Journal of Value Education – N.C.E.R.T

Contents

Editorial 5

An Approach to Value Orientation of 9Teachers’ EducationC. SESHADRI

Value- based Teachers’ Training at 18New Era Development InstituteSHERIF RUSHDY

Promoting Value Education through 29Children’s LiteratureINDRANATH CHOUDHURI

Value Education through Comics and 37Short StoriesSOHAYL MOHAJER

Development of Values through 42Mime TheatreNIRANJAN GOSWAMI

Experiences and Innovations: Value 49Education in City Montessori School,LucknowJAGDISH GANDHI

Value-oriented Education 58I. BHARDWAJ

Need for Value-based Spiritual 69Education in SchoolsSEETHA KUNCHITHAPADAM

Comprehensive and Futuristic 82Value-Based ProgrammeCHITRA NAKRA

Journey to Excellence by 90Conducting Value EducationExperiments in SDSM School for ExcellenceSWATI NATH

JOURNAL OFVALUE EDUCATION

JANUARY & JULY 2005

Principles of Excellence in Value Education 106TINA OLYAI

Value Education in Secondary Schools: 112MethodologySWAMI SUVIRANANDA

Minimum Programme on 122Value Education in SchoolsJ.N. SHARMA

Teachers’ Guide to Peace Education 129R.P. PERERA

Selected Annotated Bibliography of 131Journal Articles on Value Education

An Approach to Value Orientation ofTeachers’ Education*

C. SESHADRI**

This paper addresses the issue of teachers’ training for value education andits response to the demand for value education in the schools. Defining valueeducation as education itself, the author advocates the need for the preparationof a teacher as an agent for social change, to equip him or her to deliver thequality of values as per the situation and explore the process by which childrendevelop values essential for living in the society. Teachers need to be trainedto create situations and be imaginative to reflect on that situation by makingstudents aware of values and highlighting its need.

Abstract

The demand for training of teachers in‘value education’, often expressed as‘value orientation of teachers’education’, has arisen as the logicalsequel to the introduction of valueeducation in schools. To respondmeaningfully to this demand, one hastherefore to critically look into thecurricular and other interventionsbeing proposed towards this end at theschool level. Even more important isthe need to critically examine the entirerationale in forming value education.

Although there is generalacceptance that education mustprovide a thrust on the development ofvalues, it is not clear how this is to beachieved. Differences persist on thekind of educational interventions

implied by it. In some states, separatecurricular provision is made in schoolsfor teaching values. In others, valueteaching is integrated with the regularschool activities. The content of valueeducation also remains a contentiousissue. While some plead for yoga,meditation and education aboutreligions, others would like to confinethemselves to 'secular' learning.Perceptions vary about thecompendium of values that the schoolsshould promote and the meaning ofvalues like secularism and democracy.Any proposal of a value-educationpackage is looked upon with suspicionfor carrying a hidden agenda. Viewsalso differ on what the objectives ofvalue education should be, how it

* Reproduced from the book entitled Value Education in Indian Schools: Experiences and Strategiesof Implementation, NCERT, New Delhi, 2003.

** Former Principal, Regional Institute of Education, Mysore.

10 ● JOURNAL OF VALUE EDUCATION

should be delivered and what role theteacher has to play in the wholeprocess. There is also the widely sharedscepticism on the effectiveness ofschool interventions in promotingvalues in the face of hostile externalinfluences.

A similar situation characterises'value orientation’ of teachers’education. So far the phrase has beentaken to mean ‘add-ons’ to teachers’education curriculum like formalteaching of values, introduction ofvalue-oriented practical activities andtraining in value educationmethodology. This to me appears as apurely didactic response. It is alsosuperficial and piecemeal, as it fails tolook at the teachers’ educationcurriculum as a totality. What valueorientation of teachers’ education callsfor is a total qualitative transformationof its entire content and processes—educational theory, pedagogy, studentteaching, training methods,organisation and administration. Inshort, it demands the adoption of anew, values-driven philosophy ofteachers’ education. The point of thispaper is that teachers’ education, tofunction as an effective instrument ofvalue education, should go beyond pat,mechanical responses and issue forthin more studied and creative actionsderiving from informed understandingof all relevant aspects of value education.

Some Basic Issues

Basic to any such effort towards valueorientation of teachers’ education are:understanding and appreciation ofwhat it means to 'value educate', theintegrality of education and values, the

nature of the teachers’ educationenterprise and the interlockingrelationship between education, valuesand society.

Integrality of Education and ValuesValues are integral to the process ofeducation. They are not add-ons. Alleducation is, in a sense, valueeducation. 'Value-less' or 'value-neutral' education is a contradiction interms, given the meaning of 'value' and'education'. Education is a process ofbringing about ‘desirable’ changes inthe way one thinks, feels and acts inaccordance with one's concept of thegood life. In this sense, educationnecessarily involves the transmissionof values. Our aims of education—development of personality, pursuit ofknowledge, preservation of culture,training of character—are no morethan statements of our valuepreferences. Towards realising them wedesign a curriculum, a plannedcollection of ‘desirable’ knowledge,skills, attitudes and values that wewish to pass on to the youngergeneration. And this we do in ways thatdo not violate the freedom andautonomy of the learner. In otherwords, education, in its aims,curriculum and methods, isinseparably linked with values. Thedemand for value orientation ofeducation (and teachers’ education),therefore, needs to be considered vis-a- vis internal reform of the objectives,content and processes of schooleducation and teachers’ education.

Education-Schooling DivideOne of the major factors behind thedemand for value education is the

AN APPROACH TO VALUE ORIENTATION OF TEACHERS’ EDUCATION ● 11

increasing divide between schoolingand education that we are witnessingtoday. Education is a value and schoolan instrument to realise it. Educationis the norm that the school activities—curricular and co-curricular—mustsatisfy if their object indeed iseducation. School activities, in otherwords, are not ends in themselves.Their sole justification is education.But the grim reality facing schoolstoday is that their agendas aredetermined and driven not so much byeducational aims or curricularobjectives as by parental pressures togive their children ‘a good start’ in lifein a purely materialistic sense. Nor isthe yardstick used for measuringschool success and teacherper formance in line with theproclaimed educational aims likeknowledge and understanding,democratic citizenship, moralcharacter, personal autonomy andcreative self-expression. What is valuedis efficiency with which the schoolprepares the child to compete forsuccess in a market economy.Schooling has thus gradually distanceditself from its central purpose,education.

Education is not an autonomoussystem divorced from the overallcontext in which it functions. Today,as a consumer good, education also hasmet the same fate as other materialcommodities operating in a marketeconomy driven by the profit motive.Worse, the market forces haveinfluenced not only the production anddistribution of education but its verymeaning. Today education meanswhatever is done in the school.

Whether or not it meets the educationcriteria is of no concern. What is lostsight of is the distinction between thevalue and good, and the process andsubstance. The issue of value educationhas therefore to be situated in thebroader context of the commercialethos that has led to this highlydistressing divide between schoolingand education. Our immediate taskmust be to re-examine our educationalaims and restore the connectionbetween schooling activities andeducational aims. Teachers’ education,accordingly, has to be guided in itsphilosophy, content and processes bythe principle of (re)directing the schooltasks towards educational aims.

What Does it Mean to ‘Value Educate’?

Value education is a process ofeducation. This means that it is aprocess of inducing learning. Learningis not a passive process of absorption.It involves thinking, reflecting,questioning, feeling, doing, caring,experiencing. Value education,accordingly, is not a process ofauthoritarian indoctrination ofdogmas, exhortation or propaganda.Nor is it the direct inculcation of a bodyof pre-determined 'right' values in thelearners through didactic approaches.The goal is not to promote passiveconformity and blind obedience towhatever values are passed on, but toencourage critical and reflectivethinking, rational choice andresponsible behaviour, respecting theautonomy of the learner. When we are'value educating', we are putting thelearners in situations that enable themto think, to reason, to question, to


reflect, to care, to feel concern, to act.The purpose is to trigger discussionsand reflections, and to generatecreative responses to value situations.

Value education is also educationin the sense that it is education for'becoming '. It is concerned with thedevelopment of the total personality ofthe individual—intellectual, social,emotional, aesthetic, moral andspiritual. It involves developingsensitivity to the good, the right andthe beautiful, ability to choose the rightvalues in accordance with the highestideals of life and internalising andrealising them in thought and action.As such the process calls into play allhuman faculties—knowing, feeling anddoing. Not only should the learner beenabled to know the right and the good,but also to care, to feel the appropriateemotions, concern and commitmentand exercise the will to do the rightthing. In other words, to 'value educate'is to develop rational critical thinking,to educate the emotions, to cultivatethe imagination, to strengthen will andto train character of the learner.

What Values?Quite often the question is asked:‘What values are to be emphasised ineducation’? Compendia of values areproduced as claimants for curricularspace. Identification of values and theirclassification has become an obsessionand a great deal of time is spent onthis aspect alone. As stated, valueeducation is not to be viewed asauthoritarian indoctrination in the'right' values chosen a priori. The pointto be noted is that the model of valuesto be adopted in public education

should be derived from our nationalgoals and aspirations, universalperceptions and ethical considerationsbearing on character building, keepingin focus our commitment to ademocratic, socialist and secular socialorder. The essence of value educationis to enable children to be aware, tothink and to reflect, to question and tocriticise, to care and feel concern, towill and act on one's convictions on allthat critically concern the welfare of thehuman kind. Human rights, rights ofchildren, gender justice, scientificattitude, social justice, environmentand 'media literacy' are some of thethemes that are of particularsignificance to teachers’ educationcurriculum in the present context.

What Shall the Teacher be Trained inand for What?This question has to be considered inthe light of the purpose of valueeducation already discussed. Thepurpose is to kindle the moral andaesthetic sensibilities of learners, toraise their level of value consciousness,to stimulate them to think freely andcritically, to develop the ability to judgeactions and events rationally, and tochoose and act courageously and withconviction for the sake of the largersocial good. Accordingly, the teacherhas to be trained to function as anagent who stimulates, provokes,informs and sensitises the learnerswith reference to value situations inlife. Through involving the learnersactively in discussion, dialogue andpractical activities, the teacher shouldmake them think and reflect on humanactions and events. The teacher should


also expose students to works of art,beauty in nature, and in humanrelationships and actions of moralworth, and develop their moralsensibilities. The institutionalprocesses in the training institutionshould help teachers acquire thesecapabilities by providing concretesituations and opportunities andactively involve them in appropriatelearning experiences.

The general tone and ethos of theschool act as a powerful source of valueeducation. Children acquire sensitivityto values and ideals by living in andcoming into contact with the schoolatmosphere. Such an atmosphere isnot created overnight nor by teachersor pupils alone. It needs the sustained,collective efforts of all concerned witheducation—teachers, parents,community leaders and students.Teachers have a major role in makingthe school what it ought to be. Theyshould help in creating an atmosphereof love, trust, cooperation and securityin the school conducive to thedevelopment of high ideals and values.The teachers’ training experience in itstotality should lead to the motivationof teachers towards the attainment ofthese ideals.

Value education is not a sphere ofactivity that is distinct from theteacher's other professional activities—teaching, guiding pupils andinteracting with them, organising co-curricular activities and the like. Thevery nature of teaching imposes certainobligations and commitments on ateacher. Essentially, teaching is an actto bring about learning. The primaryobligations of a teacher are to the

learner and knowledge. Theseobligations of a teacher are non-negotiable. They imply that the teacherhas to understand the learner as aperson as well as a learner. Regardingthe former, the teacher has to love thestudents and be genuinely interestedin their growth and development. Toget them to learn, teachers have tounderstand the way children learn, andequip themselves with all necessarypedagogical skills to promote learningin them. They should possess the rightqualities of mind and heart necessaryfor the pursuit of knowledge—love ofknowledge, curiosity and desire toknow, sincere desire to keep onlearning and update knowledge,humility and honesty to admitignorance. They should have a soundsocial philosophy, characterised bysocial sensitivity, concern for socialjustice and human rights. It is essentialthat they carry out their professionalobligations in accordance with thehighest standards and ethics of theteaching profession. Teachers’education should provide ampleexperiences for the trainees tounderstand the professional code andits rationale, and ensure its honestobservance by teachers and teachereducators in the training institution.

Current Approaches: A Critique

Currently various kinds ofprogrammes, both pre-service and in-service, are being conducted fororientation and training of teachers invalue education. Under one scheme,identified 'lead institutions' conduct 3-4 weeks long residential courses forteachers. Shorter duration


programmes for teacher educators arealso organised. Some observations onthe format and content of theseprogrammes are given below:

These programmes carrynomenclatures like ‘value-orientedteachers’ education’, ‘value educationfor teachers’ and so on. Their focus ison personal development of thesubjects through mind-improvementtechniques, prayer, yoga, meditationand relief from stress, althoughdifferent value themes like scientificattitude and environment also find aplace. Messages are delivered throughlectures, discourses, benedictions andexhortations. The residentialatmosphere adds to the tone of theprogramme whose main objective is toinspire the subject to live a life of peace,moral purity and spiritualdevelopment.

Although such programmescontribute in their own way to thedevelopment of the trainees, from thepoint of the philosophy of valueeducation enunciated in this paper,they fail to address the essentialelements of value education training.First, the typical programme (as canbe made out from its contents)addresses teachers and teachereducators as individuals and not asprofessionals having specified roles tocarry out. It sidelines the ‘valueeducating’ functions of the teachersand teacher educators and treats themas individuals seeking spiritualperfection. It is true that the twoaspects are related, but a teachereducation programme in valueeducation should be primarilyconcerned with the roles and functions

of teacher educators as 'valueeducators'. It is expected to aim at thedevelopment in the trainees’understandings, skills and attitudes aswould equip them to discharge theirfunctions as value educators.

Secondly, it misses the nub of valueeducation, that it is a learningexperience that induces one to think,reflect, feel, question, criticise, care,judge and act, and not a prescriptionfor personal peace, tranquillity andhappiness, a kind of an intellectualsedative. If we expect teachers tofunction as providers of such learningexperiences to children in schools, itbehoves on trainers of teachers (andteacher educators) to provide similarexperiences to their trainees.Attempting to 'train' teachers andteacher educators through discoursesand exhortations will not go far inmaking them effective teachers ofvalue.

Also, the programmes do not derivefrom a well-articulated rationale andare not situated in the contemporarysocial and educational context.Teachers and teacher educators are tobe prepared as value educators withreference to the concrete realities inwhich they have to function. These maybe: the state of school education andteachers’ education; the curriculumand the manner in which it istransacted; the goals and values thatthe schools pursue and theircompatibility with educational aims;the role expectations from teachers andteacher educators; the actualities, theatmosphere of the school and thetraining institution; and the processesof management, administration and a


host of other factors that go to makethe school and the training institutionwhat they are. It is important to notehere that all the committees andcommissions have referred to valueeducation in the concrete context ofnational goals on the basis of analysisof the educational and social situations.The point is that a programme ofteachers’ training in value educationshould be rooted in the realities ofschool and teachers’ education, withgreater emphasis on values like justice,equality, compassion, cooperation andhuman rights.

Manner of Value Orientation ofTeachers’ Education

Restoring 'Education' Dimension toTeachers’ Training

Teachers’ education, like education, isessentially a value-laden activityconcerned with the development of the'total' teacher. The conceptual shiftfrom 'training' to 'education'emphasises a drastic qualitativechange in its orientation—from thetraining of teacher as a craftspersonto the development of a humaneteacher well-versed in the arts andscience of helping children to learn andgrow. The new demand of 'valueorientation' only underscores that theentire teachers’ education process—objectives, curriculum, methods andmaterials—exhibit these broader goalsboth in form and substance. It is not acall for adding on more and more thingsto what we are already doing even aswe continue with our old ways. It is acall for doing whatever we aredoing in a new light, with an explicit

consciousness and appreciation of theirvalue implications. It is a call for totalqualitative reform in the management,administration and delivery of ourteachers’ education programmes. If thephilosophy contained in the accountgiven above of value education is actedupon, the entire teachers’ educationcurriculum—educational foundations,pedagogical theory and practice—andthe host of other activities that formthe routine of a teachers’ educationprogramme would be seen in a new light.

Teaching of Educational TheoryTeachers’ education has to renew andupdate educational theory taught totrainees with reference to such issuesas globalisation, peace, media, cultureand democracy. Some of the questionsthat need to be addressed are: Whatdoes the knowledge society and the newinformation order mean for teachers’education? What aims shall it pursueand what role shall it play in thepreparation of teachers? Should theaims of teachers’ education undergo achange in orientation? In what ways?How important is knowledge as an aimof education? How shall the dividebetween schooling and education beconfronted? How shall one deal with asituation in which the values and ethosof the IT society—efficiency, utility andeconomy—pose a danger to the pursuitof knowledge as an intrinsic end? Howshall the challenge of globalisation toculture and values be addressed? Theeducational foundations package ofphilosophy, sociology and history canact as a power house, when usedwith discretion, of value-centreddiscussions.


Creative Responses to Materials andMethods

One also expects from teachers’education creative responses to issuesrelating to curriculum, materials andteaching methods in value education.So far the response has beenstereotyped, adding a new course ortopics or providing for training in'methodology of value education'. Butthe need is to break away from suchformal and didactic solutions. Weshould be on the look out for morecreative, innovative ways of dealingwith curriculum, methods andmaterials. The essential point to be keptin mind is that the learning experiencesto be provided to the children in schoolsand to trainees in the trainingprogrammes, mutatis mutandis, shouldmake them to think, to care, to reflect,to reason, to feel, to question. Value-oriented teachers’ education wouldthen mean a process of trainingteachers in the conceiving anddesigning of methods and materialsthat 'talk' and interact with childrenand their imaginative use with them.Student teaching in cooperatingschools, probably organised asinternship, provides the best 'reallife' opportunity for the teachereducators and the trainees to acquirethese skills.

School Curriculum: The Source ofValues

If value education is planned aseducational action aimed at thedevelopment of the learner'spersonality, the most obvious way ofimplementing it would be to look intothe processes of education itself—its

aims, curriculum and methods—instead of searching for solutions fromoutside. Such critical probe into thecontents and processes of educationwould yield us valuable insights intothe nature of learning experiences thatthey contain, and their axiologicalfeatures. The proper teaching of asubject thus involves not merely thepassing on of information contained inthe subject but, even more importantly,inculcating in the student certainqualities of mind and heart involved inthe pursuit of that discipline. This,however, does not mean that thedifferent academic disciplines are to beovertly used as instruments of valueeducation, but only that studentsshould be made aware of the interfacebetween knowledge and value.Teachers’ training should enableteachers to broaden theirunderstanding of school subjects andlook at them in a holistic manner andnot just as a body of cold facts.

Conclusion

There are different ways in whichteachers’ education can respond tocurricular changes at the school level.At the first level, there is the purelyknee-jerk response of taking anyrecommended reform as a sacred'given' and translating it into an add-on through a content or methodologycourse. Secondly, the response is basedon a broad understanding of thesuggested intervention but againconfined to the introduction of anycourse. The idea itself remainsunquestioned. A third way ofresponding would be not to uncriticallyaccept the proposed change but to


submit it to critical inquiry, study whatit means to the entire process ofteachers’ education and work out itsimplications in the light of a well-articulated rationale and philosophy.It is such studied and informedresponse that should come forth fromteachers’ education to the demand forits value orientation. Thus, the coremessage of value education for teachersand teacher educators is not that theyshould do extra or additional things but

that they should do whatever they areexpected to do by their calling—teaching, testing, relating to thecommunity, parents and students—with a sense of commitment, sincerityand dedication. The professional ethicsfor teachers is in itself a completeprogramme of value education forteachers. This message must beconveyed in 'loud and clear' termsthrough all teacher educationprogrammes.


Implications for Teachers’ Training

The curricular and structural changesbriefly outlined above, of course, all callfor a new kind of teacher—a teacherwho has acquired a new vision and ishimself engaged in a conscious path ofpersonal and collective development; ateacher who is able to makeconnections between the material andthe spiritual in his subject matter; ateacher who is able to facilitatestudent-based systematic experientiallearning processes andfoster the discovery of concepts by thestudents; a teacher who can usecooperative and participatory learningtechniques; a teacher who, in allaspects of his behaviour, becomes arole model for the student. If we expectthe students to be of service to theircommunity, to consciously engage ina process of personal growth, to learnto work together in harmony, theirteachers must demonstrate that in

their own lives. In the frameworkdescribed here, every teacher mustbecome a value education teacher,through his teaching and his example,and the process of value educationbecomes the core process in the school.The mission of these teachers will thenbe to transform, to the extent that theyare capable, the schools in which theywork so as to create for their studentsa meaningful educational experience.

The educational experience of theteacher himself must therefore bea powerful and transformingexperience. It is unrealistic to expectthat teachers will be able to create anatmosphere or facilitate learningprocesses that they themselves havenever experienced. Teachers mustexperience during their own trainingall the elements that we would expectthem to replicate in their schools. Ateachers’ training programme thataims to prepare teachers to implement

KNOWLEDGE SESSIONS(Why should I change?)

VIRTUE SESSIONS(What should I be like and how do I do it?)

Moral Training(Learrning to Bring Yourself to Account Independently)

ProcessingMotives,Deeds

HOME

COMMUNITY

SCHOOL

FRIENDS

REAL-LIFEEXPERIENCES

▲SERVICE ARTISTIC AND CULTURAL ACTIVITIES

(Where and when to do it)

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Promoting Value Education throughChildren’s Literature*

INDRANATH CHOUDHURI**

The author believes that children’s literature plays a very significant role inimparting values among children, as it reflects values in a more gentle andprepositional manner rather than being prescriptive and narrative. It is amedium that introduces children to the world of words and provides them asense of satisfaction in general, and joy and fun in particular. This paperhighlights that traditional literature in India fabricates values in such a waythat the gap between art and religion is reduced. Children enjoy readingliterature for the ‘pleasure of recognition’ and ‘joy of understanding’, and inthis process they become aware of cultural ethos and values, which areconveyed through messages in an implicit manner. The author advocates thatmost Indian literature, particularly that which has been handed down forgenerations, for instance in the form of stories like Panchatantra, talk of valuesthat must be inculcated. This is done subtly.

Abstract

I found one thing very interesting andinnovating in the Children’s BookSupplement of Book Review,November -December 2001 issue,which included some very revealingreviews of children’s books by schoolchildren. Most of these reviewsemphasise one point, that children’sliterature should entertain—which isthe most important aspect of a goodchildren’s book—but at the same time,in these reviews children attempted tofind out some values ingrained in thestory. For example, while reviewing“Matilda Bone” by Karen Cushman,Malika Menon, a class XII student of

Sardar Patel Vidyalaya says that it iseducational as well as interesting.However, it is said again and again thatchildren’s literature should reflectvalues in a ‘gentle’ way. In other words,nothing should be prescriptive butpropositional so that a child may tryto draw a moral on his own in animaginative way; the best way of doingthis is to introduce the component ofliterature to inspire and kindle thequest among students for a meaningof life.

The perfect recipe for a children’sstory is hard to put down; after allchildren’s literature is also literature


** Head, Department of Kaladarsana, Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts, New Delhi.


and literature does not only entertain,it also instructs and conveys themessage of poetic justice though in asubtle way, quite implicitly and alsoindirectly.

There is a thinking that, as valuesare relative and subjective, individualsshould be left to themselves todetermine their own value system, andthe educational institutions shouldconfine themselves only to the studieswhere objective knowledge isdiscernible or determinable. There isno doubt that most students are quiteaverse and apathetic towards valueeducation, particularly in the growingatmosphere of moral relativism andself-centred liberalism. We nowfrequently hear students saying that,of course, one dislikes the Nazis, butwho is to say that they are morallywrong. This is known as anti-judgemental phobia. Along with it, theself-centred liberalism of showing andtalking everything to students hasresulted in creating moral debasement,as well as violence and unhealthypractices rather than moral upliftment.

Education has become a means toan end. End is development, progress,efficiency—all in terms of material gainfor an industrialised society. Ademocracy cannot survive for longwithout the support of an extra-political normative moral order andalso by going beyond the materialutility of life. Hence value-orientededucation, as an in-built aspect of thecourse curricular and as co- or extra-curricular activities in educationalinstitutions is essential to train thefuture generation on how to run asuccessful democracy. Education is in

itself to be made the goal. Panchatantratales, for instance, invariably have amoral. They teach values. Examplesare: don’t cut off your nose to spite yourface (The frog king and the hare); blindimitation is a dangerous thing (Thegreedy barber); nothing is impossiblefor the clever (The lion and the hare).Narrated in a style that is simple andin a vocabulary that the children caneasily understand, these storiessuggest social norms and mores. Theylay the basis for ‘good’ citizens. Valueshelp us to become useful members ofour society. Socialisation is the processby which we become members ofsociety. Peter L. Berger and Brigitte intheir book entitled Sociology: ABiographical Approach mention that thebiography of individual, from themoment of his birth, is the story of hisrelation with others. But a child livesinitially in a micro-world with somespecial persons whom, Marginal Headcalls ‘the significant others’. With thepassage of time a child shows interestfor alternatives and choices, and in thisway the process of socialisation beginsand the significant other is graduallysubstituted by the generalised other.Socialisation is thus the process bywhich a child is helped to link his orher micro-world with the macro-world;and values are an integral part of thesocialisation process.

A point that is often raised is thatthe primary objective of children’sliterature should be to entertainchildren. There is no doubt that it isnot obligatory for all children's storiesto have a moral. Stories can stand ontheir own. Examples can be given fromthe fables of Jean de la Fontaine. In

PROMOTING VALUE EDUCATION THROUGH CHILDREN’S LITERATURE ● 31

Fable 20 of Book 1, Fontaine tells ofthe rooster who took a pearl to ajeweller, offering to trade it for a grainof millet. Here he omits the moralentirely and gives it a new twist byadding a parallel that a blockhead wasbequeathed a valuable manuscript,which he took to a nearby connoisseur,remarking that he would rather havea half-penny than the rarity that hehad inherited. Michael MadhusudanDutt, the well-known renaissance poetof Bengal in the middle of nineteenthcentury, translated some of the animalfables from Jean de la Fontaine intoBengali and added a moral to this story,“The one who is foolish, can he everknow the value of knowledge or whatis precious”. Michael calls moral as thesoul of the apologue and adds it toanother fable, ‘The sick lion and thefox’, which tells the story of foxes whonever went to see the sick lion in hisden as ordered by him, because all thefoxes observed that any animal whoentered the den did not come back. Thelast lines of the fable are:

‘I clearly see they enter, well!But how they leave it who can tell’.Michael adds a moral to the fable

that the clever watches everything andtherefore he cannot be caught in thesnare of danger.

It is true that evaluation of art andliterature in terms of social and moralends or purposes is detrimental toartistic spontaneity, but at the sametime it is equally true that childrenneed to be educated in societal normsand mores and therefore values are anintegral part of the socialisationprocess. The Indian term for it is niti,which like the word dharma is

impossible to render into English bythe use of a single word. Panchatantra,the most important Indian book offables, instructs niti. In the concludingportion of the narrative in one story ofBook I, Kartaka (Kartaka means thelittle crow or wary because he is wise,shrewd, cautious with good judgement)lays out the guiding principles that themonarch and minister are expected tofollow niti or the wise conduct of life,which includes three-fold existentialscheme, artha, viveka and dharma inits structure. Artha is wordly wisdom,viveka is common sense or intellect anddharma is righteousness. However, theattraction of children's literature is thatchildren delight in their freshness andvividness; the recognition of somevalues comes afterwards. MostPanchatantra stories are animal tales,which teach wise conduct of life, i.e.worldly wisdom and practical way of aricher and happier life.

Stories are the most powerful toolto entertain and instruct children. Theyare the most digestible vehicles forlearning. A good story gives words tochildren’s experience. Stories canrelease hidden dysfunctions; they canmould behaviour. They instruct. Theyexplain reality, they provide rolemodels, they chart possibilities andhorizons. They give meaning, theyilluminate deep structures, they carryforward the memories of the race. Themost important idea that should governthe system of education is that ofperfection, for developing the mind andsoul of the student—a holisticapproach to education by aiming atuniting science and humanism, ethicsand aesthetics, material welfare and


spiritual welfare. Education aims atgiving freedom to understand,comprehend, analyse and then cometo a conclusion; it also enables a childto understand the environment ornature, and how to respect it and be apart of it. On top of it the aim is to givejoy to a child. Children’s literaturewhen used for classroom activitiesaims, first, to give pleasure andentertainment to a child and, thenindirectly to give instructions. The mostimportant part of education is todevelop catholicity of mind to movefrom a micro- to a macro-world andultimately to teach the norm ofuniversality, which is a very importantfactor of Indian culture. One of the bestexamples of this is a poem by Tagore:

Where the mind is without fear andthe head is held high;Where knowledge is free;Where the world has not been brokenup into fragments by narrow domesticwalls;Where words come out from the depthof truth;Where tireless striving stretches itsarms towards perfection ;Where the clear stream of reason hasnot lost its way into the drearydesert sand of dead habit;Where the mind is led forward bythee into ever-widening thoughtand action ---Into that heaven of freedom, myFather, let my country awake.

India has developed its own uniquechildren’s literature that promotesnational pride and culture. This cultureor the love of it makes the soul of India.The hold of culture and tradition is sostrong that one has to only see the vastdisplay of children’s books to realise

that most of the children’s literaturein Indian languages is based on thetraditional Indian literature like folktales, mythological stories, retelling ofthe Ramayana and the Mahabharatastories, Jataka stories, Panchatantraand Kathasaritsagar and other populartales of Birbal, Tenaliram and others.The popularity of traditional literatureis enormous and it has such a positiveeffect on the minds of children andyouth that it has indirectly helped theyouth to ward of f the disruptiveinfluence of the popular Westernculture. The emergence of a new scaleof values has led the youth today tolook for material aspiration only. A sub-culture of youth has grown in cities,which celebrates western style of life.It is confined to educated urban middleclass. Its appeal to the youth all overin villages is increasing because ofmedia exposure. However, the youththat is properly entrenched in theirroots and traditions are continuallymaking pragmatic reconciliationbetween their preference for westernlifestyle and the pull towardstraditional rituals and religious beliefs.This is the major advantage of fosteringvalue-based education on our heritageand culture, which are nicelyelucidated in our literary texts. Becauseof this the impact of the western styleof life on our youth remains adaptiverather than substitutive in nature.

There is a growing concern todayfor the rich resource of Indian classictraditional tales, national heroes andfolklore to be disseminated with agreater effort, partly beacause ourtraditional storytellers andgrandmothers are becoming more and


more inaccessible. Comic books byblending words with pictures are beingused to popularise our myths, legendsand folk tales. These comic booksproduce a world of visual narrativesand can be very educative indisseminating the universal values anda pluralistic culture of this country. Ina Bengali local folk story, Manik Pir, alocal faqir with the status of a folk god,evokes goddess Lakshmi, imploring herto help a poor Muslim hut builder,Murad Kangal. In no time, Lakshmiproceeds to prepare an elaborate mealto help Murad Kangal feed the twohungry faqirs, Manik and Gaj. Thissimple narrative evokes a sharedmemory, where religious and canonicalboundaries hold little meaning andof fer a pluralistic discourse, analternative vision to the kind ofpolarised history that is being thruston our children. Many people are quitesceptical of comics and think that theyhave a corrupting influence on youngminds. However, if viewed from adifferent angle, comics can be used asa vehicle of education and can makeeducation quite interesting. AmarChitra Katha, Vivalok Comics, GauravGatha, Adarsh Chitra Katha andDiamond Comics are described in Indiaas a phenomenon in the press and aresold in millions. They are now used ina big way as vehicle of education, andfor communicating social and culturalvalues, although many think thatreading comics has become adisincentive to reading good books.Such an apprehension and prejudicesare deep-rooted and cannot be removedeasily. One should not forget thatcomics can be extremely useful in

introducing children to the world ofwords. They can be used and are usedto impart education on a variety ofsubjects like science, nature,mathematics, general knowledge,history and so on.

Children's literature, according tothemes, falls under two broadcategories: fiction and non-fiction.Fiction can be categorised into:

(i) Traditional literature such asstories from our epics, classics andfolklore; and

(ii) Original and creative writing in theform of short stories, full-lengthgeneral fiction, plays, poetry,rhymes and picture books.

The hold of tradition in thedevelopment of children's literature inIndia has been referred to earlier.Themes of traditional stories are basedon worldly wisdom, triumph of goodover evil, bravery, courage andcelebration of life and joy. However, ageneral criticism about traditionalliterature is that it is mostly religiousin nature and therefore it may impose,if used for educational purposes, themajority Hindu view on non-Hindusand thereby may threaten thepluralistic and secular foundation ofthe republic. If one brings literaturein the gamut of value education, onecannot avoid spirituality or religion,because the division between art andreligion in Indian culture seems to beless sharp than what it is in Europeand China. Hence it is essential toprovide students the awareness of allreligions or as Mahatma Gandhi says,not religious education but the truthsthat are common to all religions can


and should be taught to all children.The great tradition of Hindu belief isstated in Atharva Veda that it is acountry where people speakingdifferent languages and followingdifferent religions live happily. TheEducation Commission Report (1966)has explained this beautifully byemphasising the need for preparing theyouth to face both work that could becompared to living, and life which ishigher and more sublime than living.

In original and creative literatureor indigenous children’s literature,which includes fantasies and fairytales, the emphasis is always placedon providing both instruction andentertainment to the children. In achild’s life, in fact even in an adult’slife, so to say, there are moments whenthey move into the realm of fantasy. Afantasy story is always anti-psychological in nature and its centralfeature is the fulfilment of wishes, thehumbling of competitors and thedestruction of enemies. While it provesthat black is black and white is white,it at the same time scrupulously avoidsall shades of grey, because grey doesnot fit into the fantasy of a child’sworld. Fantasy does not mean whimsyeccentricity or triviality. It is anothername for that world of imagination,which is fuelled by desire. Fantasycomes to the rescue of the child byextending or withdrawing the desiresbeyond what is possible or reasonable,and remaking the past and inventinga future. Gupi Gayeen and BaghaBayeen, on which a film was made bySatyajit Ray, is pure fantasy. But Raymoves into the realm of fantasy fromthe world of reality with kings, magic,

villainic-minded sorcerer, good-heartedspirits, village idiots, songs, dances andwhat not, and then comes to reality tocomplete the circuitry movement andestablish the balance betweenimagination and reality. The primarythrust is to give entertainment. Thestories are structured to have afantastical impact but always with amessage based on values, bothuniversal and related to the present daylife. For example, there is a story thattells us how to conserve nature andwildlife and face the challenge ofecological destruction. It means thatreality has also a role to play inchildren’s literature.

