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               C.KARTHIKEYAN.M.A.(HIS)M.A (ENG MSc(.PSY) MED.MPHI L(HIS )MPHIL(ENG) NET(EDN)SET(HIS)PGDGC 
                                                                
                                                         Unit 1 CIE 
                
               CONCEPT AND AIMS OF EDUCATION 
                
               1.1)   Meaning, Nature and Aims of Education 
                
                            Education  is  a  systematic  process  through  which  a  child  or  an  adult  acquires 
               knowledge, experience, skill and sound attitude. It makes an individual civilized, refined, 
               cultured and educated. For a civilized and socialized society, education is the only means. 
               Its  goal  is  to  make  an  individual  perfect.  Every  society  gives  importance  to  education 
               because it is a panacea for all evils. It is the key to solve the various problems of life. 
               Education has been described as a process of waking up to life: 
                  1)  Waking up to life and its mysteries, its solvable problems and the ways to solve the 
                      problems and celebrate the mysteries of life. 
                  2)  Waking up to the inter-dependencies of all things, to the threat to our global village, 
                      to  the  power  within  the  human  race  to  create  alternatives,  to  the  obstacles 
                      entrenched in economic, social and political structures that prevent our waking up. 
                  3)  Education in the broadest sense of the term is meant to aid the human being in 
                      his/her pursuit of wholeness. Wholeness implies the harmonious development of all 
                      the potentialities God has given to a human person. 
                  4)  True  education  is  the  harmonious  development  of  the  physical,  mental,  moral 
                      (spiritual), and social faculties, the four dimensions of life, for a life of dedicated 
                      service. 
               MEANING OF EDUCATION 
               the word ‘Education’ has been derived from different Latin words. 
                
               a) ‘educare’ which means ‘to bring out’ or ‘to nourish’. 
               b) ‘educere’ which means ‘to lead out’ or ‘to draw out’. 
               c) ‘educatum’ which means ‘act of teaching’ or ‘training’. 
               d) ‘educatus’ which means ‘to bring up, rear, educate’. 
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       C.KARTHIKEYAN.M.A.(HIS)M.A (ENG MSc(.PSY) MED.MPHI L(HIS )MPHIL(ENG) NET(EDN)SET(HIS)PGDGC 
       e) ‘ēducātiō’ which means “a breeding, a bringing up, a rearing.” 
        
