A gurukul is ancient India originated education system in which students as disciples either near or with the guru - who has a personal collection of learning resources and has mastery over the content to impart experiential learning. The system promote self-discipline, self-motivation and self-learning strategies. The teacher is deemed as Guru-Pita and Guru-Mata and the parents and disciplines suppose to look after the wherewithals of the Guru. By the end of day, the students clean up the prmises and guru's residence to begin the next day with a bang. No fees are charged from students through out the session and the Guru has to live with simplicity and with minimal desires.
Gurukul system = Learning community social pedagogy + Self-knowledge (Vidya) + Worldly Knowledge with self-reflection and critical creative thinking skills that empowers (Siksha) + Formative evaluation and demonstration of learning (Priksha) + certification or testimony of acquired learning (Deeksha)
A lot of emphasis is laid on self-discipline, self-restrain on senses, simplicity, politeness, humanism and spirituality that would help disciples to become a wise and rational individual ready to serve society.
By the end of session, both the Guru and the system receive voluntari Guru Dakshina from the students, their parents and community members to get the system going as a gesture of acknowledgment, reverence and thanks to the guru and the system.
According to Joshi and Gupta [Elementary education in Bharat insights from a postcolonial ethnographic study of a Gurukul". International Journal of Indian Culture and Business Management. 2017, 15 (1): 100–120], 'the students learn from the guru and help the guru in his everyday life, including carrying out of mundane daily household chores.'
In the 19th century, the Gurukul system was revived with some elements of ancient Gurukula in modern context. The ancient Gurukul ideals were adapted with necessary changes were made by Swami Dayananda Saraswati and Swami Shraddhanand to run the school on family model of education as against the corporate model or the governmental schools on the job-model.
Gurukuls of modern times are must work towards supplementing education of Vedic scriptures, yoga sutras and dharma sutras (etics and wisdom) to preserve rich cultural and spiritual heritage of the country along with teaching of conventional subjects with strong philosophical foundation of ancient india. , languages, arts, and philosophies that might otherwise be overlooked in modern education. How the system should have community support and involvement to thrive the system
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