One can quote a prize winningstory, The Kaziranga Trail by ArupKumar Dutta, to make this point. Thestory is set in the Kaziranga wildlifesanctuary in Assam. Three boysaccidentally find a rhinoceros that hasbeen killed for its horn, prized for itssupposed medicinal properties. Whenthey report the incident to the DistrictForest Officer, they are invited to snooparound for clues. The boys discoverthat the Head Forest Ranger was theliaison between a gang of poachers andthe ‘Boss’, a dealer who has placed anorder for six rhino horns for a richbuyer. After a series of excitingepisodes, the boys outsmart thepoachers and assist the rescue teamto apprehend the criminals. NavinMenon in his article on ‘Children’sliterature in India: The changing trends’says that graphic description of themanner in which the poachers first trapand then hack the rhinoceros for itshorn, and the intricate networksurrounding the sale of the horns


serves as a strong plea for conservationof wildlife. However, it is difficult to betoo realistic in dealing with the worldof children. E.M. Forster stated that thereal world is a place full of “telegramsand anger” of unhappiness, pain,greed, alienation and frustration. Oneshould, however, not forget that thereal world is also a place of wonder andadventure. It is a world of hopes, ideasand fantasies, and children enjoy tomove in that world freely without anyinhibition.

There are some world classics thatare available in dif ferent Indianlanguages, in translation or in adaptedform such as Pierce Egan’s Robinhood,Daniel Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe, LewisCarroll’s Alice in Wonderland, ElizabethNewbery’s Sindbad the Sailor, HansChristian Andersen’s Little Mermaid,Grimm brothers’ Fairy Tales, CharlesPerrantt’s Little Red Riding Hood (whichis supposed to be the world’s first storyfor children with the perspective of achild) and many other similar books.These books have a universal appeal.Sometimes book's values based on aparticular culture can disturb theminds of children who grow withdifferent cultural value structures. Achildren’s story by the famous Hindiwriter Yashpal when translated intoRussian created a hue and cry amongthousands of young Russian children.They even wrote numerous letters ofprotest to the editor of the magazine inwhich the story was published.

The story was of a young boy whowas playing in a garden where therewas a huge banyan tree with a big holein its trunk. The boy peeped into it andaccidentally fell in the crevice, where

he found himself in the kingdom of ademon. The father of the boy came tothe garden in search of him and he tooslipped and landed in the palace of thedemon. Both were caught by thedemon, who promised to set them freeprovided one of them cuts off hisforefinger and presents it to their captorin order to help him bring into life hishuman daughter from a deep slumber.Both the son and the father insistedon giving their finger but ultimately itwas the son who prevailed. The storyended there which caused a spate ofprotests among the Russian children.They even said that Yashpal could bean adult fiction writer but certainly nota writer of children's literature. He doesnot know anything of a child’s psyche.Yashpal was influenced by the Indianmodel of morality (dharma): dedication,self-sacrifice and obedience shown bysons like Rama towards fathers likeDasharatha, which leads to sufferingfor the sons. Now this might suit anIndian mind but even an Indian mayfind it hard to accept. After allchildren’s literature should possesshuman values that are abiding in natureand have the appeal of a warm andlively touch and not depict cold reason.

A child’s imagination is alwaysnurtured by the universal features ofthe story sustained by a sense ofjustice. However different the surfacelevel may be, the extension of themanifested form is to be juxtaposedwith the intention or the in-depth worldof a child, which is the same all overthe world. Hence I changed the endingof the story and related it to my smalldaughters that a Bramhadaitya, wholived on the tree, and saw everything,


was extremely pleased with the boy forhis exemplary devotion towards hisfather, gave him a boon, which restoredhis forefinger and the demon gave hishuman daughter to the young boy andthey married and lived happilythereafter. My daughters wereextremely satisfied and all of a suddenI found them caring a little more forme and their mother.

Indian children’s literature todayhas considerable variety. Besidestraditional stories ranging from mythsand classics retold, to folk, historicaland biographical forms, there isoriginal and creative writing in the formof short stories, general and sciencefiction, plays, poetry and comics. This

literature is an integral part of theeducation for children and also forpromotion of values in a user-friendlymanner. Children enjoy readingliterature for the pleasure of recognitionand joy of understanding, and in theprocess become aware of the culturalethos and values, which are conveyed,however, in an implicit manner. Afterall, a writer is not a theoretician or atheologian. He is not interested indoctrines in scriptures. His whole effortis to make one (say, the child) moreloving, more close to humanity at large.Understanding of this message by achild is morally and ethically muchmore valuable than sermonising onethics, morality and spirituality.

Value Education through Comics and Short Stories*

SOHAYL MOHAJER**

This paper provides a holistic view on children’s literature in the context ofvalue-based education. It also states that educational process cannot be valuefree, as the very objective of education is to prepare children for life in society.Thus the aim of children’s literature is to control and counter through plannedand positive educational programmes the negative tendencies and criminalattitudes that have so deeply permeated in our society. Literature for childrenhelps develop skills and attitudes, which empower and help them in makingright choices in life. While citing the examples of children’s literature - itsnature, form and text - the paper emphasises that storytelling is one of thepotent ways of imparting values and communicating positive messages in anintegrated and implicit manner. The key questions, dialogue in stories or comicsetc. stimulate ‘visual imagery’ and promote innovative ideas in the child, whichcan easily be translated into meaningful action.

Abstract

Right Approach to Inculcate Values

Before plunging into the theme of thispaper, the author wishes to take theliberty of writing a few lines on thesubject of value education.

An animated debate is going on inour country about the introduction ofvalues in a systematic and plannedmanner in educational institutions.While most educationists agree on theneed for introducing values into thesystem of education, there is littleagreement on how this could be donewithout creating unnecessarycontroversies. The major problemfacing education in India, however, may

not necessarily be the issue of values,but the rambling of the whole system.Somewhere along the line of itsevolution, our education appears tohave lost its direction and aseducationists, most of us are ready tothrow in the towel, not knowing whatto do with ourselves, our students or,for that matter, with the system as awhole.

A large number of enlightenededucationists in India are beginning torealise the inadequacy of the system.Imparting considerable volumes ofhaphazardly organised information, asizable portion of which is unfortunately


** Director, Foundation for Advancement of Science, Lucknow.


redundant and obsolete, and equippingstudents with a few rudimentary skills,cannot be called a comprehensive orall-round education. We must look ateducation as a creative and continuousprocess, with the aims of enablingindividuals to discover their latentcapacities and to develop them and, atthe same time, arraying them withthose skills, attitudes and qualities thatwould enable them to positivelycontribute their share towardsbettering the condition of the world.

One of the reasons that the NCERTand the other like-minded institutionsare so eager to reintroduce values inthe system of education is, perhaps,the realisation that scientific,technological, economic and politicalmeans are, by themselves, not in aposition to solve the complex problemsof our society. According to Dr EloyAnello —

At the heart of the global crisis afflictinghumanity, there is an underlying crisisof values, which manifests itself in thesocial, economic, political andenvironmental spheres of humanexistence. The crisis of values is part ofthe root cause that has generated thevacuum in moral leadership thatpermeates all levels of society.

Value education, however, shouldnot be a mere attempt at teachingchildren virtues, as this, by itself, servesa very limited purpose. Nor is the aimpreaching or teaching students whatis good or bad. Almost all the dishonestpeople in the world have heard thesaying that ‘honesty is the best policy’.They know very well about honesty andexpect their own workers to be honest,sincere and hardworking. But this

knowledge and their expectations ofhow others are to behave have verylittle bearing on their own behaviour.Mark Twain, in one of his writings, says(I do not remember the exact words)that ‘to be good is noble; but to tellothers to be good is nobler and lesstroublesome’. That is exactly whatmost of us do in the guise of valueeducation. We keep telling ourstudents that they should do this orthat, but often fail to do what wepreach. We expect our students to doas we tell them and not as we do.

Any kind of education, whethersecular, social, moral or spiritual, takesplace at three basic levels: in the family,in various institutions of society andthrough individual's own volition. Ifwe do not actively teach somethingpositive to our children, something thatwould play an effective role in shapingtheir moral character, they wouldinevitably imitate the immoral andviolent behaviour that they see on TV,in the cinema halls and in many otherinstitutions of society. Hence, ourgreatest challenge is to control andcounter the negative tendencies andcriminal attitudes that have so deeplypermeated our society, throughplanned and positive educationalprogrammes and by using every meansavailable at our disposal.

An effective programmeme of valueeducation calls for active co-ordinationbetween all the institutions of societyand family. Educational institutionsin general and teachers in particularhave a great role to play in this process.Teachers committed to the task ofimparting value education must reflect

VALUE EDUCATION THROUGH COMICS and SHORT STORIES ● 39

those qualities that they are strivingto teach. There is no integrity inteaching children to abide by aprinciple that is violated by theirteacher. The other issue that needs tobe carefully handled is that many ofour schools are in one way or the otherinvolved in promoting competition,greed, selfishness and elitism. Thesephenomena cause anxiety, envy and awhole host of decidedly unspiritualqualities and feelings among thestudents. To bring about true progress,educational institutions must helpstudents to enhance their under-standing of scientific and spiritualprinciples. These principles, whentaught in harmony, will enable thestudents to have a holistic view of theworld. According to Dr Dwight W. Allen,

As we remain ignorant of scientificprinciples, we abuse ourselves, ourenvironment and our resources. Thelitany of such problems is well-known:from higher mortality rates traced toinfectious diseases to the hazards oftoxic waste. As we remain ignorant ofspiritual principles, we also pay the priceof chaos and suffering in the world: fromour refusal to end war and create unityin our one human family to thediscrimination against women andconsuming material greed.

—From a paper on ‘Educationand the Spiritual Development of

Mankind’, p.2

Further, to make formal educationan instrument for imparting valueeducation, it must become service-oriented. Service to humanity mustbecome an integral part of oureducational system. We must, however,realise that allowing people to serve as

they wish could actually prove chaoticand counterproductive. It is here thatwe must pay attention to the role ofinstitutions in channelling people'sdesire to serve into right avenues ofservice. Only very few individualswould, through their own initiative,embark upon a path of service. Themajority of people need to be guidedand offered opportunities to serveothers. It ought to be realised thatspiritual growth cannot take place inisolation. If individuals are not involvedin acts of service with the help ofinstitutions, their real development willbe hampered.

Value Inculcation through Stories

Having said this, let us come back tothe theme of this paper. Whileexperimenting with different ways ofimparting value education in variousprogrammes organised by theFoundation for Advancement ofScience, we soon realised that whenvalues are defined according to theinterests of powerful groups, they canperpetuate undesirable socialconditions and foster resistance tochange. For instance, obedience,humility and trustworthiness arewonderful virtues to possess. Butpeople possessing these virtues couldeasily be manipulated and exploited byunscrupulous and venal politicalleaders. Thus, along with teachingmoral values, students must also behelped to acquire those skills andattitudes that would empower themand help them make the right choicesin life. When virtues are practisedwillingly and wisely, they become


effective instruments for one's spiritualdevelopment and the transformation ofsociety. But if they are forced onpeople, they lose their significance.Hence, the main challenge before theFoundation for Advancement of Sciencewas not whether or not to teach values,but how to make value educationpurposeful, effective and, at the sametime, interesting.

Contemplating the issue, it soonbecame evident that one of the mostpotent instruments for impartingvalues was storytelling. Many of us stillremember the stories narrated to usby our parents or grandparents and arefully aware of their influence on ourlives. The compulsions of living innuclear families and economicpressures have, however, deprived thechildren of this age of the great benefitsof interesting and value-laden stories.Parents of today have no time for theirchildren. Hence, instead of listeningto stories, our children are exposed tomovies and TV programmes that arefull of sex and violence. To counterthis, the Foundation came up with theidea of publishing a children'smagazine that would, to some extent,play the role performed by ourancestors in familiarising children withmoral stories from the rich source oftheir cultural heritage. That is howUncle Hathi, the Foundation'schildren’s magazine was born.

As we gained experience, werealised that for stories to be effective,they had to have certain features. Inthe first place, the story narrated hadto have a clear message—a messagethat was repeated in different forms

throughout the story. Humour wasanother important element that had tobe introduced in the stories to makethem more readable and more enjoyable.

It was not long before we discoveredthat stories had to be short and sweet.Children have a tendency to ignore thelengthy stories. Further, it soonbecame obvious that stories were farmore effective when presented incartoon strips. The cartoons wouldreinforce the effect of the messagecontained in the story and make thestory more interesting.

Since our aim was to go beyond themere narration of a few stories withmoral themes, we had to be clear inour own minds regarding what was itthat we wanted to achieve throughUncle Hathi. We came up with manyanswers, but the key seemed to be tomake children realise that theirbehaviour was the result of the choicesthey made. They had the power tochoose to do good or to do bad. In thefinal analysis, behaviour was simply amatter of choosing between severalalternatives.

If this were the case, children hadto be taught about choices andalternatives and that choosing requiredfacing the consequences of one'sdecision. Hence, Uncle Hathi becamean instrument for conveying themessage to children that only with goodand noble choices could they gainmerit. At the same time, children hadto realise that their bad choices couldunfairly influence the lives of others.In other words, the purpose of valueeducation, in addition to makingchildren noble and pure, had to be to

VALUE EDUCATION THROUGH COMICS and SHORT STORIES ● 41

help people to collectively improve theirchoices and come closer to being theagents of transformation and justice.

To conclude, it must be mentionedthat any approach to value educationmust be multi-faceted and all-inclusive.To make value education moreeffective, we must also come up with

measures that would mitigate thenegative influence of the outside forceson children. This requires acomprehensive plan of action thatwould include parents, educationists,decision makers and all those involvedin the process of bringing about socialchange in the world.


Development of Values through Mime Theatre*

NIRANJAN GOSWAMI**

This paper highlights the importance of mime theatre in transacting educationalprogrammes since it reflects verbal and non-verbal communication of children.While discussing the significance of this approach for imparting values, thepaper emphasises that it is a more democratic approach that meets therequirements of all the departments of knowledge, different arts and actionsof the children’s behaviour in an implicit and holistic manner. This approachcan develop core skills among children, such as imagination, concentrationand observation, which are necessary for all-round development of every child.It also provides scope for children to appreciate good deeds, to support rightact and finally follow the correct path in a natural and playful manner. Theauthor advocates exposure to mime theatre that helps children to learndiscipline, team spirit, leadership, power of observation and concentrationthat eventually develops them into sensitive human beings, which is the truemeaning of education.

Abstract

Once upon a time, a king was ramblingin the garden with a heavy heart, asnews from the war front was not good.He saw a little boy and a little girlplaying there. The king went to themand found that they were playingRama-Sita and looking for someone toplay the role of a Rakshas (monster).The king, to get out of the stress andstrain he was going through, readilyagreed to play the role of a monster.The monster had to die several timesin the hands of Rama that morning.

Returning to his palace, the kingenquired about the children from his


** Director, Indian Mime Theatre, Kolkata.

Chief Minister and came to know thatthe boy Kaushik was the son of a poorbrahmin and the girl Ruchira was thedaughter of the Chief Minister. On theking’s order, Kaushik was sent to thebest institution of the kingdom muchto the displeasure of the pundit(teacher) and the students who werethe children of ministers and higherofficials of the kingdom. The king toldthe minister that he wanted Ruchirato get married with Kaushik. The ChiefMinister kept silent, as he did not likethe idea. The pundit of the institute didnot like Kaushik. Though he was a good

DEVELOPMENT OF VALUES THROUGH MIME THEATRE ● 43

student, learning lessons only throughbooks was not his priority. Kaushikbelieved that there were more to learnfrom his natural surroundings liketrees, birds, rivers, hills, animals, thestars, the moon and everything that hecould lay his eyes on. The pundit calledhim one day and asked why he wasnot interested in his study; Kaushikreplied that he had as much interestin books as he had in fellow humanbeings and the nature surroundinghim. The teacher told him toconcentrate on the books; Kaushik saidthat then he would lose interest in hislessons too.

Time passed. The king summonedthe pundit and asked him ‘Who is yourbest student?’, the teacher replied‘Ruchira’; the king again asked ‘Whatis your opinion about Kaushik?’ Theteacher said “I don’t think he has learntmuch”. The king called the ministerand said that in his opinion themarriage between Ruchira andKaushik should not be delayed anylonger. The minister humbly submittedthat Ruchira did not want thismarriage to take place. The king asked‘Doesn’t she consider Kaushik worthyof her?’ The minister replied in thepositive. The king then proposed ‘Letboth of them prove their superiority infront of me. This marriage will take placeif Kaushik emerges as the winner’. Theminister accepted the challenge, as hewas sure of his daughter’s win.

Kaushik was sitting at the foot ofthe king. The pundit (teacher) broughtRuchira along with him. Kaushik wentto his guru and touched his feet andgreeted Ruchira with folded hands.Ruchira ignored his greetings.

Kaushik had never taken part inany debate in the institute withRuchira; the other students also neverinvited him to take part in anyacademic debate out of sheer disrespectfor him because of his economic status.As a result, Ruchira was not mentallyprepared for his sharp and prudentarguments. That made Ruchiraperplexed and she was out of her wits.Kaushik left her at the brim of defeat.The king asked the minister to fix up adate for the marriage.

Kaushik stood up and humblysubmitted before the king with foldedhands that he did not want thismarriage to take place. The king asked‘Don’t you want the reward you havewon?’ Kaushik replied ‘Let the joy andsatisfaction of winning be mine and thereward for others’.

The pundit requested the king toallow Ruchira to compete with Kaushikagain after a year. The king granted hisrequest.

Kaushik left the institute and hewas seen rambling through the hills,the forest and the paddy fields. Thepundit engaged all his time and effortto prepare Ruchira for the challenge.But Ruchira had lost control over hermind and heart. One day the kingasked his Chief Minister to sendRuchira to him. She came and stoodsilently before the king with her headbowed. The king said “If you agree thenI wish to see you play the game ‘Rama’sbanishment to the forest’ once again”.Ruchira looked at the king with delight.The king said “But this time your pundithas to play the role of the monster”.

This is an inept effort to narrate ashort story written by Rabindranath


Thakur. He had written this story morethan hundred years ago. We still arecarrying on with an education systemthat is not blended with nature; neitherdid we nor do our children enjoy thelearning. Nature teaches us to behumble and modest and to bemagnanimous and firm. Kaushik hadbeen courteous enough to touch hisguru’s feet and asked for his blessings;on the contrary, Ruchira was extremelyself-conceited and arrogant. She, inthe opinion of the pundit, was the beststudent in terms of securing marks inthe examination. But unfortunately,the lesson one learns at the academicinstitution does not impart the knowledgeone needs to become a proper humanbeing. The purpose of education shouldnot be lost under the burden of books.It should also make the student modestand not meek; confident and notconceited. Kaushik derived all thesequalities from Mother Nature, animalsand his surroundings. Hence, Kaushikdid not forget to show respect to hisguru and give honour to Ruchira.

The greatest pundit of the kingdomforgot to give Kaushik his blessing andRuchira also did not have the courtesyto accept the honour showed by herclassmate, let alone to reciprocate it.Even after hundred years, social statusis bestowed on a person according tohis financial strength, just as Kaushikhad been looked down upon for beingthe son of a poor brahmin. Still, inour educational institutes, moreemphasis is given to learning lessonsfrom books than to acquiringknowledge in various aspects of life andto develop the child into a properhuman being.

Let us give a glance to the messagesthat we get from this story:

(a) Any human being should be judgedon the basis of his qualities and noton the basis of his social status.

(b) The education system does nothave all the ingredients for all-round development of a student.

(c) We learn, as Kaushik did, throughour five senses as well and not onlythrough intellect.

(d) Kaushik enjoyed study because heenjoyed many other things in life.He acquired more knowledge thanhis classmates because he neverconfined himself within thetextbooks and boundary of theclassrooms.

(e) A teacher should have the abilityto mingle with the students, so thatthe students feel free to ask anyquestion, any number of questions.Thus the learning becomes a joyfulexperience for the students.

(f) A teacher is responsible not onlyto the extent of imparting educationfrom books; he is also responsibleto teach the students the basicvalues and ethics in life. Mostimportantly, he himself should beabove all meanness unlike thepundit in the story. The pundithimself could not accept Kaushikas one of his students because ofhis social status.

Another short story ofRabindranath Thakur is titled TotaKahini (The tale of a parrot) that alsocondemns the system of learninglessons from books, being oblivious ofvalues, morals and ethics in life; the


system that aims to develop thestudents into money making machinesdivorced from the finer aspects, andtraditional values and ethics in life.

Mukabhinaya for Overall Personal-ity Development

The education of the whole child mustbe the aim, rather than intellectuallearning alone. Educational techniquesshould be sought that will be effectivein developing the major attributes ofthe well-balanced, happy, contributivepersonality. Creative mukabhinaya isa successful means to that end,because it is democratic in method,teaches through conditioning,sharpens imagination and sensitivity,deepens human understanding,adjusts emotional tensions, developsresourcefulness and initiative, helpsbuild sound patterns of behaviour, andstimulates body flexibility as well asease in oral and non-verbal communi-cation. Its special value to theadolescent group in providing a healthyemotional outlet should be recognised.Such a programme will be receivedenthusiastically by any group of boysand girls, because it is based on thenatural play instinct with which allchildren are richly endowed.

We believe that education shouldhelp in the total growth of a child, andnot in intellectual development alone.The children should be trained not onlyin the facts and figures on differentsubjects, they should also be given allinputs for their physical, mental,emotional and spiritual growth that willhelp them grow into complete humanbeings. They should possess thefollowing qualities through proper

training in Mukabhinaya :

(a) Mental alertness

(b) Personality

(c) Creativity

(d) Power of concentration

(e) Power of creative imagination

(f) Power of observation

(g) Power of five senses

(h) Power of memory

(i) Knowledge about human psychology

(j) Sense of discipline

(k) Fellow feeling

(l) Controlled and balanced emotions

(m) Ability to cooperate with the group,and team spirit.

Besides the above, it also helps in thefollowing :

1. Making body flexible, well-balanced, poised and relaxed incorrect postures

2. Building a well-coordinated healthybody

3. Bringing positive changes inbehavioural patterns

4. Building character

5. Developing aesthetic sensitivity

6. Developing resourcefulness andindependence

7. Building sound attitudes ofbehaviour toward home, school,community, temple, church,mosque, gurudwara etc.

8. Developing a deep and sympatheticunderstanding of fellow men orwomen.

Like education, growth is anongoing process; it starts at birth or


even before that and ends with death.Both heredity and environmentcontribute to a child’s development;more specifically, it results frominteraction of the two factors. Manydif ficulties arise during thisdevelopmental experience; the ‘growingpains’ can be attributed to theconflicting demands made by the twoaspects of the child’s person—theindividual and the social forces. Fromthe very beginning, each childpossesses a streak of individuality ofhis very own—certain inner potentials,dormant, eagerly awaiting fulfilment.As he progresses and attempts toestablish relationships with others, hemust often face a struggle. This is thesign of the growth of the ‘social’ side ofhis person. He may have to subduesome of the spontaneous desires of theinner ‘self’ in order to experience thesatisfaction of acceptance by his peers,a need that must be fulfilled.

Indian Mime Theatre has beentrying to implement “Educationthrough entertainment” for the last fewyears. Children generally like to sing,dance, draw and act. These are theactivities that our children love to getinvolved with whenever they find anopportunity. Generally, visuals impartstronger impact on the children andhence theatre is a very effective tool forvalue education.

Mime theatre not only trains aperson through physical exercises, italso gives much importance to thedevelopment of one’s mental agility aswell. Every human being has twoselves; one is the master and the otheris the servant; one is the teacher andthe other is the student. The mind gives

the order and the body carries it out.Hence equal importance should beattached to both. Mime theatre is themedium that gives the opportunity toexplore and exploit the potentials ofboth mind and body.

The exercises that a student hasto practise to do mime aim towards thedevelopment of imagination,concentration and observation. Onehas to learn and know how to observedifferent articles along with theirlength, height, width, size, shape andweight; different movements, gaits andexpressions. All these are learntthrough a number of exercises. Thenthe students are motivated to exploretheir creativity and imagine situationsthat are to be enacted and then theylearn to concentrate and create thatsituation keeping its social, moral,aesthetic and entertainment values.Thus the students become more awareabout what is happening around andreact accordingly. Their minds areprepared to identify and segregate goodand bad; visualise a situation that hassimilar elements in it and help theviewers to support the good andcondemn the bad.

Let us take one example. We havea mime play titled Natun Jiban(Towards a new life) that is based onthe problem of drug abuse among theyouth. When the theme was conceivedand the outline of the story wasbuilding up, we had to continuouslymake additions and alterations in orderto convey the desired messages to thecommon people. In order to decide whatmessages are to be conveyed, we hadread about this problem, talked to thepeople working in this field and to the


people who had gone through thetrauma of being an addict and in thefinal brainstorming decided about thevalues that we thought need to beadvocated. This whole process made usdelve deep into the problem and thatwas reflected in the play.

Another play, based on a shortstory by Kabiguru RabindranathThakur was titled Dena Paona. Thetheme of the story goes againstatrocities on women. The story, thoughwritten more than hundred years back,was still contemporary. Dowry deathis still prevalent in our country. Ouraim was to remind the masses as wellas make them aware of its evil nature.A play can educate people better thanthousand words can do. This is wherethe success of mime theatre lies.

Another important factor that isinherent in theatre training isdiscipline. Discipline is a veryimportant factor in developing one’spersonality. A person with a strongpersonality has a strong mind. If hewere taught to think positively, hewould be an asset to the society.

Sukher Chabi (The key tohappiness) is a short play that depictsthe endless quest of men and womenfor materialistic comfort. This comfort,they believe, would lead them towardshappiness. But all materialistic comfortsfail to give the taste of true happiness.Hence the search is never ending.

Most of the people in this world areafraid to reveal their true identity. Theyput on different masks before differentpeople at different situations. The shortplay Mukhoser Raja (The king of masks)based on a poem by Shri BimalChandra Ghosh tries to make people

aware of this hypocrisy and thateventually we lose our original identityunder the burden of so many masks.We ourselves fail in our search toidentify the real self from under theburden of so many masks.

Our aim to make people face theirinner selves through mime theatre isevident in our every play. Internal isone such play that shows us theperversion that this materialisticsociety has given birth to. Thefulfilment of one demand immediatelyleads to the new one, and this processgoes on.

Theatre is basically meant forentertainment, but education has alsobeen an important aspect of theatre.“There is no wise maxim, no learning,no art or craft, no action that is notfound in drama. Drama meets all thedepartments of knowledge, differentarts and various actions”—Bharatmunihas written in his Natyasastra. SriRamakrishna Paramhansa Dev, whenhe was talking about the legendarytheatre personality Shri GirishChandra Ghosh, had said that ‘Natakkorle lok shiksha hoi’ (‘Theatre is alsoa medium of education for commonmasses’).

All our efforts are directed to buildcharacter. “Character is what a personreally is. Character is that power withwhich we can win victory even whenlosing battle.” Swami Vivekanandasaid:

The character of any man is but theaggregate of his tendencies, the sumtotal of the bent of his mind. We are whatour thought has made us. Thought lives;they travel far. And so, take care of whatyou think.


We, at Indian Mime Theatre,through the method that we havedeveloped, try to create an impression,leave a mark that will have a positiveeffect on the minds of the children. Wedeveloped a teaching method for non-formal education through performingand allied arts and games.

We work within the syllabusprescribed for each class. A poem or astory or a portion from history isselected and is recited or read out by astudent in the class. Then the studentsmay be asked to identify good or bad,right or wrong, and truth and falsehood.The answer given by the childrenmakes it possible to judge their level ofsocial as well as moral values. Thusthey are encouraged to appreciate thegood deed, to support the right act andto follow the path of truth. They cancomprehend the message andremember at the same time, becausethey learn it playfully in a very naturalway. They are never given theopportunity to realise that they actuallyare being taught some lessons.

This method has anotheradvantage hidden in it. The children,particularly belonging to low incomegroup, get exposure to different mediaof art and culture and thus develop aliking, an inclination towards one or

more arts. It also imbibes aestheticsense into the children that helps bringout the latent talent hidden withinthem.

This exposure also helps themlearn discipline, develop team spirit,enhance leadership quality, improvethe power of observation andconcentration, which eventually helpthem develop into sensitive humanbeings.

We all must agree that the term“education” does not necessarily meanthe method of acquiring knowledgefrom books within the four walls of theclassroom. When we, with our mimetheatre, go to the people at a marketplace, at a bus stop, in schools andcolleges, in fairs and tell them that weshould protect trees and save theenvironment; that we should consideran addict as a patient and extendsupport and love and thus help him toget back to normal life; when we conveythe message of diligence, honesty,sympathy and love to our children inschools through mime theatre—is it notan act of imparting education? All noblepersons from time immemorial havebeen preaching about these qualitiesin human beings. What we are tryingto do now is just following the path trodby them.

Experiences and Innovations: Value Education inCity Montessori School, Lucknow*

JAGDISH GANDHI**

This paper presents some of the innovations in value education in CityMontessori School, Lucknow which is one of the fastest developing progressiveschools on account of its academic excellence, its emphasis on value-basededucation and the opportunities it provides for global exposure to students.The CMS education philosophy believes that “Every child is potentially thelight of the world and at the same time the cause of its darkness”. Thereforeeducation of every child is of primary importance. Every effort is consequentlymade to make every child both good and smart; good at heart with high moralvalues, wisdom in thought and action, and smart in appearance, manners,etiquette and confidence. The paper further highlights the four critical elementsof complete education adopted by the CMS, viz. (i) universal values, (ii) globalunderstanding, (iii) excellence in all things, and (iv) service to humanity. TheCMS education is founded upon the four pillars of education: knowledge,wisdom, spiritual perception and eloquent speech. The author also providesan account of several innovations such as enrichment classes, teacher-guardian, home visit scheme, quality control circles, model class presentations,creative music, remediation in teaching etc. which have been introduced bythe CMS.

Abstract

City Montessori School (CMS),Lucknow, was established in 1959 bya visionary social worker Shri JagdishGandhi and his teacher wife Smt.Bharti Gandhi. It has distinguisheditself as one of the fastest developingand most progressive schools onaccount of its academic excellence, itsemphasis on value- and virtue-basededucation and the opportunities it


** Manager, City Montessori School, Lucknow.

provides for global exposure to itsstudents.

Established with five children in1959, the CMS has more than 25,000students studying in 15 branches,spread over the entire Lucknow city.The Guinness Book of World Recordsrecognized CMS as the world’s largestschool by pupils in 1999.


Aim of Education

Education is a continuous and creativeprocess. Its aim is to develop thecapacities latent in human nature andto coordinate their expression for theenrichment and progress of the societyby equipping children with spiritual,moral and material knowledge. Theteachers need to practise the patternsof behaviour that create a climate ofvalue encouragement in the classroom.The school is indeed one of the vitaland essential institutions whichsupport the bulwark of the edifice ofhumankind. The guidance and advicegiven by the principal to the teachersclearly has to play an important rolein this process, as it is ultimately theprincipal who is charged with theresponsibility for the educationimparted by the school.

The teacher and the taught sharea very unique relationship, which is likea strong spiritual bond. This uniquerelationship elevates the teachers tolofty heights of being real planners andbuilders of the future of mankind. Inour schools and classrooms we mustpainstakingly shape the personalitiesof our students for future growth andprepare them to shoulder socialresponsibilities as ideal future worldcitizens. Teachers must relinquish theidea that they are the fountains ofknowledge and wisdom; rather theymust form a partnership with theirstudents in a shared learning process,demonstrating by their example thatthey too are learners. This can have aliberating influence on students,helping them to see themselves asdirectors of their own learning and as

individuals who can determine thecourse their lives will take. With thetremendous advancement in science,technology, communication andcomputers, the world has become aglobal village, but in the race formaterial growth there has beensimultaneous decay in the spiritual,moral and human values the worldover. Taking full advantage of scientificadvancement in our stride, there is aneed to preserve and promote spiritualand moral values.

School Philosophy

The cornerstone of CMS educationphilosophy is the firm belief that “Everychild is potentially the light of theworld, and at the same time the causeof its darkness. Therefore education ofevery child is of primary importance”.Sincere effort is therefore made to makeeach child both good and smart, i.e.good at heart with high moral values,wisdom in thought and action, andsmart in appearance, manners,etiquette and confidence.

Kinds of Education

There are three realities of life, i.e.material, human and divine, andaccordingly there are three kinds ofeducation.

Material EducationIt is concerned with the progress anddevelopment of body through gainingits sustenance, its material comfort andease. This education is common toanimal and man.

Human EducationIt signifies civilisation and progress, i.e.the administration, charitable works,

EXPERIENCES AND INNOVATIONS: VALUE EDUCATION... ● 51

trades, arts and handicrafts, sciencesand great inventions etc., which are theactivities essential to man asdistinguished from animals.

Divine Education

It consists of achieving divineperfections, and this is true educationbecause in this state man becomes thefocus of divine blessings and themanifestation of words: “Let us makeman in our image and after ourlikeness”. This is the goal of humanity.Unfortunately, our present dayeducation is confined to thedevelopment of material education,which enables a child to learn the threeR’s, so that he can earn his livelihoodand live a comfortable life. The othertwo realities of life, i.e. human anddivine, are completely ignored,resulting in a race for material gains.Television and other mass mediashould guide the public on human anddivine education so that every childbecomes a gift of God to mankind andpride of the human race.

