The Economy of Permanence: A Quest for a Social Order Based on Non-violence (स्थायी अर्थतन्त्र)

Economy of Permanence
answer our purpose well, as the management itself will be amenable to local
public opinion. As it is, the teacher has to satisfy the inspector once a year or
so and, after such inspection is over, he relaxes. This does not make for
progress, much less for steady work. Every village school should be the centre
of culture and the point of contact with the outside world. The only danger in
this conception is that the teacher may get into the habit of looking upon his
part in the village as one of promoting social spirit and may neglect his main
duty to the younger generation. This social aspect is only a by-product, it is not
the end of a school. Let us place our faith in human nature and in ourselves and
go ahead keeping our load-star in sight. We may differ in details, but we shall
reach our goal of developing true culture, reliable standards of value and attain
unity in spite of our apparent diversity.
The suggested Scheme: Of late there has been a good deal of discussion as to
the line which true education should take. Gandhiji suggests education should
be made self-supporting. He writes "By education I mean an all-round drawing
out of the best in child and man-body, mind and spirit. Literacy is not the end
of education nor even the beginning. It is only one of the means whereby man
and woman can be educated. Literacy in itself is no education. I would
therefore, begin with the child's education by teaching it a useful handicraft
enabling it to produce from the moment it begins its training. Thus every school
can be made self-supporting, the condition being that the State takes over the
manufactures of these schools.
"I hold that the highest development of the mind and the soul is possible under
such a system of education. Only every handicraft has to be taught not merely
mechanically, as is done today, but scientifically, i, e., the child should know
the why and the wherefore of every process. I am not writing this without some
confidence, because it has the backing of experience. This method is being
adopted more or less completely wherever spinning is being taught to workers.
I have myself taught sandal- making and even spinning on these lines with good
results. This method does not exclude a knowledge of history and geography.
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