Explain the Individual, Social and Democratic Aims of Education and provide your arguments in favour of the above Aims of Education.

1) Individual Aim of Education

According to individualist thinkers, an individual is greater than the society. Individual aim, therefore, emphasizes the development of individual to his/her fullest capacities. T.P. Nunn, the ardent supporter of this aim emphasized ‘nothing good enters into the human world except in and through the free activities of individual men and women and that the educational practice must be shaped to accord with this truth’. (Quoted in Saxena and Dutt, 2009).

The above statement emphasizes that education should develop individuals according to their interests, capacities and specialties. Naturalists advocate that essential aim of education is the independent progress of an individual. The educationists like Rousseau, Pestalogy, Frobel, T.P. Nuun, and others have given emphasis on individual aim of education. Individual aim of education has both narrow and wider meanings

 

Arguments in favour of Individual Aim of Education :

The following arguments favour the individual aim of education: -

• Ø  Each individual has distinct interest, abilities, and psychological traits. Therefore, according to their abilities and traits, facilities and opportunities should be provided for their fullest development. This concept is supported by the psychologists.
• Ø  The scientists supported the individual aim of education as every individual grows and develops according to his/her developmental pace. The biological development of individual is quite natural but it needs to be supported by providing to the individual.
• Ø  As per the progressivists, the individuals create society to preserve and transmit their culture to the future generation so that social progress goes on continuously. It clarifies that the development of the individual leads to the development of the society. Therefore, development of the individual is essential for the development of a society.

• Ø  The eminent educationists like T.P. Nuun, Rousseau, Frobel and Pestalozzi support the individual aim of education. Nuun emphatically remarks, ‘Individuality is the ideal of life. A scheme of education is to be valued by its success in fostering the highest degree of excellence’.
• Ø  Keeping in view the rights of individuals for their own development as good citizens, the advocates of democracy have also supported the concept of individual aim of education. According to them, good citizenship develops from good human beings. Hence, the aim of education should be the development of unique abilities of the individual. Therefore, individual aim of education is important for the development of the individuals themselves.

Social Aim of Education

Many educationists give more importance to social aim of education than individual aim of education. As individual is a part of the society, the development of society will bring in development of individual. The view of well-known educationist, Raymont, i.e. ‘An isolated individual is a figment of imagination’ very well explains the social aim of education.

 

Arguments in favour of Social Aim of Education:

The following arguments are given in favour of the social aim of education.

• Ø  An individual exists within the society. The identity of an individual is known from the society where he/she lives. Therefore, society should be given more importance than individual.
• Ø  Human child is born with animal tendencies and instincts. It is the society that makes the individual a social being. It is therefore, society which gets more value than individual.
• Ø  An individual is nurtured by the society to realize his/her potentialities. Hence the individual should work for the betterment of the society.
• Ø  Development, preservation, and transmission of culture are three major concerns of the society. Therefore, every individual should work for these three major concerns of the society.
• Ø  It is the society that protects the rights and fulfills needs of the individual. Hence, it is the responsibility of the individual to safeguard its society and his/ her culture.
• Ø  In the words of Raymont, ‘An isolated individual is a figment of imagination’. Hence, individuals must make society stable and well organized (Quoted in Saxena and Dutt, 2009).
• Ø  There is a saying that ‘United we stand and divided we fall’. It reflects the benefits of group living. So, every individual should work and live in the society with common social values.

 

Democratic Aim of Education

Quoting on democracy, the University Education Commission (1948-49), has mentioned, ‘Democracy is a way of life and not a mere political arrangement. It is based on the principle of equal freedom and equal rights for all regardless of race, religion, sex or economic status’. This principle guides the framing of the aim of education of a democratic country. In a democratic country, there needs to be equilibrium between the individual need and the social need.

Democratic aims of education involve democratic values such as freedom, equality, fraternity, justice, etc. which are practiced by the citizens of the country for the social and national development. Let us understand some of the aspects/elements of democratic aims of education.

 

• Ø  Equal educational opportunities should be provided to all members of the society.
• Ø  Compulsory or universal education should be provided to children up to a particular standard. For example, in India, Right of Children for Free and Compulsory Education Act 2009, popularly known as Right to Education Act 2009, has been implemented from 1st April 2010, onwards to provide free and compulsory education to all the children within the age group of 6- 14 years (Class-I to Class-VIII). It is the responsibility of every democratic country to provide free and compulsory education to its citizens till a particular level.
• Ø  There should be provision of Adult Education for achieving democratic aim of education. By implementing Adult Education programmes, skills and efficiency of adult illiterate learners are enhanced so that they contribute to the development of the country. Therefore, night school, skill based shortterm courses, and other job trainings can be provided.
• Ø  Democratic aim of education promotes institutional autonomy. It means that the institutions of education should have the autonomy to develop their own curriculum, and launch academic programme

• Ø  Democratic aim of education emphasizes personality development and professional development of teachers. Therefore, orientation, refreshers, and theme based training programmes for teachers need to be organized by education system.
• Ø  Achieving all round development of the students is another democratic aim of education. It includes development of all aspects of students i.e. physical, mental, emotional, social, and spiritual.
• Ø  Developing national and international outlook is also a democratic aim of education. The purpose of this aim of education is to make the citizens practise the values of democracy, love their nation and also to have feeling of universal brotherhood and international understanding.
• Ø  Democratic aim of education also emphasizes on a dynamic and diversified curriculum, achieving social aims, fulfilling local and vocational needs and provision for leisure hour activities.
• Ø  Democratic aim of education focuses on implementation of varieties of teaching methods and activities so that students with diverse abilities can easily participate and take the benefits of teaching-learning activities.
• Ø  Democratic aim of education gives stress on self-discipline of the learners instead of imposing it on them. Democratic discipline does not believe in repression or compulsion rather than self-discipline.
• Ø  As per the democratic aim of education, teacher is considered as a friend, a philosopher and a guide. A teacher performs like a good supporter of students and facilitates them in their career paths.
• Ø  Democratic aim of education emphasizes the school administration should develop children into capable and responsible citizens and train them as future leaders.

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