THE EDUCATION OF CHARACTER
I
The Basic Principles In dealing with the aims and objectives of education, we have made it clear that the supreme end of the educative process should be the training of the character and personality of students in such a way that they will be able to realize their full potentialities and contribute to the well-being of the community. One of the main criticism against modern education is that, by concentrating too much on examinations, enough attention is not devoted to activities that promote the formation of character and inculcate ideals which make for personal integrity and social efficiency. We propose, therefore, to devote special attention to some of the problems which arise in this field to discuss the basic principles which should underlie our approach and to suggest what the schools can do to deal with them.
Need for Cooperation between School and Community We should, in the first place, take due note of the fact that the school is a small community within a larger community and that the attitudes, values and modes of behaviour-good or bad-which have currency in national life are bound to be reflected in the schools. When we complain of indiscipline or lack of earnestness or slipshod methods of work or failure to appreciate the dignity of labour in the students, we should not forget that these may be due largely to defects in the community. This does not imply that we can condone this failure of the schools to impinge purposefully on the. character of their students but it is meant to bring out the complexities and the magnitude of the problem. A radical and comprehensive approach to it cannot be confined to the school but must take the whole situation into account. There is no doubt that the beginning must be made in the schools and these cannot be content merely with reflecting outside trends; they must provide a selective environment in which children may be able to transcend, to some extent, limitations of their home and neighbourhood. In the great debate that has been going on for decades between those who hold that education must only seek to adjust the individual to his environment and those who think that it should be an agency for the "superior reconstruction" of the environment and its pattern of life, we are definitely on the side of the dynamic and creative view of education. We are convinced that it is the business of the school to train individuals who will not only be duly appreciative of their culture and the good qualities of national character and national traditions but will also be able to analyse and evaluate it critically, to eschew whatever is weak or reactionary and to develop the qualities of character
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and intellect needed for the purpose. Our school teachers can be in fused with a high sense of their destiny only when they are made to realize that they are engaged in the making of better human beings and a better social order and not merely, teaching a dull, prescribed syllabus.
Secondly-and this follows a natural corollary from what we have said above-in this education of character, the school has to win the active cooperation of the parents and the community in general. If the various educative agencies-the home, the school, the neighbour- hood, the community, the religious organizations and the State-have no common outlook and agreed ideas about this problem but pull in different directions, the school will not be able to make an abiding and coherent impression on the character of its students. After all, they spend only one-fourth or one-fifth part of the day in school and the rest of their time is passed in direct or indirect contact with these other agencies, which can easily undo the good work of the school. For, it is essentially the whole of the community and not merely the school that educates. This implies the establishment of that active association between parents and teachers to which we have referred elsewhere. This should not be limited to rare and special occasions and to the sharing of mutual complaints and grievances but should result in a better understanding between them and in reconciling their ideas and values so that, as far as possible, the same kind of motives, methods and impulses may play on the formation of the students' character at home as in the school. This association should, however, go further and draw into its train not only the parents of the students on the rolls but also other influential and worthy members of the community and leaders or various educative agencies who should be afforded opportunities of coming into contact both with teachers and children, of talking to them and discussing problems of common interest with them. In this way the staff of the school can tactfully help in building up a pattern of influences and activities in the life of the community which will cooperate with the school in moulding the students' character on right lines.
Thirdly, it must be remembered that the education of character is not something which can be relegated to a particular period or a particular teacher or the influence of a particular set of activities. It is a project in which every single teacher and every item of the school programme has to participate intelligently. This is a truth which most teachers would readily concede in theory. Some are apt to believe that it is the special theme of religious and moral instructions or the special object of team games and certain extra- curricular activities and has little, if anything, to do with the day- to-day and the hour-to-hour work of the school. We should like to emphasize, as strongly as we can, the basic principle that 'character is forged on the anvil of action' -of every kind of action, academic, social manual or moral-and the way in which the student performs his manifold duties in school or at home leaves an indelible impression on him. We would like to remind
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our teachers of Carlyle's carpenter who "broke all the ten commandments with every single stroke of his hammer !". It is possible to organize school work in such a way and to build up such traditions that the students will do everything they undertake with efficiency, integrity, discipline cooperation and good temper. It is also possible for teachers and students alike to do their work in a haphazard, slipshod manner, without any discipline or social sense. We recommend that the Headmaster and staff should discuss this crucial problem amongst themselves: and Plan their work in such a way, that the qualities of character and mind, that they wish to inculcate are reflected in everything that they do-the compositions they Write, the speeches they make in the debating society, the Pictures they paint, the maps they draw, the social activities they organize, the craft work they undertake. This would require the setting before them of high standards of work and conduct-both personal and impersonal-and creating the desire to approximate to those standards. It would also call for the rejection of any work-and deprecation of any form of behaviours-that falls below the standard that may be expected from the particular student concerned. If all school work and activities are made psychologically interesting and exacting-in the sense of challenging the full powers of the adolescents- and if they are trained to take them up in the right spirit, the most congenial conditions will be created for the right training of character.
