Swami Vivekananda's philosophy of education emphasized developing students' character and spiritual qualities alongside academic learning. He believed education should prepare students for life's struggles by developing courage, service to others, and self-reliance. Real education manifests the perfection innate in each person. It should develop students physically, mentally, and spiritually through nature, spiritual teachings, and both Eastern and Western subjects tailored to each student's needs.

1. SWAMI VIVEKANAND :
PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION
Presented By:
Arvind Kumar Bhardwaj

2. 26 JAN 2013

3. Life sketch….
• Born: January 12, 1863 in Calcutta
on Makara Sankaranti Day. His name
at birth was Narendranath.
• Father: Sri Visvanath Datta, a very
successful and distinguished lawyer.
• Mother: Bhuvanesvari, a very pious
lady. Prayer of the Lord was a way of
life.

4. Childhood and Early Youth…
• He was well read and had a remarkable power of understanding and retention.
• He completed Bachelor Arts degree from Scottish Church College, Calcutta in
1884. He was a great thinker and often challenged existing customs and rituals.
• He extensively studied different religious and philosophical systems of East and
West.
• However, no one could satisfy his curiosity and he developed a feeling that the
whole talk of God was a myth.

5. Transformation…
• Narendranath spent about 5 years as a
disciple of Sri Ramakrishna and learnt
everything concerning Spirituality based
on Advaita philosophy.
• Sri Ramakrishna passed on all his
spiritual power to Narendranath before
going into samadhi.
• Narendranath takes charge of
Ramakrishna mission at the age of 23,
comes to be known as Swami
Vivekananda.

6. Philosophy of Life….
“To become
fearless and
through struggle,
serve humanity”

8. Meaning of Education…..
“Education is the
manifestation of
perfection already
reached in man.”

9. Teachings…
• Swami Vivekananda firmly believed in the
equality of mankind and preached
extensively to remove biases and
exploitation based on caste, creed, race
and gender.
• Swamiji is widely regarded as the India’s
foremost nation builders.
• Many other subsequent national leaders
including Aurobindo Gandhiji, and Nehru
were influenced by his teachings on
spirituality and service to the fellow beings.

10. Philosophy of education….
“You regard that man to be educated who obtains some
degrees, has passed out of some examinations, is able to
deliver fluent lectures. But this is not real education.
Real education is that which prepares a man for struggle
of existence. It prepares a man for social service, develops
his character and finally imbues him with the spirit and
courage of a lion. Any other education is worse than
useless.”
“You have to be practical in all spheres of work. The whole
country, has been ruined by mass theories.”
Contd….

11. Contd….
He emphasizes on spiritual development of child along with
material advancement.
Swamiji’s philosophy of education
Naturalism Idealism Pragmatism
The real education is Spiritual and moral Great emphasis on the western
possible only through development of child, the education of technology,
nature and natural essence of which is already commerce, industry and science
propensities. present in him. to achieve material prosperity.
Harmonious synthesis of the ancient
Indian ideals and Modern Western beliefs.

12. Basic principles of
Educational Philosophy…..
•Only study of books is not education.
•Knowledge lies hidden in the mind of man. He uncovers and develops it by his own
efforts.
•Concentration is the key to all knowledge. For this, practice of Brahamcharya is very
essential.
•Purity of thought, speech and deed is self- discipline.
•Education should develop the child physically, mentally and spiritually.
Contd….

13. Contd….
Basic principles of
Educational Philosophy…..
•Education should develop character, mental power, intelligence and inculcate self –
confidence with self reliance.
•Religious education should be imparted through sweet impressions and fine conduct
in preference to books.
•Boys and girls should receive the same education.
•Mass education.
•Technical education (industrial growth and economic prosperity of the nation).

14. Aims of education….
•Reaching perfection in life. (manifestation of internal to external).
•Physical and mental development.
•Moral and spiritual development.
•Character development.
•Developing faith in one’s Own-self, Shraddha and a spirit of Renunciation.
•Unity in Diversity.
•Religious development

15. He supports Child centered education…
Teacher is a philosopher, friend and guide. He
should sympathetically bring out the latent
knowledge in a child by inspiration.
Child is the store and repository of all All those subjects should be included in the
learning- material and spiritual. Like a plant a curriculum which promote the material and
child grow by his own inner power naturally. spiritual advancement of a child.

