Education under British rule

Education under British rule

The term western education is generally used to refer the type of education started and propagated in India by the Europeans, especially the British through the medium of English. The introduction of British rule in India brought with it western civilization, and culture into the country. It shortly subjugated all socio-cultural domains of Indian life and subsequently replaced the traditional Indian education with the western science oriented pragmatic education.

British education had its beginning in India with the coming of East India Company in 1600 AD. At first, they did not pay any attention to the education of Indians. The Charter Act of 1813 was an important landmark in the history of Indian education. The Charter made the East India Company responsible for the education in India. It also made a provision for an annual grant of a sum of not less than one lakh rupees for the promotion of education in India. As a result, from 1813 to 1857, the company opened many schools and colleges under their control, which laid the foundation of the English system of education in India.This charter laid the foundation for a state policy of education in India. It also marks the beginning of the Modern period in Indian Education.

The Oriental-Occidental Controversy

The Oriental-Occidental Controversy(East-West Controversy) refers to the long severe debate between the Oreantalists and the Anglicists on the issue of the type of education to be imparted to Indians and the medium of instruction to be followed. The argument was about the indigenous system of education as opposed to the western system of education. The central point of controversy was whether Indians should be given western education through English language or indigenous education through Indian languages. The Oreantalists stood for mass education, vernacular medium and indigenous knowledge while the Occidentals for western education through the medium of English for the spreading of European culture and knowledge.

Lord Macaulay was a central figure in the language debate over which language should be used as the medium of education in India. The Oreantalists were in favour of use of classical languages of Indian tradition, such as Sanskrit, Persian, and Arabic, which were not spoken as native languages. The Anglicists, on the other hand, supported English. Neither of these groups wanted to suppress the local vernaculars, mother tongue of the people. Both the groups agreed that education should be conducted in vernacular during the first years of education.

Macaulay’s Minutes (1835)

Thomas Babington Macaulay, who is generally regarded as the architect of the system of education in India during the British rule, was a great essayist, historian, linguist, orator, politician, statesman and thinker. He was regarded as one of the first rate literary figure of his times. He came to India in 1834 and joined as the law member of the executive council of the governor-General. He was also appointed as the president of the general committee on Public instruction by governor general Lord William Bentinck.

Macaulay wrote his famous minute on Feb. 2, 1835 in which he vehemently criticized almost everything Indian: astronomy, culture, history, philosophy, religion etc., and praised everything western. Macaulay wrote in his minute “We must at present do our best to form a class of persons Indian in blood and colour and English in taste, opinions in morals and in intellect.” He attached importance t the education of the higher classes and thus emphasized the theory of downward filtration.

Downward Filtration Theory

During the British rule in India the downward filtration theory was emphasized in the country. Filtration means coming of something to the bottom from the top. Thus the filtration theory in education meant coming down of education or knowledge from the top to the bottom, i.e., from the higher class people to the lower classes or the general people. The British argued that they will educate only the Indian elite or top class people and through them the lower class people would also be benefitted. The masses will follow the elite gradually and education will reach down to common citizens.

Lord Macaulay was of the opinion that English education in India would create a class or persons Indian in blood and colour, but English in tastes and opinions. Their idea was to educate only the high class people in order to give them higher posts in the administration with a view to strengthening the roots of British empire in the Country.

The major observations made by Macaulay in his minutes are:

1. English should be the medium of instruction especially at higher levels, as it is the best vehicle for thought and expression,

2. The oriental law institutions should be closed down, and all law books in Arabic, Persian and Sanskrit should be translated.

3. The institutions of oriental learning should be used for the promotion of English Education

4. The grants given to oreantal institutions should be stopped and diverted to the opening of new English schools.

5. All the grants given for education should be utilized for the spread of European literature and science.

6. The aim of education should be to develop such personalities who are Indian in blood and colour, but English in taste, in opinions, in morals and intellect.

Macaulay’s Contributions

1. Macaulay’s minutes helped to wind up the Oriental-Occidental Controversy which went on in the fight of Indian education for decades.

2. He laid the foundation stone of modern education system in India.

3. He contributed to the spread of science, western literature and values in India.

4. His minutes encouraged the initiation of more English schools and higher education centres by Western Missionaries in India

5. The spread of English education helped Indians to became acquainted with latest developments in the world and got inspiration for fighting foe their political independence.

