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karthika
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« on: June 23, 2011, 02:56:48 AM » |
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 By Karthika Nair~~~~
Sa I"Education has two aspects; the first is related to external and worldly education, which is nothing but acquiring bookish knowledge. In the modern world, we find many well versed and highly qualified in this aspect. The second aspect known as Educare, is related to human values. The word Educare means to bring out that which is within. Human Values are latent in every human being; one cannot acquire them from outside. They have to be elicited from within. Educare means to bring out human values. To 'bring out' means to translate them into action." --Bahgawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba
"Educare" is a term adopted to cover all the SSEHV teaching Programmes, including parenting skills. It refers to putting the 'Care' (and human values) back into all systems of education.
It comes from 'educare', a Latin word meaning to draw out, because we draw out the values which are inherent in a human being, rather than impose anything on children from outside.
Practically, educare refers to all educational Programmes of teaching aimed at helping humanity draw out the qualities of goodness inherent in man, and to understand the inner makeup of a human being in relation to the outer physical world, in order to keep a perfect balance.
Educare recognises that life is interdependent and that we share the same building blocks with everything that surrounds us. This will lead to the understanding that caring exclusively for ourselves, believing we are isolated and separate is an illusion that can only lead to disaster.
For example, today, many people are ruining their health and the physical environment through the way they live. Wrong eating (e.g. it has recently been said that soon, parent's lives will exceed that of their children due to obesity in the young); alcohol, drugs and high stress levels are increasingly prevalent in affecting health. Commerce, business profits, and personal wealth are being pursued at costs greatly detrimental to the environment, resulting in a negative impact on people lives (e.g. higher cancer risk due to reduced ozone layer, pollution, chemicals in the food chain, etc.).
The purpose of educare is to correct this imbalance.
Educare therefore refers to a whole system of education which provides practical knowledge for educating for life, and not just for earning a living.
Educare recognises that unity in multiplicity is the ultimate goal of education, resulting in a world which is a better place to live in, for people today, and for future generations.
The children benefit from this approach as it gives them an opportunity to:
· Explore and discover for themselves what right and wrong mean.
· Develop greater empathy and therefore more compassion for others.
· Take greater responsibility for their actions.
· Discover how to be happy, confident and responsible members of society.
The five values are conveyed through a number of related values which are summarised below for illustration, although many more can be added under each main value.
TRUTH: Integrity, Wisdom, Common sense, Creativity, Discrimination.
RIGHT CONDUCT: Respect for parents, Respect for teachers, Honesty, Good manners, Regard for duty.
PEACE: Humility, Simplicity, Equanimity, Tolerance, Patience, Satisfaction, Discipline.
LOVE: Gentleness, Compassion, Forgiveness, Gratitude, Kindness, Caring for others, Friendliness.
NON-VIOLENCE: Concern for environment, Unity; Harmony, Social awareness, Respect for all religions.
The main purpose of this approach is to help children learn the values in an illustrative and enjoyable way. The five teaching components are used: Theme for the week (Quotations/Positive Thoughts/Prayer), Silent sitting, Storytelling, Songs, and Group activities.
In the coming articles we shall briefly consider each of the five components, mentioned above and the roles they play.Courtesy :http://www.indianewspost.com/lifestyle/49182-educare_-_route_to_global_peace_and_happiness.htmlKarthika Nair is a freelance journalist and columnist. Spiritualism is her favorite subject. Besides, she writes on parenting and travel & tourism. Karthika has been an ardent devotee of Sri Sathya Sai Baba almost all her life and is actively into Sathya Sai activities, including being a Bal Vikas Guru to hundreds of children. She is also a reiki healer. She can be contacted at nairkarthika09@gmail.com
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