Need for Introducing Self-knowledge and Self-Perfection initiatives in the pedagogical process

Need for Introducing Self-knowledge and Self-Perfection initiatives in the pedagogical process

This article examines the general orientation in the field of education and advocates for the introduction of “Self Knowledge” and Self-Perfection in the learning process. It will also point out various practices which have been adopted in the pedagogical process to promote self reflection and self awareness. When we look at the educational practices in our country; except for the few exceptions, we find that an unexamined assumption is at work beneath the educational process. The assumption is that by joining a good school and completing a syllabus any child can develop self knowledge which will enable and empower him/her to lead a wise life. Usually our teaching approach is content centric. Completing the syllabus is the primary goal in a school. Curriculum though envisages a holistic and integral growth of the child it does not reflect in the practice. The child’s role in learning is more or less passive. Joining a school is decided by the parents, Text books are prefixed by the schools, teaching is usually teacher centered and evaluation process reflects only a tiny part of the child’s competencies and speaks volumes about the failures. We assume that by completing a syllabus a child will automatically develop insight into the inner dynamics and would be able to make right decisions in life. A recent initiative to introduce more activities in the classrooms and help the child to learn any topic in an experiential way is a positive development. It has helped the students by taking away the boredom of lecture method and proved to be beneficial to the kinesthetic learners in particular. The teaching learning process has become more interactive. However, though the whole process has become more entertaining, lively and engaging it does not make the child more aware about himself or herself. The energies engaged in the learning process, get caught in rushing through the activities and in keeping a record; not in helping the child to grow up in maturity and sensitivity through self enquiry. The awakening of the intelligence is incidental and not a conscious outcome of a pedagogical process. A school going child learns everything around him/her except about himself/herself. Self knowledge is not the main focal point in the process of education, it is still gathering of the information and reproducing it faithfully that matters the most. As the child does not get any insight about his/her samskaras, propensities, inclinations, drives, desires and aspirations, nature and temperament he/she grows up remaining ignorant about the hidden processes which shapes the child from within. Building up the character always takes the back seat. Learning a subject well and getting a livelihood becomes the foremost thing. In case we give space to the child to learn and grow up according to his/ her likes and dislikes then he/she grows up in a self centered manner and fails to realize the right relationship between the individual and the collective. It has been well recorded in history that so called educated people easily got influenced by the propaganda machine and sided with the barbarian act when the challenges posed before them to choose between right and wrong action. Sticking out one’s neck for right cause has not been the forte of the well schooled people. It has been documented that educated people are more capable of perpetuating evil and affect the catastrophe in the global level more effectively. So the present education system is not a guarantee against ill doing. The question that arises in the mind is that why an educated person is incapable of making the right decision? Why can’t one stop oneself from siding with the evil even if one has the highest academic degree? How is it that people who were not taught in the educational institutions put up high moral and spiritual stand during the time of crisis? Where did they get their conviction and insight to stand alone for a cause? Can those qualities and values be nurtured in a school environment? Teachers or educators are not given training in self reflection and self awareness for which reason when it comes to inner dynamics of desires, drives and fear they themselves find equally clueless to work out the issues. So helping pupils in the area is a farfetched affair. During the Gurukula system a student used to experience the inner dynamics while staying with the Guru. In consultation with the child Guru used to chalk out a path following which child used to evolve in the line of his/her swadharma and swabhaba. Practice of Yoga along with the learning of the relevant subjects was part of the integral training programme. Different faculties of the child was consciously trained and developed. But now we see only emphasis on the memory and to some extent mastering few skills only. Character building hardly gets enough space in the transaction. Gathering of information is far more important than coming in contact with the truth.  Practicing “Hots” and “Lots” make the intellect cleaver in solving the problem but solving of one problem gives birth to many other problems like mythical Hydra due to short sightedness and use of a fragmented lens. Over emphasis on logical faculty strengthens binary approach and keeps the world and worldview divided. 21st century has seen the world becoming smaller due to the technological advancement. Information gathering has become quite easy. People across the globe know about each other like never before. The new ideas travel rapidly across the world creating new styles and fads.  