Building Blocks of CMS Education

The CMS has adopted the following fourcritical building blocks of a child’scomplete education, as promoted bythe Council for Global Education,USA: Universal values, Globalunderstanding, Excellence in all things,and Service to humanity form anintegrated approach to educatingchildren.

The concept of global under-standing is built on the first two. Atthis level the children learn to valuethe range of cultures, race andindividual characteristics. Finally, from

the first three building blocks comes acommitment to make the world a betterplace through community service.

The founded pillars upon which oureducation system is based are:knowledge, wisdom, spiritualperception and eloquent speech.

KnowledgeWe all are created to know God and tolove Him. Knowing God means knowingthe teachings of God and loving Godmeans obeying the teachings of God.Education must prepare a child toinculcate these ideals.

WisdomThe ability to make the right use ofknowledge is wisdom. Making properdecisions, choosing right options andmaking correct judgement and rightchoices in the light of the teachings ofGod is the wisdom of a man.

Spiritual PerceptionMan has two realities: one is thematerial reality and the other is thespiritual one. For becoming a usefulmember of society, he needs a properbalance between both these realities oflife. Man, as we see him, is a materialbeing; his perception should bespiritual so that his material actionscan become useful for the society.

Eloquent SpeechThis quality is highly important andnecessary for any socially useful mantoday. Power of expression should belucid, fluent, clear, flawless and bold.

School becomes a lighthouse ofsociety built upon four building blocksand four pillars of education asmentioned above. Value-basededucation makes a child a gift of God


to mankind and pride of thehuman race, but its deficiency canmake him the cause of the world’sdarkness.

Education, the only Instrument forRedemption of Mankind

The main reason for all the ills of thepresent day society is themeaninglessness of education. Theneed of the hour is not routineeducation but a meaningful educationconforming to the requirements of thepresent day society. Today’s educationsystem lays emphasis only on materialaspects of life, which is solelyresponsible for modern day agony feltby all in today’s world. The aim ofeducation is the redemption ofmankind from its godlessness, itsignorance, its confusion and itsconflict.

Make Children Good and Smart

To make a child ‘light of the world’, notthe ‘cause of darkness’, his propereducation is of prime importance.Every effort should therefore be madeto make every child good and smart.

Inclusion of Universal Moral Values

Inclusion of universally accepted moralvalues in moral education books hashelped in guiding the children towardsthe right path. Some of these virtuesconsidered for teaching with examplesfrom the lives of great men of historyare: Compassion, Courtesy, Equality,Generosity, Honesty, Hospitality,Integrity, Kindness, Meekness, Mercy,Moderation, Modesty, Patience, Prayer,Self-expression, Selflessness, Service,Sympathy and Thankfulness.

Ideally, our teachers must strive tocreate a bonding between school andhome. Parents and teachers have towork hand in hand to create anenvironment of encouragement, loveand care so that every student growsup to become an ideal member of thesociety.

Education for Social Change

At certain moments in history,education must also act as a powerfulinstrument for profound socialtransformation. The time for such atransformation has now arrived. We areon the verge of a glorious new era,which shall be the golden age in humanhistory, when all mankind will uniteunder one government and reap thebenefits of lasting world peace. Withour education, we can create an idealarmy of future world citizens who willlead humankind’s march towardsrealising this golden vision. We mustinspire our students to become theshining candles of moral precepts andspiritual ideas, and the means ofillumination to others. This can bestbe done if teachers become the perfectrole models and examples in nobilityof nature, and observers of moral laws.Students today, in aping the West, havelost sight of their own culture andheritage laid down by their forefathers.Schools must take the responsibility ofnurturing ideal citizens for thebetterment of the future of thisbeautiful country and the world.

Spiritual and Moral Education

The CMS lays emphasis on spiritualand moral education. Children aretaught about unity of God, unity of


religion, unity of mankind anduniversal brotherhood. First activity ofthe day is the 30 minutes prayerassembly period. Our moral educationprogramme is based on universallyacceptable moral principle, devoid ofsuperstition and prejudice and utilisingmulti-faith teaching.

Motivation

Recognition of hard work andmotivation of teachers and studentsplays an important role in the progressof CMS. Each year it organises twofelicitation functions to honour andreward meritorious students for theirhard work and excellence, and similarlytwo felicitation functions foroutstanding teachers. The awards toteachers are assessed on the basis ofresults of their respective students invarious subjects and overallperformance in board examinations aswell as various competitive and meritscholarship examinations. The bestteacher of the year is also chosen.Parents of outstanding teachers andstudents are also felicitated intraditional Indian style by weighingthem with fruits and flowers in a publicfelicitation function.

The primary credit for qualityeducation given at CMS goes to itsteacher. In recognition of the effortsmade by the teachers, CMScontinuously inspires and motivatesthem. It trains and re-trains itsteachers, e.g. 100 hours of training andorientation of the pre-primary teacherswas provided in early 2000, highsalaries are paid to them, and a fairsystem of the assessment of their skillsis made on the basis of progress made

by their students. Various rewards andprizes such as Best Teacher of the Yearaward and a host of other motivationalschemes are also provided. It developsleadership qualities and role modellingskills. The Inspection and InnovationDepartment staff makes regular visitsto all branches, to ensure quality, andinspire new and creative educationalpractices.

Planning

Ours is a progressive and expanding,self-suf ficient and self-reliantinstitution. It gets no financialassistance from Government or anyother agency. It develops on its ownresources, i.e. savings from feecollections.

Academic Planning

The CMS has good infrastructure forplanning academics. Frequentmeetings and conferences are heldbetween the management andprincipals to discuss the academicperformance of students; tasks areassigned to various teams consistingof principals headed by a seniorprincipal to study the syllabus and forselection of books for pre-primary,primary, junior, secondary and highersecondary classes; and to evaluateteaching methodologies, requirement ofteaching aids, laboratory equipment,computer studies, moral and spiritualeducation.

The decisions to organise variousinternational and inter -schoolcompetitions are taken at thesemeetings and responsibilities areassigned to the branches. About 12international festivals are organised for


students from primary to highersecondary classes every year.

We have an Inspection departmentheaded by an Inspectress with aninspection team to visit our variousbranches periodically to guide theteachers. She organises inter-branchcomparative tests, and coachingclasses for higher secondary final yearstudents who intend to appear inengineering, medical, informationtechnology (IT) and other professionalentrance examinations.

Implementation

Before implementation of the strategiesand ideas, seminars, lecturediscussions and refresher classes areorganised for selected teachers, who inturn introduce the new concepts andideas in the respective branches.Inspection branch teams, Innovationwing personnel, Manager and Directormonitor the implementation by visitingthe branches and motivating theteachers. Model class presentation isone such new idea, which requires thepresence of parents. The parents wereinitially hesitant to participate butwhen they found their child presentinghis creative talents before an audienceand speaking fluent English, theprogramme became very popular withthem.

Evaluation and Monitoring

The teachers’ work is constantlyevaluated by the Inspection teammembers, who visit classes once everymonth. These members inspect theclasses, give guidance to the teachersif required, collect subject workbooks

at random, evaluate the quality ofcorrection and the standard of writtenwork as well as the grasp of the subjectby a student. The aim of inspectionsand visits is not to find faults with theteachers but to extend them all possiblehelp in making teaching moreinteresting. The programme ofInspection team visit is sent to thebranches well in time.

Innovation branch teams also keepvisiting the branches to monitor theimplementation of new methodologiesof teaching and guide the teachers.Excellent rapport is establishedbetween Principals, Inspectiondepartment and Innovation wing. All ofthem work with a positive attitude toimprove the quality of education.

Inferences

From a glance at annual ICSE and ISCboard examinations, performance ofCMS students in National TalentSearch Examination (NTSE) andselection of students in entranceexaminations for IITs, Engineering,Medical, NDA and other professionalcourses, one can draw conclusions andinferences about the success of aninstitution. The performance analysisshows that the success rate of CMSstudents in ISC (XII class) and ICSE (Xclass) during the last 10 years has been98 to 100% with nearly 95% studentssecuring first division marks. Everyyear 150 to 200 students qualifyfor entry into IITs, Engineering,Medical, NDA and other professionalstudies. Nearly 20 to 30 studentsqualify in National Talent SearchExamination.


Remediation Introduced and GapAreas

A number of remedial measures havebeen introduced in CMS like remedialclasses, teacher guardian for everystudent, home visit scheme by teacherguardians to bring teacher-parent andstudent closer and create a healthystudy environment for the child, modelclass presentations, divine educationconferences, mother day functions etc.

Although apparently no gap areasexist in CMS education system, thereis still scope for improvement to makechildren good and smart. As largenumber of children come from middleclass and lower middle class families,the school is required to put extra effortin educating them in outwardbehaviour and conduct, appearanceand turn out, mannerism, etiquetteand discipline.

Overall AssessmentThe CMS is an autonomous institution,established with the aim of impartingvalue- and virtue-based education tochildren. It is a forward-looking school,which considers school as a lighthouseof society and every child as potentiallythe light of this world. CMS teaches itschildren the value of world unity andworld peace, and inspires them tobecome ideal world citizens. This spiritis symbolised in its motto ‘Jai Jagat’(Glory to the World) and its belief in‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ (The wholeworld is one family).

A Degree College has been openedat CMS, Kanpur Road branch. It offersB.A. and B.Sc. courses for girls withplans for future expansion. This makes

CMS the only school in the world withchildren from ages 2 to the degree level.

The CMS continually innovatesitself. With focus on continuousimprovement and openness to newideas, it constantly introduces newexperiences and opportunities for itsstudents. It is also the only school inthe world with an entire departmentdedicated to innovation.

It provides the widest possibleglobal exposure to its students througha record number of internationalexchanges and opportunities for closecollaboration and competition withstudents of different countries. Itorganises an unmatched number ofnational and international events at itspremises and provides many avenuesfor creative expression and confidencebuilding.

It has adopted the Americancooperative games, which emphasiseand develop the spirit of cooperationcompared with that of competition. DrH. T .D. Rost from the USA was invitedspecially to teach cooperative games toCMS teachers and students. Thevarious such activities offered at theCMS are: athletics, badminton,basketball, boxing, chess, cricket,football, gymnastics, hockey, judo,karate, kabaddi, kho-kho, swimming,table tennis, taek-won-do, volleyballand wrestling.

City Montessori School offers awide range of hobbies. It is compulsoryfor a child to pursue at least twohobbies out of astronomy, batik,bharatiyam, book-binding, claymodelling, community service,cookery, dramatics, drawing, eco club,


electronics, embroidery, flowerarrangement, fruit preservation,gardening, interior decoration, internetclub, literary club, music and dance,painting, photography, quality circle,robotics, science club, social work,tailoring, village education and westernmusic.

Value Management

Amongst the greatest of all greatservices that can possibly be renderedby a man to the almighty God, is theeducation of children, building theircharacter and inculcating in theirhearts the love of God and Hiscreations. Teachers can play significantrole in educating children that allreligions teach to love God and lovemankind. In addition to the prescribedacademic syllabus, there is a need toinclude value-based spiritualeducation, emphasising the unity ofGod, unity of religion, unity ofmankind, universal brotherhood andinternational peace. No religionteaches hatred. Basic principles of allworld religions are the same. Someexamples are Gita: loZHk wr fgrs jrk%_Ramcharitmanas: fl;k jke e; lc tx tkuh_Bible: Love thy neighbour; Quran: EKhuda Khilkat ko barkat de; GuruGranth Sahib: ,d uwj rks lc tx miT;k dkSuHkys dkSu eUnsA

Implications for the System

The CMS education system is selfcontained. It believes in continuousimprovement in the teaching methods,creating a favourable studyenvironment with the aim of makingevery child a gift of God to mankind

and pride of human race. Since theimprovements, innovations andexperiments are introduced aftercareful examination of pros and cons,after seeking opinions of teachers,students and parents, our educationsystem has found favour from parentsand public. The school has acquiredglobal significance on account of itsemphasis on divine and moraleducation, universal values and globaloutlook.

Some Unique Features of CMS,Lucknow

1. The Largest School: The largestprivate school of the world on thebasis of pupils, recognised byGuinness Book of World Records,having more than 25,000 studentsstudying at 15 branches spreadover Lucknow city.

2. Working for World Peace: The CMShas organised two internationalconferences of Chief Justices of theworld during 2001 to discussArticle 51 of the Constitution ofIndia on International Peace andSecurity and examine thepossibility of having a WorldParliament to frame enforceableinternational law.

3. Video Studio: The CMS is the onlyschool having an ultra-moderndigital video studio to produceaudio-visual and multimediateaching aids for students.

4. Astronomy: It introducedastronomy as a hobby for students.It has acquired high techniqueNexstar 8 GPS model telescope forviewing the celestial objects.


5. Teaches Children Basic Teachingsof All Religions: The CMS teacheschildren to respect all religions andknow about their basic teachings.It organises all-religion prayer at allschool functions.

6. International Events: We organiseten international events for primaryto higher secondary classes topromote global thinking andinternational brotherhood.

7. Quality Control Circle Concept: TheCMS is the first school to introduceQC concept in academic life. TheCMS student QC teamsparticipated at international QCconventions held in Hongkong, SriLanka, Malaysia and Australia.

8. Robotics: The CMS students havewon a number of first prizes atInternational Robotics Olympiadsheld abroad. During 2000 it wonthe Championship Trophy atInternational Beam RoboticsOlympiad held in Canada.

Make Ideal Students

Finally I would like to say that we mustgroom and bring up our students insuch a manner that they would proveideal as per the following exhortation:“Be generous in prosperity, and

thankful in adversity. Be worthy of thetrust of thy neighbour, and look uponhim with a bright and friendly face.Be a treasure to the poor, anadmonisher to the rich, an answererof the cry of the needy, a preserver ofthe sanctity of thy pledge. Be fair inthy judgment and guarded in thyspeech. Be unjust to no man, and showmeekness to all men. Be as a lamp untothem that walk in darkness, a joy tothe sorrowful, a river for the thirsty, aheaven for the distressed, an upholderand defender to the victim ofoppression. Let integrity anduprightness distinguish all thine acts.Be a home for the stranger, a balm tothe suffering, a tower of strength forthe fugitive. Be eyes to the blind, anda guiding light unto the feet of theerring. Be an ornament to thecountenance of truth, a crown to thebrow of fidelity, a pillar of the templeof righteousness, a breath of life to thebody of mankind, an ensign of thehosts of justice, a luminary above thehorizon of virtue, a dew to the soil ofthe human heart, an ark on the oceanof knowledge, a sun in the heaven ofbounty, a gem on the diadem ofwisdom, a shining light in thefirmament of thy generation, a fruitupon the tree of humility.”


Value-oriented Education*

I. BHARDWAJ**

In this paper, the author is of the opinion that we are faced at present with thechallenge of erosion of human values and it is high time to rise to the occasionand make conscious efforts to improve the situation. In this direction, radicalchange in human consciousness is needed, so that human beings conductthemselves in more desirable directions to shape their life patterns bystrengthening their beliefs and by integrating facts, ideas, attitudes andactions. This will also help clarify their aims in life as well as processes toachieve them. This paper emphasises that value education in modern contextis considered much wider, transcending the boundaries of religions andencompassing ethical, social, aesthetic, cultural and spiritual values. Value-oriented education needs to be realistically achievable in consonance withthe academic framework of a school. The author advocates that a judiciouscombination of academics, culture and value education will be an idealapproach to education and value education needs to be integrated within theschool curriculum.

Abstract

“Could I climb to the highest place inAthens, I would lift up my voice and shout,fellow citizens why do you turn and scrapevery stone to gather wealth and give solittle care for your children to whom oneday must you relinquish it all?”

—Socrates

Value crisis is a global phenomenon ofour times. Rapid scientific growth andtechnological advancements resultingin industrialisation have threatenedour age-old moral standards. Thisatmosphere of valuelessness is leading


** Principal, Chinmaya Vidyalaya, New Delhi.

to disintegration, though we notice atthe same time best of progress incertain other fields. Nietzche rightlyremarked, “When a tree grows up toheaven, its roots reach down to hell”.We must realise that this process ofvalue deterioration will provedisastrous and lead to disintegrationof the society. It is the right timetherefore for us to rise to actionand make conscious efforts to reversethe trend and lead to the rightdirection.

VALUE-ORIENTED EDUCATION ● 59

Since time immemorial it has beenrecognised that education isnecessarily a process of inculcatingvalues to help the learner lead a goodlife that is satisfying to the individualin accordance with the cherishedvalues and ideals of the society.Philosophers, spiritual leaders andeducationists have emphasised the roleof education for character development,bringing out the latent potentialitiesand inherent qualities and developingintegrated personality for the well-beingof the individual and the society atlarge, highlighting the need for valueorientation of education.

Value Education

The first step in the direction ofchanging the world is to take theneeded steps for radical change in thehuman consciousness. One of the mostimportant means to achieve this endis value orientation of education. Thiswill help human beings to conductthemselves in the more desirabledirections, and to shape their lifepatterns by strengthening their beliefsand by integrating facts, ideas,attitudes and actions. This will alsohelp clarify their aims in life as well asthe process to achieve them.

In the modern context of ourcommitment to secularism and othersuch related Constitutional provisions,value education is considered muchwider so as to transcend theboundaries of religions and encompassethical, social, aesthetic, cultural andspiritual values. This broadenedconcept has many implications forvalue education programmes at theschool stage.

Unfortunately value education hasreceived merely lip service so far,though without an effective value-oriented education the country will facecrisis of character, adversely affectingthe quality of life and relationship, inturn leading to tensions and strifes.The economy and development of thecountry also stand to lose.

With a view to equipping childrenof today, who will be the citizens oftomorrow, education has to bereoriented and revamped altogether.What a sculptor is to a block of marble,education is to the human soul. Thephilosopher, the saint, the hero, thewise and the good or the great, veryoften lie hidden and concealed in thesand of anonymity, which a propereducation might have brought to life.

The present era of education is verysignificant and crucial in terms ofchanges as well as quality. On the onehand, there has been an unprece-dented expansion of education at alllevels, and on the other there areinsurmountable obstacles to valueimprovement. New hopes andaspirations in the minds of people haveemerged. This has posed newchallenges and new problems inre-orientation and re-energisation ofeducation in values at all stages.Education has also assumed increasingimportance in reshaping as well asgearing up the age-old education anew.A Chinese saying rightly points out,

“If you are planning for one year,plant grains;If you are planning for ten years,plant trees; If you are planning for a hundredyears, plant men”.


Education has to be directed to thefull development of the humanpersonality and to the strengtheningof respect for human rights. It shouldpromote values like understanding,tolerance and friendship. Continuousand constant attempts have to be madeat all levels for universalising andreinforcing education. The youth haveto be given opportunities to developindividual excellence through valuesand contribute to the progress of thesociety. Education has to be an effectivemeans to achieve this goal.

The main aim of value educationin schools should be to make thestudents good citizens so that they mayshare their responsibilities for thedevelopment of the country. Studentsshould also be able to understand thenational goals of democracy andsecularism. They could developthemselves to be useful fellow citizensand continuously strive for their innerdevelopment.

One of the major programmes innational reconstruction is thedevelopment of human resources.Education is no longer the privilege ofthe elite of a particular section orgroup. It has to reach out to embracethe whole of society and the entire lifespan of the individual. With this widerperspective, education must be deemedas a unique investment in the presentand in the future, for the future.

Teachers committed and dedicatedto the cause of value-orientededucation play a vital role in the portalsof formal or non-formal channels ofeducation. They have to develop a zeal,a love for learning and an aspiration ofdoing something good for the society.

They should acquire and utilise thestrategies of education, acceleratingpace of learning in curricular as wellas co-curricular activities, leading tovalue-based education.

Education with this aim in view isessential in order to be a better man,to have a richer life and to have a moreintegrated personality. Education is themanifestation of divine perfectionalready existing in man. It is therealisation of the self. We must neverignore what one could call the self-discovering and the self-fulfilling aspectof education. This would relate to theenrichment of personality. Thuseducation has a great cultural value,which cannot be overestimated interms of anything. It may be regardedas the panacea on way to a social,economic and moral change. Then onlyit would achieve its purpose fully.

Attitude plays a major role inshaping the behaviour. Hence it isimportant for the teachers to realisetheir attitude towards work, towardstheir own colleagues and mostimportantly towards their students,who look up to them. It is importantfor them to ask themselves: Do weraise and view everything in apreconceived manner or do we have anopen mind?

A famous story of a glass being halffull (positive attitude) viewed by manyas half empty (a negative attitude) isknown to all. Two men look out of thebars; one sees the mud; the other thestars! Communicating knowledge andskills is important, but teaching is notsimply a process of passing oninformation. It is communicationbetween minds.


The important thing is to create theright attitudes in students, so that theygain interest and involvement.Teaching is a cognitive process and hasto be an effective one. It is essentialthat teachers pass on positive attitudeto their students.

1. Help the students reach their ‘fullpotential’, by understanding theirstrengths as well as weaknesses.Here it is important to rememberthat all students cannot be A+;however, all are A+ on someparameter or the other.

2. ‘Praise’ the strength or quality thestudent possesses. Let us nothesitate in showering praise. Mostof us have a tendency to catchstudents doing something wrong.Try to catch them doing somethingright and giving a ‘1 minute praise’.A smile and a pat on the back isthe first thing in public relationsand behaviour.

3. Our attitude should be to‘reprimand’ only if it is essential,and that too not publicly. Make itshort and sweet. As they say ‘pickon the blame, not the student’. Itshould be imperative that the childdoes not feel humiliation. It is notalways that verbal reprimands areef fective. Sometimes even alingering look or a gesture does thetrick.

4. One of the most subtle negativeattitudes is to ‘label’ a child. It hasto be avoided because this canundermine a child’s self-image. Asa result, the label remains even ifhe changes the behaviour.

If we work upon marble, it willperish;

If we work on brass, time will effaceit;

If we rear temples, they willcrumble into dust;

But if we work upon minds andimbue them with principles, with faithand love of fellow men, we engrave onthese tablets something that willbrighten all eternity.

Seek first to ‘understand’ and thento be understood. Most people do notlisten with intent to understand. Theylisten with an intent to reply. They filtereverything through their own under-standing what they can make out of it,through their own paradigms, readingtheir own into other peoples’ lives.

The true teacher is a gardenerunder whose care a thousand treesblossom and grow. He may contributenothing to their actual growth; theprinciple of growth lies in the tree itself.He plants and waters. So is with theeducator. He only watches lest anyforce from outside should injure ordisturb. He only facilitates and takescare that growth and development runtheir course in accordance with ownlaws.

Values and vision involve doing theright thing for the right reason. Onemay have sight but one must havevision. The ‘learning teachers’ arebetter placed than the learned ones.The indifferent teachers fail to goupstream—a dead fish only swimsdown. He who walks in another’s tracksleaves no footprints. Education is theapprenticeship in life!


A teacher affects eternity. His worknever stops. “A great oak is only a littlenut that held its ground”. A teacher isnot only a facilitator but a guide, aphilosopher, a mentor, a one-in-all. Thestudents look up to him. Let us givethem what they deserve, the very bestof us. Let us live up to theirexpectations.

There has to be an all-round effortto combine academic excellence withthe inner unfoldment of the students’personality. It is imperative to work forthe total fulfilment of a vision of perfectand ideal education.

Combining spiritual culture withacademics is the hallmark of allChinmaya Vidyalayas, based on theteachings of Swami Chinmayananda.The methodology has been veryeffective and proven in the Chinmayaschools that came into being in thesixties and now number more than 70.So effective is this technique that it haseven been readily accepted in othereducational institutions even outsideIndia all over the globe. The educationalphilosophy of Chinmaya VisionProgramme has been accepted as a rolemodel even outside Chinmaya schools.

The vision not only trains theintellect in academics, but caters to thephysical, emotional and spiritual needsof the child. It helps integrate the body,mind and intellect. The intellect growsthrough the noble values of life due tothis programme of education.

It was Swamiji’s conviction that thefusion between our rich, ancientcultural heritage and the modernapproach of creative, independentthinking would yield dynamic men andwomen who would carve out a niche ina global society.

This programme has to be indeeda comprehensive educational strategy.

(i) Integrated development of the childin all phases—physical, mental,intellectual and spiritual—towardsman-making education.

(ii) Ancient heritage and culture: themeaning of life today, stress on ‘begood; do good’, to make man a finehuman being.

(iii) Patriotism: love for the motherland.

(iv) Universal outlook towards a globalmanhood.

Children are our future. If we sitdown and analyse how the future couldbe remoulded and recast, it is certainlythrough the children of today, theleaders of tomorrow, to face, lead andguide the world of future.

It is to be borne in mind that thiseducation needs to be practical andrealistically achievable, in consonancewith the academic framework of theschool. A judicious combination ofacademics, culture and valueeducation (transformation) will be anideal approach. This would indeed givethe child’s personality an addeddimension, both in his inner values oflife and also in outer objective success,making him proficient to meet thechallenges of life, and the valuesinculcated would mould him to becomea better person in the society. Laterwithin this two-fold impress, hereaches and revels in his vision toevolve into a person of standing, lastingcharacter and achievement.

The parents and the teachers haveto work in close contact andcoordination, the school has to be anextension of the home.


Influences that create a strong backbonefor the child’s growth

Orientation programmes areimportant to seek parents’ participationand counselling. If a parent thinks thatsending the child to school is likeposting a letter in the red box (letterbox) to deliver at the destination, it isa gross blunder. Teacher has aparamount role. Thoughts should flowthrough him or her, not from him.Values cannot be taught, they areimbibed and the teacher needs to be arole model to set an example. A set ofmusical instruments in consonanceproduces a melody, but in disharmonywill produce only cacophony. Themistake of a doctor is buried in thegrave; the mistake of an engineer iscemented in the bricks; the mistake ofa teacher is reflected in the nation. Theideal school is a second home and theteachers act like parents, taking partin the great task of building a nation.

The teachers have to come up withinnovative and effective projects orprogrammes to inculcate healthybehaviour in value-oriented educationand excellence, with all determinationand perseverence. The teacher mustintrospect what, when and how he orshe should do, ever mindful of his p’sand q’s. His role is to spread enlighten-ment, wherever he is, like a lamp.

Jahan rahega, wahin roshani lutayegaKisi chirag ka koi makan nahin hota

Development of a sense ofaesthetics creates a sense of beauty ineverything, and one sees beauty incommon things in the home and theenvironment. Creativity develops abilityto make something new, usingimagination.

Training the mind is the essenceof education. Quietening the mind,disciplining it, is to bring out intoexpression what is already inherent inthe human being. This helps createself-esteem and confidence instudents. They should be able to standup to their ideas, despite scorn oropposition. They should be able to seereason and given room to change theirconviction.

Qualities such as responsibility,courage, self-discipline, honesty,loyalty, compassion etc. are theessentials of good character. Valueeducation enables children tounderstand by living values andvirtues. It is training of the heart andmind. Education is indeed to be and tolive together.

(i) Value education comes throughprecepts and the logic behind them.

(ii) Children are encouraged into goodhabits of thought and action.

(iii) Children learn by example andthrough example. It is here thatadult behaviour (teachers) as adeterminant of success comes intoplay.

(iv) Children through stories, poemsand historical incidents see throughhow values help in life and howinspiring and ennobling they are.

Value education has to beintegrated within the school

Parents

ChildTeacher

School activities


curriculum. Academic education isimportant indeed, but to go deeper intoit the education has to produce a finehuman being. Thus in this area ofinformation, knowledge andtechnology, “transformation”, theinner-refinement and growth, becomeimperative. Value education is the“value-add” education for the completeman.Various phases of child’s developmentare:

When a group of people livetogether for a long time and respectcertain fundamental values, thefragrance, grace and glory thatemanate from the society is culture.Values of life are communicated byculture through epics, stories andmythology. Such values as love,sacrifice, non-violence etc. areentrenched in the mind and remainthroughout life. Adaptability, wisdom,tolerance for all, universality of life,accepting all kinds of people, and waysof life imply that everyone is a humanbeing.

The children have to be made awarethat education not only makes or mars

their life as an individual, but as afuture citizen also he has to beconscious at aiming to develop not onlypersonal caring but also commitmentto the environment and respect for allforms of life.

Values have to be caught, theycannot be taught directly. These are tobe imbibed, e.g.

(i) Those who bring sunshine to thelives of others cannot keep it awayfrom themselves.

(ii) The great acts of love are done bythose who are habituallyperforming small acts of kindness.

(iii) The first great gift we can bestowon others is a good example.

(iv) People can alter their life byaltering their attitudes.

(v) One person with courage makes amajority.

(vi) Courtesy costs nothing, yet buysthings that are priceless.

(vii) I cannot change yesterday, I canonly make the most of today andlook with hope towards tomorrow.

(viii) The smallest good deed is betterthan the greatest intention.

(ix) God grant me the serenity toaccept the things I cannot change,the courage to change the things Ican, and the wisdom to know thedifference.

(x) The future belongs to those whobelieve in the beauty of theirdreams.

(xi) Of all the things you wear, yourexpression is the most important.Smile.

(xii) You can teach a better sermonwith your life than with your lips.

Child and Universe

Child and World

Child and Society

Child and School

Child and Family

Child and Himself


Child is father of the man. He isborn good and noble; it is imperativethat the good and the virtue in him areretained. Human values thus have tobe strengthened from early childhood.The fact is that the teacher cannotpromote values except by working as arole model. The role is crucial in anyaction programme to strengthen andnourish the values initially the childhas in him. Family is like a banyan tree,and the branches are children, and theroots are human values.

A teacher can help the students indeveloping a new attitude, a positiveapproach towards their daily learningtasks and sports, wanting to dosomething good for oneself, family,friends, society, country and the globe.Environment and resourceconservation, and caring for nature arebasically to be looked into.The whole education has to be value-added and value-oriented.

(i) To promote basic and fundamentalqualities like compassion,truthfulness, peace, justice etc. inthe children.

(ii) To train them to becomeresponsible citizens in personal aswell as social life.

(iii) To enable them to become openand considerate in thought andbehaviour.

(iv) To rise above prejudices on religion,language, sex, caste or creed.

(v) To develop proper attitudes towardsone’s own self and fellow beings.

The paradigm shift is attitudinalchange, wherein sharing, caring andsensitising towards a fulfilling

relationship take place, toward self-actualisation. The approach is to bepositive. The goal is putting thinkingheads on rising shoulders. SwamiChinmayananda has rightlyemphasised: “We believe that ourchildren should be moulded to lead abalanced life under all circumstances”.

The secret is to inspire and kindlethe quest among the students bymeans of one’s own example ofcharacter and mastery of knowledge.It is the embodying values withinourselves that we can really radiate toour students. It is our fervent desirethat value-oriented education initiatesintrospection, spate of good thinkingand good reflection, filling a lacuna thatis being greatly felt in the complexcompetitive times in life today.

The aim of education is to impartknowledge, to inculcate skills to fitpeople in life and, above all, to helpyoung people develop as full humanbeings, equipped to lead a good life. Inthis task values play a major rolebecause values aim at what is called‘humanisation’, realising the higherreaches of man’s potential, whichpresupposes freedom and imply avision of good life. However, when wemean values in education, we mean‘value-oriented education’ and not‘education of values’.

The educational values are:

● Aesthetic : arts, dancing, painting,dramatisation, music etc.

● Spiritual : spirit (as opposed tomatter), divine matter and soul.

● Moral : relating to ethics.

● Social : concerning society and itswell-being.


Values to be inculcated at primaryand secondary school levels arecourage, truth, universal love, respectfor all religions, respect for elders,dignity of manual work, service, purity,peace, joy etc.

Values are to be lived. Like a sciencecourse, as in a laboratory, they haveto be practised at home. As swimmingcannot be taught merely by lecturesand a good teacher of swimming hasto be a swimmer himself, similarly ateacher of values should himself be aseeker and aspirant of values.

The general strategies forinculcation (not teaching) of values areawareness, debate, rational conceptand game strategies. It is for theteacher to decide which strategy tofollow depending upon the situation,environment and the level of students.

The school can make plans as persuggestions given below:

1. There should be integratedapproach in education programme.Instead of tackling piecemeal suchas awareness of ecology, environ-mental problem, communitydevelopment, productivity etc. theyshould be handled in acomprehensive manner under thebroad spectrum of social respon-sibility and inner development ofhuman personality.

2. The consciousness of values mustpermeate the whole curriculum(not just value course), formal ornon-formal, starting withassembly, the curricular and co-curricular activities, thecelebration of festivals, workexperience, team games and

sports, subject clubs, social serviceprogrammes etc. At present theschool atmosphere only conductssuch activities as a routine withthe purpose of giving information,knowledge and skills withoutexposing the underlying valuesinherent in them.

3. All teachers are teachers of valueeducation, whether they areformally involved or not in theprogramme.

4. The school atmosphere, thepersonality and behaviour ofteachers, the facilities provided inthe school—all have a large say indeveloping a sense of values.

5. Interaction to appreciate andunderstand innovations andinitiatives as voluntary efforts.Those working voluntarily for thedeprived and the downtroddencould be invited.

6. Utilisation of available folklore,national monuments, forms of folkculture etc. to imbibe a sense ofbelonging.

7. A certain credit may be assignedat the time of assignment for someof the values like honesty, socialservice etc.

8. All functions, programmes,celebrations, gatherings etc. needto ensure that no group orcommunity feels neglected orisolated.

9. Inviting persons of character,creative abilities, literary tastesand scholarly activities whosemere presence could inspirechildren.


10. To make the school responsive toemergent situations like quake,floods, fire or droughts.

11. Visits to institutions, establish-ments, centres of creative arts,museums etc. and to homes for theaged, blind and handicapped notonly enhance knowledge andunderstanding but also genuineappreciation and empathy.

12. The teachers should discussamong themselves, during lunchor recess, new incidents in schoolsthat should form ‘case histories’ forvalue education programme basedon real life situations.