Merits of Macaulay’s minutes

 A straightforward policy of education

 Definite purpose of education

 Lead to establishment of more English schools

 English is accepted as the medium of instruction

 Proposition of filtration theory

Demerits of Macaulay’s minutes

 Lead to the closure of Sanskrit Patashalas and Arabic Madrassas

 Caused the setback of oriental learning

 Neglected local languages

 Abandoned mass education

 Opposed Indian culture and religion

Wood’s Despatch (1854)

Wood’s Dispatch is a very important educational document and holds a unique place in the history of Indian education. It placed the responsibility of education of the Indian people fully on the Company and stated quite explicitly that it must never be neglected. The Despatch gave new direction to education in India. The East India Company had to renew its Charter after every twenty years. Before renewing the Charter in 1853, the British Parliament constitutes a Selection Committee to inquiry into the Progress of education in India and suggests reform. The suggestions of the Committee were issued as a Charter of Education on July 19, 1854 Charles Wood was the president of the Board of Control. So this is known as Wood’s Dispatch of 1854. This dispatch was considered to be the ‘Magna Carta of modern education in India’.

Major Recommendations

Wood‘s Dispatch is a long document of 100 paragraphs and deals with the various aspects of great educational importance.The Dispatch first throws light on the aims and objectives of educational policy of the Company in India. It gave highest priority to the responsibility of Indian Education and other responsibilities of the Company.

1. The British government should take the direct responsibility of education in India

2. An education department was to be set in every province.

3. Universities on the model of the London University be established in big cities such as Bombay, Calcutta and Madras.

4. At least one government school be opened in every district.

5. Affiliated private schools should be given grant in aid.

6. English should be accepted as the medium of instruction but due importance should be given to vernacular languages also.

7. Education of women should be encouraged

8. Recommended the establishment of teacher training schools in each of the provinces. 9. Recommended that there should be graded schools all over the country as Universities, Colleges, High Schools, Middle Schools, Primary Schools

Self reporting - General Techniques of Assessment

Self reporting

Self-report techniques describe methods of gathering data where participants provide information about themselves without interference from the experimenter. A self-report study is a type of survey, questionnaire, or poll in which respondents read the question and select a response by themselves without researcher interference. A self-report is any method which involves asking a participant about their feelings, attitudes, beliefs and so on. Examples of self-reports are questionnaires and interviews or even diaries; self-reports are often used as a way of gaining participants' responses in observational studies and experiments. The main strength of self report methods are that they allow participants to describe their own experiences rather than inferring from observation. It is relatively simple way to collect data from many people quickly and at low cost.

Questionnaires are a type of self-report method which consists of a set of questions usually in a highly structured written form. Questionnaires can contain both open questions and closed questions and participants record their own answers. Interviews are a type of spoken questionnaire where the interviewer records the responses. Interviews can be structured whereby there is a predetermined set of questions or unstructured whereby no questions are decided in advance. Questionnaires and interviews are often able to study large samples of people fairly easy and quickly. They are able to examine a large number of variables and can ask people to reveal behaviour and feelings which have been experienced in real situations.

Questionnaires and interviews can use open or closed questions, or both. Closed questions are questions which provide a limited choice (for example, a participant's age or their favourite type of football team), especially if the answer must be taken from a predetermined list. Such questions provide quantitative data, which is easy to analyse. However these questions do not allow the participant to give in-depth insights. Open questions are those questions which invite the respondent to provide answers in their own words and provide qualitative data. Although these type of questions are more difficult to analyse, they can produce more in-depth responses and tell the researcher what the participant actually thinks, rather than being restricted by categories.

Rating scales : One of the most common rating scales is the Likert scale. A statement is used and the participant decides how strongly they agree or disagree with the statements.

Fixed-choice questions : Fixed-choice questions are phrased so that the respondent has to make a fixed-choice answer, usually 'yes' or 'no'.This type of questionnaire is easy to measure and quantify. It also prevents a participant from choosing an option that is not in the list.

Advantages

 Good Validity - you ask people directly and get their opinions and what they think.

 Lots of data both qualitative and quantitative and can be gathered quickly and cheaply from different groups and large sample.

 Can be easily replicated - reliable.

 Closed questions are quantifiable - they can be summarised into tables and graphs and compared.

 researchers can collect data regarding behaviors that cannot be observed directly

Disadvantages

 Fixed choice questions lack flexibility and forces people to answer - lowers validity.

 Social desirability bias

 Acquiescence - yes more than no or just agree.

 Set response.

 Question may be misunderstood - lowers reliability.

 Low response rate.

 Participants may try to give the ‘correct’ responses they think researchers are looking for (or deliberately do the opposite)

 Gathering information about thoughts or feelings is only useful if participants are willing to disclose them to the experimenter.

Using self report is the easiest and fastest way to collect data and it can be used to collect both types. However it can be subject to things like social desirability bias where people want to seem good and even leading questions in interviews. When using self-report it is important to use a variety of question types and no leading questions and make questions relevant to the topic. Although there may be high risks involving reliability, we cannot assume that all participants are liars. When good data is provided, self reporting provide big amounts of rich, good quality data in a way that techniques such as observation cannot. Despite their disadvantages, self-report techniques are extremely useful and provide an efficient method for gathering data.