The quickening of the info transmission and concerning processes have created many challenges for Education in the 21st century. The issue is “What is the aim of Education?”Is it to create a more technologically advanced society which becomes more and more capable of exploiting the nature effectively, thus, endangering all life forms on the earth? Is it to enhance the competencies in humans to gratify their aggrandized desires at the cost of the all others? Is it to promote a monoculture right across the world with the help of advanced technologies, hence destroying eco systems, curbing diversity and freedom? If education does not ensure a transformed society and a sane living then something is not right. The paradox is on one hand we are becoming universal in our reach yet our consciousness is glued to pettiness. We are experiencing a pressure to think and act globally in the context of our economic issues, ecological issues, social and political issues yet on the other hand we are experiencing more and more fragmentation and narrowing down of our perception while taking a decision. The threat is to preserve one’s uniqueness and rich diversity of the nature which is at stake due to the promotion of sameness in the name of education, globalization and western universalism. This is quite apparent in the field of education. How the education of 21st century is to address this crisis in consciousness is the issue that we have to address. The future ready schools need to act as bridges connecting the individual with the collective, joining the dots through the net working and making the interdependence as an imperative need in the daily functioning of the schools. But will it be possible without self knowledge? The observable patterns of the Future Ready Schools The future ready schools will move away from the readymade approach to education and make a shift towards tailor made approach. In the present educational scenario we do not see the Indian genius being consulted in framing the curriculum. The schools must adopt the sutras or clues from India’s yogic traditions and Guru Shishya parampara to understand the Swadharma and the Swabhava of the child and the Teachers. Accordingly the teaching and learning process need to be modified, redesigned or altered so that the innate potential can get an opportunity to awaken and unfold in an environment of understanding. If we accept the karma theory of Indian Darshanas then we can draw a conclusion that we are all evolving according to our action. So the right education should support the evolution of the individual to evolve further in right direction through right action. Education has to draw out the necessary attitude, skills, knowledge, faculties, quality, quantity and values in the learner so that one can consciously accelerate the process of one’s own evolution. In other words the educational process must make the learner more and more aware and conscious for discovering the purpose of life and equip him/her with necessary tools to actualize it. All the activities those are part of the curriculum in a school may be directed towards this end i.e. to make the student more and more aware. Certain types of reflective practices-in the beginning of an activity and at the end, authentic feedback mechanisms and evaluation methods may be of help to promote sensitivity and maturity. The future ready schools will be making a move towards smaller teacher-student ratio. The smaller the number better will be the understanding of the nature of each pupil and teacher involved in the learning process. Sri Dharmpal in his book “The Beautiful Tree” quotes the British authorities to testify that there were 1 lakh primary schools in Bengal and Bihar alone (page 284). This proves that primary schools were plenty in number and teacher student ratio was quite low and individualized attention was of utmost value. After independence we still do not have similar healthy student teacher ratio in the country and numbers of primary schools are quite inappropriate as per the need. So, establishing more number of pre primary and primary schools (One school in a village of 50-60 children) where all the subjects should be taught in an integrated manner. Future ready schools will not put students rigidly into one or other categories on the basis of age or proficiency in a particular task. Children can be in the same age group or mixed age group according to the need of the hour Future ready schools will consciously make an attempt at widening, deepening and heightening of the awareness. Some space in the school curriculum can be kept aside for developing this capacity and leave it not to chance. This does not mean that Dhyana or meditation can be cultivated through some training or practices but an environment can be created where the child and adult can gather his/her energies and be calm and relaxed for some time.  This will generate a space within and without which is not tainted by the utilitarian pursuit. In that space one can enquire playfully, reflect, question, dialogue and go beyond the thoughts. Future ready schools will approach the curriculum differently. All the knowledge, theory related to the child’s education would not interfere in building up a living relationship with the child. Teaching will be given less importance in comparison to learning. According to the need of the evolving self the curriculum will evolve. Curriculum will be fluid and support the flow of life in the school environment.  As a result teacher and child will be passionate about their learning and it will facilitate further evolution. The identification of the intrinsic motivation and propensities will be the crucial first step. The second step will be to facilitate an environment where an organic curriculum will evolve for the people involved in the learning environment so that the learning becomes challenging and engaging. The third step is to help the learner get a feedback based on his/her response so that further refinement in the response can be obtained. The evaluation mechanism needs to incorporate both the subjective and objective element based on facts so that bias and preconceived notions can be avoided. Evaluation mechanism would be practical and pragmatic so that the learner is able to perceive his/her requirements for the next level and the limitations of the current level. The feedback need to move gradually from concrete to abstract level. Scope for innovation, challenging the existing frame work and space for appreciating beauty must be the guiding factor for evaluating the learner’s performance.  Merely taking a writing test on a given subject does not say much about child’s true capacity.

Incorporating the reflective practices in the pedagogical process will enhance the awareness and increase the sensitivity towards self mastery.

Alok Kumar Mohanty