Swami Vivekananda on the Advancement of Education/ শিক্ষার অগ্রগতিতে স্বামী বিবেকানন্দ

Abstract

Swami Vivekananda believed that education is a manifestation of perfection which is within humans. He thought that it was very painful or distressing that the contemporary education system did not help people stand on their own feet, Not did it help instill self-reliance and self-respect in people. Vivekananda did not consider education as a collection of information. For him, education was more than that. He considered education as a means of making people, of standing on their own feet, of giving life and of shaping character. He considered education to be a collection of great thoughts. Swami Vivekananda was in favor of giving people only positive education because he believed that negative thoughts weaken people and help them stray away from the path of education. He said that if young children are encouraged and not constantly blamed, they will find happiness. According to Vivekananda, only positive education should be given to them. Swami Vivekananda met Ramakrishna dev in 1881, and this transformed his life. He was initially skeptical of Ramakrishna's teachings, but after some hesitation, he surrendered to Ramakrishna and accepted him as a friend, philosopher, and guide. Immediately after Ramakrishna dev's death in 1886, he traveled extensively throughout India, and through this he became fully informed about the social and economic conditions of the country. He felt that despite the inherit high spirituality and a very significant cultural history, problems like poverty, impotence, and social crime or sin could not be completely eradicated in India. He deeply felt the need to bring about a spiritual revolution and also realized that to bring about such a revolution, very courageous spiritual leadership was needed. The social system of 19th-century India was entangled in the web of caste, creed, and religion. In order to free the society from the shackles of caste and religion, in the current social situation, I feel that Swamiji's dream, that all classes of society will one day be united, needs to be brought to the forefront; bringing the poor, underdeveloped, or backward people of society. My discussion of ‘progress in education’ with Swamiji will become relevant in the present day.