Studies and Character Formation While we recognize the basic importance of work in this context, we should not undervalue the part that the,proper presentation of the curriculum and the reading of great books can play in this behalf. Teachers can present all school subjects-particularly the social studies-in such a way that the students may develop a right outlook on the world in which they are living and acquire a proper appreciation of the nature of human relationship-individual as well as group relationships. History and Geography can both, in their way, show the mutual interdependence of nations and groups and, together with science, they can demonstrate how all great human achievements have been made possible through the silent, often unrecognized, work of numerous individuals and groups belonging to all parts of the world. They can also make their pupils realize how these great achievements call for high standards of efficiency and integrity Which are the basis of good character. Similarly,; an imaginative and sympathetic study of literature-not just textbooks but great books and great author-scan inculcate noble ideals and values. By encouraging the habit. of reading and by gradually raising the standards of taste and appreciation, the school can mobilize a powerful and beneficial influence which Will continue to exercise its way throughout their life.
It is in the context of these general principles that we have to visualise the problem of character education And this has to be visualized not in a social vaccum but with reference to our contemporary socio-economic and political situation. While the base ideals and
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values of good character may be regarded as permanent, they have to be interpreted and applied in the special circumstances of our national life. We have already discussed, at some length in the Chapter on the Aims and Objectives of Education, the type of mind and character that must be developed in our youth, if they are to participate effectively and worthily in the expanding life of their country. It is not necessary for us therefore to recapitulate that discussion and we can well confine ourselves to pointing out certain special issues that must be considered by all educationists and to suggesting how they can be successfully tackled. We propose to draw special attention to three of these issues-the problem of discipline, the question of moral and religious instruction and the part that the various extra and co- curricular activities can play in this field.
II
DISCIPLINE No amount of improvement and reconstruction in education will bear much fruit if the schools themselves are undermined by indiscipline. It is clear from much of the evidence we received that students and teachers alike need more of spirit of discipline. If proper education is to be given, acts of indiscipline prevalent in schools have to be checked.
Influence of Political Movements on Discipline Indiscipline may take the shape of group indiscipline or individual indiscipline. Group indiscipline is the worst of the two. While as individuals Many of our students are as good as students anywhere, the tendency to group indiscipline has increased in recent years. Many causes have led to this group indiscipline. Incidents of indiscipline reported from elsewhere have their demoralising effect on students. For various reasons under a foreign regime, acts of indiscipline became frequent, often necessitated by the political activities which were launched against a foreign government. While there may have been justification for such discipline under different practical circumstances, we feet that there is no Justification for such acts of indiscipline after the attainment of independence. The democratic constitution which the country has adopted permits of the redressing of grievances through a democratic machinery. It would be against all principles of democracy in fact it would be against the very trend and safety of democracy, if such acts of indiscipline were to continue.
Factors Promoting Discipline The real purpose of education is to train youth to discharge the duties of citizenship properly. All other objectives are incidental. Discipline therefore should be a responsibility of parents, teachers, the general public and the authorities concerned. There are some positive factors Promoting discipline. The Indian students' natural tendency is to be disciplined. It is only when forces act strongly on him that he may sometimes be led astray. He appreciates the rules and is normally inclined to abide by them. Much can be done to encourage this
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trend in school life. Personal contact between the teacher and the pupil is essential and it is from this point of view that we maintain that there should be some limit in the number of pupil admitted into different sections of a class and to the whole school. Reference has been made to this aspect in another place. Emphasis is also to be laid on the role of the class teacher and the headmaster in promoting general discipline and the welfare of the pupils. In regard to school life itself a greater responsibility should develop upon the students themselves in the maintenance of discipline. Nothing is more calculated to develop a proper sense of self-discipline, and proper behaviour than their enforcement not by any outside authority with any symbol of punishment but by the students themselves. They should choose their own representatives to see to it that proper codes of conduct are observed both for the sake of the individuals and for the good name of the school. It is from this point of view that we commend what is known as the house system in schools, with prefects or monitors or student councils, whose responsibility it will be to draw up a code of conduct and to enforce its observance in the school.
