The Optimistic Scope of the Wardha Scheme
- The concept of building self-reliant educated individuals in Cities and Villages of India was a highly prudent decision.
- It aimed at a classless society. By removing English language barriers and imparting education in the mother tongue, it was heading towards National Integration.
- And the flexibility to incorporate changes anytime in the future for its betterment was commendable, most importantly there was no place for religious education.
- Provided a balance of intellectual and practical experience
- Earning money for self-education would have solved the problem of unemployment, and the disparity between educated and non-educated classes.
Wardha Scheme of Basic Education 1937
The Wardha Scheme of Basic Education was the consequence of Mahatma Gandhi’s realization of India’s non-effective education system. In 1931 Mahatma Gandhi for the first time attended the Second Round Table Conference (RTC) in London, where he highlighted the deterioration of the education system in India and held British education policy responsible, for the severe downfall of education in India. Later, in 1937 Mahatma Gandhi published an article in his weekly Magazine ‘Harijan’ about his viewpoints on the failing education system in India. He also wrote about the schemes that can be followed to expand the education system to every section of society.
During the 1937 elections, the Indian National Congress (INC) candidates had projected free and compulsory education as one of their manifestoes. Post their win, INC decided to take forward Gandhi’s Education scheme, published in ‘Harijan’. Congress decided to officially propose the scheme with some modifications. Therefore, in this regard ‘All India National Educational Conference’ was held at Wardha. Gandhiji was also at the conference and piloted the resolutions taken along with other educationists, Congress leaders, and Ministers.
In this Wardha Education Conference held on October 22 and 23, 1937, the following three basic resolutions were passed:
- Nationwide Free and Compulsory Education for 7 years
- Mother Tongue will be the Medium of Instruction
- Education will be centered around manual or productive work, not just for Degree and examination. Hence it integrated the Physical Environment, Social Environment, and Craft Work.
Based upon this meeting at Wardha, a committee under the chairmanship of Dr. Zakir Hussain was formed. The Committee submitted the first extensive National Basic Education Scheme in its report in March 1938, which is known as the Wardha Scheme of Basic Education. It is also called as Nai Talim/Basic Education/Buniyadi Talim (Shiksha)/ Buniyadi Shiksha.
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