The Purpose of Education

MOST people firmly believe that the main purpose of education is to enable them to earn a living. Even that would be excusable if it were limited to earn a living and no more, but the evil goes beyond that. There is also the desire to make money and secure a position of authority over others. As long as this view persists, we cannot have a faultless syllabus in complete accord with our principles. I consider it difficult to bring about a sudden radical change in it, but I do hold it necessary and possible to gradually dislodge this view from its present position and make it secondary.

Though the earning of a living should not be the sole aim of education, yet it has to be considered. The aim of education is self-development. But self-development includes the capacity to earn a living.

— Navajivan : Feb. 8, 1925

True Value

The real difficulty is that people have no idea of what education truly is. We assess the value of education in the same manner as we assess the value of land or of shares in stock-exchange market. We want to provide only such education as would enable the student to earn more. We hardly give any thought to the improvement of the character of the educated. The girls, we say, do not have to earn; so why should they be educated ? As long as such ideas persist, there is no hope of our ever knowing the true value of education.

— True Education : p. 38