MULTIPLE INTELLIGENCES

 MULTIPLE INTELLIGENCES

Howard Gardner is a psychologist and Professor at Harvard University's Graduate School of Education. Based on his study of many people from many different walks of life in everyday circumstances and professions, Gardner developed the theory of multiple intelligences. Gardner defined the first seven intelligences in Frames of Mind in 1983. He added the last two in Intelligence Reframed in 1999.

Gardner's Multiple Intelligence Theory challenged traditional beliefs in the fields of education and cognitive science. According to a traditional definition, intelligence is a uniform cognitive capacity people are born with. This capacity can be easily measured by short-answer tests. According to Gardner, intelligence is:

 The ability to create an effective product or offer a service that is valued in a culture.

 A set of skills that make it possible for a person to solve problems in life.

 The potential for finding or creating solutions for problems, which involves gathering new knowledge 

Multiple Intelligences

According to MI Theory, identifying each student’s intelligences has strong ramifications in the classroom. If a child's intelligence can be identified, then teachers can accommodate different children more successfully according to their orientation to learning. Teachers in traditional classrooms primarily teach to the verbal/linguistic and mathematical/logical intelligences.

Gardner defined the first seven intelligences in Frames of Mind in 1983. He added the last two in Intelligence Reframed in 1999.

The nine intelligences are:

 VISUAL/SPATIAL - children who learn best visually and organizing things spatially. They like to see what you are talking about in order to understand. They enjoy charts, graphs, maps, tables, illustrations, art, puzzles, costumes - anything eye catching.

 VERBAL/LINGUISTIC - children who demonstrate strength in the language arts: speaking, writing, reading, listening. These students have

always been successful in traditional classrooms because their intelligence lends itself to traditional teaching.

 MATHEMATICAL/LOGICAL - children who display an aptitude for numbers, reasoning and problem solving. This is the other half of the children who typically do well in traditional classrooms where teaching is logically sequenced and students are asked to conform.

 BODILY/KINESTHETIC - children who experience learning best through activity: games, movement, hands-on tasks, building. These children were often labeled "overly active" in traditional classrooms where they were told to sit and be still!

 MUSICAL/RHYTHMIC - children who learn well through songs, patterns, rhythms, instruments and musical expression. It is easy to overlook children with this intelligence in traditional education.

 INTRAPERSONAL - children who are especially in touch with their own feelings, values and ideas. They may tend to be more reserved, but they are actually quite intuitive about what they learn and how it relates to themselves.

 INTERPERSONAL - children who are noticeably people oriented and outgoing, and do their learning cooperatively in groups or with a partner. These children may have typically been identified as "talkative" or " too concerned about being social" in a traditional setting.

 NATURALIST - children who love the outdoors, animals, field trips. More than this, though, these students love to pick up on subtle differences in meanings. The traditional classroom has not been accommodating to these children.

 EXISTENTIALIST - children who learn in the context of where humankind stands in the "big picture" of existence. They ask "Why are we here?" and "What is our role in the world?" This intelligence is seen in the discipline of philosophy. 

Using Multiple Intelligences in the Classroom

Accepting Gardner's Theory of Multiple Intelligences has several implications for teachers in terms of classroom instruction. The theory states that all seven intelligences are needed to productively function in society. Teachers, therefore, should think of all intelligences as equally important. This is in great contrast to traditional education systems which typically place a strong emphasis on the development and use of verbal and mathematical intelligences. Thus, the Theory of Multiple Intelligences implies that educators should recognize and teach to a broader range of talents and skills.

Another implication is that teachers should structure the presentation of material in a style which engages most or all of the intelligences. For example, when teaching about the revolutionary war, a teacher can show students battle maps, play revolutionary war songs, organize a role play of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, and have the students read a novel about life during that period. This kind of presentation not only excites students about learning, but it also allows a teacher to reinforce the same material in a variety of ways. By activating a wide assortment of intelligences, teaching in this manner can facilitate a deeper understanding of the subject material.

Everyone is born possessing the seven intelligences. Nevertheless, all students will come into the classroom with different sets of developed intelligences. This means that each child will have his own unique set of intellectual strengths and weaknesses. These sets determine how easy (or difficult) it is for a student to learn information when it is presented in a particular manner. This is commonly referred to as a learning style. Many learning styles can be found within one classroom. Therefore, it is impossible, as well as impractical, for a teacher to accommodate every lesson to all of the learning styles found within the classroom. Nevertheless the teacher can show students how to use their more developed intelligences to assist in the understanding of a subject which normally employs their weaker intelligences .For example, the teacher can suggest that an especially musically intelligent child learn about the revolutionary war by making up a song about what happened

As children do not learn in the same way, they cannot be assessed in a uniform fashion. Therefore, it is important that a teacher create an "intelligence profiles" for each student. Knowing how each student learns will allow the teacher to properly assess the child's progress (Lazear, 1992). This individualized evaluation practice will allow a teacher to make more informed decisions on what to teach and how to present information.

