Today, it is the birth anniversary of Vinoba Bhave and he has been remembered by the Gandhians. I am personally impressed by his precept of 'Nitya Nai Talim' as an extension of Gandhi' Basic Education model.
According to Vinoba Bhave (September 11,1895 – November 15,1982), Sarvodaya leader, socialist, educator and thinker, the development of India can happen only if its education and agriculture are developed emphatically.
He was of the view that we are required to go for holistic development for which had a catalytic role to bring about a social order free from all sorts of discrimination as continuing process. He had subscribed for Gandhi's model of ‘Basic Education' or 'Nai Taleem’ in early formative years of his the child which emphasised basic literacy and numeracy skills with the precept of ‘education through craft’ with the values of self-control and simplicity.
He had viewed Basic Education as an approach to education that combined knowledge with work. He would often point out that education and work have been separated by a faulty psychology and a faulty sociology to be assigned different market values by a faulty economics.
According to him, the real human life starts with the field or 'the bread labour' and . To quote him: "To which every person must contribute. He said, “real human life will be reached only when the greater part of life can be given to all the other interests that make up the world of man.”
He was against superstitions prevalent in the society and knew the value of science, and held that science corrects the faults of our ethical and religious traditions. His education model was based on Sarvodaya or 'upliftment of all'.
He had experimented with education model with centrality of craft / agriculture combined with science or knowledge of the physical laws (Vijnan) and knowledge of the self (Atma Jnan) to achieve Sarvodaya at the basic unit of governance which he called "Gram Swaraj". He had subscribed for spiritual basis of education stood for life devoid of material gains based on greed and craze for wealth, conveniences and comforts which arise out of our contempt for physical labour. He experimented with ‘Nai Talim’ at Sevagram, Wardha, Gujrat, to experience its efficacy.
He Experimented with ‘Nai Talim’ of Gandhiji at Sevagram, Wardha and experienced that schooling was one step of learning which needed to be followed by deschooling which means that the student in the adult phase of his life or her will become independent of all outside control including the knowledge that he got from books and teachers, which he called 'Nitya Nai Talim' as a combination of science and spirituality, writes Arun Kumar Sinha.
I personally believe that for years 3-9 of a child, it has to be learning-by-doing centred on craft-work and project method for holistic development of the child.
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