Introduction
Education is an
art of living, closely associated with human life. In the words of Aristotle,
"Every art does something good. Education is an art. It is to be seen what
good is done by education to man and society". Education is a very
comprehensive term having different meanings and multiple aims. In fact, man
always develops new ideas, tries them out and rejects or modifies them in the
light of experience and knowledge. As a result, no aim can be final and it is
changed by the influence of time, conditions and needs of the individual and
the society. Hegel declares, "There is no philosophy but only
philosophies". It is a universally accepted fact that every educational
aim is an expression of a philosophy of life. We have a number of aims in
education due to the complexity of human character.
Meaning of Aim
All activities
in the universe can be classified under aimed and aimless. Education is said to
be a living activity and a social necessity. So, it must have some aim to make
its activity, effective. What is the aim or the goal or the objective of this
activity? It is sure that this kind of question will arise in the minds of the
literate and the illiterate or even sometimes in an expert in the field of
education. Hence, it has to be answered clearly and precisely, particularly
when everyone is confused about education. Generally, aim is a predetermined
goal which inspires the wilful activities of an individual till it is achieved.
John Dewey defines "An aim implies an orderly activity, in which the order
consists of the progressive completion of a process". He believes that a
systematic activity is always directed to some goals which influence each step
taken in the desired direction for achieving some end. The word orderly denotes
the systematic nature of the activity. The word ordered refers to the direction
implied in the activity. Thus, aim is that which gives a sense of order and
direction to "an activity". In the words of John Dewey, "Aim is
a foreseen end which gives direction to a certain activity or motivates human
behaviour". In short, we can say that aim is the steering wheel by which
the vehicle called ‘education’ can be directed in a possible
and a desirable way.
Importance of Aim in Education
Education is a
purposeful and planned activity. Therefore, its various aims have been
emphasised by scholars, philosophers, educators, psychologists and sociologists
in all ages. To have an aim is to act with meaning, unlike an automatic
machine. The importance of educational aims lies in the fact that they give
foresight to the educational planners. In fact, there can be no educational
activity without an aim. Educational practices at all times have been
determined by the accepted educational aims. Professor B.D.Bhatia says,
"Without the knowledge of aims, that educator is like a sailor who does
not know his goal or his destination and the child is like a rudderless vessel
which will be drifted along somewhere ashore". The aims of education have
changed in the present age, as they function as a light for the blind, a stick
for the crippled and literacy for the illiterate. The importance of aims in
education has also been emphasised in the encyclopedia of modern education.
According to it "Education is a purposeful and ethical activity. Hence, it
is unthinkable without aim". Therefore, we observe that the aim of
education is like the blood of man without which it becomes a dead process that
yields nothing.
Need for Aim
Education is
related to human life; It is life itself. Hence, it should grow and for that it
should have certain aims in itself. In fact, it needs aim in the same way as a
plant needs sunlight, water, air and fertilizer, and man needs water, air,
food, dress and shelter.
(a) Aims provide direction to our efforts
(b) Aims provide action to the teachers
(c) Aims assess outcomes of educational process
(d) Aims allow us to act intelligently
(e) Aims make school administration efficient
(f) Aims change human life in the technological age
(g) Aims help to evaluate school organization
(h) Aims impart guidance to the teachers
(i) Aims promote national integration and international understanding
(j) Aims increase national development
(k) Aims help us to apply the right method of teaching
(l) Aims modify environments
(m) Aims prepare the child for life
(n) Aims develop democracy
(o) Aims preserve our culture
(a) Aims provide direction to our efforts
John Dewey says,
"An aim is a foreseen end that gives direction to an activity or motivates
behaviour". Our efforts can be directed properly only if we have
information about aims. The aim of education provides light for the teacher and
the students to direct their efforts in the proper direction.
(b) Aims provide action to the teachers
The aims of
education activate the teachers to work shoulder-to-shoulder with one another,
and make it a joint enterprise. The whole educational planning in the school
will be reduced to a muddle in the absence of consensus with regard to aims of
education.
