Swami Vivekananda's views on philosophy of education

In this paper, I would analyse about Swami Vivekananda's views on Philosophy of Education. According to Swami Vivekananda, education does not mean the mass of information which is inserted by force into the mind of a child. In his own words, education is the manifestation of perfection already reached man. Indian nationalism and spiritualism were the basic foundations for his philosophy of education and the philosophy of Vedant and Upanishads. He was against the system of contemporary educational system; it turned men into slaves, capable of slavery and nothing else. He emphasized that the aim of education to be life-building, man-making and character-making and also he said that knowledge without culture was only skin-deep. The mind is crammed with facts before it knows how to think. Self-development, fulfilment of Swadharma, freedom of growth and character formation are the aims of education according to him. For him education means the process by which character is formed, strength of mind is increased and intellect is sharpened, as a result of which one can stand on one's own feet. Real education is that which prepares a man for struggle of existence. It prepares man for social service and develops his character. He has emphasized that an education which develops character, mental powers, and intelligence gives self-confidence and self-reliance among the individuals. Swami Vivekananda stressed education for democracy and national development. Education was a powerful instrument to achieve these developmental qualities in the people. He wants to make the individual by giving recognising of his cultural heritage and to struggle throughout his life, so that he emphasised education is the right choice to upcoming of human beings. Vivekananda not only possessed high ideals of education but also he developed a sound system of ideals, how it was achieved.