EDUCATION IN ANCIENT INDIA

WHAT IS EDUCATION?• Education in its general sense is a form of learning in which

the knowledge, skills, values, beliefs and habits of a group of people are transferred from one generation to the next through storytelling, discussion, teaching, training, or research

• Education may also include informal transmission of such information from one human being to another. Education frequently takes place under the guidance of others, but learners may also educate themselves which is known as autodidactic learning)  Any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts may be considered educational.

• Education is commonly and formally divided into stages such as preschool, primary school, secondary school and then college, university or apprenticeship. The methodology of teaching is called pedagogy.

EDUCATION OF ANCIENT INDIA

• The history of education in ancient India is fascinating and is recorded and can be tracked to the ancient era.

• Education in ancient India began around the 3rd century B.C with elements of religious training and impart of traditional knowledge.

• Sages and scholars imparted education orally .Palm leaves and barks of trees were used for writing.

THE EDUCATION IN DETAIL

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BDXIgqvJeY0

TOPICS TO BE DISCUSSED:

• GURUKULA SYSTEM

• BRAHMACHARYA

• SUBJECTS THAT WERE TAUGHT

• GURUDRAKSHINA

GURUKULA SYSTEM

INTRODUCTION

• He who brings up the student (śishya), brings him near unto himself, and unto the Supreme Self, who invests him with the sacred thread (the mark of the twice-born) and teaches him the Sacred Scriptures (Vedas) with its secret meaning and its practical working, he is the true Guru or ācārya.

• Gurukulam has existed since the Vedic age.

• India has been known as the land of Gurus and Gurukulas . Gurukulas were great centres of learning in the ancient India. In the Gurukula System of Education,students lived in the kula (family) of their Guru (teacher) and studied the Vedas (Sacred Scriptures) and other subjects.

Objectives of Gurukuls

• Self Control

• Development of character

• Social Awareness

• Integral development of personality

• Propagation of purity

• Preservation of knowledge and culture

•  It was believed that gurus were skilled in the art of warfare, in the know-how of administration, or in the knowledge of the Scriptures.

• These Gurus were always men and almost always from the Brahmins(priestly class).

• A young boy, either from the Brahmins or Kshatriyas (ruling class), was sent to a Guru at the age of 12 for about 9 to 12 years of rigorous education in one of these three areas–arts, administration or religion.

• Then the boy returned back to marry or he took the vows of Sannyāsa, “one who has fully renounced all ties with the world.”

• Those who belonged to the Vaiśyas (merchant class) and the Śūdras(working class) apprenticed themselves under a skilled individual in their trade or craft.

BRAHMACHARYA

• There are two meanings of the word brahmacharya. The derivative meaning of a brahmachari is “brahmani caratiti brahmacari ”.That means,one who lives in Brahman(God) is a brahmachari .

• The word ‘Brahman’ is derived from the verb ‘brihi’ , meaning ‘great’. Yes, the one who is great is Brahman. Thus, brahmachari is one who comes to the Guru with the aspiration of becoming great.

• In the Vedic System of Education, a student getting admitted to the Gurukula was not merely called vidyārthi (one who aspires for knowledge)but brahmachari . This stage of life has been traditionally described as Brahmacharya Āshram.

• The students in the Gurukula were subjected to rigorous discipline.

• They had to live in a very austere environment, observe complete celibacy, practice yoga and meditation under the supervision of the Guru and perform many menial jobs for the Guru’s household.

• The fundamental spirit of Āshram is shram(labour) and tapas(austerity).

SUBJECTS THAT WERE TAUGHT

• Śikshā (Phonetics)

• Vyākarana (Grammar)

• Jyotisha(Astronomy)

• Arthaśāstra (Economics)

• Dharmaśāstra(Laws)

• Śastravidyā(Art of Warfare)

• Kalā(Fine Arts)

VEDAS

• The Rigveda, containing hymns to be recited

• The Yajurveda, containing formulas to be recited by the adhvaryu or officiating priest;

• The Samaveda, containing formulas to be sung by the udgātṛ

• The Atharvaveda, a collection of spells and incantations, apotropaic charms and speculative hymns.

VEDAS

RIGVEDA

ATHARVEDA

SAMVEDA

YAJURVEDA

GURUDAKSHINA

• Education was free, but students from well-to-do families paid "Gurudakshina," a voluntary contribution after the completion of their studies.

EDUCATION IN THE MEDEVIAL PERIOD

• To begin with the medieval age is defined as :

A period in the European history which was referred by the Italian scholars and academics of the late fifteenth century.

They were basically stating that the society in which they now lived is significantly more civilized and advanced in many ways, than that which had existed during the previous thousand years.

It can also be described as the time in European history between classical antiquity and the Renaissance, from the late 5th century to about 1350.

WHAT IS THE MEDEVIAL PERIOD?

• Classical antiquity:

• It is a broad term for a long period of cultural history. It is the period in which Greek and Roman society flourished and wielded great influence throughout Europe, North Africa and the Middle East.

• The Renaissance :

• It is a period from the 14th to the 17th century, considered the bridge between the Middle Ages and modern history. It started as a cultural movement in Italy in the Late Medieval period, later spread to the rest of Europe and finally ended in the Early Modern Age.

• Although on the other hand, the Islamic world was growing larger and more powerful. After the prophet Muhammad’s death in 632 CE, Muslim armies conquered large parts of the Middle East, uniting them under the rule. At its height, the medieval Islamic world was more than three times bigger than all of Christendom.

EDUCATION IN THE MEDEVIAL INDIA• Education in medieval India expressed a

new perspective in the 11th century .

• The Muslims established elementary and secondary schools .

• This further let to the commencement of universities like Delhi, Luck now and Allahabad .

