Rabindranath Tagore’s philosophy on education and his literary genius established a learning atmosphere that was far ahead of its time. Tagore started writing poetry at the tender age of 8 years. By the time he was 16, he had released his first collection of poems. As a prolific writer, his literary works span a range of subjects from education to philosophy and psychology.
Views on Education
In Tagore’s perspective, the school system was nothing short of prison as students were expected to only concentrate on what the teacher told them to. His mind often wandered in class. Eventually, his philosophy on education was strongly influenced by his own school days. As a poet and philosopher, he believed that the purpose of education is self-realization: it is to reach the universal soul, which constitutes everything spiritually. Consequentially, he emphasized Self-Education, which is learning directed by the person’s own interest. Self-education revolved around three principles:
- Independence
Independence is the complete freedom for the intellect and heart to pursue the object of interest or worship. Central to the principle of independence is the cultivation of harmony, equanimity and balance. To Tagore, being independent meant to be natural- when the feelings, intelligence and determination flow naturally, it can be said that the person is independent.
2. Perfection
Perfection refers to the development of every aspect of the personality of an individual, and the development of all his abilities and talents endowed by nature. This facilitates the development of the full personality as there are no aspects of it that are neglected.
3. Universality
The individual’s development remains incomplete until he is able to ascend to the universal soul. Tagore believed that every person has the capacity to become a superhuman being, the idea of which is similar to what is shared by the Gita and Upanishad philosophy.
His Idea on Education: Shantiniketan
Rabindranath Tagore’s ideas on the schooling system and the need for its reform are just as relevant today as it was a hundred years ago. He recognized that colonial schooling was nothing but worker-producing factories that created individuals who were meant to fit as cogs that run the system’s wheels. Instead of teaching bare facts, his approach was to make learning experiential with the active involvement of the students. In 1901 he established a one-of-a-kind school in Shantiniketan called Brahmacharya Ashram. The classrooms were open and under the trees, where students would be closer to nature and free to allow their minds to wander.
Shantiniketan’s education model was unique at its time when the European education systems dominated. Instead of sitting in closed classrooms gaining exam-oriented knowledge, students at Shantiniketan learn more than just facts. The emphasis was on higher principles such as the brotherhood of all beings on land and the fatherhood of God.
Today the same school is known as Viswa-Bharti University. While it has adapted to the changing trends, the core principle of freedom remains the same as Tagore had envisioned.
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