The aim of education is to prepare students for life
by equipping them with the necessary skills to
become useful citizens. This requires the
integration of physical, mental, and intellectual
faculties in the course of education. While the
traditional focus was on the three R's - reading,
writing, and arithmetic - the modern curriculum has
expanded to include a wider range of abilities.
In particular, the teaching of crafts is crucial for
developing the motor skills of students. These
"doing activities" involve muscular coordination and
allow students to learn through hands-on experience.
Moreover, the ability to create and appreciate
beauty is fundamental to human nature, and crafts
provide an outlet for this spirit of creativity.
Crafts can be learnt for their own sake or applied
to science and technology. They provide pleasure to
the practitioner and bring about psychological
transformation in the student. Moreover, certain
crafts have professional value, while others have
recreational value.
Gandhiji recognized the educational value of crafts
and introduced his craft-centered education program,
called "Basic Education." This program recognized
that crafts have value both for their utility and
for their ability to provide a sense of pleasure and
fulfillment.
Therefore, crafts should be given a significant role
in the school curriculum. This may require
additional effort and expense, but it is a
worthwhile investment for the future. In addition,
crafts can be tailored to local needs and customs,
providing students with skills that will be useful
throughout their lives. |