13. To innovate new techniques andmethods to understand changestaking place in the society. Theyneed to be monitored and the valueinculcation programme suitablymodified.

14. Examples from social life of schooland community that reinforcehuman aspects of individualefforts and group efforts need tobe disseminated and discussed.

15. Cleanliness within school helps ina long way. Development ofaesthetic sensibilities is a basicimperative. They create lastingimpressions.

16. Teachers, principals and otherstaff should take formal oath to theethics of their profession like otherprofessions.

Programme Implementation

“A journey of a thousand miles beginswith one step”.

The school assembly, the curricularand co-curricular activities, the

celebrations of festivals, workexperience, team games and sports,subject clubs, social serviceprogrammes – all help in inculcatingthe values of cooperation and mutualregard, honesty and integrity,discipline and social responsibility.These values have a special significancein Indian society today. This shouldhabituate children in right modes ofconduct, thus strengthening theircharacter.

Various activities and programmes,to be taken up daily or on special dayson various occasions, could be:

(i) Thought for the day : regularpresentation

(ii) Morning assembly : inspiring tostudents

(iii) Silent sitting : meditation, prayer,yoga

(iv) Story telling, group singing

(v) Study of great literature and books

(vi) Special assembly sessions

(vii) National and international days

(viii) Special projects and exhibitions

(ix) Sports and games: learning to livetogether

(x) Social work and self-relianceprogramme

(xi) Presentation of documentaries andfilms

(xii) Music and drama, elocution anddebates

(xiii) Attitude development and role play

(xiv) Summer courses and spiritualretreats

(xv) School clubs


In the morning assembly prog-rammes, there should also bepresentations on the significance ofvarious important festivals anddifferent special days like Janma-shtami, Ramnavami, Id, Christmas,Holi, Shivaratri, Onam, Guru NanakJayanti, Deepawali, Republic Day,Independence Day, Teachers’ Day,Literacy Day, U. N. Day, Science Day,UNESCO Day, WHO Day, Mothers’ Day etc.

The observance of National Science,National Teachers and NationalIntegration Days and other festivals —

national and international — shouldbe in a befitting manner. These haveimmense potential for promoting thecause of education and, in particular,developing awareness of the past andpresent – its glory and internationalconsciousness.

It is recognised that it is neitherpossible nor desirable to promotevalues through “book and birch” and“chalk and talk” methods alone. Let uskeep in mind that the teacher is the“kingpin” and the “hidden curriculum”is something that is irrefutable.

Need for Value-based Spiritual Educationin Schools*

SEETHA KUNCHITHAPADAM**

This paper discusses in detail the meaning of values and morality and theprevailing misconceptions about them. Elders who are supposed to guide achild are deeply immersed in material pursuits and they completely ignorethe ethical aspects of life. The ideology of Shri Ram Chandra Mission isexplained in this paper. The author emphasises that the need of the hour isfor value-based spiritual education, not just value education. Value has beenclassified as one emanating from heart, e.g. love, kindness etc. and the otherpractised in schools, e.g. punctuality, obedience etc.The paper highlights theneed for providing spiritual education in schools. It deals with the value-basedspiritual education programme in Shri Ram Chandra Mission. This paperfurther focuses on how values can be taught to children by integrating thesewith subject areas like language, social studies, science etc. Teachers’ roleneeds to extend beyond the classroom to that of a facilitator and a counsellor.Teachers need to practise themselves what they want to be practised by theirstudents. An integrated approach, i.e. integrating values in the curricular andco-curricular areas, is also discussed in the paper.

Abstract

Education is a process of evokingknowledge from the child, not givingknowledge to the him or her. Educationshould lay a firm foundation in thechild to stand upon a rock, a faithwhere he can say, “well, the winds ofthe world can blow upon me, but theycannot shake me off this pedestal.” Butunfortunately, today's education is onlygiving mere information to the children,which they learn by heart andreproduce in the examination, get 99%


** Director, Sahaj Marg Research and Training Institute, Chennai.

or even 100% and are called the creamof their schools.

In this country, nowadayseducation means only preparingyourself for a job and people want todo something that will give themmaximum money, comfort and goodstandard of living. But education reallymeans to draw out of the children theirbest in terms of their potentials; bestin the physical way, that is to preparethem to be fit citizens who can serve


society, serve their brothers andsisters; draw out of their mental andintellectual potential; not to cram factsinto their heads. According to Vedas,all knowledge is already in us. Only, itis covered by ignorance like the famousexample of a mirror that is overlaid withdust. You clean away the dust andeverything is clear. Therefore educationis really the process of removing theignorance that is covering our innerknowledge, which is absolute, whichis perfect, which is eternal, which issupreme.

The process of education involvesfour stages, viz. knowledge that istaught, knowledge gained throughintuition, knowledge gained throughrevelation, and the ultimate knowledgethat comes from within ourselvesthrough meditation, through yogicpractice. The modern curriculum doesnot provide opportunities for childrento learn by intuition, revelation ormeditation. Added to this, theprevailing TV culture, lifestyle of theupper middle class and the rich classmake the child forget the real goal ofhuman life and go only forcompetitions, success and a seat in anengineering college or medical college.Modern science and technology haveswept over the curriculum in such away that students, and especially theparents, clamour for subjects relatedto information technology (IT); and theparents are not satisfied if theirchildren are inclined to opt for anysubject other than these. The educationauthorities too are taking pride inannouncing that their schools orcolleges are offering these subjects andexpect a 100% result every year.

On one hand, the children are moreand more interested in learning IT andallied subjects. The children of todayare more intelligent than their parentsor grandparents. But on the contrary,unhealthy competition and selfishnessare growing among children, and areprevailing and spreading over otherthings, such as education, employmentor promotion. People have forgotten thespiritual aspect in their lives, thoughIndia is the birthplace of spirituality.The Indian history talks about greatsaints, seers, mahatmas, rishis, munisand philosophical teachers who havebeen promoting, practising andadvocating moral and ethical values.Unfortunately, the lifestyle of thepeople has changed, the western wayof living has been adopted, and themeaning of morality has shrunk onlyto sex life. In short, deterioration isevident in the way we think, the waywe act and the way we live. Values havebeen forgotten or have been thrown tothe wind. Today we have degradedourselves to such an extent that onedoes not mind stepping on anotherperson and marching ahead. Thephysical, financial and material gainsare more sought after, and the mental,the moral and the spiritual values aresacrificed—nay, they have beenaltogether forgotten. At this juncture,the need for bringing in the forgottenvalues and making children aware ofthem has become essential. It is ofparamount importance that theteacher practises these values in hisor her own life and then sets anexample to the taught how they canlearn these values just by emulatingtheir teachers.

NEED FOR VALUE-BASED SPIRITUAL EDUCATION IN SCHOOLS ● 71

What are Values?

The Oxford Dictionary defines ‘value’ as“to consider to be of great worth orimportance,” or “standards orprinciples considered valuable orimportant in life.” While the firstmeaning denotes value in physicalterms, the second meaning pertains toour behavioural patterns. Thereforewhat we value in life depends on ourlikes and dislikes, our attitude, ourmentality and our behaviour. There isan old English adage which says, "Tellme who your friend is, and I shall tellyou what you are!" Similarly,depending on what we value most inour lives, one can judge our leanings,our interests in the physical, material,mental, moral or spiritual life. Materialvalues are based on the utility or rarityof things. For instance, diamond has agreat commercial or prestigious valuebut, if one does not care for it, it hasno value for him or her. In Chennai,water is the most valuable commodityat present. They would be prepared tosacrifice any other valuable thing if onlythey could get water.

But when we talk about moralvalues, this again differs from place toplace. In India, morality is alwaysassociated with one's behaviour withthe opposite sex. If a man or a womanbehaves with etiquette and respect withthe opposite sex, they are consideredmoral. On the contrary, if a person iscorrupt, cheats others or mints moneyin the wrong way, he is not consideredimmoral. In fact, he is considered aclever person, admired by people forhis ability to 'get things done.' In thewestern countries the opposite is true.They do not consider extra-marital

relationship as immoral, but areparticular about their etiquette,conduct and things like that.

Value Education

In India the values have always beencherished, practised and thought veryhighly of. The heritage and culture ofIndia have always encouraged andpromoted the practice of values. Butunfortunately we have been observinga degradation in the attitude andbehaviour of people because thesevalues have been forgotten. Materialismhas taken hold of people and they thinkthat anything that is done to achievesuccess in their personal, material lifeis okay, be it by wrong means.

Value education is a subject thatis being discussed much at all levels ofschool education as well as collegiateeducation. The education authoritiesare concerned about the future of thestudents and how they would be ableto face life without these values.Fortunately, they are coming forwardto reinculcate into the children theseforgotten values. They are takingsteps—doing research, making a lot ofstudies, consulting various religiousand spiritual organizations—forintroducing these values in thecurriculum. This is certainly laudable.But considering the practical aspect,it appears to be a Herculean task. Asthe old saying goes, "values cannot betaught; they have to be caught." Onehas to learn values by experience, byputting them into practice, by watchingothers, emulating others and imbibingthese values in their own lives with aresolve and determination. Unfor-tunately again, a majority of the elders


who are supposed to guide thechildren, are themselves deeplyimmersed in material pursuitsforgetting the moral or ethical aspectsof life. Therefore it becomes absolutelyessential that the elder generation ismade to understand, appreciate andpractise these values first, so that theywill be able to live a value-oriented life,thereby setting an example to theyoungsters to follow.

Value-based Spiritual Education inShri Ram Chandra Mission

In Shri Ram Chandra Mission, we havebeen working for the past 10 years inthe field of Value-based SpiritualEducation. We started teaching valuesto children in a very modest way in1992. Some of us felt the need to talkabout values to children and youth andhence visited certain schools, spoke tothe principals and volunteered to talkabout values to their students. It wasencouraging to note that someprincipals came forward veryenthusiastically and gave us anopportunity to talk to their children.We used to visit a few schools everySaturday and talk to the children of aparticular class for about half an hour,telling them stories, incidents, askingquestions, eliciting answers; in short,making them think about values. Thechildren became very interested andstarted looking forward to these classesthough these were conducted outsidethe school hours. Slowly this gave usan idea that there is a need forpreparing a suitable syllabus on valueeducation for all classes. With theblessings of our Master PujyashriRajagopalachariji, and the hard work

of some educationists, professors,principals and teachers who aremembers of the Mission, we devised asyllabus on Value-based SpiritualEducation for classes 1 to 10. This wasa small booklet of about 40 pages andwas published by the Mission in 1994.To coincide with this publication, weconducted a workshop for about 65teachers for 2 days, talking to themabout various aspects of spiritualityand how to integrate spirituality withvalues, how to put these values intopractice and thereby become a rolemodel for their students. The responsewas very encouraging; from then onthere was no looking back.

Over these 10 years we have beensharing our ideas and our views onspiritual values with teachers of allclasses of a number of schools andcolleges, with students in the age groupof 3 to 23. We have been addressingstudents at the NCC camps, summercamps, and have had seminars andworkshops for school teachers,principals and college professors. Wehave been conducting discussions withparents, women and children inseparate groups. We have tried to findout the inherent problems in promotingthese values and finding suitablesolutions for them. This experience hasgiven us confidence, courage and theconviction that a time will definitelycome when we will have these spiritualvalues accepted, adopted and practisedby every child and every adult, not onlyin our country but in the entire world.Of course, only time can tell how longit will take. It is said that the wheel offortune always keeps rotating. At thismoment the wheel has started moving


from the bottommost part—movingslowly, steadily, upward, that we canconfidently say, it is going to be onlyascending in the coming years.

Why Value-based Spiritual Educa-tion and not Just Value Education?

Normally the term "Value Education"is used by all educationists, schoolauthorities etc., but in Shri RamChandra Mission we say Value-basedSpiritual Education. Our GuruPujyashri Parthasarathi Rajagopala-chariji says that in every child the seedof spirituality is sown even at the timeof conception. In fact, he advises theprospective mother to speak in a lovingmanner to the child in her womb sothat the child comes into the worldfilled with the mother's love and growsinto an adult with that love growing inhim too. The mother-to-be shouldunderstand her responsibility that sheshould bring her child into the worldwith as much love as she can possiblygive. This is basically the reason whyin ancient times the elders used to telltheir daughters that they should saypleasing things, see pleasing thingsand live in a quiet, happy atmosphereduring pregnancy. If the mother isliving a life giving due importance tovalues, imbibing values, one can becertain that the offspring would alsoinherit all those values in him or her.

We have heard the famousmythological story of how Abhimanyulearnt to enter the Padma Vyuha in thebattle of Mahabharata. It is said thatLord Krishna was talking to his sisterSubhadra about the tactics to beadopted while entering the PadmaVyuha and child Abhimanyu from his

mother's womb was listening intentlyto his uncle, Lord Krishna. The storygoes that when Lord Krishna wasexplaining how to get out of the Vyuha,unfortunately Subhadra fell asleep andnaturally the child in the womb slepttoo. We know what happened in theMahabharata.

We have another story of a scholarby name Ashtavakra. It is said that hisfather was a great pundit in the king'scourt, and when he was explainingsomething about his scholarship to hiswife, the child in the womb laughed.The father felt humiliated and, becausehis ego was hurt, he cursed his ownoffspring to be born with eight bends.The child was born with eight bendsand was named Ashtavakra. Both thesestories prove that the child in themother's womb is as awake or as alertas the mother is. In other words, thestrengths and weaknesses of thenewborn are, to a large extent, basedon his or her life inside the womb ofthe mother.

Thus it is evident that what a childimbibes in his life is not just what isbeing taught but what he inherits fromhis parents. Hence it becomes veryimportant that the parents, especiallythe mother, is very vigilant in herthought, speech and action while sheis carrying a child. This gives us a cluethat we will have to think moreseriously about inculcating values inchildren who are in the pre-KG, LKGor UKG classes. Children who are inthe age group of 5 to 15 will have abetter understanding of values if theyare taught values in their KG classestoo. Even psychologists opine that thechild learns all that he has to learn by


the time he is 5 years old. It only takestime for him to put these things intopractice; values manifest only as thechild grows.

Our Master defines spirituality asthe "art and science of remembrance";remembrance of God Almighty whodwells in the heart of every being. Andwhatever we do, we must do in Hisremembrance. That is, doingeverything in the remembrance of God,always living in the thought of theUltimate so that anything we do has athought of divinity attached to it, whichprevents us from doing anythingwrong. Therefore it is necessary thatchildren are educated in spiritualvalues. If the children are made torealise this, automatically their habits,behavioural pattern, conduct andcharacter will take a turn for the better.In this process we are not putting fearin their minds, but only love. The termso proudly used by many "I am Godfearing" will be replaced by "I am Godloving". When there is love for God inmy heart, my every word, my everydeed and my every thought will be filledwith love; and when I am filled withlove, I cannot go wrong in anything thatI do.

When we go about doing anythingwith a spiritual basis, we are bound tosucceed. What is this spiritual basis?It is ‘Love’. Love is the basis foranything in this world. If we sow theseed of love in the hearts of thechildren, they will start loving theirparents, brothers and sisters, theirteachers, classmates, and of coursetheir school, their country—in fact theentire humanity. The parents shouldplay a very vital role in loving their

children in the real sense of the word"Love." It does not mean just buyinganything the child asks, but beingconscious of their responsibilitiestowards their children and loving themtotally. Hence when we love thechildren from the very core of ourhearts, it touches them and leaves alasting impression upon them.

The spiritual values spring forthfrom the heart. It is proven that aperson having spiritual values willalways be a loving person and a lovableperson as well. In fact, he or shebecomes love itself. It can be saidpositively that love is the core value;the most important, the most basic,fundamental value that has to becultivated in every individual, so thatfrom ‘I love’, other values like affection,compassion, mercy, kindness,sympathy, empathy, understanding,consideration etc. spring forth. Aperson who has no love in him or hercannot have any of these values. Allvalues connected with humanism mustbe spiritually-oriented, must beconnected with this basic value—love.

Value Inculcation

StepsThe parents, the teachers, the eldersand the educational authorities shouldthen start learning these spiritualvalues, practising them first. Only thencan they impart these values to theirwards. We have to practise what wepreach. Our Master Guru says, "Saywhat you mean and mean what yousay." Therefore the need for value-based spiritual education for teachersand parents is more important than itsneed for the children. It is easier to


bend a small plant than a large tree.The child can be moulded, taught,changed or made to behave better byadopting simple means and with love.But the elders have deep-rooted ideas,prejudices, preconceived notions,hatred, jealousy, greed etc., that it isindeed a very difficult task to changethem. Nevertheless, we should startfrom the higher level and work our waydownwards.

Another important factor in favourof training the elders, especially theteachers, is because the children spendmost of their waking hours with theteacher than their parents. A childspends at least 6-7 hours a day withhis teachers. It is also a very revealingfactor that children once attracted bythe teacher, whether because of histeaching or his personality, knowledgeor his behaviour, believe very firmlythat what his teacher says is the gospeltruth. Nothing would deter him fromthat, not even his parents. He wouldsay, “My teacher said so, hence it mustbe correct”. This statement makes itall the more necessary for the teachersto be vigilant, to be alert to what theydo in the school premises.

It is also necessary that theirbehaviour outside the school shouldmatch their behaviour inside theschool. Children being very intuitive areable to detect even slight differencesin the behaviour of the teachers. Acasual remark or a careless commentmade inside the teachers’ commonroom can create havoc in the life of apassing-by student who happens tooverhear the comment or remark. If theteacher has been a role model insidethe class, this sort of callous, careless

behaviour can turn the student’s lifeinto a totally different one and hispersonality gets affected totally. Henceagain it is the teacher on whom ourattention has to be diverted if thechildren, who are the pillars of India,are to become mentally and morallystrong, sturdy and sound.

Issues of Value Inculcation

Whenever one talks about values, theforemost thing that comes to the mindis that one should be disciplined,obedient, punctual, regular, etc. Butas one probes deeply into the meaningof these words, it becomes obvious thatall these values have merely to becultivated. One is not disciplined frombirth, one is not punctual from birth,one is not regular in his activitiesunless he is taught to be disciplined,obedient, regular, punctual etc. Thismeans that these are only independentvalues, which can be practised andperfected if the individual makes aneffort to do so. Values like discipline,obedience, punctuality, regularity etc.come under this category, and aremostly based on fear of punishment orthe temptation of reward. Mostly thechildren are disciplined and quiet inthe classes handled by strict teachers.Even in an office or institution, wherethe boss is strict there is punctualityor obedience, not because the childrenlove their teacher or the employees lovetheir boss. It is only because of the fearof punishment that they appeardisciplined. On the contrary, there areteachers who would say, “Children, ifyou keep quiet and do the work, I shalltell you a story at the end of the class,”or bosses who say, “If you reach this


target within 3 months, I shall grantyou an increment or give you apromotion”. This is “temptation ofreward”. But for inculcating values inchildren, we must go beyond the fearand temptation tactics.

During our interaction with theteachers, many have asked us thisquestion: “You say love is the basis ofeverything; but if we are loving andaffectionate, the students takeadvantage of the fact and areindisciplined in the class”. Here, loveis not to be treated as an antonym fordiscipline or obedience. A person canbe loving and at the same time stricttoo. One can be regular and punctual,and expect the same from the children,but can be understanding too. Asparents, most of us have experiencedthis with our children. The childrenknow when we are actually upset orangry even if we do not scold them orbeat them. Our silence will tell themmuch more than our words.

Therefore while taking up theresponsibility of inculcating values toschool children, the first requirementis that the teacher should win theirhearts. Once that is done, half thebattle is won. Then the teacher canproceed with teaching values in anymanner he or she likes, and thestudents will take them as gospel truthand practise these values without anydifficulty.

How to Inculcate Values?How are we to teach values to theteachers? As grown-ups, we all knowthe various values of life and that weshould live a value-oriented life. Butthe circumstances, the problems at

home and workplace, illnesses of nearand dear ones, financial problems etc.do not permit us to behave as we oughtto behave. Even while we uttersomething rude, something harsh, weknow that we are not saying the rightthing, our behaviour is not laudable.But our temper makes us rude, and attimes we even feel a sort of satisfactionin having said something to hurt thefeelings of others. Later on we mayregret our behaviour, but the learnedhave said, "There are four things thatcannot be retrieved once they leavetheir source—the arrow that is shot,the word that is spoken, the time thatis wasted and the opportunity that isnot utilised." It is true of every humanbeing that we waste our words, timeand opportunities. How do we correctourselves?

Spirituality HelpsIf we remember God in all that we do,we should have a clean, clear and acalm mind. Our mind is full ofthoughts, filled with ambitions on theone side and worries on the other.Researchers have found that everyindividual mind thinks around 90,000thoughts per day. Unless our mind isemptied of all these unwantedthoughts, we will not be able to remainin His remembrance. The only way toget rid of these unwanted thoughts isby regulating the mind.

Regulation of Mind

All the modern problems that the worldfaces, particularly in the developednations—problems of pollution,problems of corruption, problems ofhealth—originate in the mind and


through the mind. Unless the mind ispurified and regulated in itsfunctioning, and has a definiteorientation in which it should function,it may yet function efficiently but notnecessarily for the good of mankind.When we recognise that everythingbegins with the mind, and if we are tocure the ailments that are facing themodern societies, it is with the mindthat we have to start working.

In the Sahaj Marg of yoga, whichis being practised in Shri Ram ChandraMission, the emphasis is on the mindand the training of the mind byappropriate techniques. When we startwith the subtlest level of humanfunctioning, the ef fect of thatpurification or regulation automaticallypercolates into the rest of the system,into the grosser levels of the system. Itis not only automatic, it is natural. Bycontinued thinking, impressions areformed in the mind. As habits arestrengthened by repetition of the sameact, the mind also gets certaintendencies by the formation of suchimpressions. Sahaj Marg purifies themind and removes those impressions.By constant practice of meditation andcleaning, we are able to purify the mindand also avoid forming furtherimpressions. When the mind is notbogged with thousands of thoughts, itstarts thinking clearly and the resultis that the practitioner becomes moreand more a master of his mind insteadof being its slave.

Meditation

Meditation may be defined ascontinuous thinking about something.In a sense, therefore, anybody who is

thinking continuously of somethingmay be said to be involved inmeditation. Ancient teachers, both inthe East and the West, have taught thatas one meditates so one becomes. Ittherefore follows that what we meditateupon, we get or become. Inversely,using this formula, if we want tobecome something, we must meditateupon that and nothing else. "Thereforeif our aim is realisation or theattainment of oneness with theUltimate, the object of meditation mustbe that Ultimate and nothing else."

What do We Achieve by Meditation?The first step of the yoga of Sahaj Margis, "Try to bring the mind together intoone solid beam and focus it." And themeditative activity is supposed toachieve this. We try to meditate on oneobject, and hold the mind there by aneffort of will, thus strengthening themind by the application of the will. Therepeated application of the willstrengthens the will itself to greaterperformance. When we are able toachieve this, we have a mind with aconcentrated, solid, focusable beambehind it; which then becomes theinstrument of revelation, in the sensethat on whatever you apply it, it revealsitself.

Mind Gets Transformed as HeartBy meditation we can clear andsharpen this instrument of ourperception—the mind—for achievingour aim, to our destruction or elevation.Nothing can destroy us so totally asour mind if it goes wrong, and nothingcan uplift and raise us to Divinity asour mind can. Therefore "in the rajayoga technique it is the mind that we


use, it is the mind that we master, it isthe mind that we apply." Having donethat, the entire thing is transferred tothe heart. The heart now becomes themind. We think with the heart, we seewith the heart, we hear with the heart,we speak with the heart, the heartbecomes ‘me’ and then the job is done—I become love.

Having become love itself, it is justa cake-walk for the teacher to tackleany type of student. What he or shesays is obeyed, not out of fear but outof love. Therefore it is very essentialthat each and every teacher must followthese three steps meticulously:

1. Practise meditation.

2. Now regulate one’s mind, andcultivate only the required qualitiesor values in self.

3. Become loving, caring andunderstanding, so that thestudents emulate you. In short, theteachers should become rolemodels for children coming undertheir care.

Inculcating Values in Children

Values should be taught to childrenright from the age of 3, i.e. as soon asthey join the KG classes. Theindependent values can be taught assuch, in a separate period set aside forthe purpose, say once or twice a week.Most of the schools are having theseperiods in their timetable but in amajority of the schools the classteacher takes that period to cover andcomplete the left-over portions in thesubject being dealt by him or her. Thisbecomes very convenient for theteachers, because value education is

not a subject for which examination isconducted or grades are awarded onthe basis of tests. The teacher givessome grade in the report card,depending on the general behaviour ofthe child, irrespective of the factwhether the student has learnt anyvalue or not in that class.

But the school authorities shouldbear in mind that unless values arepractised by every individual, there isno purpose in having a period for ValueEducation. Unless we get into the waterand start swimming, we cannot masterthe art of swimming. The same is withcycling; we have to ride a bicycle, fall afew times and learn to master it. Soalso with values. We have to starttelling only the truth; be bold enoughto face the consequences of telling thetruth. Be determined not to give orreceive bribe.

We have to introduce the conceptof love, God and prayer right from theword 'go', i.e. right from the time theyenter the portals of our institution.That is why in our Teacher's Guide onValue-based Spiritual Education, whichwas brought out in 2000, we haveintroduced "Prayer" as the first topic.Some may wonder, "Is prayer a value?"If prayer is going to be the chanting ofa mantra or asking God for something,it obviously is not a value. But ifchildren are taught to pray for thewelfare of others, pray to the Creator,just saying "Thank you", it is certainlya value and should be inculcated inthe children because it promotesvalues like love, brotherhood,compassion, kindness, concern,sympathy, empathy etc.


We have given 10 values for theprimary school, which can be broadlydivided under two heads:

Life values Living values

God and guru Healthy livingGreeting DisciplineLove Work and perseveranceHappiness Time managementNature Courage

Life is the base and living springsforth from it. If the base or thefoundation is not strong, the structurebuilt on that foundation cannot bestrong either, cannot last long and maytopple under pressure.

For the high school syllabus alsowe have selected 10 topics, which havebeen divided under two heads: theWorld (on one side) and You (on the other).

Many children do not knowanything about themselves. They knowtheir body, perhaps some of them knowtheir 'mind', but hardly anybody knowshis or her Soul. Hence we have madean attempt to educate the childrenabout their existence, the Reality andthe Soul.

We start with ‘Nature’ and go on totalk about ‘Who am I?’ Body, Mind,Intellect, Life, Prayer, Guru or God.Each topic deals with its variousaspects in a graded way from class I toclass V for primary school and class VIto class X for the high school.

Integration of Values with SchoolSubjects

We can integrate values with thelessons taught to students, whetherEnglish, Science, Social Studies,Mathematics, Arts, Crafts or anything

else. It will go into the hearts of thechildren and the benefit is double. Onthe one hand, they will learn theirlessons and on the other they will learnthe values integrated with the lesson.Hence it is beneficial to teach valuesin an integrated manner rather thanteaching them independently as values.

While integrating these values withsubjects, the spiritual aspects shouldnot be forgotten. The teacher has to beconscious that whatever he or she isimparting is given to him or her by thegrace of the Divine forces and that it ispassing from his or her heart into thehearts of the children. The faith andself-confidence of the teacher will makeit easier and natural for the childrento grasp and absorb it. If the teacher isnot confident that what he or she sayswill be understood, liked and practisedby the children, it can never make animpact on them and it will be like atutorial class that is done for the benefitof the teacher and not the taught. Infact, it will benefit the teachermonetarily but not morally orspiritually. It depends more on themental and the spiritual attitude of theteacher to convince a child about theimportance of these values.

There are scores of values in everylesson in every subject, whether statesyllabus or the CBSE syllabus,provided one makes an effort to findthem. In Sahaj Marg Research andTraining Institute (SMRTI), we havemade a conscious effort and worked outcomplete charts for Physics, Chemistry,Biology, Mathematics, History,Geography, Civics, Commerce etc. Wehave been able to find hundreds ofvalues in these lessons. As an example,


some of these subjects are consideredseparately to see how values can beintegrated through them.

English or any Language ClassThere are many lessons, poems andstories in language and literature thatgive us an opportunity to teach values.We can make the students elicit thevalues by themselves instead of tellingthem that a particular poem or storytalks about a particular value, saysympathy or kindness. Give them anopportunity to think. Or we can givean activity that will create a situationwhere they have to "give and take" orbe considerate or helpful etc. Thiswould naturally lead them to stumbleon to the value in that lesson and adoptit too. There are crossword puzzles,grids and other games that canpromote values. Word building,antakshari and story telling are someother activities that can help in thisarea.

Social Studies

History

From the stories of great emperors likeAshoka, Alexander and Napolean,values such as ahimsa, humility,perseverance, courage, conviction,bravery etc. are conveyed.

World Wars convey the value of co-existence and peace, and make usunderstand how people should live andbehave with others. Talk about theimportance of give and take, sharing,unity, understanding, brotherhood etc.The cause for these wars and thebloodshed, the ego that makes themfight with one another; and how thepractice of moral and ethical valueswould have prevented these wars.

CivicsIn National Anthem, the valuesconveyed are unity, unity in diversity,patriotism, love, tolerance etc.

Road rule: discipline, regularity,obedience, being a law abiding citizenetc.

Qualities of a good citizen representall the values that are to be practised.We can ask the children to prepare alist of values in alphabetical order, askthem to group them and practise thesevalues. They can demonstrate thesevalues in their day-to-day life and theteacher can encourage them to havesome games, grids, crossword puzzlesetc. using these values.

GeographyThe different objects in nature teachus several values, e.g. the sun (strong,impartial, helping, not expecting

VALUE FOR LIFE

National Flag

Saffron colour: Valour, sacrifice and patriotism

White colour: Truth, purity and simplicity

Green colour: Faith and prosperity

Ashok chakra: Righteousness and progress


anything in return etc.), moon (cool,calm, shining, accepting the ups anddowns etc.), stars (showing the way topeople, living in groups, no ego etc.),mountains (sturdy, courageous,unnerved etc.), tree (sharing, giving,helping, sacrifice etc.), creepers(adaptable, humble, give and take etc.),water (always on the move, facinghurdles without grumbling, helping,surrender etc.), air (accommodative,accepting, unassuming, quiet etc.).We can ask the children to comeout with more objects or things innature and how they teach us many morevalues.

Behaviour Pattern of Teenagers

A very important and significant stepto be taken by the teachers is to mendthe children in the age group of 10 to15. The children have already spent 10years of their life in a different manner,getting into certain ways of living,forming certain habits, developingcertain likes and dislikes, cultivatingcertain qualities—good and bad,necessary and unnecessary, wantedand unwanted, desirable andundesirable. The behaviour of theelders has perhaps even encouragedthem and motivated them to continuethose habits, to think that they areright, to become stubborn, adamantand proud. The cinema, the TV cultureand the advertisements have affectedchildren very strongly, made them livein a dreamworld, may be in a fool'sparadise and take things for granted.Each child in his or her own way wantsto imitate the heroes and heroines,

some of them even the villains and thevamps. They should be made tounderstand reality, and propercounselling should be given so thatthey do not go astray.

As a child grows into adolescence,he or she undergoes a lot of changes.These changes are physical, mental,social and psychological. They needproper guidance during this period sothat their personality developsproperly, their character is strong andpraiseworthy, and their conduct andbehaviour exemplary. The advice andcounsel of elders, especially parentsand teachers, become very importantfor the children of this age group. Theyshould be made to understand thatthese changes are normal and thateverybody goes through this phase.They must be given the necessarymoral support, especially love andaf fection, understanding andconsideration.

This counselling can be done byteachers. The teachers are the pillarsof the society because they make thelawyers, doctors, engineers, scientists,politicians. In fact, they can make achild a loving, kind, understandingchild, or a jealous, greedy, arrogant,proud child. It is in the hands of theteacher to make or mar the future ofhis or her wards. It is thereforenecessary that the teacher shouldthink clearly and act calmly.

Let us hope that the teachingcommunity will take this very seriously,learn these values themselves first andalso help the authorities in inculcatingvalues in the students.


Comprehensive and FuturisticValue-based Programme*

CHITRA NAKRA**

The crisis in human affairs has been described and the need to realise theconcept of ‘learning to live together’ has been emphasised in this paper. Inthis context, Gayatri mantra and the message that it conveys has beenhighlighted. The paper clarifies the concept of value based education on thebasis of the guidelines of NPE (1986) and the National Curriculum Frameworkfor School Education (2000), the latter identifying 12 values to be inculcatedin schools. For implementation of the programme, the crucial role played byteachers is recognised and the need for empowerment of teachers is stressedby the author. This will help teachers to forego orthodox and conventionalmethodology of teaching and equip them to adopt interactive methodology ofteaching that involves continuous dialogue between the teacher and thestudent. The paper also presents the strategies and methodologies adoptedby Veda Vyasa DAV Public School to inculcate values.

Abstract

The world is beset with cataclysmicchanges, and the wide unknown,untraversed world has metamorphosedinto a global village. On the one hand,we have made unparalleled advancesand forays in the field of technology,whereas on the contrary, we witness ahigh degree of decay, disintegration anddegradation of intrinsic and extrinsicvalues. Unemployment, rampantcorruption, exploitation, child labourand unethical politics have become theorder of the day. In such a scenariothe words of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru

place a great onus on the stakeholdersof education: “We are faced with a crisisin human affairs. And this crisis canbe resolved finally only by the mindsof men rising to somewhat higherlevels. I believe that humanity willarise. It is my faith because there is noother way, otherwise it might perish”.We have to take cognizance of thesituation and equip our children withtools of love, affection, tolerance,brotherhood and compassion so thatthey can face the future with courage,fortitude and equanimity.


** Principal, Veda Vyasa DAV Public School, Vikaspuri, New Delhi.

COMPREHENSIVE AND FUTURISTIC VALUE-BASED PROGRAMME ● 83

The new millennium was usheredin with the concept of ‘learning to livetogether’, and to realise this dreamthere is greater urgency on thedevelopment and reform of schoolcurriculum of value-based education.