Traditional tests (e.g. multiple choice, short answer, essay. . .) require students to show their knowledge in a predetermined manner. Supporters of Gardner's theory claim that a better approach to assessment is to allow students to explain the material in their own ways using the different intelligences. Preferred assessment methods include student portfolios, independent projects, student journals, and assigning creative tasks.

Strengths of Gardner's Multiple Intelligence Theory

 helps to explain the variety of individual differences in different types of mental performance

 based in developmental, clinical, case study and educational evidence

 The different intelligences help point out which ares students need help in

Criticisms of Gardner's Multiple Intelligence Theory

 narrow intelligences may meet criteria, e.g. 20 to 30 intelligences may also have been convincing

 are these intelligences or just 'abilities'? (and what is the difference?) - musical, bodily-kinaesthetic, intra and interpersonal are a source of some controversy

 doesn't explain why some people are more intelligent than others

 these 'intelligences' are not all essential for successful adaptation (one of the common definitions of intelligence)

 ultimately there is not really much HARD scientific evidence. 

Educational thoughts of Dr.S.Radhakrishnan

EDUCATIONAL THOUGHTS OF Dr.S.Radhakrishnan

Dr.S.Radhakrishnan was one of the greatest educationists in India. He not only enlightened India but also the whole world by his outstanding personality and intellect. He shines like a luminous star in the galaxy of intellectuals. He was a great son of India. His birthday is celebrated as the Teacher‟s day in India. He was the torch-bearer of the Indian education. His contribution to the field of education, philosophy, religion, culture, science etc. was immemorial. Dr. Radhakrishnan defines education as the instrument for social, economic and cultural change.

Aims of Education:

 · Development of Personality: A satisfactory system of education aims at a balanced growth of the individual and insists on knowledge and wisdom. It should train the intellect, and furthermore, wisdom can be gained by the study of literature, philosophy and religion that interpret the higher laws of the universe.The guiding motto of an education system should be the development of personality and faith, formation of character, cultivation of social, moral and spiritual values. In Radhakrishnan‟s opinion, the aim of all education is man-making.

 · Development of Character: According to Dr.S.Radhakrishnan, Character development is an important aim of education. Education for character building has been advocated by him. To him character of a man is the aggregate of the tendencies of his mind or the sum-total of the impressions created by his action and speech. Real character of a man can be judged from his common actions and not from his great performance. Dr.S.Radhakrishnan said, character is destiny and integrity of character is necessary in every walk of life. Education will be incomplete if it does not initiate in the child the values of love, truth, goodness and beauty. He felt that character building is key to all education.

 · Preservation, Enrichment and Transmission of Culture: Dr.S.Radhakrishnan defines culture as the transformation of one‟s being to produce sweetness of temper, sanity of mind and strength of spirit. He attached great importance to cultural aspect of education. Man has created his culture at a great cost of time and labour. A country enriched in culture is advanced in many respects. Education has to play a key role to preserve, enrich, transmit and modify the culture of a country. Education makes the culture fruitful.

 · Development of Spiritual Values: Dr.S.Radhakrishnan has given a right place to education for developing spiritual values among the people. He has attached great importance to spiritual education. He thinks that education which does not inculcate spiritual feelings in students is not true. Without a spiritual bent of mind, the physical and intellectual development of a person remains stunted.Education should develop human attitude and manly spirit through the refinement of heart and development of good habits.

 · Development of Vocational Efficiency: Dr.S.Radhakrishnan emphasized education for the development of vocation efficiency. This aim of education is to enable the child to attain certain skills in order to become economically self-sufficient. In order to enable him to become self reliant, education should aim at imparting vocational courses. 

 · National Integration : National Integration is an important aim of education. It is also one of the basic needs of India. Religious education, mass education programmes like social services, community living, and study of social services were emphasized for the development of nationalism.

· International Understanding: Dr.S.Radhakrishnan considered International Understanding as an important aim of education. He advocated for the creation of new world order, growth of world community and world citizenship. He emphasized education as a means for creating International Understanding and mutual cohesion among the people across the border.

· Development of Scientific Attitude: Aims of education should enable the child develop his talents to create, discover and invent something new, novel and useful. Science is to be used for productive work. We should develop spirit for inquiry and dedication in the pursuit of science and scholarship.

 · Radhakrishnan wants that realizing the aim of education is to bring nearer to God. In this aim one should study the various aspects of education.

 · Through education, Radhakrishnan wants to establish a classless society in order to bring equality between man and man. He wants that education should develop universal brotherhood.

· The most important aim of education is to help us to see the other world, the invisible and intangible world beyond space and time. Education has to give us a second birth, to help us to realize what we have already in us.

