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Political education may be defined as the preparation of a citizen to take well informed, responsible and sustained action for participation in the national struggle For the realization of the socio-economic objectives’ of the country.
The overriding Socio-economic objectives in India are the abolition of poverty and the creation of a Modern democratic, secular and socialist society in ‘place of the present traditional, Feudal, hierarchical and in egalitarian one.
Under the British rule, the Congress leaders argued that political education was an important part of education and ‘refused to accept the official view that education And politics should not be mixed with one another. But when they came to power –in 1947 they almost adopted the British policy and began to talk of education being defiled by politics. ‘Hands off education’ was the call to political parties.
But in spite of it,’ political infiltration into the educational system has greatly increased in the sense that different political parties vie with each other to capture the minds of teachers and Students. The wise academicians wanted political support, without political interference.
What we have actually received is infinite ‘political interference with little genuine political Support. This interference with the educational system by political parties for their own Ulterior motives is no political education at all; and with the all-round growth of elitism, it Is hardly a matter for surprise that real political education within the school system (which Really means the creation of a commitment to social transformation) has been even Weaker than in the pre-independence period. At the same time, the freedom struggle came to an end’ and the major non-formal Agency of political education disappeared. The press could and did provide some Political education.
But it did not utilize the opportunity to the full and the strangle Hold of vested interests continued to dominate it. The same can be said of political Parties as well as of other institutions and agencies outside the school system which
Can be expected to provide political education. All things considered, it appears that we have made no progress in genuine political education in the post-independence Period and have even sided back in some respects. For instance, the education System has become even more elite-oriented. Patriotism has become the first Casualty.
Gandhi gave us the courage to oppose government when it was wrong, in a disciplined fashion and on basic principles. (he believed the means to be as important as The ends) and taught us to work among the poor people for mobilizing and organizing Them. Today, we have even lost the courage to fight on basic issues in a disciplined manner because agitation and anarchic politics for individual, group or party aggrandizement has Become common.
The education system of today continues to support domination of the privileged groups and domestication of the under-privileged ones. The situation will not change unless we take vigorous Steps to provide genuine political education on an adequate scale. This is one of the Major educational reforms we need; and if l it is not carried out, mere linear expansion Of the existing system of formal education will only support the status quo and Hamper radical social transformation.