Asatoma SatyagamayaTamasoma Jyotirgamaya

The most revered Gayatri Mantrasees the grace of the source of light tofoster one’s intelligence and imbibe theeternal message of these immortallines. Veda Vyasa DAV Public Schoolhas developed a comprehensive andfuturistic value-based educationprogramme. The focal point of theprogramme is the child, because werecognise that for a brighter and betterfuture it is necessary to chisel andpolish the child, who is like a diamondin the quarry. The words of Gandhijireiterate our belief: “If we are to reachreal peace in this world and if we areto carry on a real war against war, weshall have to begin with children; if theywill grow up in their natural innocencewe won’t have to pass fruitlessresolutions, but we shall go from loveto love and peace to peace”.

The aim of the programme is tounravel the innate potential of the childto flower his inner charisma, so thathe or she not only adapts to thekaleidoscopic facets of modernity butat the same time his or her roots arefirmly entrenched in tradition. Valueeducation is not only taken up as aseparate subject in our school but alsointegrated into the fabric of itscurriculum so that the students areenabled to ‘catch’ values in addition tobeing taught.

What are Values?

The term ‘values’ literaly means ‘to beof worth’, something that has a price,or it can also be described as a criterionfor judging the worth of the thing orpeople as desirable or undesirable.Values are abstract and multi-dimensional and present an ideal forthe members of the society to shapetheir personalities.

Identification of Values

According to the guidelines of NationalPolicy on Education (1986) andNational Curriculum Framework forSchool Education (2000), the followingvalues need to be promoted in theschool: (i) India’s cultural heritage; (ii)equality of sexes; (iii) protection ofenvironment; (iv) egalitarianism,democracy and secularism; (v)Constitutional obligations; (vi) nurtureof national identity; (vii) observance ofthe small family norms; (viii) removalof social barriers; (ix) India’s freedommovement; (x) inculcation of scientifictemper; (xi) human rights includingrights of the child, especially of girlchild; and (xii) inculcation of personaland social values such as cleanliness,compassion, truthfulness, integrity,responsibility, justice, respect for lawand order, courage and the valuescherished for the functioning ofdemocracy.

Programme Implementation

The programme of the school was nodoubt beset with teething problems.The first step was to orient theteachers, as they are a great catalystand trail blazers in any reform that


occurs. It is imperative for the successof the programme that they identifywith the reform and consider itsappropriateness and feasibility.Teachers had been so ingrained in theorthodox and conventionalmethodology of teaching valueeducation through the didactic,stereotyped and monotonous lecturesthat they had ‘much to unlearn beforethey learnt something anew’. They wereempowered by organising orientationprogrammes, workshops, discussionsand seminars. Eminent and seasonededucationists and experts in valueeducation conducted theseprogrammes. Teachers were providedwith educational materials and weregiven training to adopt interactivemethodology of teaching, whichinvolves continuous dialoguebetween the teacher and students thatis more conducive for educationaltransaction.

Strategies and Methodologies

To meet the pluralities and diversitiesof Indian education system, Veda VyasaDAV Public School has adopted manyinnovative strategies to inculcatevalues. The programme has an in-builtevaluation system that enablesteachers to improve, modify andchange their methodology. Some of thestrategies adopted by the school arediscussed briefly here.

Star Chart

This system has been found to workvery effectively at the elementary andsecondary education levels. Studentsare divided into small groups and theteacher gives them a defined activityto perform. The goals of the task areclearly defined, e.g. cleanliness of theclass or discipline of the class. A groupleader is nominated, and he or sheassigns the task to different members

Compassion Discipline Cleanliness Cooperation

Faithfulness Elementary stage Orderliness

Good manners Courage Simplicity Honesty Sense of duty and responsibility

Dependability Scientific temper Endurance

Patriotism Secondary or Senior stage International understanding

Dignity of labour Brotherhood

Tolerance Justice Democratic spirit

Fig.1


and guides them so that they canachieve the desired goal. The groupleader coordinates and monitorsthe activity. After accomplishment ofthe goal, teachers award bronze,silver and gold stars to the groupsdepending upon the level of theirperformance.

The list of core values identified bythe NCERT guides the teachers andhelps them in designing the activities.The list includes a group of values tobe inculcated at elementary andsecondary stages of education (seecharts in Fig.1).

Case Study File

The school has developed a pastoralcare system, whereby the teacher andstudents are given opportunities for awidest possible teacher-pupil contact.Each class teacher keeps acomprehensive record of thedevelopment of each pupil of her class.These records are factual and aredescriptive of events rather than mereinterpretations or judgments of events.In the account, the teacher notes anyaspect of the pupil that she notices orthat is brought to her attention, e.g.the teacher observes that a particularstudent seems to be having difficultyin making friends and seems to beunhappy and lonely. The teacher thentakes the necessary remedial actionlike counselling, encouraging otherstudents to talk to him, or making himto sit with an extrovert and friendlystudent. The teacher jots down herobservations, in the following kind ofform:

Setting Date:

Incident

Remarks

The file contains information on thefollowing aspects:

1. General information

2. Physical development

3. Physiological factors

4. Social factors

5. Intellectual factors

6. Creative and imaginative skills

7. Work habits

8. Special difficulties and strengths

At the end of the year, this file ishanded over to the next class teacher.

Class Assembly

The class assembly provides a healthyintellectual and physical environment,whereby the students get ampleopportunity to express themselves,display their creative skills and delvedeep into deeper implications of life.Each class gets an opportunity toconduct the class assembly. Thefollowing schedule is followed:

(i) Gayatri mantra or Prayer

(ii) News of the week (this comprisesnews of national, international andschool interest)

(iii) Thought of the week (elucidationof thought)

(iv) Inspection of general cleanlinessand uniform


(v) Talk by the guest speaker, teacheror student

(vi) Talent hunt of the class

(vii) National anthem

The student in-charge of theassembly awards the class assemblytrophy to the section that conductsassembly most effectively.

Value Reinforcement

Teachers play a pivotal role in theimplementation of this methodology,as they are the real custodians ofvalues. They act as per fect rolemodels for the students andunconsciously transmit values to thechildren.

A value for a semester is taken upand is reinforced in all the possibleways and means by the teachingfraternity, parents and the students tillit is internalised into a habit. Forinstance, ‘regularity and punctuality’was taken up as a value for the lastsemester and its positive effect wasnoted in each sphere. It was found thatthere was a considerable decline in thepercentage of late comers, theattendance had improved in all theclasses, teachers reported in time fortheir class, and students submitted theirassignment as per the given schedule.

Value Tree

This methodology is very successful atthe elementary stage of education. Theteacher using NCERT guidelines asreference tool writes the valueon a chart. Students along with theteacher jot down the words or phrasesassociated with the value. They collectstories, anecdotes, parables, allegoriesand articles, which are displayed on thebulletin board.

‘Just for Me’ Folders

Each student prepares a personalfolder ‘Just for Me’, in which they writeabout their innermost feelings, theircreative efforts, file in informationabout their role models and their lifehistories, their career graph,interviews, photographs and otherwrite-ups. At the secondary and seniorsecondary levels, students are givenintrospective worksheets andchecklists that help them to reflectupon their ‘self’ and bring aboutdesirable changes in their attitude andbehaviour.

Value-orientation Camp(Adhyatmik Shivir)

A 3-day Value Orientation Camp isorganised every year during the

Good morning May I help you?

Good Hope you are fine manners Thank you


autumn break. It is an intensiveexperience interspersed with groupgames, discussions, role plays etc. toengage students in focused activitiesaround social issues. The followingschedule is generally maintained:

Day 1

(i) Breakfast

(ii) Prayer meeting and hawan

(iii) ‘Get acquainted’ exercises

(iv) Panel discussion on moral or socialissues

(v) Nature walk

(vi) Yogic exercises

(vii) Role play

(viii) Diary writing

(ix) Meditation

Day 2

(i) Prayer meeting or hawan(ii) Discourse by guest or speaker(iii) Educational visit to famous

monuments, museums etc.(iv) Presentation of skit on any issue(v) Aerobics(vi) Photo language session(vii) Meditation and prayer

Day 3

(i) Prayer meeting or hawan(ii) ‘Think tank’ session(iii) Preparation of collages and

montages(iv) Field trip(v) P.T. drill(vi) Creative writing(vii) Self-introspection(viii) Vedic ceremony

Group activities are designed toengage in reflective exercises that focus

on moral and social issues and are amixture of fun and reflective work. Thegoal is to help children begin theprocess of constructing integrativeresolutions of social issues and tobecome sensitive to ethical content ofmultifaceted issues. Children learn toadjust and adapt to their environment,inculcate values of discipline, dignityof labour, punctuality, dependability,cleanliness, open mindedness, spirit ofinquiry and sense of responsibility. Thecamp has been rated very highly bystudents, teachers and parents.

Warm Fuzzies

Students at elementary stage pin up‘Warm fuzzies’ on the pin-up board,wherein they write any positive remarkor observation about their classmates.For instance,

Shruti had fractured her right arm andI saw Rahul noting down the homeworkfor Shruti everyday.

Charu

This encourages students toperform good deeds. Teachers also pin-up their observations on the warmfuzzies pin-up board.

Dilemma Situation

This methodology of inculcation ofvalues is very effective especially atsecondary and senior secondary stages.The teacher exposes the learners tooptimally challenging situations. Thedilemma situations are designed inaccordance with the level of studentsand are adapted from his pastexperience. The dilemma situation isvery carefully prepared, because itinvolves moral principles, which are of


equal importance but have a mutuallyexclusive course of action. The dilemmais demanding but not complex. Thetopic of dilemma is fictitious, real ortaken from any current topic orliterature; for example, Dr K.Shridhar,heart surgeon, is the son of apostmaster, and at present he isworking as Junior Surgeon in BreachCandy Hospital. He gets an offer fromStanford Hospital, California for thepost of Senior Surgeon. Should heaccept the offer?

Activity 1

The teacher presents the dilemma.Students present their understandingof the problem. What is at stake here?What would you do?

Activity 2Students vote on the dilemma solutionin favour or against the situation.

Activity 3

Students in ‘Favour’ and ‘Against’gather in two separate groups. Eachgroup is instructed to give argumentsin support of their opinion. Studentsshare with their groups the reasons insupport of their opinion. One studentof the group takes down notes.

Activity 4

Each group presents, alternately,reasons in favour and against. After thespeaker of ‘Favour” group haspresented the reason he or shechooses, the person from ‘Against’group will respond. The teacher actsas a moderator. She intervenes only ifsome clarification is needed or if rulesare being violated.

Activity 5

The teacher asks the group to think

over the arguments they have heard.She asks: Do you still think yourreasons are as valid as they were? Doyou want to re-assess your opinion?Each group once again discusses thesituation amongst its members. Aspokesperson from each groupsummarises the outcome of thediscussion.

Activity 6The teacher takes the final vote asstudents have reflected upon manysides of the problem, and presents itin a precise and clear manner. Sheappreciates the efforts made by thestudents.

Prick the Conscience

This methodology has been inspired bythe method described by Paulo Freirein his book Pedagogy of the Oppressed.The teacher makes an attempt to ‘Prick’or ‘Disturb’ the conscience of thelearner with issues like environmentalconcern, corruption, child labour, drugaddiction etc. The methodologyfollowed includes the following:

Activity 1Teacher presents the issue to the classin a precise and clear manner.

Activity 2Students collect facts, articles, reportsand other information related to the issue.

Activity 3A class discussion is held whereinstudents:(i) Identify the root causes of the

problem

(ii) Enumerate the effects

(iii) Suggest corrective measures

(iv) Take follow-up action.


Exposure : A Project

Under this project, the studentsinterview eminent and famouspersonalities and learn about theirsuccess stories. This motivates andencourages students to imbibe theirqualities. They also learn that there isno elevator to success and one has toclimb a number of steps to achieve it.

Involvement of Parents

The parents are subtly drawn into thisprogramme through orientationprogramme, counselling, pupilassessment, parents’ mela andinteractions so that efforts of the schoolare harmonised with those of the

parents, and the two work in closecoordination for a holistic developmentof the child.

The comprehensive and futuristicvalue-based programme requiresmulti-pronged approach and concertedefforts of all the experts, teachers,parents and community at large to helpchildren make the right choices. It isour humble effort to realise our dreamof teaching our children not only ‘tolearn’ but also to ‘live’, and develop notonly ‘a beautiful mind’ but also ‘abeautiful heart’ so that it helps inmaking the world a suitable place forliving together in peaceful co-existenceand cooperative spirit.


Journey to Excellence by Conducting ValueEducation Experiments in SDSM School

for Excellence*

SWATI NATH**

This paper outlines some strategies adopted by SDSM School for Excellence,Jamshedpur to realise three important objectives of education, i.e. knowledge,values and living skills. The strategies adopted for value transition include:school-family interactions for excellence, which emphasises inter-family andintra-family interactions, inter-family competitions, and role of family in valuedevelopment. Other strategies are Child Care Centres, Childrens’ GuidanceCentres; Children’s Parliament (Bal Sansad) comprising the Lower House(Bal Sabha) and the Upper House (Praudha Sabha) and Child Welfare Centres.The aim here is to help children to be winners in all respects. The authorpoints out that another important feature of the school is the curriculum design,aiming at ‘zero failure’ in life by 2004. Health education emphasises physicalhealth, emotional health, intellectual health, social health, environmental healthand spiritual health. Efforts are made to inculcate values through varioussubjects and project-based learning is emphasised. This paper also highlightsother initiatives taken by the school which include classroom, maintenance ofvalue profiles of students, teachers and parents, organisation of exhibitions,personality development camps and Bal Melas, awareness programme onchild’s rights, interactive sessions and self-assessment by teachers.

Abstract

Man and society hinge on values.Values are so inseparably embedded inour thoughts, expressions andbehaviour patterns that they havefascinated philosophers, sociologists,economists, psychologists, anthropo-logists and other social scientists forgenerations. Value is what is desired,

liked or preferred. Values have beenuniversally accepted as the mostcritical non-monetary factor in socio-economic transformation of a society.Without a value system, consistentwith the growth strategy and conduciveto the growth process, even the mostsound socio-economic programme


** Principal, SDSM School for Excellence, Jamshedpur.

JOURNEY TO EXCELLENCE BY CONDUCTING VALUE EDUCATION EXPERIMENTS ... ● 91

cannot be expected to succeed. Valuesnot only determine the social climateand national culture, but also set thepace of social change and the rate ofacceleration of the growth process. Ifdeveloping India desires to acceleratethe pace of its development, planningat all its stages—formulation,implementation and evaluation—mustbe correlated with the value systemprevailing in the society.

Values are thus fundamentallysocial in origin as well as in theirmanifestation. The more complex asociety becomes, the greater is the needfor the operation of values. Since Indiais the most ennobling experiment inspiritual co-existence, education aboutsocial, moral and spiritual valuescannot be left entirely to home andcommunity. School education in thecountry seems to have developed somekind of neutrality towards the basicvalues, and the community has verylittle or no time to devote for theinculcation of these values. This makesit imperative for the Indian schoolcurriculum to include the inculcationof the basic values and an awarenessof these values as one of the centralcomponents.

Education is one of the basicinstitutions through which everysociety sustains itself as well astransmits its values to posterity. It hastwo important functions to perform—the first relates to maintaining a ‘socialstability’ and the other tends toushering in ‘social change’.

Formal education, represented byschools and colleges, symbolise thehopes and aspirations of many in themodern world, and serves as the most

important avenue for social mobility.Besides imparting knowledge, theformal educational institutions shouldalso inculcate qualities such asleadership, love for outdoor activities,peaceful coexistence, mutual toleranceand respect for others’ rights. Schoolsand colleges also provide a suitableplatform for learning and developingleadership for future social as well aspolitical development. In schoolsparticularly, the young are exposed totwo dominant and long lastinginfluences. One is the association withthe fellow students and the other thecontact with the teachers. Fellowstudents could provide role models,ideas as well as guidance to theyounger batch in many ways. Often theschool associations totally change theperceptions of many youngsters.Teachers on their part often provide themost strong and stable source ofsupport and encouragement to theirstudents. In the early years, thetendency to emulate and eulogise ateacher is very strong. This tendencyshould be made use of by the teachersto inculcate in their students a strongcommitment to those values that aregood for the students as well as thesociety in general.

The school is thus a very importantsource of value development. Thestudents have a very crucial role to playin our society at present, as a sharpshift seems to have developed towardsthe ‘wrong kind’ of values among theyouth. The school has to wean theyoung away from the values that aredetrimental to social and individualwell-being. It sometimes may have tocome in conflict with the family and


other agencies in trying to transmit theright kind of values to the youngsters.This is especially true in a tradition-bound society like that of India, wherethe process of social change is fairlyslow. The youth today are exposed toa set of conflicting values and are notcertain about the type of values theyhave to choose from. Within the societyitself, forces such as corruption,religious fundamentalism, casteisttendencies and separatist motives aremisguiding our youth. The school hasto combat these forces and provide tothe young alternative role models thatcan lead them to the right direction. Ifschools fail in this significant task ofinculcating the right kind of values, itmight spell disaster for posterity.

Sponsored by the Tata Steel andmanaged by the SDSM EducationalFoundation (a registered Trust)through a Managing Committeeconstituted as per provisions of theCBSE Bye-laws, the SDSM School forExcellence was conceived not as a mereaddition to the existing multitudes ofeducational institutions inJamshedpur. Believing that educationis for life, not merely for a living, it wasintended to be positively different tohelp prepare the growing generation tomeet the complex challenges of lifeduring the New Millennium. Acceptingpeace, harmony and happiness as theultimate goals of all humanendeavours, the essential purpose ofeducation was believed to help thestudents not only to be great, but tobe equally good. Internalising thatchildren have inherent potentialitiesenough for development— have lightin their eyes, energy in their body,

ambition in their mind, hope in theirheart and enthusiasm in their spirit—the children need to have excitingchildhood of learning and growing.The children do not need to be taught,they need to be helped to discoverthemselves. All these could be possibleonly in “Schools Without Walls”functioning in an environment ofemotional security. The School forExcellence has been constantly forging,shaping, changing and perfecting itstools, techniques and strategies to offerquality education.

Education is believed to have beenconceived and developed by the societyas a formal social institution totransmit values to meet itsmaintenance needs and to transformvalues to sustain the social changeprocess. In the wake of explosion ofknowledge, unprecedented technolo-gical development, industrialisationand urbanisation, however, educationseems to have been completely delinkedfrom values. In the absence ofeducation-values linkage, educationhas lost its social significance andpresently it appears to be in quest ofits own identity. Since its inception,the School for Excellence has beenstriving its utmost to restore theeducation-values linkage. Identifyingthe three important objectives ofeducation—knowledge, values andliving skills—the School is transmittingand transforming values throughorganisational culture, curriculumdesign, educational technology, school-without-walls pattern, students-teachers interactions in theclassrooms, in the computerlaboratory, sports field and on the


performing arts stage. Some of thestrategies adopted so far for valuetransmission and transformation arebriefly outlined here.

Organisational Culture

School Family for Excellence

The System

The society conceived and developed‘Family’ and ‘Education’ as socialinstitutions to meet its need formaintenance by handing down theheritage through transmission ofvalues over generations. Throughtransformation of values, ‘Education’was also conceived to sustain the socialchange process. In the social evolution,family as a social institution ispresently manifesting to be undersevere strains. Joint family is fastdisappearing and nuclear familyappears to be steadily emerging. Evenin the nuclear family, both husbandand wife are taking up work role,largely for economic reasons.Obviously, with the contemporarychanges in the family structure and itsheavy preoccupations, family seems tobe grossly circumvented in handingdown the heritage. Particularly forchildren up to initial three years, homeis their school and parents are theirteachers. Partly due to lack of ‘family-life education’ and partly due toparents’ preoccupations, however, thechildren are mostly deprived of existingchildhood of learning and growing.

The School Family is a social sub-system, wherein all its young membersmust have exciting childhood oflearning and growing. It needsopportunities and environment for

comprehensive development of theirhealth—physical, intellectual,emotional, social, environmental andspiritual. For functional efficacy andsmoothness, horizontal (section-wiseand class-wise) and vertical(hierarchical level-wise) division offamily in small units of 10 memberswith a monthly rotating leader anddeputy leader for each family unit,having a teacher as the head of thefamily unit is imperative. Also, it isnecessary to develop and adopt a Codeof Understanding (CoU) with mutuallove and respect, setting out thedisposition of intra- and inter-familyunit interaction— both horizontal andvertical as also within the classroomand the family campus. Abidingcommitment and close adherence tothe family unit concept as also to theCode of Understanding (CoU) aredestined to make family life happy,learning enjoyable and growingexciting. In the process, the familymembers would unfold theirwholesome personality to becomprehensively prepared not merelyfor classroom examinations but also tonegotiate blind alleys in life.

Objectives

The School Family for Excellence hasbeen conceived neither as a concept noras a system, nor still as a strategy. Infact, it has been perceived as a socialmovement, as a way of life—as the newmillennium way of learning andgrowing. As the new millennium wayof life, the School Family embraces thefollowing essentials:

1. Education accepts the creativeassimilation of technology and non-


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violence as its ‘goal of excellence’and uses the best of technologyavailable and feasible in anenvironment of non-violence,comprising love, peace, truth,harmony and righteous conduct.

2. Education accepts its socialaccountability and offers qualityeducation to the learners toempower them to pass not merelythe school examinations, but alsoto negotiate successfully the blindalleys of existence.

3. Education must prepare learnersto face challenges of life, not onlythose of examinations.

4. Education for life must involvecomprehensive development oflearner’s health—physical,emotional, social, intellectual,environmental and spiritual.

5. Education must strive to handdown the heritage through values-based, child-centred and activity-oriented learning. Besidesknowledge and skill, educationmust inculcate values for self-development, man-nature dualism,social cohesion and nationalintegration as well as spiritualenhancement.

6. Accepting that every child is uniqueand every one of them has light inhis or her eyes, energy in the body,hope and aspiration in the mind,the School Family must offer toeach one of them exciting childhoodof learning and growing as alsoempower them within their rightsand needs.

7. In the process of inter-family andintra-family interactions as also

through the Code of Understanding,family members help develop thefeelings of compassion, reverence,frugality and symbiosis.

8. In the course of inter -familycompetitions—academic, athletic,cultural and environmental—family members develop leadershipqualities, organisational abilities,competence and competitivenesswithout exposing themselves to thehazards of personal competitions intheir early years.

9. Providing an environment ofencouragement and emotionalsecurity, the School Familyprotects the members fromnegative inputs and depression.

Child Care Centre

The Child Care Centre in the schoolhelps the children to be winners in allrespects. As winners always havedistinct self-identify, the Centre isalways in search of students who arenot elegantly dressed in the prescribedschool uniform with shoes, socks, tieand belt. The concerned school familyconducts its members to the Child CareCentre for providing the needed care.

As winners never postpone theassignment for tomorrow, the ChildCare Centre helps the children tocomplete the home assignments everyday. The concerned school familyconducts its members to the Centre tohelp them complete their homeassignments before going to theirclassrooms. Thus the Centre isproviding exciting childhood of learningand growing to our children byextending unconditional loveand acceptance, appreciation,


encouragement, opportunities toexperience life, freedom of choice withintheir needs and rights, and positivesupport to pursue their interests.

Child Guidance CentreSegregation or isolation is good neitherfor learners with impairments nor forgeneral learners without impairment.Besides group learning or cooperativelearning and peer tutoring, schooltakes steps to run Guidance Centresfor students, which brings theseresource learners into the mainstream,creates positive attitudes among themwithout impairment, and fosters theattitude and skill of learning togetherwithout developing any sort of complex.

Remedial classes run by the ChildGuidance Centre also makeappropriate modifications in thecontent and its presentation tofacilitate conceptual clarity amonglearners with special needs. TheCentre also approaches the communityresources to extend help to thestudents with special needs.

Provision is also made to identifythe students with learning disabilitiesand extending them remedial measuresas per their needs. As per the need ofthe hour, vocational guidance andcounselling are also provided to theneedy students.

Child Parliament (Bal Sansad)To relate Education to the society andits contemporary issues as also toprovide opportunities to the growinggeneration for development of awholesome personality in addition tohelping emergence of a location-specificeducational pattern and programmefrom the grass-root level in

collaboration with the learners,teachers, parents and the relevantexperts, the School for Excellence hasconstituted a Bal Sansad. It comprisestwo houses—the Lower House and theUpper House. The Lower House iscalled the Bal Sabha and the UpperHouse the Praudha Sabha.

Bal Sabha is constituted with theelected members of students (Sansad)from each section of every class,commencing from UKG level throughthe due process of nomination,campaigning and voting. Forcampaigning for support, everycandidate has to select his or her ownsymbol, prepare posters projecting hisor her manifesto, and deliver a speechoutlining the broad objectives forseeking vote. Some students are alsonominated to Bal Sansad by thePresident for maintaining gender equityand cultural balance.

Through the process of nomination,campaigning and voting, the electedand nominated Sansads elect theSpeaker, the Deputy Speaker, thePrime Minister and the 10 ministersin charge of (1) Home Affairs, (2)Human Resources Development, (3)Cultural Affairs, (4) Sports and Games,(5) Health and Child Welfare, (6)Information, Communication andPublic Relations, (7) Human Rights ofthe Child, (8) Environment, (9) Tourismand Excursion, and (10) Finance.

For formulation of policy andprogramme, every Ministry has anAdvisory Council, comprising twostudent Sansads, two teachers, twoparents and two relevant experts. Afterapproval of the policy and theprogrammes by Bal Sansad, the


Ministry concerned is empowered toimplement the programme soformulated and approved.

The Praudha Sabha comprises 10faculty members elected by the FacultyCouncil from among its members, 10parents elected by the Parents Councilfrom among its members and 10relevant experts nominated by thePresident from the panel of expertsprepared by the Faculty Council.

Child Welfare CentreThe Child Welfare Centre hasculminated from the acceptance ofsocial accountability of education bythe School for Excellence. The schoolbelieves that the contemporary state of“Education in Quest of Identity” islargely because the education has notyet been able to accept its socialaccountability. The contention of theschool has been firmly affirmed bysimilar view upheld by the Ministry ofHuman Resource Development ofGovernment of India as also by theUNESCO. It is now universallymaintained that education must acceptits social accountability to be able toperform its critically important role insocio-economic transformation of thesociety during the 21st century.

Enlisting the support andassociation of a team of doctors,psychologists and social thinkers andin intimate collaboration with thefaculty members and the parents, theChild Welfare Centre has taken uponitself to project a complete physio-psycho-ecological profile of eachstudent of the school. The profile isanchored on the information generatedby medical examination, psychologicaltests, personal perception of the

concerned faculty members and theparents on the following 12considerations, viz.

(i) Family history;

(ii) State of health and health habits;

(iii) State of motor development;

(iv) State of emotional health;

(v) State of language development;

(vi) Level of social skill;

(vii) Level of intellectual creativity;

(viii) Personality traits;

(ix) School environment;

(x) Child-teacher relations;

(xi) Home environment; and

(xii) Child-parent relations.

With the help of information soaccumulated, the Child Welfare Centreattempts to identify the strengths andweaknesses and stimulate thestrengths. The student-specificstrategy is shared with the concernedparents and teachers, and a broadlycommon strategy is planned with theconsensus of parents and teachers inthe parents-teachers meetings,normally organised thrice during theacademic session. If the strategy sodeveloped does not yield the desiredresults, the strategy is reconsideredvis-a-vis the environment andrestructured and modified, ifconsidered necessary.

As the school has taken a pledgeto achieve “Zero failure” inexaminations during 3 years and asalso in life during the next 3 years,presently the strategy formulated isintended to improve the performancein the examinations and disposition inthe school and at home. The strategy


normally involves restructuring ofenvironment, attitudes, beliefs andvalues, but at times it also includesintervention.

From the feedback available fromthe parents, it appears that the strategysuggested by the Child Welfare Centrehas yielded desired results in respectof disposition of the child at home,particularly in time management, foodhabits and in social skill in interactingwith different combinations of peoplewithin the family and in theneighbourhood.

As is manifested in markedimprovement in performance of thestudents in the examinations, ChildWelfare Centre has appreciablycontributed to the efforts of the facultymembers.

Curriculum Design

Health EducationInternalising the needs and aspirationsof the children in the process of growingup, the School has restructured itscurriculum to include a comprehensivehealth-education programme,embracing physical health, emotionalhealth, intellectual health, socialhealth, environmental health andspiritual health.

As education is not merely apreparation for life, but life itself, andas education is to bring out the bestthat is in man, body, soul and spirit,the School provides a curriculum thatallows for individual differences, andtheir rates of progress and ability. Inthis manner each pupilcan reach his or her potential and servethe society appropriately. All-round

health development takes intoconsideration the physical, social,emotional, spiritual, intellectual andenvironmental facets of development.Health-education curriculum isintended to inculcate multi-dimensional values.

Physical health develops the valuesfor healthy living. Social healthinculcates the values for familydynamics, social cohesion and nationalintegration. Emotional health focuseson the values for self-development likepositive thinking, realistic goal setting,creative problem solving, leadershiptraits, stress management, coping withdepression etc. Spiritual healthembraces the values of love, peace,truth, non-violence and right conduct.Intellectual health too embraces thevalues of intellectual pursuits, creativeabilities, stress management etc.Environmental health emphasises onthe values of compassion, reverence,frugality and symbiosis.

A curriculum that is conscious ofsuch an all-round development has abetter chance of producing a well-groomed personality, capable ofreasoning and thinking and less likelyto be influenced by bigotry andprejudice.

Values through School SubjectsApart from the general considerationof knowledge itself as a value, there areother more particular valuescharacteristic of different schoolsubjects. School subjects, it must benoted, are no more than pedagogicaltranslations of the various genericintellectual disciplines. Everydiscipline, looked at from the


standpoint of value education, is arepository of values, attitudes anddispositions inherent in its structureand methodology.

The proper teaching of a subjectthus involves not merely the passingon of information contained in thesubject but even more importantlyinducing in the student certainqualities of mind and heart involved inthe methods and processes of thatdiscipline. Learning accordinglyshould mean not just acquisition ofintellectual understanding of what theworld is or how it works as an end goal,but also imbibing outlooks, attitudesand values that are organic to the veryact or process of knowing.

Thus every academic disciplinepossesses rich possibilities fordevelopment of values. But the rightway of actualising these possibilities ineducation is not by treating thediscipline as a deliberate tool of valueeducation but by teaching the subjectin such a way that the students gaininsight into the nature of the subject,its logical structure, its methods, thecriteria it employs to decide what is trueand also imbibe the characteristics andmental dispositions associated with itslearning.

Teachers in our School alwaysunderline the hidden values in everytopic they teach, which imperceptiblymakes an impact on their teaching oran impression in the minds of thestudents.

Educational Technology

The School shares the growing beliefthat the gross inadequacy of thetraditional teaching methodology of

education has gradually become morepronounced. It may still be efficaciousto routinely complete the prescribedcurriculum, but it is certainly notef ficacious enough to stimulatecreative thinking, develop self-learningprocess and help unfold a wholesomepersonality of the growing generation.

Under the traditional teachingmethodology of education, the teacheris believed to be the disseminator ofknowledge. In the wake of explosionof knowledge, no teacher could claimto have access to the entire wealth ofknowledge even in one’s field ofspecialisation. Besides, within the timeavailable, it is not possible to transmitthe knowledge that the teacher maypossess. Further, under this methodof education utmost reliance is placedon the memory of the learner toassimilate and retain.

As a result of the inherentlimitations of the traditional teachingmethodology of education, the schoolis gradually shifting to the learningmethodology of education, wherein therole of teachers is not to disseminateknowledge, but to help develop the skillof the learners for Learning to Learn.Under this methodology, the teachersassume the role of Organiser oflearning situation, Facilitator oflearning process, and Coordinator oflearning.

Under learning methodology,education is a child-based and activity-oriented process of learning. Theactivity, game or role play helps inhaving better comprehension andassimilation. It also stimulates creativethinking.


Following the popular adage, “Ihear, I forget; I see, I remember; and Ido, I understand”, the students areresponding much better to thetechnology-integrated education. TheSchool as such is making its bestefforts to provide adequate Computerlaboratories, and Activity roomsequipped with computers for visualpresentation of the prescribedcurriculum as also to provideopportunities to the students to workout on their own the curriculum-basedproblems. For this purpose the Schoolhas acquired so far about 250 CDs forNursery to Standrd XII and has alsoimported a Server to facilitate easy orinstant access of students and teachersto any CD from any Computerlaboratory or Activity room.

Project-based learning is an open-ended learning. The same projectoffers learning opportunities to allstudents—Nursery to Standard XII—and in all possible learning disciplinessuch as language, social science,environmental studies, science andmathematics. Project-based learningis exciting and enjoyable. It stimulatesimagination and creativity. Itculminates into self-actualisation andself-fulfilment. Learning is intensiveand extensive. The school adopts oneproject for each working month. Thestudents get opportunities for self-learning and in the process understandthe complexities of the problems.

Worksheets or Puzzles are an equallyexciting and enjoyable experience.Students have opportunities to workout the solutions on their own. Self-learning helps the studentsunderstand the concepts and their

application. It develops their creativeproblem solving skills. The learning isintensive and extensive. The School isadopting worksheets, puzzles oractivity-based education for allstudents in all subjects for elucidatingthe concepts and developing the skills.

Inclusive School

Do most schools have walls? This is aquestion that comes to the minds ofparents and guardians when they peepinto schools. Walls are often invisible,but can be seen with some insight.Children experience these walls whenschools tell them, ‘You cannot getadmission because you have “failed” inthe selection test or your parentscannot pay the fees, your parents donot belong to the eligible categories’,or ‘you cannot be admitted because youhave a physical, mental or learningdisability’. If they (the children) arelucky enough to get admission into aschool, they encounter further wallsinside the classroom when teacherssay, ‘I will teach you what I have beendirected to from above’ or ‘You will haveto learn in the manner I want you tolearn.’ Finally, if the children havestrength enough to continue in theschool, they face more walls when theyhave to take examinations, whichdetermine how successful they will bein life.

