THE IDEAL system of "Integral education with free progress system" as envisaged by the Mother is a unique system governed and guided by the soul, as against the present education system governed and guided by mind. There are only two authenticated schools, one at Pondicherry (residential) and another at Delhi (non-residential) imparting the "Integral education with free progress system". Neither the Central Government nor the State Governments (except Orissa), have recognised the Integral education system so far. It may take long time from now for our nation to embrace this ideal system by the Governmental or Non-governmental departments of education as it is not job-oriented.
When such a circumstance exists, a golden bridge has to be built between the present system of education and the said Integral education system as an immediate forward step. Hence, with a view to construct this golden bridge between the two systems, it is felt necessary to introduce the `moral and dynamic spiritual values' as envisaged by Sri Aurobindo and the Mother in the form of textbooks and guide books, class wise in order to impart value oriented education from standard one to standard 10 or 12. Be it noted that these life-perfecting dynamic spiritual values are absolutely secular and transcend creedal religions.
Various Commissions and Committees on education have furnished reports since 1949 successively to the Union Ministry of Education to inculcate Universal human values of truth, peace, love, co-operation and those emanating from our Constitution such as patriotism and democratic decision-making. With this background, the National Policy on Education (NPE) was approved by the Parliament in May, 1986, and the Programme of Action (POA) for its implementation in August, 1986. The NPE emphasised on "value education" for cultivation of social and moral values. The policy states that in our present culturally plural society, education should foster universal and eternal, oriented towards the unity and integration of our people in conformity with secularism and eliminate obscurantism, religious fanaticism, violence, superstition and fatalism. A list of such moral and social values (84 numbers) occurring in different documents of the various Commissions and Committees, was compiled by the NCERT. These values are in conformity with the fundamental duties of an Indian citizen enshrined in Article 51A of the Indian Constitution, which affirms, adopts and enacts Human Rights proclaimed by the General Assembly of the United Nations on December 10, 1948 under "Universal Declaration of Human Rights".
Despite these documentations on "value education", it is unfortunate that it has not been possible by the Education Departments of the Government of India and State Governments to implement these recommendations in essence, nor has it been possible by the CBSE — so far guided by the NCERT and its NRCVE (National Research Centre on Value Education) to evolve and adopt specific curricula and class wise syllabus for textbooks on value education from class I to class 10, even though there are more than 6000 schools in India and abroad managed by the CBSE. This, it is reported, is mainly due to the complexities of the modern Indian society with a heterogeneous population, having diversities of religious beliefs and practices and social status, and the consequent presence of young students of different castes, creeds and economic status in the same classroom of a school. Another reason being put forth for not encouraging class wise textbooks and guidebooks is that the values are interrelated and are to be lived rather than taught. But, proliferation of mostly trivial and a few useful textbooks on moral values class wise for State and Centrally run schools across the nation continues progressively. These textbooks (which are neither approved by the education departments of State or Central Governments) are usually printed by interested and business oriented publication agencies sponsored by the educational institutions concerned. But, it is unfortunate that there is no printed textbook available as on date on the dynamic spiritual values as envisaged by Sri Aurobindo and the Mother.
The most predominant lacuna in all the above stated is the NCERT documents on value education is the non-inclusion of the concept of genuine (dynamic) spirituality, which transcends all religions and is meant not for rejection of life and the world but to conquer them by the power of Spirit. In fact, the entire voluminous literature in general, and Integral education with free progress system in particular as given to humanity by Aurobindo and the Mother, constitute the best treatise on value education. A very meaningful 16-paged document on education under the caption, "Two cardinal points of Education" was presented by P. B. Saint Hilaire (Pavitra) in September, 1965 on behalf of Aurobindo International Centre of Education, Pondicherry, as per the kind directions of the Mother to the Education Commission, G.O.I. as a sequel to the visit of D. S. Kothari — Education Commission to Sri Aurobindo Ashram in April, 1964 and Dr. K. G. Saiyidain in July 1965 for a detailed system of the pattern of this new education — Integral education with free progress system. However, the NCERT has not adopted so far any suggestion given by the authorities of Integral education.
It is gratifying to note that CBSE Chairman Ashok Ganguly, who personally visited Sri Aurobindo Complex, J. P. Nagar, Bangalore, and the school run by it on March 31, 2003 was appraised and fully convinced of the necessity and usefulness of the life-perfecting dynamic spiritual values envisaged by Aurobindo, and of the efforts put in by the school authorities towards the introduction of these values in the textbooks and guide books for s tandards one and two of the school. He gladly consented for our printing and publishing the said textbooks and guide books class wise, starting fromstandard one and leading up to standard 10 and assured that these textbooks, if founds suitable, could be used in other CBSE schools across the nation. In fact, these textbooks and guidebooks for standards can be translated in different vernacular languages in due course gradually, and be used by all schools in the nation for the ultimate good of future society.
Indian Renaissance has to be achieved progressively on the basis of our ancient Indian heritage on one hand and by introducing the dynamic spiritual values for future society on the other hand. It is the present young children who shall constitute the great future society. In this regard, a relevant extract of the inspired speech by Murli Manohar Joshi, Union Minister for Education, delivered at Sri Aurobindo International Centre of Education, Pondicherry, on December 3, 2002, is worth citing; "Aurobindo has spoken of history and of human sciences and his writings are filled with a new uplifting vision that vibrates centrally with the message of spiritual brotherhood".
Obviously, our first and foremost duty in this regard would be to train the teachers intensively who can fully understand the concepts behind Aurobindo's teachings, yoga, Integral education and dynamic spiritual values, beyond all creedal religions, and practice them in their daily life so that they can be the leading examples to their students for learning and imbibing the said values.
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