Importance of Education

Value education is ingrained in every tradition of lndia culture.Yet it is a matter of great regret that gradually we are lasing our values with the result that we tend to become cornet and hypocrite. This trend must be checked urgently. Perhaps a major responsibility for the corrective action lies on our leaders in different walks of life. Nevertheless educational institutions can also play a significant role in die promotion of values.   The ultimate good of human society is the good of all. The idea has been beautifully expressed in one of our ancient prayers "Let all be happy free from diseases, let men sec well of one-another, let there be no sorrow or unhappiness in this world". Value education is rooted in Indian philosophy and culture.   The Vedas and Upanishads which are the source of inspiration are full of value education. Value education is important at every point of life. In the Vedic period when a Shishya completed his education in Aashram at the feet of his Gum, he was exhorted by his Guru to follow certain values throughout his life, like   "Speak truth; fulfil your duties, never lax in self- study". The central task of value based education is to develop men of goodwill who do not cheat, or steal, or kill; universal individuals who value as one both self and mankind.   R.W. Emerson has described the men of value as:   Not gold, but only men can make A people great and strong men Who far truth and honor's sake Steadfast and suffer long Brave men, who work while others sleep Who dare while others fly They build a nation's pillars deep And lift them to the sky.   Meaning of Term Value   Value means primarily to prize, to esteem, to appraise, to estimate, it means the act of cherishing something, holding it dear and also the act of passing judgment upon the nature and amounts of values as compared with something else. A value stands for ideas men live for. They are the part and parcel of the philosophy of a nation and that of its educational system. They are...