Removal of barriers and bringingall children together in schoolirrespective of their physical andmental abilities, or social and economicstatus, and securing their participationin learning activities has led to theinitiation of the process of Inclusiveeducation. Since walls within the


school have been broken down, ourSchool has moved out its boundaries,ended isolation and reached out to thecommunity, and the distance betweenformal schools, non-formal schools,special schools and open schools hasbeen eliminated. This is not ahypothesis or imaginative utopia.

The process of bringing learnerswith special needs into the mainstreamin an inclusive school starts with theassessment of their educational needsand preparation of an IndividualEducation Plan for each one of themin consultation with their parents.Teaching then becomes learner-centred. Besides group learning orcooperative learning, peer tutoring isalso encouraged in our school. Thisbrings the learners with special needsinto the mainstream, creates positiveattitude among learners withoutimpairment, and fosters the attitudeand skill of learning together withoutany complex.

The strategy followed by us is givenbelow:

1. We have developed supplementaryinstructional materials (especiallydownloaded from the net) for thelearners with special needs.

2. We have modified the content, itspresentation and transactionstrategies to facilitate conceptualclarity among learners with specialneeds.

3. Special evaluation procedures forthe learners with special needshave been developed.

4. We have mobilised communityresources for support to learnerswith special needs. Parent-Teacher

Council is intended to forgeintimate partnership between thehome and school and also betweenthe parents and the teachers. It hastaken up the responsibility to runthe Child Guidance Centre, whicheventually runs the remedial classes.

Platform

From its very inception, the school hasadopted child-centred, value-based,activity-oriented education to enablethe children discover by themselvesknowledge, values and living skillsthrough learning methodology ofeducation to help unfold a wholesomepersonality of the learners. In thecoming session, the strategy has amore sophisticated platform. Followingthe adage “I see, I remember; I do, Iunderstand”, the School has plannedto of fer Technology IntegratedEducation—teaching all subjectsthrough computer. Besides enhancingtheir access to the wealth of knowledge,visual presentation of learning issueswould help them to easily rememberand working on computers would helpthe learners to understand muchbetter. For the purpose, three Activityrooms with computers and TV havealready become functional. Computerlaboratories (estimated to cost Rs 60lakhs) are gradually being added. Allteachers have been trained by the IntelFoundation (USA) in TechnologyIntegrated Education—eight teachershave completed even Master Trainer’scourse and have trained teachers ofother schools.

The other strategy platformadopted by the School is Performingart-oriented education.


Teachers for fine arts, music, danceand dramatics have already beenappointed. School Family forExcellence is intended to help developvalues for self-development, familyintegration, social cohesion andrespectful interaction with peers.Performing art-oriented education hasbeen conceived to help promote unisonof mind and body, social values,attitude for working together, regionalintegration, and national unity.Technology-integrated education haspotentialities enough to makethe children great and Performing art-oriented education will make themequally good.

Value Profiles

The Best Parent, Best Teacher, BestStudent, and Best School FamilyAwards are intended to promoteessential value profile of an idealparent, teacher and student – the threecritically important components thatoffer and enjoy exciting childhood oflearning and growing.

Nomination forms are filled up bythe students, teachers and parents tonominate the persons of their choicedepending upon the criteria mentionedin the forms. For being the Best Parent,Teacher or Student the person has tostep into the shoes of the philosophyof the school, accept the socialaccountability of education and treathimself or herself as the medium tosustain the social change process.

After the nominations are made,any respectable person from theeducation world is invited to make thefinal selection based on the parametersin the nomination form. Quality, but

not quantity, of the nomination decidesthe fate of the person who becomes theaward winner.

Observation of special days is partof the curriculum. The Parents day,Grandparents day and Pre-schoolconcert are observed every year.Tobacco-free kids day was observed on3 April 2002, which was a Jharkhandinitiative prelude to the Indianinitiative. The concerned socialorganisations and social elite of the cityparticipated in the campaign with thekids of the school, who took out a rallyto present a memorandum to the localDeputy Commissioner.

Other Interventions

Cultural Exchange ProgrammeThe School organises joint celebrationsof the important occasions and festivalsof major religions and cultural groups.This generates better understanding of,and appreciation and respect for, oneanother to create a tolerant andcohesive society.

This approach provides thestudents with opportunities forlearning democratic principles andprocesses in the classroomtransactions. Also, they learn toquestion, share and respect each other.Emphasis is also given on equality ofgender, social castes, classes andreligions. Principles of human rights,children rights and environmentalprotection are also underlined in theseprogrammes.

Exhibitions

From time to time science exhibitions,social science exhibitions, andexhibitions depicting art and craft work


of the school are organised for thebenefit of the students as well as theirparents.

Personality Development Camps

A residential personality developmentcamp on ‘Meeting Challenges ofGrowing Up’, a value educationprogramme, is organised every year tohelp develop a wholesome personalityof the students, embracing physicaldevelopment, value inculcation andcultural enrichment. Resource personsdrawn from different fields conduct thevalue input sessions based essentiallyupon activity, role play and games.

Bal MelaTo coincide with Bal Diwas, Bal Melaand Cultural festival are beingorganised in the school premises.Cultural festivals are usually organisedby the Interact Club of the school andRotary Club of Jamshedpur East, inwhich the local schools are invited toparticipate in music and dancecompetitions.

Bal Mela is organised by the ParentTeacher Council, in which about 30stalls of food and games of children’sinterest are put up.

Students of the school are beingprovided with a book of 20 Members’Entrance-cum-Lucky Draw tickets forsale. This is intended to promote theirfeeling of involvement and sense ofparticipation, as also to enhance theirsocial skill and level of assertiveness.These skills are destined to be thecritical factors for success in the fastemerging market economy. Inter-school competitions in music anddance are intended to transmit cultural

values and provide opportunities forexpression of creative cultural talents.Parents are most cordially requestedto extend their much needed patronageto the children.

Awareness Programme on Child RightsFor children, Home is their first schooland Parents are their first teachers.Home and parents continue to haveoverwhelming influence on thechildren, particularly during the agethey develop personality traits and formvalue elements. For wholesomedevelopment of the children, theparents need to be oriented to havevalues, attitudes and beliefs conduciveto the needs of the children to enablethem to enjoy exciting childhood oflearning and growing. Conscious of theneed, the school conducts regularorientation programmes for parents ingroups of 30-40 in the Seminar Roomspecially meant for the purpose.

Parents and teachers love theirchildren and entertain high hopes forthem. Children have potentialities tocome up to their expectations.Functionally, however, there remainsa wide void. The void in roleexpectations could be successfullybridged with close inter face ofexpectations with the children’s needsand rights. There is an urgent need ofawareness to develop positive attitudeof parents, teachers and the society atlarge towards children’s needs andrights. To meet this urgent need,Awareness Programme is beingconducted by the Centre for Trainingand Awareness of Children’s andWomen’s Rights. For successfulparenting and education, the parents


and teachers feeling concerned andexercised about their children’sprogress and development are advisedto contact the Centre for registrationto participate in the AwarenessProgramme as per their convenience.

Self-assessmentMonthly self-assessment by theteachers coupled with ManagementAudit Feedback serve as periodicalreminders for updating their abilities,skills and performance. It providesopportunity for continuous self-introspection and self-directed positivechange.

International Convention on ValueEducationThe teachers of the School attended the3-day International Convention onValue Education organised by SathyaSai Foundation at Prashanti Nilayam,Bangalore. The school is working onthe concept of Educare propoundedand adopted at the Convention formaking education socially andspiritually relevant for humanhappiness and emancipation of thehuman society.

Interactive SessionsMonthly interactive sessions betweenparents and teachers on various issuesrelating to parenting and education ofchildren identified by the ParentTeacher Council are held from time totime. The first such session hasalready been completed with theparents of the newly admitted students.A tentative programme of monthlyinteractive sessions is available in theform of a small brochure entitledParenting and Education : A Pilgrimageto Excellence.

In-service Training

Teachers are believed to be the literaryarbiters of nation’s destiny. They arethe executive agents of the educationsystem. Training of teachers, as such,is rightly considered to be Investmentfor Life. The school has been regularlyof fering in-service training andorientation to the teachers from timeto time.

‘Teachers : Craving for Success’forms the basis for in-service trainingto all teachers in Lesson planning,Teaching techniques, Classroomorganisation, Classroom management,Classroom procedures, Activity-oriented education, Essentials ofteachers, Child rights and Educationalphilosophy of the school.

With the courtesy of the IntelFoundation (USA), all the teachers havebeen adequately trained in ‘technology-integrated education’ and have beenprovided certificates. Eight teachersof the school have also completedMaster Trainer’s course of theFoundation, some of them withdistinction. The Master trainers havealso trained 92 teachers. The newentrants were also given 32-weektraining in Teach to the Future.

Two senior teachers of the schoolalso attended a 5-day seminar-cum-workshop at Panchgani, Maharashtraorganised by the MRA. Invariably,the teachers have been participatingin the locally organised workshopsand orientation courses onteaching methodologies relating toEnglish, Mathematics, Science andHindi.

Lastly, value education is not amatter of teaching some concepts,


however noble, for children to hold intheir brain theoretically when we arenot practising in actual life what wesay. It does not carry conviction. Theydo not respect us and without respectthere can be no give and take. So let

Perhaps these thoughts of ours will never find an audience,... the mistaken road will end in a mistake;... the candles that we light one at a time, will be blown out one at a time,... the candles of our life will gutter and without lighting a single fire.

Perhaps when we sing praises to the sun, the sun will praise us in return... when we have shed all our tears, the earth will be more fertile;... when we weep for the sorrows and miseries of others,... we shall forget sorrows and miseries of our own;

Perhaps because of our irresistible sense of mission, we have no choice.

us look at the communication of valuesas the very gentle art of helpingchildren look at themselves and thepeople around them. My vision is finallyto be honest with myself and mychildren.


Principles of Excellence in Value Education*

TINA OLYAI**

The author advocates a need to develop essential moral attributes in childensuch as truthfulness, courtesy, generosity, compassion, justice, love andtrustworthiness, whose reflection in the everyday lives of human beings cancreate harmonious, productive families and communities. There are three kindsof education - material, human and spiritual. Without true value education,material education will just be a curse because, if our mind is not motivatedin the right direction, we will use our knowledge for destruction only. Thispaper emphasises that teaching is a localised phenomenon with aninternational outlook. Value education implies that the child is a collaboratorin the learning process and the teacher is a facilitator. Teachers should set upan interactive form of partnership with their students in a shared learningprocess. Demonstrating learning process and a consultative and participativeenvironment leads to shared responsibilities and helps develop self-imitativeand decision making capacities among the children. The paper also presentssome of the features or innovations in value education carried out at LittleAngels School, Gwalior.

Abstract

Education is what remains with usafter we have forgotten everything elsewe learnt. How much more must bethe importance of a value educationand that too in its excellence!

The greatest gift and mostwondrous blessing has always beenand will continue to be education andthe value as its unfailing protector,leading us to wisdom. Through it theloftiness of man’s station is mademanifest and evident. It is only onbeing attired with value education that


** Founder Director, Little Angels High School, Gwalior.

the earthly beings can become imbuedwith a gem-like spirit. Value educationalso protects us from the injuries ofignorant fanaticism, bigotry, prejudicesand misconceptions. A basic thing thathas to be appreciated is that man is aspiritual creature and has been createdby God to help in the progress of anever-advancing human civilisation.But, alas! What did we witness on 11September 2001? One man’s brainmalfunction augured hazards andthreats of an undreamt catastrophe. A

PRINCIPLES OF EXCELLENCE IN VALUE EDUCATION ● 107

satanically devised but meticulouslycalculated and culpable masshomicide! Just imagine! This mostwanted terrorist of all times, had heused his brain power towardsmitigating the problems of poverty,disease, famines or floods, or plannedfor improvement in the field ofeducation, irrigation, electricity, powerproduction etc., what all achievementscould have been made?

In times of rapid change with theemergence of high value globaleducational tie-ups, it is natural to lookover one’s shoulder because a profoundsense of disillusionment makes ussceptic about the 20th century, wherein the field of excellence in valueeducation we witnessed remarkableprogress by science and technology. Onthe contray, a careful study also revealsbitter tragedies due to lack of spiritualdiscipline in the society. We all witnessthe upset and derangement of world’sequilibrium with unprecedentedlooming presence of violence, barbaricand heinous actions disrupting thesociety, pulling back its bulwarks anduprooting its institutions. We arebewildered, agonised, and becamehelpless, harrowed and solicitous atthis hour. This situation cannot berectified without a sincere efforttowards overhauling the thinkingpattern of the entire human race. Thiscan be done from one’s childhood,when the hearts are tender and mindsare receptive.

Throughout the world, the value ofteaching as a profession has declinedunchecked. Though the overall literacyrate is growing, and the number ofschools, colleges and universities is on

the increase, we witness that this worldis not as beautiful as it could be. Crimereports reveal that most of the crimesare being committed by educatedpeople. Does it not mean thatsomething is missing in oureducational system? We are producinggraduates but we are not producinghuman beings.

Despite attempts to arrest thisdecline by such means as increasedpay, a gathering malaise overshadowsthe task of educators, a task that oftenappears caught in a curious dichotomy.At the same time that the moralauthority of teachers as respectedmembers of the community is eroding,schools are being asked to address agrowing list of moral and socialconcerns traditionally relegated to thefamily. What are the root causes ofthis contradiction?

A fundamental reassessment of thenature of human reality and humansociety is needed. The truth is thathuman beings are inherently noble,and that the purpose of life is tocultivate such attributes, skills, virtuesand qualities as will enable them tocontribute their share to the buildingof an ever advancing civilisation. Trueeducation releases capacities, developsanalytical abilities, confidence, will,and goalsetting competencies, andinstils the vision that can enablehuman beings to become self-motivating agents of change serving thebest interests of the community.

Development of Moral Attributes

Education required to enrich thehuman mind and spirit must seek todevelop essential moral attributes,


including truthfulness, courtesy,generosity, compassion, justice, loveand trustworthiness, whose reflectionin everyday lives of human beings cancreate harmonious and productivefamilies and communities, and makethe enjoyment of fundamental rights areality for all their members. Sucheducation, moreover, must help instilin every individual a keen, emotionallygrounded awareness of thefundamental unity of humankind. Aspeople begin to see each other asmembers of one human family, theywill be willing to discard negativelylearned stereotypes and begin to seepeople of other ethnic groups,nationalities, classes and religiousbeliefs as potential friends rather thanas threats or enemies.

Baha’u’llah, the Prophet Founderof the Baha’i Faith, stated: “Schoolsmust first train the children inprinciples of religion, so that thePromise and Threat recorded in theBooks of God may prevent themfrom the things forbidden and adornthem with the mantle of theCommandments.” And as Abdul-Baha,the appointed successor of Baha’u’llahsaid: “If a plant is carefully nurturedby a gardener, it will become good, andproduce better fruit. These childrenmust be given a good training fromtheir earliest childhood. They must begiven a systematic training which willfurther their development from day today ...” Students must become theshining candles of moral precepts andspiritual ideals and be the means ofillumination of others. They shouldclothe their bodies with intellectual andconstructive forces. In order to

empower students for all-roundexcellence, divine ideals must beinculcated more prominently than theknowledge of any science or art. Eachchild must be imbued with all thesequalities and these divine ideals shouldnot remain merely words found in thedictionary.

Kinds of Education

Education is of three kinds: material,human and spiritual. Materialeducation is concerned with theprogress and development of the body,through gaining its sustenance, itsmaterial comfort and ease. Thiseducation is common to animals andman.

Human education signifiescivilisation and progress, that is to saygovernment, administration, charitableworks, trades, arts and handicrafts,sciences, great inventions anddiscoveries and elaborate institutions,which are the activities essential toman as distinguished from theanimal.

Divine education is that of theKingdom of God. It consists inacquiring divine perfections, and thisis true education; for in this state manbecomes the focus of divine blessings,the manifestation of the words, “Let Usmake man in Our image, and after Ourlikeness.” This is the goal of the worldof humanity. Value education needsto be so oriented that it helps childrenunderstand the lofty station of man.At present we put the maximum stresson material education only, and humanvalues are not taught adequately inschools. However, if we realise thatman is essentially a spiritual creature


and receptivity for divine attributes isinherent in him if properly nurturedfrom the beginning, we will understandthat without true value education,material education will just be a cursebecause, if our mind is not motivatedin the right direction, we will use ourknowledge only for destruction. Andwhat we witness today in our societyproves this well. Value education alsoimplies that a teacher must himself bea model of nobility, self-actualisationand discipline. Sound character isultimately more important thanintellectual brilliance. A teacher mustalso see the nobility and capacity ineach student, recognising that a lackof opportunity is different from the lackof capacity. A corollary is that theteacher must enjoy the support of thegreater community, a respect that flowslogically from recognising the teacher’strue station.

Education needs an expandeddefinition that frees it from today’slargely economic context andacknowledges its role in transformingboth individual lives and entiresocieties. Basic education, literacy andvocational education need to beredefined in a way that offers themajority more than the acquisition ofa few skills and a few simple facts. Theminimum requirements of educationare the basic knowledge, qualities,skills, attitudes and capacities thatenable individuals to become conscioussubjects of their own growth, andactive, responsible participants in asystematic process of building a newworld order.

Localised Teaching with Interna-tional OutlookChildren are born in a certainenvironment and its effect is very deepon their lives. Through education theygradually learn to understand aboutother environments and cultures, butthis is a gradual process. The fact isthat each human society has its ownspecific needs and, if education doesnot match with these localrequirements, the children cannot bedeveloped as human beings who aresensitive to the needs of their respectivesocieties. Teachers must be trained forthis. Implications for teachers’ trainingwould include the necessity ofrecruiting qualified teachers fromwithin the local community. Thecommunity will feel ownership andmake investments in the school if itempowers the community to transformitself. Entry into formal schoolingshould be seen as a continuing process,begun even before birth, rather thanas a sudden, disjunctive immersioninto an alien institutional culture.Especially in disadvantagedcommunities, people deserve a senseof pride and ownership in theeducational process. Whilestandardised curricula and technicalspecialists might play a valuable role,respect for and sensitivity to locallyevolved knowledge systems ought to bethe cornerstone of any campaign ofeducational development.

Children in disadvantagedpopulations often suffer from a poorself-concept, living without hope andbeing treated as second-class citizens.


The leverage point in promoting apositive self-concept in these childrenis teachers’ training. Prospectiveteachers need a thoroughunderstanding of the role self-conceptplays in determining school success,and they need to practise patterns ofbehaviour that create a climate ofencouragement in the classroom.Thus when local elements of educationare deeply grounded, students aremade to understand, in a gradual andnatural process, that though someneeds are specific to certain humansocieties, the overall need of the entirehumanity is the same. This will leadchildren to develop qualities of love andunity, which is so essential for healthysustenance of the human race.

Education must be madecompulsory and universal, built onlocal realities but resting on universalprinciples; it must be relevant to thetrue needs of a community andcontribute to the unification ofmankind. It must enable people bothto move in the direction of their ownchoosing and equip them with anappreciation of those universalqualities that distinguish the entirehuman race. In order to do this,teachers must be restored to theirtraditional role as transmitters ofmorality, builders of character andcustodians of culture. This blending oflocal and international elements ineducation needs great wisdom and careand an unprejudiced attitude. Anexample of such a blending may bemaking the learning of one inter-national language compulsory in allschools, while each student must alsobe given adequate knowledge of hismother tongue.

Setting an Interactive LearningProcess

Teachers must relinquish the idea thatthey are fountains of all knowledge.Rather, they should form a partnershipwith their students in a shared learningprocess, demonstrating by theirexample that they, too, are learners.This can have a liberating effect onstudents in that it may help them seethemselves as directors of their ownlearning and as individuals who candetermine the course that their liveswill take.

Teachers must give up alloccupational prejudices. Valueeducation implies that the child is acollaborator both in his own growthand in the development of hiscommunity. He must acquire abalanced set of capacities, which areat once academic, spiritual andvocational. Artisans, craftsmen,agriculturists and tradesmen are allenjoying an intrinsic station of worthand value.

A teacher’s prime role is that of acoordinator or facilitator. Allperfections and qualities are alreadyinherent in each human being. Ateacher only helps in bringing themout, and this is a very sacredresponsibility. As Baha’u’llah, theFounder Prophet of the Baha’i Faith,has said: “Regard man as a mine richin gems of inestimable value. Educationcan, alone, cause it to reveal itstreasures, and enable mankind tobenefit therefrom.” And as he hasfurther said: “Man is the supremeTalisman. Lack of a proper educationhath, however, deprived him of thatwhich he doth inherently possess,”


Consultation and Participative Method

Latest research in the field of educationhas amply proved that “interactivelearning” is more conducive to fosteringknowledge and for developing theinherent capacities of the children.Imposing knowledge on them, trying tomake them as a computer database fullof information only, and assuming thatthe teacher knows everything is adangerous attitude. The teacher’sfunction is not to dictate, but toconsult, and consult not only amongtheir co-workers but even withstudents. They must regardthemselves in no other light but aschosen instruments of God forimparting knowledge. They shouldnever be led to suppose that they arethe central ornaments and intrinsicallysuperior to their students in capacityor merit. They should approach theirtask with extreme humility andendeavour, by their open-mindedness,their high sense of justice and duty,their candour, their modesty and theirdevotion to the welfare of the children.They should strive to win not only theconfidence and the genuine supportand respect of their children but alsotheir esteem and real affection. Theymust, at all times, avoid the spirit ofexclusiveness, the atmosphere ofsecrecy, free themselves from adomineering attitude, and banish allforms of prejudice and passion fromtheir deliberations. They should, withinthe limits of wise discretion, takestudents into their confidence,acquaint them with their plans, sharewith them their problems andanxieties, and seek their advice andcounsel.

In such a consultative andparticipative environment, learningbecomes a shared responsibility. Itbecomes something enjoyable. Itdevelops self-initiative and decision-making capacities. When students areinvolved in planning and consultation,they suddenly become responsible,they discover their self-worth,understand the problems in a directmanner, learn from situations and feelthemselves to be an integral part of theentire system of education.

Conclusion

These are some suggestive thoughtsand some suggestive actions. No doubt,many schools may have differentapproaches. The quintessential themeis that schools cannot excel or empowerstudents to achieve all-round exce-llence just by adopting best possibleeducational tools, by employing mostcompetent teachers, using state-of-the-art educative processes or even byrevolutionising the entire educationalset-up by replacing books withcomputers and making the students a‘living databank’. We need to appreciatethat what we are missing is not ‘lackof knowledge’, but lack of values, towhich knowledge must be applied. Thisconcern should be the Alpha andOmega of our thought if we really wantto ‘mould’ our children as citizens ofan ever advancing human civilisation– the purpose for which God createdman. Empowering students in theprinciples of excellence is not an event,it is a process … a continuous process,and Excellence is not a fixed pointin human life. The journey mustcontinue...!


Value Education in Secondary Schools: Methodology*

SWAMI SUVIRANANDA**

This paper begins with the remark that because of long humiliation ofsubjugation, Indian people developed a distorted sense of liberty and freedom.The meaning of education has been clarified in the paper by quoting SwamiVivekananda and Sri Ramakrishna; also the meaning of values has beenelaborated. Regarding value development in children, the author is of theopinion that if the focus is not on right values, a child may develop distortedvalues. Therefore to overcome this through education, purushartha - whichincludes dharma, artha, kama and moksha - need to be systematicallyinculcated. Extracts from Gita and Upanishads are given to illustrate the issuesand concerns of value education. Both school and family are considered to beresponsible for imparting values to children. Different methodologies such asinductive-deductive reasoning, deduction of moral laws, group discussion etc.are discussed. The central feature of all these methodologies is to generateenough enthusiasm and also to excite students’ imagination. In order to makevalue-oriented education a vibrant reality, this paper includes a charter ofaction–services, meditation, awareness on health and hygiene, personalitydevelopment and some other value-based actions.

Abstract

That value education is getting its dueshare of attention in academic circlesis something heartening. Immediatelyafter the attainment of Independence,people of India, so far smarting underhumiliation of subjugation, developeda distorted sense of liberty andfreedom. The result of misutilisation ofrights is there for all of us to see. Anumber of reasons can be cited forsuch a happening, but the mostimportant reason pointed out by the

thinkers, policy makers, educators etc.is the neglect of the science of valuesand value education. It is unfortunatethat India neglected this subject,although down the ages its scholarsand researchers have deeply thoughtand cogitated over this aspect andmade inferences about making valuesa part and parcel of our daily lives.

But before discussing values, it isnecessary to clarify what do we meanby education. Very often we confuse


** Principal, Ramakrishna Mission Vidyapith, Deoghar.

VALUE EDUCATION IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS: METHODOLOGY ● 113

rote learning with education. Nowadaysthe problem is even more compoundedby the fact that the student has tooutshine others in competitiveexaminations. Gone are the days whenthe world cherished excellence. Withthis backdrop, it is pertinent toconsider the views on education ofSwami Vivekananda, the patriot monk,a leading thinker in the educationalfield and the spirit behind the numberof schools named after his teacher, SriRamakrishna.

Swami Vivekananda asks (atDeoghar in 1900) rhetorically, ‘What iseducation? Is it book learning? No, isit diverse knowledge? Not even that.The training by which the current andexpression of will are brought undercontrol and become fruitful is callededucation.’ While conversing with theRaja of Khetri, a native prince ofRajasthan, he gave another definitionof education as well. He said,“Education is the manifestation of theperfection already in man.”

These ideas that Swamiji gave tous have never been explored to theirfullest by educational planners of India.We cannot afford to ignore him or hisideas anymore, especially at thisjuncture when the entire edifice of thestate is about to breakdown and thesystem of values is being threatenedby the “sex-queen and the dollar-king”.Sri Ramakrishna often warned thecoming generations about the perils oflust and gold. Today’s litany of problemsproves the prophecy of these utterances.

What are Values?

When special significance or meaningis attached to some objects or events,

they get a value. A value is somethingessential for one’s life and somethingthat one considers worthy ofpossession. Money, property, land orother kind of wealth is value tohumans. These may be called materialvalues. Freedom, truth, love etc. arealso of value to humans. These may becalled moral or human values. It is thebusiness of education to developcertain desirable human values in thechildren.

Values are abstract. Any valueneeds time to take root and grow. Italso needs training and guidance.There is also a necessity for studentsto realise at some stage of theireducation that it is his/her duty todevelop by consistent self-effort anyvalue he or she desires to acquire.

Need for Value Education

If one strives to strike a balancebetween the individual and the society,one has to depend on good values.Since 1939 committees andcommissions have been set up. Allthrough there was honest intention ofintroducing value education based onreligion, though there was no politicalwill. As a result, nothing could be done.Irrespective of whether there is ascheme for value education or not,every child while growing imbibes somevalues; a child cannot grow up invacuum. A child has before him manyvalues, both good and bad. If at thisstage good values are not introducedbefore him, the learner child will pickup unhealthy ones. Indian society isfacing this danger. We are hesitating.Our planners have failed to provide avalue system. While the child is trying


to actualise his potential, he mustknow which values to assimilate andwhich to ignore. Unless he learns todiscriminate this, he cannot be a usefulmember of the society.

Swami Vivekananda provides aright solution to the conflict betweenindividual values and social values.This has happened in India for the firsttime. The idea is ‘Atmano moksharthamjagat hitaya cha’ — for one’s ownliberation and for the good of the world.The Sanskrit word ‘cha’ has manyconnotations; it must be used here asa conjunction. The two ideas mustassimilate and supplement eachother. For the first time in theIndian society there is a solution to theconflict between the individual and thesociety.

Sources of Values

A human being in his or her ‘depthdimensions’ is the centre of all values.The truth was discovered long ago bythe Upanishads and had been verifiedby a succession of sages. Dharma orthe whole gamut of the science ofvalues, is the by-product of themanifestation of atman in life, actionand inter-human relations in society.Vedanta treats dharma or the scienceof values, as the link between thephysical sciences and the science ofspirituality. This spirituality is thebirthright of all human beings. Whenit manifests, life begins to be brightenedby values like love, purity, compassion,truthfulness, tolerance and the spiritof service in place of traits such asselfishness, hatred, violence andexploitation.

Aims and Values

Aims are less abstract than values andsomewhat limited in scope. There arethree broad aims of teaching anysubject, viz. utilitarian, disciplinaryand cultural. Aims broadly determinethe purpose of teaching a subject. Forexample, science is taught forknowledge of the facts, for developingscientific attitude and for training inscientific method of problem solving.Similarly, there will be other differentaims for teaching other subjects. Aimsdiffer in their nature and scope fromsubject to subject, whereas the samevalue can be found to be common andcan be developed by a study of differentsubjects. Values do not differ fromsubject to subject, whereas aims do.Aims can be achieved only throughconsciously attempted teaching-learning situations. Values can beacquired also through situations apartfrom teaching-learning process. Onemay forget facts learned and skillspicked up by him in a subject. But if astudent has acquired any value fromit, it will remain with him over a longtime, even up to the end of his life. Forexample, one may forget the facts ofscience but not the scientific temper.One may forget history but notpatriotism that one has acquired fromits study.

Material Science and the Scienceof Values

Science asserts that ‘seeing is believing’and that any knowledge to be acceptedas true should be communicable andverifiable. It trains the mind in the


scientific method and scientific attitudethat are essential for persons in everywalk of life. Scientific method is thebasis of discovery, invention andverification of hypotheses. Scientificattitude means open mindedness,possessed of keen observation, a beliefin cause and effect relationship, a spiritof inquiry and disavowal of superstitionand dogma. However, an immatureunderstanding of science has shatteredthe belief of people in tradition, custom,religion and authority of all typesincluding rulers and men of religion.Scientists with a materialisticorientation question the science ofvalues. Science, they insist, deals withthe facts of the external world. It isvalue free. How can there be a scienceof values then? Vedanta answers thisby saying that science that deals withmatter is ‘physical’. Its subject matteris facts of the external physical world only.

Vedanta states that science is notlimited by any particular set of facts.Any body of facts can be studiedscientifically. Love of truth, spirit ofdetachment,and the seeking mind of ascientist are also facts, but they arefacts of the inner world of the scientistand thus belong to the science ofvalues. They are very important for thestudy of the external world. They arevalues, i.e. facts of the inner world,along with love, compassion, spirit ofservice and other series of values. Evenphysical science comes in its realmwhen it enters the field of biology in itsphase of human evolution, where eventhe concept of evolutionary progress isa value-oriented term.

Sir Julian Huxley, an outstandingbiologist of the 20th century, points out

in his book, Evolution: The ModernSynthesis regarding this human stageof evolution. In his view, humanevolution has ceased to be organic andhas now become a psycho-socialevolution, since nature has endowed ahuman being with the most versatileorgan, the cerebral system, with whosehelp one can create any needed organsfaster than nature; a human being hastaken over from the hands of naturethe direction and control of furtherevolution; to do this successfully, ahuman being needs to develop and liveby a science of values; and what wasnatural selection at the pre-humanphase has now become psycho-socialselection or just social selection at thehuman stage, making human evolutionprimarily cultural and only secondarilyorganic.

Thus without the association ofvalues, one cannot deal with humanevolution. No question arises when onedeals with pre-human evolution. Butat the human stage, if a man or awoman is to be the director of humanevolution, he or she must have freedomand be guided by a value system. Thatis where biology stands today.

Primacy of Science of Values inIndia

Among the many urges and desiresthat Indians have recognised from timeimmemorial, the science of values(dharma) gets a primacy of place. InIndia these urges are known aspurusharthas, which means ‘Purusenaarthiyate iti purushartha’, that whichis sought after by a human being. Theyare divided into four all inclusivecategories, viz. dharma, artha, kama


and moksha. Dharma or the science ofvalues is the first urge of humanbeings. Without it all the other urgeswill give society endless trouble; withit the society will have everything andevery type of people without anytrouble. When living in a society, onehas to live with and relate to otherpeople. It cannot be ignored. Along withindividuality, mutuality is the centralvalue in society. Therefore dharmacomes first in order to regulate thiskind of mutuality in society in the fieldsof kama and artha for all in society.

Value Dimensions

Dharma has two dimensions: one is lawwith its rules and regulations made bythe state, which is an externalimposition and has a legal dimensionto it; the second is moral and ethicalawareness, where the science of valuessteps in. It has a spiritual dimensionto it. Unless society makes the legaland spiritual aspects compatible, thereis always a possibility of lopsideddevelopment. When we live in a society,some regulations are necessary toensure healthy human interactions sothat all members of a society get thebenefit. That can happen when thelegal and spiritual values combine. Outof these, the internal moralconsciousness is more important,because it helps us observe the lawmore honestly and spontaneously.Observance of laws then becomes forthe good of the society. This is howjustice enriches society, ensuringgeneral satisfaction and happiness,even if in some aspects the socialconditions are hard. No one can giveus moral awareness. We have to secureit by ourselves.

No stable society can exist withoutdharma, without the operation ofethical and moral values such as love,truthfulness, justice, humanistconcern, tolerance, dedication,strength, fearlessness, compassion,incorruptibility, service, capacity forteam work, mutual helpfulness andinner peace.

Values that India Cherishes

In fact Gita (ch.16: 1-3) gives a set ofvalues known as daivi sampatti, divinewealth, beginning with abhayam,fearlessness, and contrasts them withthe group of evil tendencies known asasuri sampatti, demoniac wealth.

Abhayam sattvasamsuddhihjnanayoga vyavasthitih;

Danam damasoa yajnasoasvadhyayastapa arjavam

Fearlessness, purity of mind,establishing oneself in the yoga ofknowledge, charity, control of thesenses, sacrifice, study, austerity,uprightness.

Ahimsa satyamakrodah tyagasantirapaisunam;Daya bhutesvaloluptvam mardavamhriraropalam

Non-injury, truth, absence ofanger, renunciation, tranquillity,absence of calumny, compassion tobeings, non-covetousness, gentleness,modesty, absence of fickleness.

