The educational system, that brings both teacher and student together, has two aspects: the first, the provision of skills and information so that man can live in health and happiness and the second, the understanding of one’s inner urges and their sublimation in order to attain lasting peace, equanimity and bliss. The two aspects are not opposed: they are bound irrevocably together. Both teachers and students have to recognise this truth. (SSS Vol.11, p. 21)

Any system of education that does not help to discriminate between right and wrong, that does not instil the fear of sin and love of God, train you in the codes of humility and reverence, widen the horizon of your wonder, encourage you to worshipfully serve your parents, and inspire you to dedicate your skills and attainments to the progress of your family, village, community, country, language and nation, stands condemned. The corruption and cruelty that are rampant in this country can be traced to this grave defect. Selfishness, greed, pomp and injustice are prevalent in every field. The nation has no peace and the sense of security is feeble. As science develops and! Technology advances, humility and mutual love should also develop to the same extent, otherwise man becomes a menace to man. Human sensitivity must be so high that no one can tolerate the misery of others. But when one is not moved by the misery of even one’s own parents, how can this trait be cultivated? (SS June ‘87, p. Backcover)

There is too much interference by the Government in the educational system, which accounts partly for the prevailing evils. Attempts to tinker with the system by altering the number of years at school and the number of years at college do not effect any fundamental changes. Whether it is 10 + 2 + 3 or 10 + 3 + 2 makes no difference to the end product of the system. The change in fact should begin from primary level when the children are in their most impressionable years. It is at that stage that discipline and moral values should be inculcated. Students who have been moulded on right lines in the early years by being filled with examples from our cultural heritage would develop into ideal citizens.

At the higher levels of education the major problem is caused by politics and the holding of elections in college associations. Elections to student bodies should go. They involve not only considerable waste of money but result in divisions and conflicts between students.

Changes are needed also with regard to examinations. Frequent postponement of examinations has become the bane of the educational system. The educational authorities should see that all examinations in colleges are completed by the first week of April so that the results are announced in the first week of June and all colleges are re-opened for the new academic year by the last week of June. Only then will students be able to plan their further studies.

Teachers for their part should regard their vocation as a sacred duty. They have the responsibility to mould the future generations of young students both by what they teach and by their example. These teachers should inspire the students by example by the way they live outside the classroom. If there are such teachers there will be no cause for students to go astray. One of the principal aims of education must be to make students self-reliant. They should not become degree holders going around begging for jobs. (SSS Vol.18, pp. 183-184)

At the time when the country became free, there were 30 crores of illiterates. By 1983, this figure has gone up to 44 crores. Illiteracy is increasing everyday. By A.D. 2000, this figure may go up to 50 crores!

It is true that schools are in the increase and student enrolment has been going up considerably. But, illiteracy is also increasing. Part of the reason for this is the large number of those who go to primary schools drop out after 2 or 3 years and lapse into illiteracy. There is no genuine urge for learning. Moreover, the financial provision for education, which was 7% of the Plan Outlay in the First Plan, had come down to 3.5% by the Sixth Plan. Many schools are not able to find money even for blackboards and chalk pieces. Even in the universities, the position of Vice-Chancellors is becoming difficult owing to non-receipt of grants. As a result, teachers are getting frustrated and discontented.

Problems such as these are continually growing in the educational field. The reason for this is the dependence of educational institutions on the government. Once they are divorced from the government, the problems will be solved. In the past Saraswati (the Goddess of Learning) had no association with the powers that be. Today, even Saraswati has been chained to the government. Consequently institutions have lost their freedom.

When a boy at school is asked today what he is doing, he answers: ‘I am buying education’ (Chaduvu kontunnaanu’, in Telugu) instead of saying ‘I am learing’ (Chaduvu kuntunnaanu). Thousands of rupees have to be paid for getting admission even to the primary classes. What is the benefit that can accrue to the world as a result of education received in this way? The students have no capacity to understand any of the problems of the contemporary world-economic, political, social, moral or other problems. The Teachers in old times exhorted the pupils to follow Satyam Vada (speak the truth). In today’s parlance, the exhortation is: Satyam Vadha (Destroy Truth)! Education today does not impart to the students the capacity or grit to face the challenges of daily life. The educational field has become the playing ground of ignorance. (SSS Vol.20, pp. 227-228)

In this sacred land of Bharat, great sages have been making many changes and modifications in the education system since ancient times. Before the coming of foreigners, there were very few educational institutions in this country. Each of them specialised in one branch of knowledge or the other and helped the students to achieve excellence in that branch. Kasi (Benares) University specialised in the study of grammar. Alankara Shastra (rhetoric) was the speciality in Kashmir University. Ujjaini University specialised in mathematics. Similarly, there was a small town known as Navadvipa where Nyaya (logic) was the speciality. Amaravati, the capital of the kingdom of Bharata (brother of Rama) specialised, apart from other sciences, in Ayurveda (medicine). Ayurveda was the speciality of in the Takshasila (Taxila) University also. One of the most famous Universities of ancient India was Nalanda, which specialised in grammar, Nyaya, medicine and Yoga Shastra. Valabhi, Mithila and Vikramasila were other well-known Universities of ancient India. In all these Universities, apart from specific disciplines, general ethics and proper moral conduct in life were essential part of the curriculum.

Satya (truth) and Dharma (righteousness) were the guiding principles for all students. Besides, vocational training like carpentry, pottery, blacksmithy, etc., was given so that the pupils may be trained for life and may become capable of earning their livelihood in a righteous way. What is the point in learning subjects, which are not useful in daily life? Learning professional skills is therefore essential. Fine arts like music, dance, drama, etc., were also taught in these universities. Amaravati University included in its curriculum all these subjects and their branches. Careful investigation indicates that there were nine or ten such universities in those days.

