Contents: Preface. 1. Mahatma Gandhi: life and work. 2. Mahatma Gandhi’s philosophy: an overview. 3. Mahatma Gandhi’s beliefs and values. 4. What ‘education’ means to Mahatma Gandhi. 5. Gandhi’s educational field experiments. 6. Basic education (Wardha Scheme): a critique. 7. Mahatma Gandhi and adult education. 8. Mahatma Gandhi and religious education. 9. Mahatma Gandhi and value education. 10. Gandhi and sex education. 11. Mahatma Gandhi for true national education. Appendices: 1. Views on Gandhi’s educational thought. 2. Views of Mahatma Gandhi on students and teachers in his own words. 3. Aims of education in his own words. Bibliography.
"In Gandhian system of education teacher has to play the key role. Teacher should act as facilitator, as guide keeping in view child’s interest, attitude and aptitude. The education, being bookish and theoretical, becomes burdensome. Gandhi wanted to make more lively, joyful and useful for the individual and the society at large. In the system of Rousseau there is no place for a teacher; but in the Gandhian system the teacher has a responsible role.
In education his naturalism was based on the child centred psychology. He is in favour of education for good conduct and good manners in the rural environment. He is of the opinion that it is the duty of the schools to develop the sense of inherent equality and for this purpose the school should provide opportunities and exposures by organizing various kinds of co-curricular activities.
This book presents Gandhian educational thought in pros and cons. Certainly, this book will help the readers to systematize their ideas about Gandhi’s educational thought and provide them the glimpses of the original ideas and thinking about various aspects of education, which are definitely products of his creative genius." (jacket)