       DEFINITIONS 
                       Since time immemorial, education is estimated as the right road to progress and 
       prosperity.  Different  educationists’  thoughts  from  both  Eastern  and  Western  side  have 
       explained the term ‘education’ according to the need of the hour. Various educationists 
       have given their views on education. Some important definitions are: 
       1. Mahatma Gandhi – “By education I mean an all-round drawing out of the best in man – 
       body, mind and spirit.” 
       2. Rabindranath Tagore – “Education enables the mind to find out the ultimate truth, 
       which gives us the wealth of inner light and love and gives significance to life.” 
       3. Dr. Zakir Husain – “Education is the process of the individual mind, getting to its full 
       possible development.” 
       4. Swami  Vivekananda –  “Education  is  the  manifestation  of  divine  perfection  already 
       existing in man.” 
       5. Aristotle – “Education is the creation of sound mind in a sound body.” 
       6. Rousseau – “Education is the child’s development from within.” 
       7. Herbert Spencer– “Education is complete living.” 
       8. Plato – “Education is the capacity to feel pleasure and pain at the right moment.” 
       9. Pestalozzi – “Education is natural, harmonious and progressive development of man’s 
       innate powers.” 
       11. Froebel -“Education is enfoldment of what is already enfolded in the germ.” 
       12. T.P. Nunn – “Education is the complete development of the individuality of the child.” 
       13. John Dewey – “Education is the process of living through a continuous reconstruction 
       of experiences.”             
       NATURE OF EDUCATION 
       As is the meaning of education, so is its nature. It is very complex. Let us now discuss 
       the nature of education: 
       1. Education is a life-long process- Education is a continuous and lifelong process. It starts 
       from the womb of the mother and continues till death. It is the process of development 
       from  infancy  to  maturity.  It  includes  the  effect  of  everything  which  influences  human 
       personality. 
       2. Education is a systematic process- It refers to transact its activities through a systematic 
       institution and regulation. 
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               C.KARTHIKEYAN.M.A.(HIS)M.A (ENG MSc(.PSY) MED.MPHI L(HIS )MPHIL(ENG) NET(EDN)SET(HIS)PGDGC 
               3. Education is development of individual and the society- It is called a force for social 
               development, which brings improvement in every aspect in the society. 
               4. Education  is  modification  of  behaviour- Human  behaviour  is  modified  and  improved 
               through educational process. 
               5. Education is purposive: every individual has some goal in his life. Education contributes 
               in attainment of that goal. There is a definite purpose underlined all educational activities. 
               6. Education is a training- Human senses, mind, behaviour, activities; skills are trained in a 
               constructive and socially desirable way. 
               7. Education is instruction and direction- It directs and instructs an individual to fulfill his 
               desires and needs for exaltation of his whole personality. 
               8. Education is life- Life without education is meaningless and like the life of a beast. Every 
               aspect and incident needs education for its sound development.           9. Education is 
               continuous  reconstruction  of  our  experiences- As  per  the  definition  of  John  Dewey 
               education reconstructs and remodels our experiences towards socially desirable way. 
               10. Education helps in individual adjustment: a man is a social being. If he is not able to 
               adjust himself in different aspects of life his personality can’t remain balanced. Through the 
               medium of education he learns to adjust himself with the friends, class fellows, parents, 
               relations, neighbours and teachers etc. 
               11. Education is balanced development: Education is concerned with the development of 
               all faculties of the child. it performs the functions of the physical, mental, aesthetic, moral, 
               economic, spiritual development of the individual so that the individual may get rid of his 
               animal instincts by sublimating the same so that he becomes a civilized person. 
               12. Education is a dynamic process: Education is not a static but a dynamic process which 
               develops  the  child  according  to  changing  situations  and  times.  It  always  induces  the 
               individual towards progress. It reconstructs the society according to the changing needs of 
               the time and place of the society. 
               13. Education is a bipolar process: According to Adams, education is a bipolar process in 
               which one personality acts on another to modify the development of other person. The 
               process is not only conscious but deliberate. 
               1.2)   FORMAL,NONFORMAL AND IMFORMAL EDUCATION 
                        Education in its all-inclusive form goes beyond what takes places within the four 
               walls of the classroom. 
                        A child gets education from his experiences outside the school as well as from 
               those  within  on  the  basis  of  these  factors.  So,  there  are  mainly  three  types  of 
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       C.KARTHIKEYAN.M.A.(HIS)M.A (ENG MSc(.PSY) MED.MPHI L(HIS )MPHIL(ENG) NET(EDN)SET(HIS)PGDGC 
       education, namely, Formal, Informal and Non-formal. Each of these types is briefly 
       described below.                             
       (A) Formal Education 
       Highlights of  Formal Education 
       (i) Planned with a particular end in view. 
       (ii) Limited to a specific period. 
       (iii) Well-defined and systematic curriculum 
       (iv) Given by specially qualified teachers. 
       (v) Includes activities outside the classroom 
       (vi) Observes strict discipline. 
       (i) Planned with a particular end in view 
               Formal education is planned with a particular end in view. It is given in school, 
       college and similar other institutions which are established with the purpose. In this 
       way it is direct schooling, instruction and tuition. 
       (ii) Limited to a specific period 
              Formal education is limited to a specific period or stage. It is provided according 
       to certain set rule of and regulations. It is in the form of systematic, planned and 
       guided instruction. 
       (iii) Well-defined and systematic curriculum 
             Formal  education has a well-defined and systematic curriculum. This curriculum 
       is based on certain aims and objectives. These aims are in conformity with the needs 
       of the society and the state-. 
       (iv) Given by specially qualified teachers 
               Formal education given by specially qualified teachers they are supposed to be 
       efficient in the art of instruction. 
       (v) Includes activities outside the class-room