(c) Aims assess outcomes of educational process
Aims of
education help us to look back and review the results of educational
activities. Such assessment of the educational system can be done after fixing
the aims of education. An aim is the tool with which one can measure the
success or failure of work done in the school and the achievements of the young
scholars.
(d) Aims allow us to act intelligently
Aims of
education allow us to act intelligently and with a meaning in anything that we
do. Thus, aims enable us to know what we are doing and why we are doing. In
fact, aims save us from waste of time and energy, and help us to be wise.
(e) Aims make school administration efficient Educational aims help the school officials in organizing, equipping and administering the school efficiently. They also help in various aspects of school management such as proper selection of teachers, curriculum planning, well-equipped library and desirable planning of co-curricular activities.
(f) Aims change human life in the technological age
In the
scientific and technological age, human life has become very complex and it
faces many problems. As a result of technological development, urbanisation and
industrialisation, we come across social, economic, political, moral, cultural,
educational and religious changes. These changes cannot be faced by us unless
we are trained to adjust with them. Therefore, aims of education should be
changed according to the changing needs of the modern society.
(g) Aims help to evaluate school organization
We need aims in
education to evaluate the school organization. In fact, educational aims
provide answers to the questions such as, is the curriculum proper? Has the
selection of teachers been done on the basis of experience and ability? Whether
the school has proper infrastructure like buildings, laboratories, playgrounds,
libraries and other facilities? The evaluation of the whole educational system
can be done with the help of aims of education.
(h) Aims impart guidance to the teachers
Educational aims
guide the teachers in the teaching-learning process. They exalt the status of
the teachers in the society as social engineers and nation builders. Aims help
them to create an atmosphere in the school in which students are encouraged to
take part in various activities so that they can develop their social
efficiency.
(i) Aims promote national integration and international understanding
The development
of national and emotional integration and international understanding will be
impossible if education is without aims. International understanding and
national integration are inculcated in the children only when they possess the
knowledge of the aims of education. Through these aims, they are mentally
prepared for international understanding and national integration.
(j) Aims increase national development
The development
of a nation depends on education. Therefore, national development should be one
of the objectives of education. The educational system of a country can be
successful only if it caters to the needs of national development. As a result,
we find every system of education aiming at national development. For example,
when the aim of education is increasing agricultural production and vocational
efficiency, it will become the aims of national development.
(k) Aims help us to apply the right method of teaching
Different
methods are being applied for imparting education to the child. But the most
suitable method is chosen only with the help of educational aims. In fact, the
aims of education help us to select a method of teaching not only according to
the nature of subjects but also bearing in mind the age, interests and aptitude
of the pupils. Without aims, teaching-learning will not be effective and
fruitful.
(l) Aims modify environments
We need aims in
education because it is powerful in bringing about desirable changes in society
through modifying the human behaviour. As education is closely associated with
human beings, any change in human life takes place as a consequence of change
in aims of education. Thus, aims of education change in accordance with time,
place and circumstances and they prepare the people to be fit in the changing
environments.
(m) Aims prepare the child for life
The aims of
education prepare the child for adult life and make him stand on his own feet.
Today's education aims at fostering vocational and social efficiency in the
child. Vocational efficiency and social efficiency are the main aims of
education through which the individuals can have a meaningful and useful life
in the earth.
(n) Aims develop democracy
We live in a
democratic country. Hence, democratic feelings should be developed and
strengthened in the younger generation. It is possible only through the aims of
education. The educational aims foster fellow feeling, cooperation,
brotherhood, tolerance, love and sympathy, which are the basic foundations of
democracy. The aims of education direct the school to undertake various group
activities and programmes, which provide an atmosphere in which teachers,
parents, pupils, educationists and the public share their joint
responsibilities.
(o) Aims preserve our culture
Aims of education help to preserve, promote and transmit our culture and civilization, which are the values in human life. If we find no such aims in education, our culture will be destroyed and there will be no progress in society. Thus, educational aims are essentially needed to propagate and promote our ancient culture so that national feelings can be protected and strengthened.