Here is your sample essay on education

Individuality-the ideal. “Individuality is the ideal of life,” thus observed Sir Percy Nunn, and added that “a scheme of education is ultimately to be valued by its success in fostering the highest degree of individual excellence”.

Exalting the ‘individual development-‘ as the aim of education, Sir Percy Nunn observes “that nothing good enters into the human world except in and through the free activities of individual men and women, and that educational practice must be shaped to accord with that truth.” His belief in this aim is based upon the fact that individual is an architect of his own fate. He is responsible for his own destiny. Education, therefore, must cater for the complete development of an individual.

Highlights

(a) Individual Aim of Education

(i) Rousseau believed that true education is something that happens from within.

(ii) Percy Nunn-the main purpose of education is to provide conditions under which individuality is most completely developed.

(iii) G. Thompson-the function of education is to enable the individual to survive and live out his complete life.

(iv) Modern thinkers-the ultimate good of the society lies in discovering the hidden value of the individual.

(b) Criticism

(i) Isolated individual-a figment of imagination.

(ii) Inherently defective.

(iii) Against spiritual nature of man.

(iv) Individual must be made fit for society.

(v) The basis of individual’s greatness is social.

(vi) Adverse effect on politics and economy.

Based on the Socio-political Philosophy

The concept of individual development aim is based on the socio-political philosophy that social institutions, such as the family, the church, the school and the state exist only for believing and improving the life of the individual. The individual is the end and these social institutions are the means. Therefore, they justify their existence only if they are conducive to the promotion of the individual’s welfare.

The society, the state, and in fact all the social and political institutions exist and work for the welfare of the individual. Therefore, the aim of education should be the fullest possible development of the individual. The school as one of the important social institutions exists for the educand, and not the educand for the school.

Therefore, the school should offer an environment and atmosphere which is conducive to the development of each and every student. Rousseau, the father of the philosophy of Naturalism and a great educationist, is the greatest supporter of individual aim in education.

Education should aim at the training and development of the individual. Only a well-trained and properly educated individual can understand his rights in the society and his obligations to his community.

It is, therefore, that maximum opportunities should be made available for realising his physical, moral, intellectual, and spiritual possibilities, unhindered by environment and unhampered by society. It is only this type of individual that makes a good citizen.

G. Thompson’s view based on Biological belief.

The biologists believe that every individual is different from others. Every child is a new and a unique product and a new experiment with life. Prof G. Thompson says,

“Education is for the individual, its function being to enable the individual to survive and live out its complete life. Education is imparted to preserve the individual life. Community exists for the individual not the individual for the community. Therefore, individual and not society should be the centre of all educational efforts and activities.”

Rousseau’s Naturalistic View

The Naturalists like Rousseau holds that “the central aim of education is the autonomous development of the individual.” According to Rousseau, “Every thing is good as it comes from the hands of the Author of Nature, but everything degenerates in the hands of man.

God makes all things good; man meddles with them and they become evil.” He believes that man and citizen cannot be trained simultaneously; we have to make our choice between the two.

Modern View of Psychologists

The Psychologists are of the opinion that education is an individual process. No two children are identical in intellectual capacity and other dispositions. Therefore, a rigid and uniform curriculum for all the children is not justified. The process of education should be individualized.

There is a great force and truth in the individual aim of education. But, it must be noted that individual aim, in its extreme form, is not desirable. The social aim has its justification too. After all, society is an organisation which is made by the individuals for their own betterment and well being. To live and adjust efficiently in the society, the individual must also be properly socialised. Therefore, the claims of society also should not be ignored; and therefore, the extreme form of individualism should be avoided even for the well-being of the individual himself.

Criticism of the Individual Aim:

The Individual Aim of education has been criticised on the following points: Isolated individual-a figment of imagination. “An isolated individual”, as T. Raymont says, “is only a figment of imagination.” In fact, says he, “We cannot conceive of an individual living and developing in isolation from society.”

Every individual is a social being

“As a social being.” opines Dr. Dewey “he is a citizen, growing and thinking in a vast complex of interactions and relations.” So, an educational activity that does not swear by the social end, consequently fails even to serve the individual.

Inherently defective

In the extreme form, the idea of absolute freedom to the individual may take the form of unchecked ‘self- expression’ or ‘self-assertion’. This sort of unchecked ‘self- expression’ will ridicule all social conventions or moral laws which form the bases of society have regulated life. Even Sir Percy Nunn, the greatest champion of individual aim, believes that “Individuality develops only in a social atmosphere where it can feed on common interests and common activities.”

Against spiritual nature of man

The critics of individual aim believe that the individual, left to him, is an animal, selfish and undisciplined.

Individual must be made fit for society.

Rusk informs us that the aim of education is not development of individuality but the enrichment of personality. Education must lift him from the level of reasoning savage. It must give him character, moral and aesthetic sense and thus make him fit to live in society. An enriched and exalted personality is the one that thinks not only for itself but also thinks for others.

The basis of individual’s greatness is social.

The great contributors to the progress of human civilization did not work in a vacuum. The fact remains that their greatness was due to their assimilation of the rich heritage of thought, wisdom and action evolved and preserved by others in society. They worked against some social background. Hence the very basis of their great achievements was social.

Adverse effect on politics and economy of a country

The unwarranted claim of the individual may adversely affect the politics and economy of a country. The 18th and 19th century emphasis on the political independence of an individual led to the education of the individual and for the individual. It also led to laissez-faire i.e., a free hand to exploit the material wealth for personal advantage.