A P J Abdul Kalam's Philosophy on Education

KALAM’S CONCEPT OF EDUCATION

According to Dr. A.P.J Abdul Kalam, the education system has a tremendous responsibility to transform a child is to a leader- the transformation from ‘what can you do for me’ to ‘what can I do for you?’ The most important part of education is inculcating in the students the spirit of ‘we can do it’. Education is an endless journey- through knowledge and enlightenment. Real education enhances the dignity of a human being and increases his- or her self- respect and universal brotherhood in its true sense becomes the sheet anchor for such education.
The following are the burning problems of education in most of the countries of the world.

1. To correlate education with the problems of life.
2. To democratize education.
3. To cope with the problems arising out of the modern scientific and technical advancement
4. To make education adequately efficient.

Dr. A.P.J Abdul Kalam often says that education is drawing out and developing creativity inherent in students. Education, according to Dr. Kalam, is a fundamental right of every Indian child. Dr. Kalam believes that education is the most important area of service sector as it provides the required knowledge and skill to do any work.

DR.KALAM’S PERSPECTIVE AIMS ON EDUCATION

“Mission of Education”, according to Dr. Kalam, “is the foundation to ensure the creation of enlightened-citizens who will make a prosperous, happy and strong nation”. To quote him, “When learning is purposeful creativity blossoms, when creativity blossoms Thinking emanates. When Thinking emanates, Knowledge is fully lit. When knowledge is lit, Economy flourishes.”
According to Dr. Kalam education system should retain the smiles of children. This can happen if the education system is made creative throughout and full employment is provided to all.
Dr. Kalam lists the main aims of education are as follows:-

1. To build character and to cultivate human values in students.
2. To inject creativity and to develop scientific attitude with spiritual foundation
3. To enhance learning capacity through technology
4. To build confidence among children to face to future
5. To ensure the creation of enlightened citizens took make the nation prosperous happy and strong
6. To develop capacity for research and enquiry among students.
7. To unfold innovating powers and entrepreneurship
8. To develop moral leadership
9. To make the country energy independent
10. To develop the sense of dignity, self-respect and self-reliance among students

THE EDUCATION THOUGHTS OF DR.A.P.J ABDUL KALAM

Education is an endless journey through knowledge and enlightenment. Focus of the education and schools must provide mission oriented learning with value system.
Childhood is the foundation stone upon which stands the whole life structure as the seeds sown in childhood blossom in to the tree of life. Education which is imparted in childhood at the every stage of development of minds is more important than the education received in college and university.
Education nurtures the child’s curiosity about the environment and integrates the thinking process with the skills of hand limb and body. Twelve years of value based education in the school campus are essential to establish an open and transparent society. Emphasis should be on exploration, innovativeness and creativity through activities. At the secondary stage, emphasis should be on experiments, problem solving and team work. All levels of education should ensure the convergence of bio-info-nano-eco education.

AN EDUCATION MODEL FOR THE 21ST CENTURY

A good educational model is the need of the hour to ensure that students grow to contribute towards the economic growth of the nation.
The entire education system has to be based on capacity building comprising five components:
1. research and enquiry,
2. creativity and innovation,
3. capacity to use high-end technology,
4. entrepreneurship
5. moral leadership.

A. RESEARCH AND ENQUIRY:
The 21st century is about the management of all the knowledge and information we have generated and the value addition that we can bring to it. We must give our students the skills with which they can find a way through the sea of knowledge that we have created and continue with lifelong learning. Today, we have the ability, through technology, to really and truly teach ourselves to become lifelong learners which is an important skill required for sustained economic development.

B. CREATIVITY AND INNOVATION:
The amount of information that we have around us is overwhelming. When information is networked the power and utility of the information grows as squared as predicted by Metcalfe's law. The management of knowledge in the 21st century is beyond the capacity of a single individual and must move out of the realm of an individual and shift into that of networked groups. Students must learn how to manage knowledge collectively.

C. CAPACITY TO USE HIGH-END TECHNOLOGY:
All students should learn how to use the latest technologies for aiding their learning process. Universities should equip themselves with adequate computing equipment, laboratory equipment, and internet facilities and provide an environment for the students to enhance their learning ability. In the midst of all the technological innovations and revolutions the teacher will become even more important and the whole world of education will become teacher assisted as technology would help in tele-porting the best teacher to every nook and corner of the country to propagate knowledge.

D. ENTREPRENEURSHIP:
The aptitude for entrepreneurship should be cultivated right from the beginning and continue all the way up to the university level. We must teach our students to take calculated risks for the sake of larger gain but within the ethos of good business. They should also cultivate a disposition to do things right. This capacity will enable them to take up challenging tasks later in life.

E. MORAL LEADERSHIP:
Moral leadership involves two aspects. First, it requires the ability to have compelling and powerful dreams or visions of human betterment. Second, it requires a disposition to do the right things and influence others also to do the right things.

KALAM’S DREAM AND VISION

A nation where agriculture, industry and service sector work together in symphony and education with value system is not denied to any meritorious candidates because of societal or economic discrimination. A nation which is the best destination for the most talented scholars, scientists, and investors and where the best of health care is available to all. A nation where the governance is responsive, transparent and corruption free and where poverty has been totally eradicated, illiteracy removed and crimes against women and children are absent and none in the society feels alienated. A nation that is prosperous, healthy, secure, devoid of terrorism, peaceful and happy and continues with a sustainable growth path and one of the best places to live in and is poured of its leadership is the nation I see in 2020.”

CONCLUSION

Abdul Kalam, perhaps is the only president- who has a lot of love for children and feels that the future of India lives in them. Today’s young students want the education system to feed and challenge their innovative and creative minds. Educational institutions have to year up to evolve a curriculum that is sensitive to the social and technological needs of a Developed India.
Ultimately, education in its real sense is the pursuit of truth. It is an endless journey through knowledge and enlightenment. Such a journey opens up new vistas of development of humanism where there is neither scope nor room for pettiness, disharmony, jealousy, hatred or enmity. It transforms a human being into a whole-some-whole, a noble soul and an asset to the universe. Real education enhances the dignity of human being and increases his or her self respect.
If only the real sense of education could be realized by each individual and carried forward in every field of human activity the world will be so much a better place to live in. The relevance of dr. A.P.J Abdul Kalam’s educational thoughts in the present school system was identified through administering the opinionative to the expert teacher educators and school teachers.