Today there are hundreds of universities. But what is the knowledge that is being imparted in all these institutions? What service do they render to the society? What evidence is there that they serve the interests of the society? With the growth of modern scientific and technological studies, the true aim of education, i.e., the knowledge of the Self, has declined. Vidya is termed Education. What is the root meaning of Education? The word is derived from the Latin root Educare. What does it mean? It means to bring out what is inside. What is it that has to be brought out? Every form of knowledge and capacity is latent in man. He is endowed with all types of potentialities- physical, mental, spiritual and ethical. The true of education is to make explicit the innate powers of man. These are two types. One relates to the knowledge of external things, and the organ that manifests this power is the head (brain). The organ that enables one to bring out the inner knowledge is the heart. The former relates to physical existence while the latter to higher learning in its true sense. Life will become ideal only when both these types of knowledge are made manifest in harmony. The knowledge emanating from the head, viz., reading, writing, etc., helps you to earn a living. All this is mere bookish knowledge. From Pustaka (books) to Mastaka (head). It is only superficial knowledge, that which has gone into books from someone’s head and back into another’s head from the books (from Mastaka to Pustaka and Pustaka to Mastaka). Apart from this bookish knowledge, one must have general knowledge. Besides one must attain knowledge of discrimination, which helps one to discriminate between good and bad and right and wrong. But above all, one should attain practical knowledge, which comes only after getting the knowledge of discrimination.

Due to his obsession with external knowledge, man today is immersed in self-interest and forgets his responsibilities to the society. When you engage yourself in the welfare of the society, your welfare is automatically ensured. There are hundreds of thousands wealthy and learned persons in the world, But they are all engaged in selfish activities. Do you find anyone who has put the interests of the society above self-interest? In fact, they confer prestigious awards and honours on those persons who are engaged in selfish pursuits and seek their own advancement. It is apparent that they do not know the real meaning of education. Persons with numerous degrees are thought to be highly educated. Such prolification of degrees is mere quantitative attainment. But what we need is quality. One teaspoonful of cow’s milk is better than barrels of donkey’s milk.

That is why in olden days, each university specialised in one area of knowledge and imparted the knowledge of the highest quality to its students. The university in Kasi (Banaras) specialised in grammar in all its manifold aspects so that the acquired knowledge could become useful and practical in day-to-day life. The Mariposa – probably first of existing lexicons in Sanskrit – was a subject of study and even through study of grammar the teachers of those days were preparing their students for an Amaratva (immortality). In these universities each student was himself a great scholar. Who were the teachers? Often, the resident preceptor was himself the faculty and indeed the Vice Chancellor. The whole process of education was carried out independently without any interference or control by any government or other agency. Saraswati, the goddess of learning, was honoured and given complete freedom. The students received boundless grace to attain high standards of excellence. Generally, the teachers did not have any salaries for teaching nor the students pay any fees. There was no fixed timetable for the teaching; the preceptor taught as and when he was so inclined as the spirit moved him. He might wake up a student at night and impart knowledge. Irrespective of his own convenience, he would clarify the doubts of his students. And where were all the instructions carried on? The classes were held in natural environment on the banks of holy rivers, under shady trees or in temple verandas in a pure and sacred atmosphere.

 Today’s education requires huge edifices. An enormous number of equipments and implements are necessary, and huge effort, physical and monetary is required for these. There were no such requirements of equipments or grand buildings those days. Even in the famous universities like Ujjaini and Takshashila, there were no large buildings or edifices like those of today. There is no comparison between the teachers and students of those days and those of the present times. Today there are textbooks galore and numerous ‘notes’ thereon, but there are few that study. In the days of yore, there was no paper or ink. Teaching was carried out by oral communication from the teacher. The students were so receptive that they absorbed all instructions and retained them in their memory. Words emanating from the heart of the preceptor were imprinted on hearts of the students. The students of today do not remember what they have studied just an hour earlier. Why are students of today short of memory? The students today have a wavering mind, which is the cause of their short memory and retentive power. Education in those days included the techniques of control ling the mind. Only when the mind is under control is it possible to absorb and retain the subject of study. That is why it is said mana eva manushyanam karanam bandha-mokshayoh (the mind is responsible for both the bondage liberation of man). (SS Jan 00 , p. 17)

You can call yourself a student only when you know the significance of education. Education does not mean mere acquisition of bookish knowledge. There many who are experts in bookish knowledge. Many have become educational wizards and scholars. What is the service these intellectuals are doing to the world? Having been born and brought in society, having acquired their knowledge from the society, what is it they done to the society? What is the use of their scholarship and education, if they do not show gratitude to the society? Shri Aurobindo once told the students of Calcutta University, ‘students! Why do you acquire this knowledge? Is your learning only for selfish ends? You have acquired all these skills at the expense of society. If you do not repay your debt to your community by using your talent for the society, it is better you burn your books.’ Today science has achieved great advancement. Many scientific and technological disciplines are taught to the students. Is this knowledge imparted by the society or for the benefit of society or for the name and fame of students? Having become great intellectuals, is there any genuine transformation in them? Churchill once said, ‘Man has conquered all. But he has not conquered himself.’ Scientific education of today teaches one everything about the external world, leaving out the knowledge of the Self. The entire effort of man is now concentrated on knowing everything about the external world. All this is mere material and physical knowledge. The learned man today knows all about the external world but nothing about his own reality. True relationship is that which you establish with your inner self. (SS Jan 00 , pp. 12-13)