• There was a fresh interaction between Indian and Islamic traditions in the fields of knowledge like theology ,religion , philosophy ,fine arts ,painting ,architecture, mathematics ,medicine and astronomy.

• Muslim rulers promoted urban education by building libraries and literary societies

• Primary schools called maktabs were established and reading basic Islamic prayers were taught.

• Secondary schools called Madrasas taught advanced language skills .

• These were setup by sultans nobles and other influential ladies.

• Scholars from Madrasa would be eligible for civil services.

• Women education in India during the medieval period was prevalent.

• Muslim girls of affluent families studied at home and moreover, as Persian was the court language of the period, elite boys could attend Persian schools to learn literature, history, ethics, law, administration.

FOUNDATION OF UNIVERSITIES

• The first millennium and the few centuries preceding it saw the flourishing of higher education such as Nalanda, Takshila, Ujjain, & Vikramshila Universities.

• Subjects such as Art, Architecture, Painting, Logic, Grammar, Philosophy, Astronomy, Literature, Buddhism, Hinduism, Arthashastra (Economics & Politics), Law, and Medicine were taught.

• Takshila specialized in the study of medicine, while Ujjain laid emphasis on astronomy.

• Nalanda, being the biggest center, handled all branches of knowledge, and housed up to 10,000 students at its peak.

TAKSHASHILA UNIVERSITY

FIRST EDUCATION INSTITUES

-The Calcutta Madrasa

-Sanskrit College

-Fort William College

THE CALCUTTA MADRASA

• Set up in/at: 1781 / Calcutta

• Set up by :Warner Hastings

• Purpose : For the study of Muslim law and related subjects

SANSKRIT COLLEGE

• Set up in/at : 1791 /Banaras

• Set up by : Jonathan Duncan

• Purpose : For the purpose of Hindu Law and philosophy

EDUCATION IN MORDERN INDIA

• The educational system which the British introduced teaching of English language was given greater emphasis and the study of languages like Arabic, Persian and Sanskrit were left to individual efforts .

MORDERN EDUCATION AND ITS OBJECTIVES

• The English introduced modern education

• To reduce the expenditure on administration

• To encourage the study of English language

• To expand market for English goods

• To spread Christianity

• According to Lord Macaulay after receiving modern education Indians would remain Indians only in their color while their interests, ideas , morals and Intelligence would change.

INTRODUCTION OF WESTERN EDUCATION

• Introduction of Western Education in India was led by two causes:

• East India Company

• Christian Missionaries

EAST INDIA COMPANY

• East India Company showed very little interest in the promotion of education in India.

• The only purpose of seeing up education systems in India was to ensure a steady supply of Indians to law courts by the company.

• India’s knowledge of classical was used to establish correspondence with the native states by the East India Company.

STEPS TAKEN BY THE BRITISH TO INTRODUCE WESTERN EDUCATION IN INDIA

• 1784 A.D. Asiatic society of Bengal was founded by sir .William Jones this society started several English Schools and Colleges .

• The missionaries started Wilson College at Bombay , Christian College at Madras, St. John’s College at Agra .

• Progressive Indians like Raja ram Mohan Roy also started colleges where English was taught.

• Charter act of 1813A.D. paved way for setting aside 1 lakh of rupees for promoting the knowledge of modern sciences.

• But sadly this money was not used for many years and there was a controversy about the medium of learning .

• Between 1828 and 1835 A.D. William Bentinck along with Lord Macaulay and Raja ram Mohan Roy encouraged English learning .

• Lord Harding decided that only Indians with English knowledge will be appointed in government jobs .

• The Raj, often working with local philanthropists, opened 186 universities and colleges of higher education by 1911; they enrolled 36,000 students. By 1939 the number of institutions had doubled and enrollment reached 145,000.

• The curriculum followed classical British standards of the sort set by Oxford and Cambridge and stressed English literature and European history.

• Nevertheless by the 1920s the student bodies had become hotbeds of Indian nationalism.

EDUCATION IN THE POST INDEPENDENT ERA

THE POST INDEPENDENT ERA

• Under the British rule in India, education was imparted through the medium of English. The pattern of education developed in India during the British rule was totally unplanned.

• So after Independence, the leaders thought to bring a change in education system.

• 1949- Dr. S. Radhakrishnan

• 1953- Dr. Lakshman Swami Mudaliar for Secondary Education.

• 1964-66- The National Education Commission

• 1986- National Policy of Education

• 2000-01- Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan

• After independence, education became the responsibility of the states.

• The Central Government's only obligation was to co-ordinate in technical and higher education and specifies standards.

• This continued till 1976, when the education became a joint responsibility of the state and the Centre.

• Education in India falls under the control of both the Union Government and the states, with some responsibilities lying with the Union and the states having autonomy for others.

•Value based education is a three fold development of any individual of any gender and age, but most importantly of a child. Education tries to develop three aspects: physique, mentality and character.

• The various articles of the Indian Constitution provide for education as a fundamental right. Most universities in India are controlled by the Union or the State Government.

• India has made progress in terms of increasing primary education attendance rate and expanding literacy to approximately two thirds of the population.

• India's improved education system is often cited as one of the main contributors to the economic rise of India.

• As of 2011 there are 1522 degree-granting engineering colleges in India with an annual student intake of 582,000,

plus 1,244 polytechnics with an annual intake of 265,000.

CONCLUSION

• In conclusion, we feel that everyone has the right to be educated. Although education may not solve all our problems, we must intensify our efforts to educate all children. We should carry on the tradition of providing children the education that they will need in order to meet the challenge of a constantly changing world. Education helps us to develop lifelong skills such as treat others as you would want to be treated and care about others as you care about yourself. By instilling just these two simple concepts, just think how wonderful our changing world would be.