Tejah kshama dhritih saucam adrohonatimanita;Bhavanti sampadam daivim abhijatasyabharata

Boldness, forgiveness, fortitude,purity, absence of hatred, absence ofpride; these values belong to one bornfor the divine state, 0 descendent of


Bharata.It is important to note that the first

moral value in this list is fearlessness.Vedanta holds that no virtue can besustained without fearlessness; fearcannot be a source of moral action.

The next verse describes the valuesthat a learner child may catch on to ifthe teachers and parents and othercare-givers do not give a proper valuesystem to him.They are:

Dambho darpobhimansca krodhahparusyameva ca;Ajnanam cabhijatasya Parthasampadamasuram

Ostentation, arrogance and self-conceit, anger, as also harshness andignorance belong to one who is born, 0Partha, for a demoniac state.

These roughly comprise what theIndian mind regards as value. Thereare so many others that can bementioned. However, the task on handis not to make the list bigger but tosuggest a method of transmission ofthese values.

Methodology

No doubt, the imparting of values isthe joint responsibility of both thefamily in which a learner child is beingbrought up as well as the school towhich he goes to acquire education.Previously in India, education was morevalue-oriented than fact-oriented,unlike what it is now. Moral teachingwas also offered through religiousinstitutions; there were a host of otherinformal means like puranas, kavya,drama, Hari katha, etc., which alsoimparted lessons in values. Moral andspiritual education was the prime

object of education. Laws of the statewere severe, and unlawful action wasmercilessly checked. The situationchanged with the advent of science andtechnology, which have revolutionisedhuman thinking, feeling and action.Life has become complex. Knowledgealso has increased by leaps andbounds. There has been a host of othernew subjects besides science. Valueeducation is pushed aside as a resultof this explosion in factual knowledge.

Under the changed circumstancesthe stentorian guardian and teacherare no longer appreciated by the youthof nowadays. Commandments are tobe put aside and stress should be laidon methods that can go down well withthe child of today. Some of them arediscussed briefly here.

Inducto-Deductive ReasoningMethod

Much of our knowledge is gainedthrough inducto-deductive reasoning.The process of arriving at ageneralisation on the basis of particularfacts is called Inductive reasoning.Application aspect of the inductivegeneralisation goes by the nameDeductive reasoning. The entireprocess is called inducto-deductivereasoning. Every child makesabundant use of this process ofreasoning in its value developmentalso, consciously or unconsciously.

Many children obey an advice givenby parents or teachers without beingexplicitly told to do so. They do it bysimply observing other children’sbehaviour and drawing inference by theinducto-deductive reasoning. Somepeople may call these mere imitative


actions. Imitation is no doubt there;nevertheless it is not a blind imitation.A child reasons inductively and onlythen it imitates. Children guided bywise and understanding parents orteachers pick up the capacity forinducto-deductive reasoning muchearlier in their lives. Only such childrenlater on reach in their lives theautonomous stage of moraldevelopment much earlier than others.

A value education teacher will haveto find and even create opportunitiesto help children acquire moraldevelopment through inductivereasoning. Cooperation as a value canserve as an example. The teacher mayemphasise the necessity for co-operation at home, in family or atschool. He may extend its meaning tosituations normally obtaining in life atsocietal or national levels.

While dealing with the biographyof great personalities such as ascientist, statesman, social worker orany other eminent person, the processof inducto-deductive reasoning can beutilised to elicit the moral qualities ofthe person. A few situations illustratingthe moral greatness of the eminentperson may be brought to the notice ofthe children.

Deduction of Moral Laws

Deductive reasoning can also be lookedupon as drawing a series of inferencesbased on certain premises. So long asthe premises are correct, consistentand accepted as true, inferences basedon them are bound to be valid and true.Can we apply this type of deductivereasoning in the moral sphere? Is itpossible to infer a set of moral codes

on similar lines? Here is an attempt.

Postulate:

1. An impartial, yet sympathetic andkind, Creative Cause of thisobservable universe exists.Human beings believe in theexistence of this Creative Cause.

2. The world and its beings aresubject to its rules.

3. The Creative Cause is omnipotent,omnipresent and omniscient.

4. Co-existence and peaceful living ofthe beings is the Creative Cause’sobjective.

5. The nature of living beings isreciprocal.

[Terms that can supplement: kind/cruel, help/hinder, peace/war etc.]

Theorem 1: The moral code: ‘Love thyneighbour’.

Data: A and B are two individuals andneighbours. They have started hatingeach other.

Required to prove: A and B must beginto love each other.

Proof:

(i) A and B have begun to hate eachother (data)

(ii) The Creative Cause has observedtheir behaviour (postulates 1 and 2)

(iii) A and B come to know that theirbehaviour is against Its wishes(postulate 4)

(iv) A and B also come know thattheir actions are reciprocative(postulate 5)

(v) Therefore they decide to promoteIts objective and begin to love eachother (postulates 1 and 4).


Everybody must love one’s neighbour.

Theorem 2: The moral law: ‘Do untoothers as you would like them do untoyou’.

Data: A and B are two individualsdesiring co-existence and peacefulliving.

Required to prove: A and B have tobehave towards each other in amutually acceptable way, that whichis helpful co-existence.

Proof:

(i) A and B desire co-existence andpeace (data)

(ii) Sometimes B hates A and Areciprocates; vice versa is true(postulate 5)

(iii) A does not like to be hated by B,and B does not like to be hated byA (postulate 4)

(iv) A loves B and B reciprocates(postulate 5)

(v) B loves A and A reciprocates(postulate 5)

(vi) A and B realise that whateveraction one does not like the otherto do, he himself should avoid(postulates 1 and 4).

Do unto others as you would like themdo unto you.

The parable of the Good Samaritanis a possible supplement to Theorem2.

It is possible similarly to derivemany other moral laws, if tried.

Group Discussion Methods

Educators might have often witnessedthe phenomenon that adolescent boysdo not respond to commandments

quite quickly. Moreover, the normaltendency of this age group is to testthe established system of values. If itpasses the test, they accept it,otherwise they reject it and bringinstead a whole set of values that wouldbe contemporaneous.

Modern educators and teachers arebest advised to develop methods thatwould bring out from within the learnerchild or adolescent various ideas aboutvalues. A suitable way is to resort tothe problem solving process. In this thestudents are made to think and treatvarious aspects of the question ofvalues as a problem and to findsolutions to it. Swami Vivekanandaalso appreciated this idea. He said, ‘Letmen think, a clod of earth cannotthink’. However, extreme caution mustbe maintained not to go into theevaluative mould, as the methodinvolves giving a learner enough roomto think and veer him towards thecherished values but not before he isready to do so. A premature impositionof our thinking on the learner may leadto rejection. That will indeed be asetback to the whole process of valueeducation.

In any discussion two questionsthat should be routinely asked are:

(i) What are the values involved?

(ii) Who is affected by the values?

Some methods are discussedbelow:

Brainstorming

It was the brainchild of Alex Osborne.It is a group technique but individualscan also use it. The brainstormer takes


up a fairly clearly stated problem thathas many possible solutions. Thebrainstormer (individual or panel) isencouraged to ‘brainstorm’, i.e.generate in a rapid fire fashion novelsolutions to the problem. During thisbrainstorming phase all criticism orevaluation of any idea is taboo.

Attribute AnalysisThere are two basic steps involved inthis method:

(i) First various aspects or attributesinvolved in that particularsituation are considered fromwhere one wants to bring out thecherished value throughdiscussion.

(ii) Next, each attribute is taken upand as many alternative ways ofsecuring the attribute aregenerated as possible. After thatthe alternative ideas areevaluated.

Synectics

The word ‘synectics’ has been adaptedfrom the Greek word synecticos,meaning fitting together diverseelements. It is a remarkable techniqueof problem solving in a group, and to anon-initiate it looks like a mad methodfor finding solutions. But it seems towork quite often, to be regarded as aproper method. It uses a variety ofanalogies in problem solving. There arefour chief ones. The first involvesdiscussing an analogy of the problemsituation from a very different field. Forinstance, if there are a lot of discipline-related problems in the school,synectics group may discuss how

discipline is maintained in a beehive.The second analogy is called personalanalogy. It requires the participants toproject themselves into a situation andreport what they experience. Thissubjectification of an object of enquirysometimes yields dramatic discoveries.The third analogy used is the fantasyanalogy, in which a person is asked torelease his imagination from real lifeconstraints and in effect daydream.The fourth analogy is called the booktitle, which requires members tofurnish pithy but poetic or paradoxicalphrases for a situation.

Provocative OperationThe basic premise underlying thisapproach is that people often fall intoa problem solving rut. They tend tosolve problems using methods that arehabitual, logical, orderly, evaluative orthat deal with problems in ideologicalways. But in tough problems these donot reveal any solution. A randomimage or a joke may break the mentalset, derail the habitual approach,generate lateral thinking, and possiblyhelp the mind discover a fresher, morecreative approach.

A value education teacher can nowpick up any topic that the class isdealing with as a whole. He has togenerate enough enthusiasm amongthe students and bring forth the ideasof the whole class about the saidproblem. As examples, the followingtopics can be discussed in the class:

1. Your father does not like your newfriend. You have a quarrel withyour father. What are the valuesinvolved?


2. Someone you know is bored atschool and spends all the timetrying to earn money by runningerrands for others. Who are thepeople involved and what are thevalues?

3. You enjoy watching television.Your parents think you watch fartoo much. What are the valuesinvolved?

An innovative teacher will choosethe topics that excite students’imagination as well as perform task ofimparting value education.

Following is a charter of action thathopefully will foster a sense of valuesin the growing child.

Charter of Action

(i) On Saturdays, after school, agroup of students may teach theslum, poor or underprivilegedchildren (for class 9 students).

(ii) Cleaning roads around theinstitution, to be undertaken oncea month by students (for class 8students).

(iii) Various competitions to be takenon lives of great personalitieswhose lives project values.

(iv) Reading passages from somebooks fostering good values duringschool assembly.

(v) Value-orientation programme ofteachers and guardians twice a year.

(vi) Guided meditation for greatercontrol over the mind.

(vii) Awareness classes on health andhygiene by experts once a month.

(viii) Personality development classes.

(ix) Family life education.

(x) Motivating students to live a value-based life.

(xi) Creating congenial atmosphere inschool so that values are fosteredin young minds.

These basically are some of themethods that one should pay attentionto. Gone are the days of submissivewards. We now have in our custody avibrant India, willing to question,willing to think. Our task is to fosteramong them right thinking andinculcate among them the rightattitudes and values. For that we mayhave to check our own stock and berightly prepared. Smallest bit ofdithering on our part will hamper thedevelopment of the fullest potential ofthe child. The harm caused will be dueto our falling short in carrying out ourresponsibilities. It should never beallowed to happen. Let us both, thecaregiver and the learner, shine brightand go for a formidable India all set totake a pride of place in the comity ofnations.


Minimum Programme on Value Educationin Schools*

J.N. SHARMA**

The author is of the opinion that value education may be imparted throughdirect as well as indirect methods. This paper highlights that value developmenthas to go through five stages, viz. knowledge, making judgement, belief, actionand reflection. It identifies specific values and suggests activities to developthem through daily school routines. The paper ends with listing of value-relatedschool activities as the minimum programme for schools. The author believesthat generation of the 21st century must develop reverence for Indian epics,saints, sages and freedom fighters to highlight the pride of ancient India; thenonly can we inject social values in the society.

Abstract

In the ancient Indian system ofeducation, pupils were required to leada life of strict discipline and austerityand had to observe a strict code ofmoral conduct. The elements ofcharacter training were reflected in thedaily activities of the pupils andconstituted a part of the overallprogrammes of the courses of studiesunder the guru.

We are at present faced with achallenge due to breakdown of humanvalues, which threaten the stability ofour society. It is strange and even tragicthat even 55 years after Independencewe should still be discussing the placeof values in our education. The needfor value-oriented education isemerging specially in the present


** Education Consultant, Bharatiya Vidya Bhawan, New Delhi.

situation in the country, and it shouldreceive the highest emphases at alllevels. A good and progressive systemof education should incorporate value-oriented contents in the curriculum,since it can inculcate essential valuesamong learners. The current scenarioof grossly deteriorated social, politicaland cultural situations, resulting inviolence and destruction, warrants mosturgent action regarding instruction invalues. India is currently passingthrough a crucial period of developmentand progress. The country now standson the threshold of the 21st century andour nation has to exist as a member ofthe modern techno-scientific worldcommunity. It cannot but move alongwith others in a fast changing world.

MINIMUM PROGRAMME ON VALUE EDUCATION IN SCHOOLS ● 123

Methods of Value Inculcation

Value education may be impartedthrough direct as well as indirectmethods. In the direct method fixedperiods are assigned for systematic anddeliberate instruction to valueeducation. Imparting value educationby direct method has been criticisedfor the fact that when it is introducedas a subject, it becomes a part of theformal education, involving textbooksand examinations etc. and the verypurpose of value education is lost. Infact value education should not to betaught as a subject. Value educationshould be imparted indirectly, and inthis ‘school’ atmosphere, personalityand behaviour of the teacher as wellas the facilities provided in the schoolwill be significant in developing asense of values among the students. Itis not one teacher but each and everyteacher of the school who shouldassume the responsibility forimparting value education throughteaching of their subjects and forbuilding the character of learners. Ateacher can indirectly make an impactof the moral of the lesson on the mindsof students and all activities reflect thedesirability of promoting values in thelife, tone and atmosphere of the school.There is no cut-and-paste method forimparting value education or charactereducation. The teacher should adopthis own technique in order to inculcateessential values and moral training, asthese are basically matters to beappreciated, realised and imbibed intoone’s personality.

School as a sub-system of overallsocial organisation is expected to actas an agent of preserving and

strengthening the social structure, andshould therefore translate the valuesystem of the society in terms ofaims and objectives for variousschool programmes. Keeping in viewthe requirements of providingfacilities for all-round development ofthe child, the students shouldimbibe the following values and theschool should provide the necessaryactivities and programmes to inculcatethem:

1. Aesthetic values: Love for the fineart, dancing, painting and musicas well as for the symmetry andbeauty in nature, rhyme andrhythm in poetry etc.

2. Spiritual values: Importance givento the soul or the spirit etc. throughyoga and meditation.

3. Moral or ethical values: Valuesrelated to the code of conduct,honesty, integrity, discipline, self-control, self-reliance, inquiryinto the good, the bad and the uglyaspects of human behaviour, codeof conduct based on logicalreasoning.

4. Social values: Concerning theresponsibilities and thecontribution of the individualtowards the society and its well-being. These are governed by thepolitical and social philosophy andthe Constitution of the country,freedom, socialism, secularism,democracy, national integration,international understanding,democratic citizenship, equality,social justice, peace, innerharmony, fellow feeling, unityin the midst of diversities, civic


sense, responsibility of citizens,camaraderie and cooperation, parti-cipation in community activities etc.

Process of Value Inculcation

After identification of the appropriatevalues for primary, middle andsecondary levels, various co-curricularand curricular activities are requiredto be given proper orientation, to bean instrument of inculcation of suchvalues. In fact, values are woven inevery activity of the school and also inevery subject being taught. Schoolenvironment and academic climatemust be so modified that it providesrich experience to the children. Thetextbook material should be correlatedwith learning of values by identifyingareas in which the desired values maybe promoted. The following five stepshave been identified for inculcation ofvalues through curricular programmesby suitably introducing the element ofvalues at every step:

1. Knowing: The child must be madeaware of the inherent values orethical issues while going througha particular topic.

2. Making judgments: The child mustbe provided with conflictingsituations while teaching orlearning to enable him or her tojudge the implications of the relatedvalue.

3. Believing: Emphasis should begiven to the relevant points helpfulin development of faith in theserelated values.

4. Action: The child should beencouraged to practise these values

in actual life situation as a resultof change in his or her behaviourbrought about by relevant andmeaningful experiences.

5. Internalisation: Through constantemphasis on relevant ideas,thoughts and actions, the childshould be led to a stage where thepractise of acquired values becomesspontaneous and immediate.

It should be noted that valuescannot be taught like a subject, i.e. likelanguage, history, science ormathematics. They can be inculcatedthrough situations deliberatelyplanned while teaching various schoolsubjects.

Identification of Proper Values forSchool Children

In order to be specific in our aims ofpromoting values among the schoolgoing children, it is important toidentify proper values for differentstages, viz. primary, middle andsecondary education levels. Thesevalues need to be identified keeping inview the age group and the level ofunderstanding of the child. Forexample, it is difficult for a child at theprimary school level to understandsecularism and national integration,and therefore only such values have tobe identified at different levels that caneasily be understood and inculcatedamong the children. Keeping the agegroup of the children in mind, it isimportant that all valuesrecommended below are inculcatedthrough appropriate activities.


Primary Level

Values Activities

1. Cleanliness and ●●●●● Checking the personal cleanlinesshygiene of students from time to time

●●●●● Involving children in cleaning classrooms and schoolsurroundings

●●●●● Encouraging good eating habits in school and at home

2. Respect for parents, ●●●●● When a teacher enters the classroom,

teachers and elders children will stand and greet him or her

●●●●● Stand while talking to teachers

3. Truthfulness ●●●●● Telling stories about the necessity of truthfulness

4. Obedience ●●●●● Observing students in or outside classroom

●●●●● Explaining rules and regulations of school discipline etc.through pictures and charts

5. Punctuality ●●●●● Encourage children to come to school and enter theclassroom in time

Middle Level

Values Activities

1. Sense of duty and ●●●●● Right work at the right time, interestresponsibility to do work in time, to tell truth, respect the parents, be

loyal to elders

2. Dignity of work ●●●●● Cleaning the campus when required

●●●●● Voluntary service during functions, gardening etc.

3. Simplicity ●●●●● Story telling, reflecting on the lives of great individualslike Gandhiji, Shastriji, Lincoln etc.

●●●●● A simple living teacher provides an example

4. Faithfulness ●●●●● Story telling, dramatisation, scouting, guiding, voluntaryservice

5. Courage ●●●●● Scouting, guiding, adventure clubs, gymnastics, yoga,patriotic songs and stories of brave persons like Shivaji,Lakshmibai etc.


Value Education through CurricularActivities

Textbooks in language courses, viz.Hindi, English, Sanskrit etc, may beso designed as to contribute to theinculcation of right attitudes andinterests, and the basic human valueslike compassion, honesty, toleranceetc. Language textbooks should containstories providing moral knowledge andpresent belief in consonance withcherished values. Similarly, teachingof social sciences and natural sciencesubjects should promote values andideals of humanism and democracy.While teaching mathematics, exampleschosen may be such as to bring in focusthe moral or human values like respect

for elders, concern for welfare of others,to take less profit, punctuality etc.

Value Education through Co-curricular Activities

The basic values to be promoted amongstudents up to senior secondary stagemay include: self-decision, self-realisation and self-confidence. Thesecan be achieved by adopting certainsystematic approaches throughmorning assembly, yoga, meditation,debates, scouting etc.

Minimum Programme for Schools

In the school environment of presentday, it has become necessary for allschools and teachers to plan a

Secondary Level

Values Activities

1. Discrimination ●●●●● Debates and discussionsbetween rightand wrong

2. Secularism or ●●●●● Celebration of different religiousrespect for all festivals, collecting informationreligions about various religions, cultural programmes

3. Service to others ●●●●● Scouting and guiding, observing service days, performingvoluntary service during disturbances, natural calamitiesand festivals etc.

4. Humanism and ●●●●● Celebration of U.N. Day, andlove for mankind Commonwealth Day, adopting a country and making its

in-depth study

5. National integration ●●●●● Participating in Qaumi Ekta Divas, celebration ofnational and religious festivals

●●●●● Making an in-depth study of other states and thecultures, traditions etc. of people

●●●●● Organise exchange programmes with schools of otherstates or regions


Minimum Programme of action duringthe year, which should be conduciveto learning for life and creating ahumane and caring society. The bestplace to make a new beginning is theschool, where a teacher as a friend,guide and philosopher has a crucialrole to provide the young ones trainingfor life of dignity, self-respect andcharacter building, so essential forcreating a glorious nation. Somesuggestions are offered below:

1. In the beginning of the academicyear the teachers may be given anorientation regarding aims andobjectives of value education.Subject committees may be formedto identify chapters, topics andconcepts and the teachers may beoriented through teaching-learning process in such a waythat values are specificallyemphasised. An additionalcolumn may be introduced inteachers’ diaries, where particularvalue and related matter arementioned.

2. The best of the fundamental dutiesshould be displayed veryprominently at the entrance of theschool building.

3. Morning assembly should includeprayer, meditation, good thoughts,talks by teachers, students,patriotic songs etc.

4. Pariticipation in cultural activitieslike dance, drama of differentregions depicting unity in diversitymay be made compulsory.

5. Social service camps, visits andexcursions to different places,experience in inter-regional living

and national integration may beorganised once or twice a year.

6. Games and sports meets at districtlevel may be organised by rotationin different schools.

7. Scouts and Guides Movement maybe popularised and maximumnumber of students encouraged toparticipate in these activities. Thelaws and promises of a scout orguide must be practised by all.

8. N.C.C. and National ServiceScheme activities must be madecompulsory.

9. Every student must participate inthe adventure activities, healthand hygiene programmes etc.

10. Schools may organise students’self-government, mock parliamentetc.

11. Children may be encouraged tolearn intenational and regionallanguages by providing facilities inthe school.

12. National integration exhibitiondepicting cultural, economic,historical and social aspects maybe organised once a year in theschool.

13. Charts relating to the history offreedom movement may bedisplayed permanently in everyschool, adding new dimensionsand material from time to time.

14. Quotations from great thinkers onmoral values may be displayed atall suitable corners of the school.

15. Pictures and charts with shortbiographical notes of nationalpersonalities who contributed tothe good of the mankind may be


put in libraries, laboratories,classrooms, halls etc.

16. Active participation of localcommunity and parents should beencouraged to strengthen theprogramme of value education inschools.

In the present day India when theforces of regionalism and secessionismare rampant and communalism isbeing injected, renaissance of valueeducation is the only ray of hope.Generation of the 21st century mustdevelop reverence for Indian epics,saints, sages and freedom fighters tohighlight the pride of ancient India;

then only can we inject social valuesin the society.

Role of Teachers

The role of teachers need to bedetermined not only in the context ofpromoting values but also in that ofproviding more effective methods ofeducation. Teachers should not onlybe good in teaching but also be a goodcitizen possessing basic moral andaesthetic values. Teacher’s function isnot confined to what he or she doesduring his teaching hours in theclassroom; in reality he or she teachesall the time, constantly, by acting asthe role model before the students.

Teachers’ Guide to Peace Education*

R.P. PERERA**

This paper is based on a UNESCO publication entitled Learning the Way ofPeace: A Teachers’ Guide to Peace Education, which was developed as anoutcome of a UNESCO Regional Seminar, held in Colombo, Sri Lanka during3-5 January 2001. The crucial role of teachers in imparting education isuniversally recognised. The guide also targets the teachers as peace educators,through an integrated and holistic approach in all subjects taught in the schoolsand teacher education institutions. The guidebook comprises 20 chaptersdivided into four parts: Part I deals with the nature and concept of peaceeducation; Part II contains peace values in school curricula; Part III is aboutdeveloping peace education staff and reducing violence in school; and Part IVdeals with thematic models for peace education. The author believes that theguidebook may help a teacher as a peace educator to select appropriatelearning activities in all subjects, which would be interesting, well-structured,meaningful, challenging and inspiring. By using the methodology proposed inthe guide, a teacher will be able to promote appropriate values, attitudes andbehaviours among students, and thus target the future generation towards aculture of peace and non-violence.

Abstract

The UNESCO publication entitledLearning the Way of Peace: A Teachers’Guide to Peace Education comes withinputs provided by educationists,intellectuals and resource persons fromthe SAARC region, who madepresentations at a UNESCO RegionalSeminar, held at Colombo, Sri Lanka,during 3-5 January 2001. Thepublication is an attempt to encouragemember states to formulate policies toinstitutionalise and implement the

Peace Education Programmes in theirrespective countries.

The guide targets the teachers as apeace educator, through an integratedand holistic approach in all subjectstaught in schools and teachereducation institutions. This initiativeis first expected to be tested in theSouth Asian countries who took partin the seminar and then globalised asa peace movement, by proposing theseconcepts and programmes to be


** Chief Administrator and Programme Officer for Culture, UNESCO, New Delhi.


adopted by UNESCO’s member stateswithin the context of the InternationalDecade for a Culture of Peace and Non-Violence for the Children of the World.

The publication comes at a timewhen the whole world is realising thatonly a world order with peace-orientedvalues, attitudes and behaviours couldbring about respect for human dignityand right, and respect for theenvironment, which are the essentialingredients for contributing to aCulture of Peace World-wide. In orderto have full benefits from the initiative,the following actions will be needed:

1. Re-orient teacher educationprogrammes to ensure the professio-nalisation of every teacher andteacher educator as a peace educator.

2. Design school programmes, co-curricular activities, functions,ceremonies and celebrations tointernalise the concepts andpractices of peace education.

3. Incorporate peace education in allcurricula and in the developmentof teaching/learning materials,including multi-media facilities.

4. Initiate functionaries of schoolmanagement systems into peaceeducation and provide them withthe enabling environments to do so.

5. Influence the relevant authoritiesto ensure that mass media fall inline with the mission of peaceeducation by recognising socialresponsibility.

6. Lobby with decision makers inpublic and private sectors thatenvironment conducive to peacemust be ensured to supplementwhat is done in schools.

7. Develop and execute a monitoringand evaluation mechanism forpeace education programmes andbuild these into the newprogrammes.

This guidebook attempts topromote such concepts through theteacher, as a peace educator, whoshould select the appropriate learningactivities in all subjects of thecurriculum that would be interesting,well-structured, meaningful,challenging and inspiring. Using themethodology proposed in the guide, theteacher will be able to greatly enhancethe value education taught in theschools without overburdening theexisting school curriculum.

The teacher should also generatean interest in the class byunderstanding the students’ needs(health, security, emotions andaspirations), the development of theindividual’s right to enjoy, to learn andto do, and by treating each student onhis/her respective merits.

This concept is expected to promoteappropriate values, attitudes andbehaviours in the schools and istargeting the future generationstowards a culture of peace and non-violence.

Selected Annotated Bibliography ofJournal Articles on Value Education*

(1994 – 2000)

Ahmad, A. (1999). Management ofhuman values: An overview. Journal ofHuman Values, 5 (1), 15-23.

It highlights the importance ofcultivating several trans-culturalhuman values in corporatemanagement. Human values areneeded for human social existence andfor the well being of individuals.irrespective of a particular culture’sunique orientation or social distortion.In this regard. the fundamentalpsychological principles of Gita andIsha Upanishad are discussed. Certainvalues such as trust, compassion,justice, leadership and peace arecovered. The author argues formanagement with ethics, science withhuman values, and technology with aconscience. It is thus necessarily anorient-management curriculum and adevelopment programme.

Anuradha (2000b). Five fold education:A brief overview. The Awakening Ray,4 (5), 11-12.

The article focuses on integraleducation with emphasis on the five-fold aspect of education, whichincludes physical, vital, mental,psychic and spiritual. The physical,vital and mental aspects deal with waysof building up the personality andraising the individual out of the

amorphous sub-consciousness,making it a well-defined sub-consciousentity. While physical, vital and mentaleducation prepares the outerpersonality and capacities to theirfullest, psychic education helps theindividual to develop a power of attitudeover circumstances of life and unlocksthe eternal sources of knowledge, love,and creativity in the human being, andprepares him for integral perfection.Integral education addresses itself tothe deep-seated urge in the child forfreedom, perfection, delight, joy ofprogress and self-expression. Thus,integral education focuses on knowingand mastering oneself, that begins fromthe individual but has an impact onthe society.

Brown, M.I., & Chatterjee. S. (1999).The relevance of the guna theory in thecongruence of eastern values andwestern management practice. Journalof Human Values, 5 (2), 93-101.

The relevance of the guna theory toapplications in western managementpractice has been highlighted in thepaper. In its essence, the guna theorydepicts values that constitute humanpersonality into a sattwa-rajasconstruction. By its nature, guna hasbeen shown to have parallels to westernclassification of value systems,especially in the field of ethics and

* Excerpted from the book entitled Annotated Bibliography on Value Education in India, NCERT,New Delhi, 2002.


morality. The authors point out thatguna theory has deep relevance in theface of egoistical, contractual or legalvalues. which so often define theparameters of western management.

Chakraborty, S.K. (2000a). Thefeminine dimension of human values:A journey with Tagore and others.Journal of Human Values, 6 (1), 39-49.

The article focuses on the femininedimension of human values. Thethoughts of Tagore primarily and to alesser degree those of Vivekananda,Gandhi and sister Nivedita have beenhighlighted. The feminine humanvalues are embodied in motherhood.holiness. purity. charity, prayer,unselfishness, sacrifice. forgivenessand the like. Tagore stressed more onthe values of stability and harmony;Vivekananda laid more emphasis onholiness and purity; and for Gandhi thewoman is the incarnation of ahimsaand infinite love. The author stressesthat the wise and sacred traditions ofthe past, filtered through theperceptions of Tagore, Gandhi andothers. should be accorded prominentplace for learning and designing amentally healthy and strong humansociety.

Chauhan, V.L., & Kothari, P. (1997).Personal values: A motivator forwomen’s empowerment. IndianPsychological Abstracts and Reviews,4 (1), 150. [Full article in PraachiJournal of Psycho-cultural Dimensions,1996, 12 (2), 129-135].

The paper explored the value patternsof urban and rural women as a functionof the type of family and age at

marriage. Using a 2 (urban vs rural) x2 (joint vs nuclear family) x 2 (early vslate marriage) factorial design, 200married women (aged 15-25 years)completed the personal scale (Sherryand Verma) and a personal biodatasheet. Analysis of variance revealedsignificant main effects of type of areaof aesthetic, hedonistic, and healthvalues; of the type of family on healthvalues; and of marriage and age onknowledge and health values. Theimplications of the findings in terms ofwomen’s empowerment for facing thechallenges of socIety have beendIscussed.

Dagar, B.S., & Dhull, I. (1997). A casefor value-oriented education. UniversityNews, 35 (29), 10-11.

The article stresses that valueeducation and moral education inparticular constitute the sine qua nonof education. Moral education is oftenmisinterpreted in terms of religiouseducation, though they are distinct.The mode of moral education issuggested, keeping in view its form andconcept. It is emphasised that moraltraits cannot be effectively inculcatedby direct instructions. The problems oftreating moral education as a separatesubject have been discussed.Orientation of all working teachers viaspecial seminars, and conduction oforientation courses on moral educationare a prerequisite for including moraleducation as a subject.

Devi, B. (2000). The degradation ofmoral values among the youth inManipur. ECHO, a quarterly publicationof Manipur University Students’ Union,9 (4), 23-24.

SELECTED ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY OF JOURNAL ARTICLES ON VALUE EDUCATION ● 133

The author highlights the degradationof moral values among the youth ofManipur. She defines moral valueswhich, according to her, are alwaysassociated with the social norms of aparticular community. She highlightsthe different factors that are directlyor indirectly responsible for thedegradation of morality among theyouth of Manipur. Socio-religiousfactors, educational factors, the roleplayed by media, family structure,alcohol, drugs and corruption are thefactors she thinks are responsible forthe erosion of values among the youth.

Dhand, H. (l998). Comprehensive peaceeducation in schools. Journal of IndianEducation, 24 (1), 5-11.

The article discusses the objectives ofpeace education to develop skills,knowledge, awareness, attitudes andvalues among students for becomingeffective citizens. Education for peaceis an attempt to respond to theproblems of conflict, poverty, pollution,human rights. and nuclear arms race,which affect the consciousness ofschool children. It develops values ofself-respect, respect for others, humanrights, open-mindedness, peacefulcoexistence. justice, and tolerance. Afew guidelines to run a successfulpeace programme and to implementcomprehensive peace education inschools have been suggested. Studentsshould learn about strategies forattaining peace. Peace educationshould be included in all subjects andall aspects of the school. The successof the programme is directly related tothe sincere commitment of teachers,administrations, and supporting staff.

Dhokalia, R.P. (1999). Human dutiesand global values: A perspective of neworientation in teacher education. TheIndian Journal for Teacher Education,2 (l), 31-38.

In this paper the importance of humanduties for the attainment of globalvalues has been highlighted. The globalvalues refer to the universal moralvalues such as compassion, charity,self-control, human rights, democracy,fraternity, etc. The contributions ofPlato, Radhakrishnan and others in thefield of education have been discussed,emphasising that a fruitful system ofeducation is essential for thecultivation of these values whichprovide the foundation for thetechnological society of the 21stcentury. The teacher plays aconstructive and positive role in it,particularly the teacher at the lowerlevel of schooling including pre-nursery.

Fernandes, G., & Dass, M. (2000).Teaching social work values and ethicaldecision making. The Indian Journal ofSocial Work, 61(2), 269-284.

The article emphasises that teachingsocial-work values for ethical decision-making and conduct contributestowards building of a work force ofresponsible professionals. The first partis a brief theoretical overview of social-work values and their teaching. Thesecond part provides guidelines for theprocess of ethical decision-making withthe help of case studies of ethicaldilemmas and conflicting values. It alsoprovides an analysis of the decisionsmade by professionals and theoutcomes thereof.


Fernandes, L. (1995). A vision of Indiansociety according to the Constitution.Social Action, 45(2), 206-216.

The article highlights the Consti-tutional vision of Indian societyincluding the Fundamental Rights, theDirective Principles of State Policyand the Fundamental Duties.Constitutional values such as liberty,equality, justice, socialism, democracy,and secularism have been discussed.The author asserts that strictregulations and implementation of laware the only ways to promote thesevalues in the society.

Ghosh, A.K. (1997). Moral education.University News, 35 (44), 13-14.

