewed education from a post-colonial perspective. Their experimentations bore the stamp of India’s national heritage i.e., the Vedas and the Upanishads that shaped the edifice of the modern Indian education system.