16. Curriculum: three parts….
For spiritual perfection: Swamiji prescribed
Religion, Philosophy, Puranic lore, Upanishads,
company of saints and their preaching.
For material advancement and prosperity:
He recommended languages, geography,
science, political science, economics,
psychology, art, agriculture and technical
subjects.
For physical development: He advised games,
sports and other physical exercises.

17. Methods of teaching…..
Swamiji prescribed the same ancient spiritual method of teaching wherein
the guru and his disciples lived in a close association as in a family. Characteristics of
this method are:
a) To control fleeting mental faculties by the practice of yoga.
b) To develop the mind by concentration and deep meditation.
c) To gain knowledge through lectures, discussions, self-experience and creative
activities.
d) To imitate the qualities and character of teacher by intelligent and clear
understanding.
e) To lead the child on the right path by means of individual guidance by the teacher.

18. Education of Masses…..
“I consider that the great national sin is the
neglect of the masses, and that is one of the
cause of our downfall. No amount of politics
would be of any avail until the masses of
India are once more well-educated, well-fed
and well-cared for.”
---Swami Vivekananda

19. Man
Making
Education….

20. Harmonious synthesis of the ancient Indian ideals and Modern Western beliefs.
Swamiji lays great stress on international brotherhood as well as Nationalism.
Self Education
•Man is caught in the net of his own karmas from which he alone can get out.
•Manifestation of Real nature which is the Effulgent, the Resplendent, the Ever pure.
•This is possible only in the case of a teacher who has risen high.

21. Essence of Man
making education….
Love
•The only motive in imparting education should be love for the educand, for the man in
him.
•The spiritual force works through love.
•Love makes the educator to take the educand from untruth to truth, darkness to light
and death to immorality.
•The teacher should teach the educand to concentrate his attention, only then can the
problems be solved. The greater the attention, the more is the effort effective.

22. Three means of Man
making education….
Concentration Discussion Contemplation
It is the key of true knowledge. It should be carried out in It should be practiced in a
an informal atmosphere. calm and quiet atmosphere
It makes a person great scholar. with the mind fully alive.
For some educands it is easy while for
some persons it is difficult so teacher
must help each educand separately.
Brahmacharya or abstinence is the first
means of achieving concentration. It
transforms sex derive into a spiritual
force.

23. Science and Vedanta
•Acc. to him what is really needed in India is a harmony between Western Science
and Indian Vedanta.
•He realized that the curriculum must be able to achieve the development of every
aspect of the child’s personality.
Training in art
•The ideal of utility should be substituted by the ideal of duty through the teaching
of art.

24. Medium of Instruction
•Mother tongue
•Regional languages
•There should be a common language which is necessary to keep country united.
•Samskrit: it is the source of all Indian languages and a repository of all inherited
knowledge.
Physical Education
•“You will be nearer to Heaven through football than through the study of Gita.”
•Self realization and character building is impossible in the absence of good health.
•That is why he put so much stress on physical education particularly for young men
and women.

25. Moral & Religious Education
•Religion is the inner most core of the education.
•Religion should not be the whole of curriculum but only a part of it.
•It is only by a synthesis of religious and science that man may reap the advantage of
both.

26. “We have to give them secular education. We have to follow the plan laid down by
our ancestors, that is, to bring all the ideals slowly down among the masses.
Raise them slowly up, raise them to equality. Impart secular knowledge through
religion.”
“Self confidence is the real religion”.
“Truth is power and untruth is weakness”.
“We have to speak less and work more, achieve power first than anything else”.
“Each soul is potentially divine. The goal is to manifest this Divinity within by
controlling nature, external and internal”.
..... Swamiji

27. Purity, Patience and Perseverance are the
three essentials to success and above all- Love.