 · Education should enable one to imbibe attitude of simple living and high thinking

 · The true aim of education, according to the Indian sages, is second birth. We are born into the world of nature and necessity; we must be reborn into the world of spirit and freedom. In silence and meditation we discover the spirit in us, learn truth and love, acquire grace and strength by which we can implement our ideas.

Curriculum:

 · According to Dr.S.Radhakrishnan curriculum must be related to life. Radhakrishnan has defined his concept of curriculum in his university commission report published in 1949. He wants that a student should study a number of subjects such as: Languages, Literature, Social Studies (Geography, History, Economics etc.), Philosophy, ethics, theology, Morality, politics, civics, Science (Natural, Human etc.), Mathematics, Art/Music/Fine Arts, Vocation / Profession Subjects, Sports and Physical Education, Yoga, and Religion,.

· He suggested the study of three languages like Mother tongue / Regional Language, Federal Language Hindi and link language English. He has attached importance to the study of Sanskrit on the logic that the knowledge of Sanskrit is essential to understand indigenous culture and also the noble ideas described in Vedas and Upanisads, the Bhagavad Gita and other scriptures. He stressed the mother tongue as the medium of instruction at lower level and replacement of English from higher classes gradually by mother tongue

 · In order to expedite intellectual development Radhakrishnan has suggested the subjects like, History, Geography, Economic, Philosophy etc. The knowledge of the above subjects is essential for the students to use it for the development of society and the human race

· Radhakrishnan also suggested Religious and Spiritual education, Vocational courses, Women education and mass education in curriculum.

· In the curriculum for women education, he wants to include some subjects which may be particularly useful for their specific duties in life. For women education, he suggested the subjects like Literature, History, Science, Religion, ethics, Puranas, Housekeeping, Arts, Sewing, Domestic work, home science, child rearing, worship, meditation and studies inculcating ideal characters in the women. Education should make her familiar with the problems of home management and attainment of skills in meeting them. In his view, no society can progress satisfactorily with the backwardness of woman race 

· Dr. Radhakrishnan was an idealist. His curriculum is based on idealistic thoughts.

· Intellectual and moral activities which form base of Dr. Radhakrishnan's curriculum, poetry, art mathematics must be taught.

Methods of Teaching:

• Dr.S.Radhakrishnan advocated no fixed method of education for acquisition of knowledge. He is regarded as the greatest teacher in India. He emphasized on two things: One is What to Teach? And another one is How to Teach? What to Teach? refers to the content / Subject Knowledge and How to Teach? refers to methodology. A teacher must know these things. These things are equally importance for a teacher in order to make the teaching effective. He stressed the following methods of teaching such as: 
•  Observation
•  experiments
•  Discussion 
•  Learning by meditation
•  Text book method
•  Seminar
•  Tutorial system: Radhakrishnan introduced a tutorial system in Universities under his administration. This system brings teacher and taught closer to understand each other.
•  The relationship of nature and society
•  He viewed that teaching of moral values should be through real and living examples.
• He thinks that man through regular practice in the Yoga and Meditation may be helped in reaching his goal.
• He also accepts the importance of internal knowledge for experience in different subjects
•  Intuition is the source of knowledge, Self-knowledge is the source of knowledge, Reasoning is source of knowledge. Method of teaching cannot be lecture, cannot be demonstration. It can be question-answer and discussion. It should provide adequate opportunities to the students for conversation, debate, discussion and Exchange of opinions and thoughts with their teachers.
• He wants that student should come closer to society and nature to understand.

Discipline :

 Dr.S.Radhakrishnan believed that lack of self-control results in a deterioration of standards of scholarship, character and integrity. Yoga and spiritual activities are not possible without discipline. He believed in discipline that only would lead to self-realization. He stresses that the students should be trained to approach life‟s problems with fortitude, self-control and a sense of balance which the new conditions demand. There should be adequate provision for games and other corporate activities.

The Role of Teacher:

 Emphasizing the important of teacher, Radhakrishnan said, “Teacher is the corner stone of the arch of education”. Really, without quality and effective teacher the educational institution, curriculum, teaching aids, Educational planning etc. are meaningless.

 · Dr Radhakrishnanan views on an “ideal teacher” are contrary to many of the common teaching practices today. He warned against idolizing teachers as gurus and becoming a congregation of faith without openness of mind. He encouraged the students to question and criticize their teachers.

· According to Radhakrishnan a true teacher always helps us to think for ourselves in the new situations which arise. They try to widen our knowledge and help us to see clearly.

· He believed that, „A good teacher must know how to arouse the interest of the pupil in the field of study for which he is responsible. He must himself be a master in the field of study and be in touch with the latest developments in the subjects, he must himself be a fellow traveller in the exciting pursuit of knowledge‟.

· He says “A teacher who has attained the goal may help the aspiring soul. Truth was not only to be demonstrated but also communicated. It is relatively easy to demonstrate, a trust but it can be communicated only by one who has thought, willed and felt the truth. Only a teacher can give it with his concrete quality. He that has must be a proper teacher who embodies truth and tradition, only those who have the flame in then can stir the five in others”.

 · Teachers as Removers of Spiritual Blindness. Guru is the combination of two words- “Gu‟ means darkness and “ru‟ means to remove. In our country look upon teachers as “gurus‟, “acharyas‟: its indicate “achar‟ or conduct is exemplary is good. Teacher must love the good and detest the bad. “Andhakar‟ is not merely intellectual ignorance but spiritual blindness. Who is able to remove that kind of spiritual blindness is called a “guru‟.

·  Teachers-Reservoirs of New Spirit- Teachers are the reservoirs of this new spirit, the new spirit of adventure in the intellectual matters, in social matters, in political matters. If you do not have that spirit, you cannot communicate that spirit to the youth, who are entrusted to your care. Teacher must know what this country stands for and they must be able to communicate the vitality not merely instruction.

·  Teacher to Set Example- It is education, it is instruction, it is knowledge and it is also the example which the teacher give

The Relevance of Dr. Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan’s educational thoughts in Today’s India:

If we look into the present educational scenario of our country, we get lots of murky depiction of it. There are a few outstanding acne radiance sprinkled at this time. Radhakrishnan commanded an excellent vantage point from where he could see that the whole human business was moving towards a fatal destiny, and only education of the right sort could save it from a tragic finale. Dr. Radhakrishnan‟s contribution to education has been exclusive and exceptional. He has made a solid and splendid contribution to the modern India and world.

 · The present education in India suffers from the crisis in character and loss of moral values. In this regard, Radhakrishnan educational thought is very pertinent in order to develop character and moral values.

 · The report of the University Education Commission under Radhakrishnan's Chairmanship was, perhaps, his greatest contribution to education in free India. It covered a wide range of subjects, like falling academic standards, status and salaries of teachers, de-linking of jobs from degrees, religious education, medium of instruction, reservation of seats for the backward, among other things. 

 · His educational thoughts are the combination of idealistic, realistic, humanistic, and existentialistic philosophy. It will fulfill the modern aim of education i.e., all-round development of child.

· Dr. Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan strongly advocated for free and compulsory education for all the children of the country irrespective of caste, creed, gender and socio-economic status. All Committees and Commissions in India have accepted this educational ideal in the country.

· Radhakrishnan supported the idea of equal rights and opportunity for both men and women in the field of education.

 · India is a multi-racial, multi-lingual, multi-political and multi-cultural country which stands in Unity in Diversity. So he anticipated dynamic models of education in this milieu. It will help in solving various problems arise in recent time.

 · India being a developing country has made progress in many areas like agriculture, industry, transport, sciences and technology including the technology for space travel. To continue this progress, India needs educated citizens, the basic requirement of which is surely “Universal literacy” or “Universalization of Education”.Radhakrishnan advocated for inclusive education with special emphasis on changing the fates of women and the deprived sections of society through education.

 · The ideology of Dr.Radhakrishnan about the education for democracy is very germane.

· Radhakrishnan‟s thought of Self-development, Man making, Self- expression respectively are the three important educational attempts for individual and national development.

 · The educational thoughts of Dr. Radhakrishnan throw immense values in modern times. Dr. Radhakrishnan opined that only the right kind of education could solve many problems of the society and the country.

 · Dr. Radhakrishanan's thoughts have unquestionably brought out deep cognitive significance of the intuitional process and relevance in modern thought, both in India and the West.(Anand, V., 2011).

 · The universities must focus on teaching democratic principles like liberty fraternity, equality and social justice, and explained in detail as to how understanding on each of these principles impact society. He argued against the demarcation of universities on lines of discipline streams as any education is incomplete without the knowledge of all the three streams (1) Science and Technology (2) Social studies including History (3) Humanities including language and literature, fine arts, ethics, philosophy and religion.

 · Modern age is the age of science and technology. Students are very much interested to use it in various spheres of life. As a result the human qualities day by day discouraged. Without development of human qualities in children, education is meaningless. Radhakrishnan was of the opinion that, science helps us to build up our outer life, but another discipline is necessary to strengthen and refine the living spirit. Though we have made enormous progress in knowledge and scientific inventions, we are not above the level of past generations in ethical and spiritual life. 

 · Radhakrishnan emphasized spiritual education in India. Education in India should aim at fostering spiritual values, faith in God, good manners, honesty and fellow-feeling. This has great relevance for modern times particularly in this age of science and technology .

