Abstract
Gandhi’s idea on financing education under the Nai Talim or Buniyadi Talim—basic education was quite original. Cultivating production skills and conducting literary education around the skill or craft was his central theme of education which was christened as Nai Talim. It was education for life. Literacy per se, i.e. three R’s were not very important for him. An attempt is made in the paper to first examine key elements of the concept of Nai or Buniyadi Talim in some detail. The skill or vocation around which literary education had to be developed depended upon the livelihood base of the area and the community. This understanding of Gandhiji led him to argue a cogent case of financing education. In the next section, the paper discusses Gandhiji’s ideas on financing education. Vocation or craft was to be taught not for skill development only, but the education centre was also visualised as production centre. The earnings from production are the finance needed in the scheme. In a sense, Gandhiji talked about private financing. Interestingly, privatisation of education these days is understood as self-finance vis-a-vis State finance. This feature and its implications are discussed in the finals section of the paper in comparison with Gandhiji’s idea of financing education. In concluding, it is argued that in Gandhian perspective financing education rests on producing classes of the society.
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Notes
- 1.
Gandhiji’s Autobiography or My Experiments with Truth was first published in 1927 by Navajivan Publishing House, Ahmedabad. It was incorporated in the Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi (CWMG) Volume 39, September 1970 also published by Navajivan Trust, Ahmedabad. All references from Autobiography are from the CWMG. This quote is on page 163. CWMG can also be accessed at https://www.gandhiheritageportal.org/the-collected-works-of-mahatma-gandhi.
- 2.
Ibid, p. 163.
- 3.
Ibid, p. 267.
- 4.
Ibid, p. 267.
- 5.
Gandhiji’s grand-nephew who grew up in Phoenix Ashram has rendered a good narrative on how the children like him were schooled. Interested readers knowing Gujarati should refer Prabhudas Gandhi, 1948. Jeevannu Parodh. Navajivan Trust, Ahmedabad. January 2000 Reprint.
- 6.
CWMG Volume 14, p. 36. Navajivan Trust, Ahmedabad March 1965.
- 7.
Ajit K. Dasgupta, Gandhi’s Economic Thought, Routledge, London, 1996.
- 8.
CWMG Vol. 24, pp. 496–7, Navajivan Trust, Ahmedabad, March 1967.
- 9.
Interested readers may refer Kothari V. M. 1950. Kelavani vade Kranti. Gujarat Vidyapith, Ahmedabad. pp. 74–75 and 194–8.
- 10.
CWMG Vol. 45, pp. 408–9, Navajivan Trust, Ahmedabad, July 1971.
- 11.
For a detailed account refer Kothari V. M. 1950. Kelavani vade Kranti. Gujarat Vidyapith, Ahmedabad.
- 12.
CWMG Volume 66, p. 123. Navajivan Trust, Ahmedabad, October 1976.
- 13.
Ibid, page 124.
- 14.
For a useful and relevant elaboration on this point refer Iyengar Sudarshan, 2014. “Rethinking Human Behavior in Modern Economics: A Gandhian Perspective”, in Amitabh Kundu and Arash Fazli (Eds) 2014, Paradoxes of Rationality and Norms of Human Behaviour, Manak Publications, New Delhi.
- 15.
CWMG Volume 66, p. 125. Navajivan Trust, Ahmedabad, October 1976.
- 16.
Ibid, page 137.
- 17.
Ibid.
- 18.
Harijan, 18th September, 1937.
- 19.
CWMG: Vol. 82, p. 142. Navajivan Trust, Ahmedabad September 1980.
- 20.
CWMG: Vol. 85, pp. 84–8 Navajivan Trust, Ahmedabad, February 1982.
- 21.
A well-known scholar on Gandhiji and his work who has spent years in studying the knowledge, practices and traditions in India before British. He, has written a separate volume on the education system that prevailed in India just before the British assumed full political power in India in 1860, The Beautiful Tree: Indigenous Indian Education in the Eighteenth Century; named from a speech by Gandhiji in Chatham House, London while participating in the Second Round Table Conference.
- 22.
Bold is ours to highlight the words. CWMG Volume 48, pp. 199–200. Navajivan Trust, Ahmedabad. November 1971.
- 23.
In the session a retired senior British Officer and a scholar Sir Philip Hartog had questioned Gandhiji on the issue of literacy and education system in India. Gandhiji had provided the reference to him which was an article by an Indian scholar whom he had published in Young India in its 8 December 1920 issue.
- 24.
Gandhiji had based in his argument on the evidence that was narrated by the author who had contributed to Young India in 1920, but Dharampal dug out documents that were prepared by the British officers and scholars and has given account of the whole country.
- 25.
Refer to footnote 21.
- 26.
- 27.
Members’ Reference Service, Reference Note No. 21/RN/Ref./2014 http://164.100.47.134/intranet/BUDGET.pdf. Accessed June 1, 2017.
- 28.
For details refer http://www.ssa.nic.in/. Accessed May 2017.
- 29.
The situation with respect to the ‘paraphernalia’ was poor in after ten years of SSA. Those interested in knowing more about the paraphernalia situation in Gujarat and in India may refer to Iyengar Sudarshan, “Education in Gujarat: A Review”, in Indira Hirway, Amita Shah, Ghanshyam Shah (Eds), 2014. Growth or Development, Which Way is Gujarat Going. Oxford University Press India, New Delhi.
- 30.
The reports are published in acronymic ASER—Annual Status of Education Report.
- 31.
For reports and findings reader may visit http://www.pratham.org/programmes/aser and http://www.pratham.org/programmes/aser.
- 32.
NSS 52nd Round data is presented by Rao Purnachandra 2014. “Analysis of Household Expenditure on Education”, in International Journal of Education and Information Studies, Volume 4, No. 1 pp. 35–39. https://www.ripublication.com/ijeisv1n1/ijeisv4n1_08.pdf.
- 33.
NSSO, 2010. Eduction in India: 2007–08 Participation and Expenditure, NSS 64th Round (July 2007–June 2008), Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, GoI, New Delhi. p. 9. http://www.mospi.nic.in/sites/default/files/publication_reports/532_final.pdf.
- 34.
Twelfth FYP op. cit. p. 73.
- 35.
Ibid, p. 72.
- 36.
Iyengar Sudarshan op. cit.
- 37.
For an interesting discussion refer, Barbara Daviet, 2016, “Revisiting the Principle of Education as a Public Good”. Education Research and Foresight Working Papers, UNESCO. http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0024/002453/245306E.pdf. Accessed 17 May 2017.
- 38.
UNESCO, 1996. Learning: The Treasure within: Report to UNESCO of the International Commission of Education for Twenty First Century. Paris. http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0010/001095/109590eo.pdf. Accessed in 2012.
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Iyengar, S., Shukla, N. (2018). Financing Education in Gandhi’s Thought Perspective. In: Annigeri, V., Deshpande, R., Dholakia, R. (eds) Issues in Indian Public Policies. India Studies in Business and Economics. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-7950-4_2
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