Why not bring God into our

schools & colleges?

By Dada JP Vaswani

Turning away from God, we only wander from distraction to distraction.

Therefore, this must be the first step in any value-based system of education:
Turn back to God! Love God and love your fellow-men.

Let us bring God back into our schools and colleges. The state in our country
has, in several ways, repressed dharma in our system of education. How true
are the words of an American philosopher: “If you throw God out of your schools
and colleges, the vacuum thus created, will immediately be filled in by the Devil.”
We need to educate our children, first and foremost, to know God and to love
Him. If we make God a reality to our youth, we will surely find that they grow in
those true qualities of character without which life has no meaning or
significance.

 God is Light

This is the great truth that must be emphasised in education – God is Light!
Without this awareness, the logical intellect, and the selfish, self-seeking mind
will only lead us on the path of materialism, which ends in darkness. But
awareness of God, awareness of Light will lead us towards spiritual unfoldment
– the highest goal of all education.

the great Russian thinker and writer, was one day addressing a huge rally of
peasants in Russia. He spoke to them about the benefits of science. Raising his
voice to make his point, he proclaimed loudly, “Consider what benefits science
has brought to you! Science has taught you how to fly in the air like a bird, and
science has taught you how to dive into the depths of the ocean like a fish. Is
this not marvellous?”

A poor, illiterate peasant got up and said to Gorky, “True it is, that science has
taught us how to fly in the air like a bird, and swim in the depths of the ocean like
a fish. But, alas, science has not taught us how to live on earth in love and
peace and amity, like good human beings!”

Panchasheel

What is the kind of value-based education I would like our students to receive?
Making them pass examinations is not, should not be our ultimate aim. I place
my emphasis on what I call the Panchasheel of education: the first is character
building; the second is altruistic living; the third is reverence for all life and
respect for the great ones of all faiths; the fourth is spiritual unfolding; and the
fifth is cultivation of the soul.

Character, compassion, culture and reverence for all life: these values capture
the ideal of right education.

New Education

Therefore, today, more than ever before, we need a new type of education
which will emphasise the spiritual and moral values of life. We need a new
education which may offer students an integral training of the head, the hand
and heart; and a proper discipline of willpower and the emotions.