This article highlights the importanceof moral education in our society. Theeducational philosophy of GulzarilalNanda, Albert Schweitzer, Max Otto,Bertrand Russell, and MahatmaGandhi have been discussed. Moral,spiritual, social and Upanishadic idealshave been highlighted. It is pointed outthat moral education should beimparted with greater emphasis on itspractical aspect through thecurriculum, for which the existingsystem needs to be redefined. The roleof teacher in imparting moral educationshould also be stressed. It is importantto open avenues for study and researchin the field of moral education.

Gupta, B.M. (1997). Role of inductionprogramme in teaching effectiveness.Journal of Indian Education, 22 (4),26-29.

The article describes the role ofinduction programme in teachers’

effectiveness. Qualitative improvementin an educational system largelydepends on the quality of its teachers.Today, with the expansion of thesystem in both quantity and variety. alarge number of teachers have enteredthe profession with adequate andsufficient professional preparation.Teachers constitute the largest sectionof the whole education system andteaching as a profession also requiresmany competencies and values. Theinduction programme, which is thecentral focus of this article, shouldbecome a channel through which thetraditions, conventions, basicphilosophies, policies and proceduresalong with certain values associatedwith the institution are communicated.The teacher should be given on-the-jobpractice and feedback in the form ofcounselling so as to boost their morale,confidence, creativity, trust, self-esteem and so on. However, dedicationand commitment of the head of theinstitution is a crucial factor.

Gupta, S., & Mandal, J.M. (1997).Effects of education, location, sex andmarital status on values of anindividual. Indian PsychologicalAbstracts and Reviews, 4 (1), 78. [Fullarticle in Journal of the Indian Academyof Applied Psychology, 1996, 22 (1&2),101-105].

The article studies the effects ofeducation, location, sex and maritalstatus on the values of an individual.Subjects were 360 young men andwomen (aged 18 to 35 years) stratifiedaccording to sex, marital status(married women, unmarried womenand unmarried men), location (rural


and urban) and education (fairly goodeducational background and pooreducational background). The RokeachValue Survey (1973) adopted by Ray(1978), consisting of two lists of values- terminal and instrumental - was usedto collect data. Analysis of variancerevealed that location, education, sexand marital status had a significanteffect on the respondents’ terminalvalues but not on their instrumentalvalues.

Gure, M. S. (1998). Education forwomen’s equality. Indian PsychologicalAbstracts, 26 (1), 7. [Full article inUniversity News, 1987, 25 (16), 2-5].

The author explains that many of therights and equality such as legal, civic,economic, etc. have been legislated forthe women and, in theory, womenenjoy these rights. But in practice, theextent to which women exercise theserights and actually attain equality,depends on their own value framework,their readiness to assert the rightsavailable to them, the degree of socialmobilization on the issue, and theimmediate familiar and social context.Law, too, as a facilitator has not playedthe same critical role in the area ofsocial equality as it has in the areas oflegal, political, and economic equality.The author, thus, concludes that theindividual’s value framework, thedegree of opinion mobilization, and theimmediate familiar and social contexthave a much greater role to play in thearea of social equality.

Gurnani, L., Bala, M., & Golwalkar, S.(1995). A study of life values,personality and creativity of physically

hadicapped persons. EducationalHerald, 26(1), 5-9.

The main aim of the study was tocompare and find out the relationshipbetween the life values, creativity andpersonality traits of physicallyhandicapped students and settledpersons. The sample of the studyconsisted of 250 students studying inSenior Secondary Schools of Rajasthanand 250 settled persons who hadcompleted graduation and belonged tothe age group of 25 to 40 years. Thestudy found that moral and aestheticvalues are negatively related to all lifevalues, except hedonistic value inrespect of both physically handicappedstudents and settled persons. Total lifevalues were also related negatively toall the 16 personality factors exceptfactors I and M. However, barringoriginality, all other factors of creativitywere found to be highly correlated toeach other. Both the groups ofphysically handicapped personsshowed significant correlation forfactors such as elaboration, originality,and total creativity. The study did notfind any relationship between flexibilityand life value. The hedonistic value alsodid not show any relationship withcreativity.

Joshi, Kireet. (1999). Fundamentalduties and human values. TheIndian Journal for Teacher Education,2 (1), 1-5.

The article lays focus on differentdimensions of values for the upliftmentof human life. Contributions of variousCommittees and Commissions of theGovernment of India such as Kothari


Commission, Sri Prakasha Committee,Verma Committee, etc. have beenunderlined. Some of major values likejustice, equality, liberty, fraternity,humanism, scientific temper, spirit ofenquiry, protection of environment,love and compassion are discussed.The role of teacher in value education,which is irreplaceable, should begeared towards helping studentsdevelop the art of practising values inconcrete situations of life. The authorconcludes with the suggestion that theteachers should themselves be valueoriented and enthusiasticallyparticipate in different programmes ofvalue education.

Kim, S. K. (1997). Gandhi’s philosophyas metaphysical ethics. Gandhi Marg,19 (1), 5-17.

The author holds that under thepresent circumstances and world ofevils, the Gandhian principles of life arethe only remedy for all evils. Further,it is stated that satya and ahimsa formthe crux of Gandhi’s philosophy andrepresent the metaphysics and ethicshe preached and practised. By applyingthese two maxima to the practical lifeof the millions of Indians, Gandhiji hasgiven a pragmatic proof of the successof spiritualism. The author reinstatesthat Gandhian philosophy was not amere intellectual pursuit or an abstracttheory, but an applied idea thatinspired millions of Indian people to beawakened and to cast off the fear ofdeath to fight the battle of truth byadopting the non-violent method. Theauthor emphasizes that throughstruggle and experiment, and with thelove of truth and of all fellow beings,

Gandhiji made himself great. If we toocan cultivate more of these values, itwill be good for oneself as well as forthe society.

Kishore, L. (2000). Incorporating valueeducation in science teaching. SchoolScience, 38 (1) 92-96.

This author expresses concern over thenon-implementation of the reports ofCommissions regarding the inculcationof value education in the curriculumand stresses on the need ofincorporating value education inscience teaching. Based upon someobservations, it is stated that schoolsare not doing what needs to be done.The author presents value-relatedconcepts, their classification andnature of values including someimportant ones like humanity, love,tolerance, truth, equity, justice,nonviolence, forgiveness, etc. The threelevels of value-based approach toscience teaching, i.e. fact level, conceptlevel, and value level, have beendiscussed. The author suggests thatthe role and attitude of science teachersin values education must be positiveand they should be able to resolve thevalues conflict of children and helpthem develop a scientific world view.

Krishnan, L. (1995). Wanted - A value-based psychology. Indian PsychologicalAbstracts and Review, 2 (2), 271. [Fullarticle in Trends in Social ScienceResearch, 1994, 1 (1), 35-41].

The article examines how contem-porary Indian psychology lacks a valueorientation and suggests that the activeapplication of psychology to real lifeshould be value based and directed


toward promoting social and humanwelfare. The author states thatresearches on locus of control anddistributive justice indicate thatpsychology can be made moremeaningful for the Indian society byemphasising the implications ofresearch findings for moral thinkingwithin our culture in terms of “ought”and “should” in social behaviour. Theauthor asserts that remaining neutralor value free in the name of beingscientific or adapting the values ofother cultures is bound to lead to aninactive and ineffective psychology.

Mathur, O.P. (1998). The roots oftolerance and ‘The Great Indian Novel’.Language Forum, 24 (1-2), 41-49.

The article highlights the importanceof tolerance and emphasises that it isan inalienable part of the Indianconcept of ‘Dharma’. Indian beliefsprovide a massive foundation for apositive concept of ‘Dharma’, wherelove, justice, tolerance, duty, etc. mergeinto a rounded whole. ‘A Note onDharma’ by Shashi Tharoor given atthe end of The Great Indian Novel is thebedrock of this article. A comparativeanalysis of Mahabharata’s politics andpersisting political scenario has beenpresented in the novel.

Mehta, J. S. (1997). The moral crisis ofthe modern world. University News, 35(41), 15-18.

The paper highlights the moral crisisat various levels such as international,national, and ecological, in the modernworld. The philosophy of Hindu andJain religions, and of Gandhi andNehru has been discussed. It is

asserted that we should not neglect ourmoral values and civilisational valuesthat were advocated by these thinkers.Students should learn values, namelyinner discipline, self-restraint, sense offraternity, secularism, humanism, etc.Voluntary organisations, teachers,parents, and social workers shouldsolve moral crisis. Students can createa society that can lead to freedom fromsubmission, anxiety, and exploitation.

Michael, S. (1996). Science, ignoranceand human values. Journal of HumanValues, 2 (1), 67-81.

The paper attempts to establish thatignorance is a necessary condition forscience to have a purpose, just as it isa pre-condition for any kind ofintentional learning. The author arguesthat those who find intrinsic value inscience must necessarily attributepositive value to ignorance. He presentsa number of ways in which scientificignorance may be positively valued byscientists and non-scientists, and laysdown a framework for discussingignorance. Accountability and itsattendent performance measures canprovide ways of combating somevarieties of ignorance. The paper isconcluded with remarks that at leastsome sectors of society may be movingtowards a realisation that many kindsof ignorance are irreducible. Arecognition of the need for scientiststo cultivate their particular type ofpurposive ignorance has beenhighlighted.

Narayanan, S., Shantha Kumar, D. K.,Rao, K. S., & Kumar, K. G. (1994).Value orientation among Indian andSingapore business students. Indian


Journal of Psychology, 69 (3&4),105-116.

The study highlights the plausiblecross-cultural differences in valueorientation among business studentsin India and Singapore. The sample forthe study consisted of 84 Indian (45male and 39 female) and 65Singaporean students (30 male and 35female) studying in business schools,using purposive sampling technique.The Value Orientation Scale ofNatarajan (1980) was used. Thefindings revealed that self-concept, self-respect and health are assigned highranks by both the groups. Indianstudents gave high importance to workand success, whereas the Singaporeanstudents gave higher importance to loveand life. Ambition, life, politics, wealth,family, and individuality discriminatemaximally the Indian students from theSingaporean students in terms of theimportance attributed to a value.Beauty, humour, language, life, politicsand wisdom are the values thatdiscriminate maximally the Indianstudents from the Singaporeanstudents in terms of the commitmentthey showed towards a value. In all.the findings revealed a trend towardsmaterialistic value preferences by theIndian business students and morerealistic value preferences by theSingapore business students.

Padhan, G. C. (1997). Moral values ofschool students in relation to differentpersonal values. Indian EducationalAbstract, 3, 37. [Full article inExperiments in Education, 22 (8),173-179].

The main objective of this study wasto explore the possible relationshipbetween moral values with 10 personalvalues. The sample consisted of 561boys and girls of Puri district (Orissa).Tools such as Personal ValuesQuestionnaire by Sherry and Vermaand Defining Issues Test of James wereused. Pearson’s product momentcoefficient of correlation was used toanalyse the data. It was found thatmoral judgement was positivelycorrelated with religious, social,knowledge and health values, and wasnegatively correlated with personal andfamily-prestige values.

Pathak, R.D., & Tripathi, S.K. (1998).Information technology and valuebased education. University News, 36(29), 1-7.

The paper emphasises the impact ofinformation technology on values inour contemporary society. The authorraises concern on value erosion inindustries. where culture of our societyis being influenced by the technologicaladvancement. The values that aregetting eroded, as mentioned in thisarticle, are human values, communityand social values, cultural values andinstitutional values. The authorssuggest that these values should beinculcated in industrial personnel byorganising symposia, seminars, andspecial lectures, and encouragingextra-curricular activities. The authorsconclude that value education needsto be introduced in higher education,i.e. universities and managementinstitutes.


Pradhan, N.N., & Panda, A.K. (1997).Moral judgement of tribal secondaryschool children in relation to their sex.Indian Psychological Abstracts andReviews, 4 (2), 271. [Full article inIndian Journal of Psychology andEducation, 1996, 27 (1), 21-25].

The study explores the effects of tribal/non-tribal status and sex on moraljudgement and attainment ofautonomous level of moral judgementamong 42 tribal (17 boys and 25 girls)and 58 non-tribal (40 boys and 18 girls)children studying in class IX of threeschools in the district of Koraput(Orissa). Findings revealed that thedifferences between both tribals andnon-tribals and between the sexes hadsignificant effects on moral judgementin school children. Tribals comparedto non-tribals, and boys compared togirls were at a higher stage of moraljudgement. Differences in neither sexnor between tribals and non-tribalshad a significant effect on theautonomous level of moral judgement.

Pradhan, R.C. (1997). Violence, non-violence and satyagraha: The Gita-Gandhi perspective. Gandhi Marg, 19(1), 19-33.

The paper primarily focuses on theissues related to violence, non-violence,and satyagrah in the Gita-Gandhiperspective. The perspective of Gita onthe issues of violence and non-violenceis delineated. The paper has five parts.Besides a discussion on the relevanceof the Gita-Gandhi perspective, theauthor highlights the importance ofnon-violence. The author thuscomprehends the importance of non-

violence as a cultural and spiritualvalue on individual level. In Hinduism,Ahimsa (non-violence) was taken as oneof the five mahavratas (great vows).Buddhism also highlights theimportance of non-violence. Toconclude, author states that wheneverthe real problem of resistance againstinjustice and inequalities on socialscale was thought of, the concept ofsatyagraha served as an effectivemeans of fight against all kinds ofinjustices and even as a means ofnational liberation, as enunciated anddeveloped by Mahatma Gandhi.

Rani, S. (1996). Approaches to valueeducation and the role of the schooland the curriculum. University News,34 (12), 8-11.

Citing examples from ancient Indiantradition, the author lays stress on theimportance of value education andexpresses concern over its fallingstatus. Three psychologicalapproaches, viz. psycho-analytic,cognitive development, and learningtheories for value development havebeen suggested. The schools and thecurriculum should follow the approachfor value education as suggested byJohn Dewey, i.e. to discuss valuesrather than forcing them on children.The author also presents some waysof organising value education assuggested by John Wilson and Blackham.

Rao, G. B., Reddy, K. S., & Samiuliah,S. (1997). Behaviour activity profilesand work values of employees. IndianPsychological Abstracts and Reviews, 4(1), 113. [Full article in Social ScienceInternational, 1997, 13 (1&2), 19-24].


The study investigated the differences,if any, between hardcore Type ‘A’ andType ‘B’ individuals in respect of theirpreference for different work values. Asample of 120 subjects from threedifferent business organisations tookthe Behavioural Activity Profile(Friedman and Rosenman, 1950) andthe Work Values Inventory (Super,1957). Results showed that there weresignificant differences between the twotypes of individuals in the followingwork values: creativity, management,supervisory relations, security,prestige, independence, variety,economic returns, altruism, andintellectual stimulation.

Ravindranathan, M.N. (1997). A studyof the attitude of the primary schoolteachers of Udupi town towardseducational, economic and religiousaspects of life. The Progress ojEducation, 25 (3), 111-118.

The objective of the article was to studythe attitude of primary school teacherstowards various educational, economicand religious aspects of life. From theanalysis, it was revealed that themajority of the primary school teachersof the Udupi town were modern in theirattitude towards educational, economicand religious dimensions of life. Thusthe intensity of the modern influenceson all aspects of life of the youngchildren at the school level would bemore, because a majority of theteachers are modern in their outlookon all dimensions of life that have beenexamined. The sample of 25 primaryschool teachers was selected at randomfrom three schools of the northern zoneof the Udupi town.

Rege, M.P. (l998). The song divine andthe secular educational system. NewQuest, 127, 4.

The author has presented an analyticalcriticism of inclusion of religiousteachings to inculcate values amongchildren. Pointing out the fact that oflate the government has been layinggreat stress in value education, he hascited the examples of Maharashtra,where the learning of Gita andJnaneswari has been made compulsoryfor the Hindu students. The authordoes not favour the use of religiousbooks to inculcate values among thechildren. Although he accepts thatthere are many things to learn fromthese books, he considers that theseshould be at the individual level, as itgoes against the secular fabric of thenation. Citing an example, that one ofthe values that has been identified bythe government was the equality ofsexes, whereas in the religious bookslike Gita and Quran, women arereferred to as second-categoryindividuals.

Ronald, A. (1997). Value issuesinvolving Western psychoanalysts withAsian patients. Indian PsychologicalAbstracts and Reviews, 4 (2), 358. [Fullarticle in Journal of the AmericanAcademy of Psychoanalysis, 1995, 23(2), 283-292].

The paper discusses the importance oftaking into consideration value issuesin psychoanalysis (rooted in westernperspective) with Asian patients. Fourclinical case studies of patients fromIndia and Japan were used for analysis.It has been argued that norms ofdependency and interdependency,


deference to supervisors, autonomy,self-assertiveness and verbalarticulateness are unique to a cultureand affect the pattern of functioningof the people. Specifically, differentnorms exist for dependencyrelationships among North Americansand Asians. By realising the culturalcontext of their own values,psychoanalysts may be more open toother orientations of their patients andthey also recognise different ways offunctioning.

Sahoo, K.C., Biswal, A. & Khandai, H.(1998). Student’s perceptions ofpresent secular values. IndianEducational Abstract, 4, 44. [Full articlein the Progress of Education, 69 (9),184-186].

The focus of this study was toinvestigate the perception of studentsabout their existing secular values. Forthis purpose, 225 students of differentschools of DAV, Indore were subjectedto a self-developed questionnaire. Thecollected data were analysed by usingthe statistical technique like median,quartile, deviation and percentagefrequency. The major findings reflectedthat secular value was prevalent amongaverage number of university students.Besides this, scientific, humanitarian,moral, and spiritual values were alsohigh among the university students.

Samsuddin (1997). Methods of moraleducation. The Primary Teacher, 22 (2),3-7.

The article lays focus on the two-foldstrategy, i.e. direct and indirect, toinculcate moral values. The moraleducational thoughts of Socrates,

Plato, Aristotle and Gandhiji have beendiscussed. Values such as honesty,truthfulness, justice, kindness toanimals and compassion have beenhighlighted. It is asserted that theschool atmosphere, the personality andbehaviour of the teachers and thefacilities provided in the school play avital role in the development of thesevalues. Besides, specific provision fordirect moral instruction is desirable atall stages. At the primary stage,biographers, saints, religious leaders,and eminent personalities, their ideas,preaching, and interesting storiesconnected with important incidentsshould be included. At the secondarystage, discussions between theteachers and pupils on the valuesshould be held.

Schwartz, S. H. (2000). A theory ofcultural values and some implicationsfor work, Indian Psychological Abstractand Reviews, 7 (1), 189. [Full article inApplied Psychology: An InternationalReview, 1999, 48 (1), 23-47].

The study presents and validates atheory of the types of values on whichcultures can be compared. Data from49 nations were collected. Seven typesof values were identified as structuredalong three polar dimensions:conservatism vs intellectual andaf fective autonomy; hierarchy vsegalitarianism; and mastery vsharmony. Based on their cultural-valuepriorities, nations were arrayed in atwo-dimensional space, revealingmeaningful groupings of culturallyrelated nations. Analyses werereplicated with samples of both urbanteachers of grades 3-12 and college


students. Implications of nationaldifferences in cultural values for thedifferences in meaning of work havebeen explained. To encourage researchon cultural values and work,hypotheses have been developedregarding cultural value.

Sen, S. (1996). Human values in theplays of Kalidasa: Some glimpses.Journal of Human Values, 2 (1), 3-18.

The paper attempts to identify thevalues that influenced the socio-political behaviour of the people in thetimes of Kalidasa, and the relevance ofthose values for contemporary societyis discussed. In the first part of thisessay, importance of environmentalvalues is highlighted. The second partdeals with an important aspect ofIndian philosophy, i.e. without sorrowand pain there is no pleasure. The thirdpart discusses general social valuesthat emerge from the plays. The fourthand last part describes the political andadministrative values that guided theacts of the kings and rulers. The authorreasserts that we should seekknowledge from Kalidasa’s work andmake the world a better place to live in.

Sharma, A.P. (1999). JidduKrishnamurti’s educational philo-sophy. The Indian Journal for TeacherEducation, 2 ( 1 ), 66-72.

The article highlights all aspects ofKrishnamurti’s educational philo-sophy. Krishnamurti advocates thatthe teachers and students shouldpossess certain values such as love,compassion, good conduct, self-control,courage, cleanliness, cheerfulness,confidence etc. The value education

should not be taught as a subject butshould be made both the foundationand integral part of school life. Thereshould be a prayer, and an attractive,but short address, placing ideals beforethe students. A cordial and co-operativerelationship would also be neededamong the teachers and students forthis purpose.

Sharma, D. (1999). Curriculumdevelopment: Socio-cultural issues andproblems. Journal of Indian Education,25 (3), 74-85.

The article is concerned mainly withcurriculum development in the contextof socio-cultural issues and problems.An effort has been made to suggest thelink between education and society,and how curriculum needs have to beoriented to the changing needs of thesociety. The system of education canbe a major instrument for bringingabout this transformation. Valueeducation finds a special place in theNational Policy on Education (NPE),1986, which lays emphasis on thepromotion of national integration,cultivation of moral values, sense ofequality, socialism, secularism,democracy and so on. It states that thegrowing concern over the erosion ofessential values and an increasingcynicism in society has brought tofocus the need for readjustments incurriculum in order to make educationa forceful tool for the cultivation ofsocial and moral values.

Sharma, N. P. (1997). Can values betaught? Shiksha Bharati, 2 (2), 32-34.

Through this article the author joinsthe long-standing debate on whether


values can be taught. Drawing on Prof.John’s observations on the issue, theauthor says that value cannot betaught merely in the form of lessons.They are not fractional things to bedoled out in fixed daily or weeklymeasures, as one among varioussubjects in the school syllabus. Thetask of teaching values to the young isthe task of both parents and teachers.With their co-ordinated efforts theyhave to shape the young as the futurecitizen of the country. The author alsoidentifies specific values like goodhealth, soundness of body and mind,honesty, truthfulness, equality,democracy, secularism and self-realisation to be taught at school,college and university levels. Theimportance of games, sports, yoga andparticipative method of teaching valuesare discussed. Such a value as self-realisation can be self-taught throughintrospection, continuous practice,meditation and transcendence of themundane realities.

Sharma, R. (l997). Grameenvidyarthiyon ke samajik-arthik sturevam naitik moolyon ka adhyayan.Shiksha Bharati, 2 (2), 20-23.

This is a study of development of moralvalues of the children belonging todifferent socio-economic groups. Itutilised survey based data. The upshotof the study is that socio-economic levelis a strong determinant of moral values.The author argues for the need of valueeducation for bringing about desirablechanges among rural children. Anappropriate programme of valueeducation designed especially inrelation to socio-economic level of rural

children is necessary to augment valuedevelopment.

Sharma, R.K. (1996). Samajikadhyayan vishayon ke madhyam senaitik moolyon ka vikas. BharatiyaAdhunik Shiksha, 13 (4), 36-37.

The article focuses on development ofmoral values in children throughteaching social science subjects -History and Civics. Through citing goodexamples these subjects help ininculcating moral values, i.e.truthfulness, altruism etc. in children.Moral crisis leads to corruption,dissatisfaction, insecurity etc. in oursociety. The author remarks thateducation is the only means to developthese values in students. The teachersshould lay emphasis on the twosubjects (History and Civics) for thedevelopment of these values.

Sikligar, P.C. (1997). Secularism: Acritical sociological analysis. IndianPsychological Abstracts and Reviews, 4(1), 89. [Full article in Journal ofCommunity Guidance and Research,1996, 13 (3), 287-293].

The article focuses on secularism andvarious problems facing itsperpetuation and maintenance. Theauthor defines secularism as anapproach for maintaining harmony andpeace among the people of a nation,irrespective of religion, language, andthe racial and caste differences. Whilenoting the failure of secularism inIndia, the author makes certainsuggestions for promoting secularismsuch as teaching morality to children,and timely encouragement to studentswho are against sectarian policies,


propagating secularism through themass media, formulating secularistpolicies and so on.

Singh, A., & Jha, B. (2000). Manavmoolya evam sadachaar. BharatiyaAdhunik Shiksha, 19 (1), 26-30.

The authors are concerned withdeteriorating conditions of values in thesociety and emphasise that for a securehuman life, values should be re-established. Classification of values hasbeen presented. Apart from this, otherclassifications based upon moral andspiritual values, four Purusharathassuch as Dharma, Artha, Kama andMoksha, have been presented. Thevalues proposed by Sathya Sai (truth,ahimsa, peace, devotion, and moralconduct), Vivekananda (universal love),Aurobindo and Gandhiji areemphasised. It also stresses upon theConstitutional values such as justice,equality, equity, freedom andbrotherhood. The primary stage hasbeen considered as the most importantstage for inculcating values. Somemethods for inculcating values such asmodelling by elders, prayers in theschool assembly, teaching the thoughtsof eminent persons, stories of moralityand drama have been discussed. Theauthors stress upon the need forteachers’ education and training invalues besides including these in theschool curriculum.

Singh, A.K., & Sengupta, A. (1997).Some personality determinants ofvalues and intelligence. IndianPsychological Abstracts and Reviews, 4(l), 300. [Full article in Indian Journalof Psychology and Education, 1996, 27(2), 111-114].

The article aims at identifying somepersonality determinants of values andintelligence. The Group General MentalAbility Test (Jalota, 1976), theMaudsley Personality Inventory and aMeasure to Study Values wereadministered to 110 class XI students(50 boys and 60 girls) of Patna.Findings revealed that neuroticism waspositively related to theoretical,aesthetic and religious values, whereasextroversion was related to social,political and economic values. Femalesshowed strong preferences foraesthetic, social and religious values,whereas males preferred theoretical,political and economic values.

Singh, R.P. (1997). A study of values ofurban and rural adolescent students.Indian Educational Abstract, 2, 38. [Fullarticle in Praachi Journal of Psycho-cultural Dimensions, 9 (1), 7-11].

The objective of this study was to findout the values of urban and ruraladolescents, both male and female. Thesample consisted of 560 students ofAligarh district. The scale of valuedeveloped by Choudhary and Ojha wasused. The collected data were treatedusing the mean, S.D. and ‘t’ test. Thefindings showed that urban studentshad higher mean score undertheoretical and religious values,whereas rural students had highermean scores on social and aestheticvalues. The male students had highermean scores than female students intheoretical and economic values.

Singh, T., & Pathak, S. (1997). Humanenvironment relationships: Anempirical study of attitudes, values and


perceptions. Indian PsychologicalAbstracts and Reviews, 4 (1), 90. [Fullarticle in Trends in Social ScienceResearch, 1996, 3 (1), 25-33].

The study investigated the effect ofresidential background, age and genderon ecological attitude, value orientationand environmental perception in asample of 180 subjects. A 2 x 3 x 2design with age, area and gender asvariables was used with 15 subjects percell. Results indicated that rural peoplefound nature as more positive, group-oriented, other-oriented, developmentand dominating; factory peopleperceived nature as more unitary,organized and sensuous; with theperception of urban people fallingbetween these extremes. Thecomponents of value orientation andecological awareness were found to besignificantly correlated. Need foreducating rural people about ecologyand environment has been discussed.

Srivastava, A.K. (1999). Culture andhuman values: Continuity and changein the Indian society. IndianPsychological Abstracts and Reviews, 6(2), 350. [Full article in IndianEducational Review, 1997, 32 (2),69-91].

The article is based on the study of thepattern of values fostered by differentcultures as well as by Indian (scholarly)tradition. Reports and empirical studyof the value preferences of parentsbelonging to two generations werereviewed. A sample of 120 mothers, 120fathers and 120 grandmothers ofchildren below 10 years of age fromthree types of residential background(rural/urban/metro political), and two

levels of economic status (low/high)was interviewed. It was observed thathonesty and hard work are the mostdesirable values, followed by obedienceand benevolence, which the parents,irrespective of their residentialbackground and economic status,wanted their children to develop.Implications of the study in designingvalue-education programmes havebeen discussed.

Srivastava, G.P. (1998). Naitik vikas:Manovaigyanik vivechan. BharatiyaAdhunik Shiksha, 15 (3), 35-45.

Moral education has been discussedfrom the psychological perspective asproposed by Piaget and Kohlberg,highlighting the stages of moraldevelopment in children. Moral valueslike confidence, truthfulness,friendliness etc. are not taught in theclass. The author believes that there isno time frame to learn moral values. Itcan be learnt anywhere, any time;politicians, teachers and parents arethe role models to promote these valuesin children.

Srivastava, S.K. (1997). Values inrelation to personality traits and self-concept. Indian Educational Abstract,3, 37. [Full article in CreativePsychologist, 6 (1&2), 31-37].

The study attempts to find out therelationship between values andpersonality traits. The researcherselected 100 class IX students (maleand female) from two schools ofHaridwar. The tools used to collect dataincluded Value Test by Ojha, the HighSchool Personality Questionnaire byCattell and Self-Concept Inventory by


Sharma (years not mentioned).Thevalues highlighted were economic,social, aesthetic, religious, political andtheoretical. It was found that social andpolitical values were positivelycorrelated with the personality traits,whereas theoretical, economic,aesthetic and religious values did notshow any significant relationship withthe personality traits.

Suar, D. (2000). A man can be madehuman: Understanding and enhancingmorality, values and ethical behaviour.Indian Psychological Abstracts andReviews, 7 (1), 1-39.

The article discusses the cognitivemoral development theory and thephilosophical theories to understandmoral reasoning and moral normsrespectively. Further scrutiny finds aparallelism between the stages ofcognitive moral development and thedif ferent philosophical theories.Ultimately, the two sets of theories linkindividual and organisational valuessuch as equality, truth, justice, trust,altruism etc. Self-liberating,influencing and control strategies havebeen outlined to enhance the values,moral reasoning and philosophicalrationality of employees and executivesso as to increase their ethical practices.Suggestions for further research aremade.

Tiari, J. (2000). Indian social order andemerging values. Indian PsychologicalAbstracts and Reviews, 7 (1), 93. [Fullarticle in Indian Journal of Psychometryand Education, 1998, 29 (1),13-16].

The article analyses the nature andkind of change in the value systems of

the older and younger generations inthe context of socio-cultural changestaking place in the contemporaryIndian society. Two groups of 50 seniorcitizens (age 65-75 years) and 50 post-adolescents (age 25-35 years) wereasked to rank order 10 values in orderof priority from a pool of 40 traditionaland modern values mixed randomly. Ageneration gap in the value system wasevident. While spiritualism andconservatism were valued the most bysenior citizens, the younger generationranked materialism and manipulationas the most dominant values.

Tyler, M.W. (1999). Social work values:Self-analysis needed for the twenty-first century. The Indian Journal ofSocial Work, 60 (1), 99-117.

Social work has claimed to be a value-driven profession, it has not engagedin critical self-analysis in relation to itsvalues. Now is the time for such a self-analysis, as we stand poised on thebrink of the twenty-first century. Thearticle laid stress on the foundationneeded, and also a number ofquestions. Two questions concerning‘core’ and universal values, especiallyrelevant to an international audience,have been explored in detail.

Vajpayee, S. (1997). Adivasi kshetronmein karyarat shikshakon ke moolyonka adhyayan. Teacher Today, 40 (1),59-67.

The tribal culture being quite differentfrom urban culture, a study has beenconducted to see differences, if any, inreligious, economic, and theoreticalvalues of teachers working in theseareas. The study suggests: (a) the


religious, economic and theoreticalvalues of female teachers are morepositive than of male teachers; (b) thereligious and social values of tribalteachers are more positive than ofurban teachers. However, theoreticalvalues of urban teachers are betterthan of rural teachers. Suggestions areprovided to bring desirable changes inthe value pattern of teachers.Educational implications arediscussed.

Verma, D. (1996). A study of valuepattern among college youth ofRohilkhand region with specialreference to sense of responsibility.Indian Educational Abstract, (1) , 40.

The main objective of this study wasto examine value pattern of collegestudents with special reference to senseof responsibility. For this study, thesample consisted of 400 studentsbelonging to three streams, i.e. arts,science and commerce, of Rohilkhandregion. The tools used include Studyof Values Scale by Ojha, Sense ofResponsibility Scale by Pande andUpadhyaya, and Personal InformationSheet developed by the investigator.The collected data were treated withmean, SD, critical ratio and correlation.The major findings of this studyreflected that social values were higheramong arts students and theoreticalvalues among science and commercestudents. The socio-economic statusdid not affect the values of the studyand the three streams did not differsignificantly in their sense ofresponsibility.

Vyas, H. (1997a). Naitik shiksha:Shaishav se uchch prathamic stur tak.Primary Teacher, 22 (1),18-20.

The author makes an attempt tohighlight the importance of moraleducation. Morally developed childrenare helpful for the upliftment of thesociety. Formal education is notessential to learn moral values. Homeis the basic institution where childrenlearn many values like hygienic living,compliance, respect for others, senseof nationhood, co-operation,environmental protection etc. Theauthor believes that life is like an openbook, from which many values can belearnt. The festivals like Id,Buddhpurnima, Ramnavami, MahavirJayanti etc. not only bring happinessbut also preserve values. Culturaland traditional values can be learntfrom such kinds of festivals. Theauthor also highlights the importanceof aesthetic values, which arelearnt by the child by decoratingthe home, school and evenenvironment.

Vyas, H. (l997b). Vidyalayon meinnaitik shiksha: Kyon aur kaise.Bharatiya Adhunik Shiksha, 15 (2),10-23.

The article emphasises the importanceof appropriate modelling through whichmoral character can be inculcated anddeveloped as well as propagated inchildren. ‘How’ and ‘why’ aspects ofmoral education have been explained.Discussing the ‘why’ aspect, the authorpresents many reasons for moraleducation, viz. deterioration of values,


changing time and values, science andvalues, religion and values etc. Role ofeducation for moral upliftment has alsobeen stressed. The importance ofschool environment, curricularactivities, social interactions, learning-thinking activities, presentation styles,models in history and teaching of

geography, literary and sensualteaching, have been highlighted for the‘how’ aspect of moral education. Theauthor asserts the importance ofpreservation of culture in which valuescan develop. For this purpose co-operation of family, school andcommunity is needed.

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Journal of Value Education – N.C.E.R.T

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