Recognizing that the real India is situated in rural areas, Gandhi envisioned an education system that bridges the gap between urban and rural areas. That’s why Gandhiji had put forward his thoughts in the ‘New Talim’ education system.
Gandhi ji was expected to create a self-reliant generation that preserves social harmony, scientific and independent thinking, preserves the value of labor, takes business-based education, through ‘Nayi Talim’. Although no one felt the need for ‘new training’ in the middle ages, it is necessary today. Today, there is an urgent need for vocational education, social harmony and value-based education as well as creating a scientific and independent thinking generation.
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Senior educationist Ganesh Devi says ‘Knowledge will be the soul of education; And education will be the bedrock of the country; So, it is time for the country to introspect about the plight of knowledge and education.’ (The Crisis Within Knowledge and Education)
The ‘Nayi Taleem’ plan could not be completed due to Gandhiji’s untimely assassination. But Vinoba Bhave, Sane Guruji and other teachers were followers of ‘New Talim’. But after him, the people who knew the importance of ‘Nayi Taleem’ became less and less. Even today some of the principles of ‘Nayi Talim’ education system are being followed in different schools, but the concept of ‘Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya’ started by Rajiv Gandhi in 1986 is a reflection of ‘Nayi Talim’. Most of the principles that Gandhi wanted in the new training seem to be included in this plan.
One in almost every district, thus there are 661 Navodaya Vidyalayas in India under this scheme. For this school, 80 children from the district are selected through an examination of Class V children in each district. 80 percent of children are from rural areas and 20 percent are from urban areas. They are provided free of charge all education, hostel accommodation etc. from class VI to XII through the central government. When students are in Class V, ‘Navodaya’ admission applications start from June, while the entrance exam is held in November.
These children of different economic and social levels live in the same rooms, study together, so naturally, the walls of economic and social disparity among children fall down. The same goes for caste religions. Social harmony is achieved because children of all castes and religions in the society live together, eat and study together. Not only this, but every year, some students from each Navodaya Vidyalaya are sent to Navodaya Vidyalayas abroad for two years to inculcate national unity among the students. Due to this, students get to know the people of foreign countries, their culture, living conditions and cultivate national unity.
Gandhi ji also expected education and living conditions in ‘Nayi Talim’ which preserves goodwill towards all elements, preserves social consciousness. Another feature of this scheme is the ‘self-reliance’ expected by Gandhiji. Here, students do their own work such as washing their own clothes, keeping the room and classroom clean, serving food to others, etc. Along with education, it certainly helps to create a generation that is self-reliant and preserves the value of labor.
The feeling of ‘we are getting education from the government scheme, so we have to give back to the society’ is inculcated in the children. Therefore, it is also found that the children educated in Navodaya Vidyalaya have a higher sense of moral values. Apart from the education expected by Gandhiji in ‘Nayi Talim’, arts, music and sports are also given priority in this school. Efforts are made for holistic development of students.
In this way, this scheme fulfills Mahatma Gandhi’s educational dreams of ‘Nayi Talim’ by providing free education and accommodation to talented students in rural areas, along with education of high moral values, self-reliance, scope for arts and sports, religious tolerance, national unity and other values.
It is only through lack that any government scheme can run successfully for such a long time. But this ambitious scheme, a dream of late Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, mirroring Gandhiji’s ‘Nayi Taleem’, is still running successfully (without changing the name). Today, lakhs of students of Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya are working at the top in every field, contributing to the social sphere and highlighting the importance of Mahatma Gandhi’s principles of ‘Nayi Talim’ in the education system.
Although the authors are not directly related to the field of education, they guide the experimental and ‘patent’- process, especially to the rural youth.
mahendra.pangarkar@rediffmail.com
