Swami Vivekananda, a great thinker and reformer of India, embraces education, which for him signifies 'man-making'. According to him education as 'the manifestation of the perfection already in man.' The aim of education is to manifest in our lives the perfection, which is the very nature of our inner self. The 21st century mankind is passing through various crisis. The tremendous emphasis on the scientific and mechanical ways of life is fast reducing man to the status of a machine. Moral and religious values are being undermined. The fundamental principles of civilization are being ignored. Conflicts of ideals, manners and habits are pervading the atmosphere. Disregard for everything old is the fashion of the day. Such social and global evils can be rooted out only through education. The defect of the present-day education is that it has no definite goal to pursue.
Through Education one should understand the essential nature of his perfection, should identify it with his inner self. For achieving this, one will have to eliminate one's ego, ignorance and all other false identification, which stand in the way. Education enables one to comprehend one's self within as the sell everywhere. The essential unity of the entire universe is realized through education. Accordingly, man making stands for rousing mans to the awareness of his true self, means a harmonious development of the body, mind and intellect. The mind of the students has to be controlled and trained through commitment, consistency, concentration and practice of ethical purity. All success in any line of work is the result of the power of concentration. Education is not a mere accumulation of information but a comprehensive training for life. To quote Swami Vivekananda "Education for him means that process by which character is formed, strength of mind is increased, and intellect is sharpened, as a result of which one can stand on one's own feet". The teacher's role is only to help the child to manifest his knowledge by removing the obstacles in his way. The teacher invokes the spirit of inquiry in the pupil who is supposed to find out things for himself under the bias-free guidance of the teacher.
The scheme of education of 21st century should meticulously include all those studies, which are necessary for the all around development of the body, mind and intellect of the individual. The cultural values of the country should form an integral part of the curriculum of education. The entire educational program should be so planned that it equips the youth to contribute to the material progress of the country as well as to maintaining the supreme worth of our Country's heritage.
Education rather wisdom paves the way for the personal and social upliftment. Education has to reach everyone-high and low, because individuals are the very constituents of society. The sense of dignity rises in man when he becomes conscious of his inner spirit, and that is the very purpose of education. Founding education on the firm ground of our own philosophy and culture is best of remedies for today's social and global illness. We have laid down such an educational system in our Vidya Niketan English School that enable our students to face and overcome the challenges of 21st Century and thus eradicate the social evil. We believe in an educational system which is constructive not destructive.
Jai Hind
Adv. Prema Menon
Chairperson, School Governing Council