Educating Children Through Some Suitable form of Productive Work

Modern education thought is practically unanimous in commending the idea of educating children through some suitable form of productive work. This method is considered to be the most effective approach to the problem of providing an integral all sided education.

Psychologically, it is desirable because it relives the child from the tyranny of a purely academic and theoretical instruction against which its active nature is always making a healthy protest. It balances the intellectual and practical elements of experience and may be made an instrument of educating the body and the mind in coordination.

The child acquires not the superficial literacy which implies often without warrant, a capacity to read the printed page but for more important capacity of using hand and intelligence for some constructive purpose. Thus, if we may be to use the expression, is the literacy of the w hole personality.

Socially considered the introduction of such practical productive work in education, to be participated in by all the children of the nation, will tend to break down the existing barriers of prejudice between manual and intellectual workers, harmful alike for both. It will also cultivate in the only possible way a true sense of the dignity of labour and of human solidarity an ethical and moral gain of incalculable significance.

Economically considered, carried out intelligently and efficiently the scheme will increase the productive capacity of our workers and will also enable them to utilize their leisure advantageously. From the strictly educational point of view greater concreteness and reality can be given to the knowledge acquired by children making some significant craft the basis of education. Knowledge will thus become related to life, and its various aspects will be correlated with one-another.

This basic education according to pamphlet published by the ministry of education is not only a valuable and integral part of the priceless legacy that Mahatma Gandhi left to the national but embodies certain educational ideas and principles of great significance that have been welcomed and endorsed by distinguished and discerning educationists in India and abroad. Economically considered, carried out intelligently and efficiently the scheme will increase the productive capacity of our workers, and will enable them to leisure advantageously.