Another important method of bringing home to the pupils the value of discipline is through group games. It is on the playing fields the virtue of playing the game for its own sake and the team spirit can be cultivated. Such extra-curricular activities as boy scouts and girl guides, the National Cadet Corps, Junior Red Cross and social service activities will promote a proper spirit of discipline. The building up of a truly harmonious and united form of community.life in the school should be the endeavour of all institutions.
Besides these positive factors, certain negative factors also pro-mote discipline. The discipline of the youth of any country depends upon the discipline that is exercised by elders. In some parts of the country on occassions, certain activities of leaders have not been such as are calculated to promote a healthy spirit of discipline in the younger generation. School authorities are not always to blame for indiscipline in the schools. We have been given to understand that, at the time of elections whether to the legislatures or to some civic bodies, those who aspire for such places do not hesitate to utilise the students for the furtherance of their objective namely, the winning of the election. It is a well-known fact that in all democratic institutions, election time is a time of feverish activity not always conducted in the most healthy spirit, and the utilization of immature mind for purposes of campaigns with or without slogans attached thereto is not calculated to promote sound discipline among students. We think it unfortunate that such trends are on the increase. If therefore some of the unhealthy trends of political life are to be avoided in school life, a serious attempt should be made to see that children under the age of 17, who are in schools are not drawn into the vortex of controversial politics and are not utilised for election purposes. The suggestion has been put forward that it should be considered an election offence for any member or party to utilise the services of these pupils in political or civic campaigns.
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It may be difficult to prove which party has utilised students, but this should not be beyond the power of an election tribunal to tackle. We therefore recommend that suitable legislation should be passed making it an election offence to utilize students below the age of 17 for any of the purposes of political propaganda or election campaign.
There is another aspect of the question which we would like to mention. It is good that some of our politicians address our students. It has an educational value and we should like to encourage this practice of addressing gathering of students in schools. In actual practice this has led to certain anomalies in the publicity given by the Press to such meetings. Persons who address these gatherings have different audiences in mind and speak not infrequently in a different strain from what is desirable or necessary at school gatherings. We do not wish to generalise on this point, because there are many honourable exceptions, but the tendency in view of the publicity given is to speak not to the audience before them, but to a wider audience whose attention they wish to attract. This is not a healthy trend for school education and discipline.
Role of Teachers Lastly discipline among students can only be promoted if there is discipline among the staff. Both within the school and in organizations connected with the teaching profession, the teacher has always to realise that all his activities are being watched by his pupils. To that extent therefore, both in his personal conduct and in his general attitude to all problems concerning the country, he has to realise that there are limitations within which he must act for the best interests of the profession. We welcome the opportunity afforded in our constitution for the teaching profession to be represented in the legislatures of the country. To whatever group or party he may belong, it is necessary for him to adhere to the principles Mentioned above.
Instances have been brought to our notice where school managers or members of Managing Boards have not refrained from utilising their position to influence teachers and pupils to participate in political or other electioneering activities. The recommendation that we made that the utilization of pupils should be considered an election offence will probably go a long way to inhibit this increasing tendency. Ultimately, however, it is the school atmosphere and the teacher working there that ensure proper codes of conduct and discipline in the schools.
III
RELIGIOUS AND MORAL INSTRUCTION Religious and moral instruction also play an important part in the growth of character. At different places which the Commission visited, a good deal of emphasis was. laid on this aspect of education.
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There is little doubt that the whole purpose of education is not fulfilled unless certain definite normal principles are inculcated in the minds of the youth of the country. The necessity for religious education has also been emphasised by some, while others are not in favour of religious instruction, in view of the diverse forms of religions practised in our country, and the positive decision in the Constitution that the State will be a Secular State. This does not imply that because the State is secular there is no place for religion in the State. All that is understood is that the State as such should not undertake to uphold actively, assist, or in any way to set seal of approval on any particular religion. It must be left to the people to practise whatever religion they feel is in conformity with their inclinations, traditions, culture and hereditary influence.
Against this background we have considered this question very carefully. The present position with regard to religious education is that there are certain schools, particularly those conducted by denominational agencies, where religious education is given. There is, however, a clause, which is being increasingly put into effect that no person who does not belong to a, particular religion can be compelled to attend religious instruction. We are given to understand that in most of such schools it is now the rule rather than the exception that religious instruction is confined only to those of the particular faith. In some of these schools what is known as moral instruction is given to such of those pupils who do not attend religious instruction. Whether religious instruction or moral instruction is given, the benefit of such instruction will be derived not from its being treated more or less on the lines of classroom instruction but from the spirit of the school and the influence exercised by the teachers. Healthy trends in regard to religious or moral behaviour spring from three sources: