EDUCATION AND CULTURE

INTRODUCTION

            Culture is the behavior pattern of the individual or group. Education is the process by which an individual modifies his behavior. So there is an intimate relationship between culture and education.

EDUCATION

            Education is a process which draws out the best in man with the aim of producing a well-balanced personality – culturally refined, emotionally stable, ethically sound, logically correct, mentally alert, intellectually competent, technically advanced, morally upright, physically strong, socially efficient, spiritually mature, vocationally self-sufficient and internationally liberal. The word education has a very wide connotation and it is very difficult to give a precise definition of it. Man is an individual born with certain innate potentialities, talents, and inherent powers. Education provides opportunities to develop these inborn potentialities.

DEFINITIONS OF EDUCATION

·         “Education is a natural, progressive and harmonious development of all the faculties of the individual- head, heart and hand.”- Pestalozzi

·         “By education I mean, an all-round drawing out of the best in child and man- body, mind and spirit.”- Gandhiji

·         “Education is the development of all those capacities in the individual which will enable him to control his environment and fulfill his responsibilities.”- John Dewey

·         “Education is the manifestation of the divine perfection already existing in man.”- Swami Vivekananda

·         “Education is the training of the intellect, refinement of the heart and discipline of the spirit.”- Dr. Radhakrishnan

CULTURE

            Culture is a way of life that is learned and shared by human beings and is by one generation to the next. The learner’s ways of life, which are modified and passed on from one generation to the next, are called culture. In the ordinary sense, the term culture is used to refer to tastes in arts, literature, music and other finer aspects of life. But in sociological context the term consists of all shared products of human society, which are of two basic kinds, material and non-material. Material culture consists of all the artifacts of physical objects created by human beings- wheels, clothing, schools, factories, cities, books etc. Non-material culture consists of more abstract creations- languages, ideas, beliefs, rules, customs, myths, skills etc.

DEFINITIONS OF CULTURE

·         “Culture is that complex whole which includes knowledge, beliefs, arts, morals, laws, customs and other capabilities and habits acquired by man as a member of the society.”- E.B Taylor

·         “Culture is the handwork of man and the medium through which he achieves his ends.”- Malinowski

·         “Culture is the super organic environment as distinguished from the world of organic or physical, the world of plants and animals.”- Spencer

·         “Culture is an organized body of conventional understanding manifest in art and artifact, which persisting through tradition, characterizes a human group.”- Redfield

·         “The culture of a people may be defined as the sum total of the material and intellectual equipment where by they satisfy their biological and social needs and adapt themselves to the environment.”-  Ralph Piddington

CULTURAL AIMS OF EDUCATION

            Culture means something cultivated, as a result of long experience of the race. The culture of a people includes their knowledge, beliefs, art, law, mode of communication etc. the main of education is to preserve, transmit, and transform these qualities and make man cultured and civilized. One essential and binding feature of human relationship is to be a man of culture. If education produces such man it has done its job nicely. Gandhiji attached far more importance to the cultural aspects of education than to the literacy, and said, “Culture is the foundation, the primary thing… It should show itself in the smallest detail of your conduct and personal behavior, how you sit, how you walk, how you dress, and etc. Inner culture must be reflected in your speech, the way in which you treat visitors and guests, and behave towards your teachers and elders.”

EDUCATION AND CULTURE

            Culture expresses itself through folkways, morals, customs, laws, religion, institutions, myths and legends. Real education consists not only the understanding of these elements of culture but in modifying them on the basis of the ideals and values accepted by the society. Culture is not inborn in individuals. It is formed as a result of interaction with other individuals. The preservation, transmission, transformation of culture are made possible only through education.

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN EDUCATION AND CULTURE

            Culture and Education are mutually interdependent and each responds to the changes in the other. It is the function of education not merely to preserve and transmit the best of the past, it must demonstrate its function in the present as well as its possibilities for the future and ultimately it must seed to provide a total view of society and its purposes.

a)      Preservation of culture: culture is an important aspect of the heritage of any nation. It reflects the level of civilization attained by the society. Education preserves the historical monuments, arts, morals, tradition, the value system, customs, beliefs etc.

b)     Transmission of culture: Through education the culture of a country is transmitted from one generation to the other. The society transmits its experiences, desires, hopes and aspirations through the process of education. Schools and educational institutions are the agencies to preserve and transmit the traditions, programmes and activities of the society.

c)      Transformation of the culture: Any living being undergoes changes, so does the culture. Every generation adds something of its own to the existing culture before it is transmitted to the next generation. It is the function of education to make children adjust themselves to the contemporary culture and familiarize them with the past.

CONCLUSION

            Culture and education are mutually interdependent and each responds to the changes in other. The preservation, transmission and transformation of the culture are made possible only through education.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

§  Bhushan Vidya, Sachdeva D.R. (2004), An introduction to Sociology, Kitab Mahal Agencies, Allahabad.

§  Haralambos M., Heald R.M. (2000), Sociology: Themes and Perspective, Oxford University Press, New Delhi.

§  Thankachan T.C. (2012), Philosophical and Sociological Bases of education, V Publishers, Kottayam.

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