· Radhakrishnan laid emphasis on the development of vocational efficiency in the students. He suggested for introduction of agriculture as a subject in rural schools, opening of agriculture colleges and Rural Universities in the rural areas. Like Gandhi, he opined for vocational education along with general education. The present education system is unable to develop new enterprises and employment for the youth. In this context, Radhakrishnan's thought on vocational education is quite relevant and useful.

· According to Radhakrishnan national integration is an important aim of education. It is also one of the basic needs of India. Religious education, mass education programmes like social services, community living, and study of social services were emphasized for the development of nationalism. But at present education has a little impact on adult mind to tolerate and pay regards to other faiths and beliefs. In this connection, views of Radhakrishnan are very much relevant. 

· Radhakrishnan considered International Understanding as an important objective of education. He advocated for the creation of new world order, growth of world community and world citizenship. He emphasized education as a means for creating International understanding and mutual cohesion among the people across the border. It is essential to fight against various problems like terrorism, environmental pollution, poverty, unemployment and diseases from the world. 

Dr.S.Radhakrishnan's educational thoughts – concepts and functions of education, aims, curriculum, methods of teaching, discipline and the role of teacher are very relevant in the 21st century. Though Radhakrishanan is no more in the world but the volumes of work done and left with us will inspire the human civilization forever. There are very few men who have so deeply influenced the mortals in every nook and corner of the world and have so universally loved and respected as well. Every Indian will salute this great personality forever. His bequest can be doubted and debated upon by the contemporary critics, but his long-lasting impact cannot be wiped out from the mind of the modern man. Indeed, he will remain exponents of the modern Indian education. Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan is a pioneer of the wholesome and boom of the educational philosophy and he flagged it on the heart of educational sphere.

Seminar on Teleconferencing

TELECONFERENCING

The word ‘tele’ means distance. The word ‘conference’ means consultations, discussions. Teleconferencing is an umbrella term that describes an electronic link or meeting between participants at two or more locations. Through teleconferencing two or more locations situated at a distance are connected so that they can hear or both see and hear each other. It allows the distant sites to interact with each other and with the teaching end through phone, fax, and e- mail. The interactions occur in real time. This means that the learners/participants and the resource persons are present at the same time in different locations and are able to communicate with each other. In some situations, questions can be faxed/e- mailed early for response by the resource persons.

Uses of Teleconferencing

·        Education

·        Training and Development

·        Business/Corporate Communication

·        Governance

·        Medical Courses/Services etc

It is an important device of our overall communications system and is emerging as a valuable tool for education and business meetings. Like any communication technology, the application of teleconferencing in the teaching-learning process will depend on the accessibility, cost and pedagogic effectiveness of the technological configuration being used.

Nevertheless, if systematically designed, planned, implemented and utilized, the teleconferencing sessions can provide valuable resource to the students learning at a distance.

Strengths of Teleconferencing

·        Accessible to Geographically Dispersed Groups

·        Communication at National/Regional/Local Level Quality

·        Teaching using multiple Teaching Resources

·        Real Time Interaction from Remote Target Groups

·        Use of Various Teaching Methods enhances Learning

·        Cost Effective

Types of Teleconferencing

Teleconferencing means meeting through a telecommunications medium. It is a generic term for linking people between two or more locations by electronics. There are different types of teleconferencing such as :

AUDIO CONFERENCING

Audio Conferencing is a two way voice communication among multiple locations in real time. This generally operates through public telephone network. Individual microphones for participants and external speakers at each location are employed in professional systems to carry out conferences in hands free manner. The number of people that you can connect to would depend on your service provider’s capabilities. In any case it could vary from 3 to 30 beyond which it becomes an Audio Broadcast.

AUDIOGRAPHICS TELECONFERENCE

Uses narrowband telecommunications channels to transmit visual information such as graphics, alpha-numerics, documents, and video pictures as an adjunct to voice communication. Other terms are desk-top computer conferencing and enhanced audio. Devices include electronic tablets/boards, freeze-frame video terminals, integrated graphics systems (as part of personal computers), Fax, remote-access microfiche and slide projectors, optical graphic scanners, and voice/data terminals.

Audiographics can be used for meetings and distance learning.

COMPUTER TELECONFERENCE

Uses telephone lines to connect two or more computers and modems. Anything that can be done on a computer can be sent over the lines. It can be synchronous or asynchronous. An example of an asychronous mode is electronic mail. Using electronic mail (E-Mail), memos, reports, updates, newsletters can be sent to anyone on the local area network (LAN) or wide area network (WAN). Items generated on computer which are normally printed and then sent by facsimile can be sent by E-Mail.

Computer conferencing is an emerging area for distance education. Some institutions offer credit programs completely by computer. Students receive texts and workbooks via mail. Through common files assigned to a class which each student can assess, teachers upload syllabi, lectures, grades and remarks. Students download these files, compose their assignment and remarks off-line, then upload them to the common files. 

