Educational Ideas of Swami Dayanand - Sunil Behari Mohanty

Part II

Education for International Understanding

Swami Dayanand pointed out the role of education for promotion of international understanding. According to him, the Vedas stress internationalism.

Stress on Universal and Compulsory Education

Swami Dayanand put stress on the universalization of education for all children. The teaching of children should start from the age of five or eight. The schooling should continue till the girls are 16 years and the boys 25 years old. Swamiji quoted the saying of Manu that "Both state and society should make it compulsory upon all to send their children (both male and female) to school after the 5th or 8th year. It should be a penal offence to keep a child at home after that age4."

Intellectual Development

According to Swamiji, there are 6 kinds of inferential knowledge. These are: 1. Cause-Effect; 2. Vaisheshika; 3. Samyogi (Concurrent Learning); 4. Samavay (Attributing); 5. Ekartha Samavyayi, and 6. Virodhi (Sweet Bitter).

References

1. SABCL, Vol. 10, p.29.
2. Satyartha Prakash, English translation Light of Truth, by C Bharadwaja, p.40.
3. Dayanand, Swami (1989): Light of Truth, p.20.
4. Ibid., p. 33.
5. Ibid., p.31.
6. Ibid., p.32.

© "Mother India" (February 2003 & March 2003 issues) published by Sri Aurobindo Ashram Trust, Publication Department, Pondicherry 605 002. Website: www.sriaurobindoashram.org. Part I of this article appeared in Splendour, October, 2006 issue. Reprinted with permission.

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