Students and instructors are usually required to log on for a prescribed number of days during the week. Interaction is a large component of the students' grades.

Through computers, faculty, students and administrators have easy access to one another as well as access to database resources provided through libraries. The academic resources of libraries and special resources can be accessed such as OCLC, ERIC, and Internet.

Administrators can access student files, retrieve institutional information from central repositories such as district or system offices, government agencies, or communicate with one another. Other resources can be created such as updates on state or federal legislation.

VIDEO CONFERENCING

Video conferencing in its most basic form is the transmission of image (video) and speech (audio) back and forth between two or more physically separate locations.”

In this system students can see the teacher or both the teacher and the students can see each other. Depending on the use of technology, there can be two types of video conferencing. They are:

1. Two-way video conferencing

In the two-way video conferencing students can see and hear the teacher and fellow students located at different learning Centers and can learn in an interactive environment and exchange views/ideas.

A primary advantage of the two-way video conferencing lies in its replication of a face-to-face meeting. Students can react to each other's body language and visual clues in interpersonal transactions. A two-way video conferencing can accommodate a range of information, including graphics and possibly scanned documents. The video conferencing can be either motion or non- motion operations.

Two-way video conferencing is a costly affair. We need to create the necessary infrastructure to transmit and receive visual signals at both the learning and the teaching centers. Besides, we have to equip the teaching and the learning ends with camera crew and technical staff to manage the two-way video conferencing. 5

Point-to-point Conferences

A videoconference that connects two locations. Each site sees and hears the other sites at all times

Multipoint Conferences

A videoconference that connects to more than two sites through the use of a multi-point control unit. Participants at all sites can hear one another at all times and see the site that is currently speaking.

2. One-way video conferencing:

In one-way video conferencing, the audio- video information can be one-way information or can be a one-way stream from the institution/teaching end to its learning centers or schools. These centers or schools may communicate with the teaching end in turn, with a telephone or other audio-based hookup. The connection can be used for question and answer sessions the discussion on relevant points and for the clarification of specific details.

The potential of one-way video conferencing (point-to-multi-points) has been demonstrated in India through various experiments conducted by some educational institutions. The system can be used for teaching different topics, including sciences.

Advantages of Teleconferencing in Education

 Remote Learning

One of the most apparent advantages of teleconferencing in education is remote learning. Students no longer have to feel confined to their classrooms. With teleconferencing, they can reap the benefits of knowledge from all over the globe. They can interact with experts, students from other schools, and visit places they have never visited at the push of a button. With teleconferencing, educators can make themselves available even when they are not at the school. This means they can lecture students who might need their help outside office hours, or collaborate with other experts and specialists without them having to be in the same classroom.

 Strengthen Exchanges among Schools

Weeks after a devastating earthquake struck Haiti in 2010, hundreds of high school students from New Orleans in Louisiana gathered at Fisher to discuss with students from New American School in Haiti’s capital Port-au-Prince. The students shared terrifying experiences, messages of hope and encouragement, as they bonded over a video conference initiated by the Global Nomads Group. Most schools are using the technology to connect with students from other schools. This presents a great opportunity for students to connect with other students that they would possibly never meet otherwise.

 Invite Experts to the Class Wherever They Are

With teleconferencing in education, boring classroom learning is a thing of the past. The technology gives educators new and exciting ways to teach their students. For instance, the technology allows teachers to invite guest speakers into the class to help illustrate important points in her lesson. This allows for an interactive experience for students with experts that boast a wealth of skills in the field being discussed. As well all know, specialists often have busy schedules. As such, teleconferencing is a better option as it can reduce travel time and simplify visits. Using this technology, a major college in a rural area was able to connect chemist specials with students undertaking the course for a detailed workshop.

 Class from Home

Another use of teleconferencing in education is that it allows students attend class from home. Sometimes students may miss classes due to illness or challenges related to living in remote areas. Teleconferencing gives these students a real chance to attend classes from their homes, meaning they won’t fall behind in class. This also works perfect for educators as staff meetings can be done through teleconferencing. This simply means that staff members can cut straight to the live meeting and eliminate the unnecessary travelling and stress. The meeting can also be recorded and passed to staff members who were unable to take part in the live meeting

Benefits of Videoconference-based Learning

 Closely resembles traditional classroom-based education

 permits learners to be active participants in the process

 Faculty and staff needs can be met more quickly through just-in-time training

 More faculty and staff can be trained faster without increasing training resources

 Guest lecturers can be easily integrated into the course

Limitations of Videoconferencing

The absence of QOS (Quality of Service) provides virtually no guarantee of a satisfying and successful experience

 Though the technology is improving, a successful videoconference is dependent upon the connections and technologies at all of the participating sites, AND the network infrastructure

 Security issues