Bhagawan Baba has often emphasized that the purpose of education is to inculcate virtues and character in every individual. He says, “The end of education is character.”
Right mark of good education
“Students should have in their hands the future of this country. Wherever they gather they should see that there is calm and peace, and that they earn respect of the community. The place where students gather should become a haven of peace and happiness. This is the mark of good education.”
Education should confer humility
“Education is for life not for mere living. There are crores of people who are not educated in this country and who are still living a good life. Education should enable you to be an ideal example. Education should enable you to distinguish between right and wrong. It should promote humility in you and enable you to serve your parents and your country selflessly.”
Education must broaden the vision
“Education must instill the fundamental human values; it must broaden the vision to include the welfare of the entire world. Education must equip man to live happily without making others unhappy, to evaluate everything correctly and without prejudice, and to keep one’s attention fixed ever on the most precious and the highest achievement of all, self-realization. The spiritual stream must flow from the heart as the source and spring of all endeavor.”
Science without character, brings disaster
“Education is being confused with the acquisition of scholarship. This is wrong. Education has to open the doors of the mind. Many describe science today as a powerful acquisition, but science holds before mankind a great opportunity, that is all. If it is devoid of character, it brings disaster. It can then cause evil and wickedness. Intelligence can be found to be very high among clever thieves. So too, scientific knowledge can be misused for destructive purposes.”
Two important characteristics of education
“Education has two important characteristics. One is exposition of facts relating to any subject. The other is the unfolding of the individual’s personality. The first is concerned with matter. The second is with divine energy. Education is a combination of the two. It is a combination of worldly and spiritual knowledge. Education cannot be confined to stuffing the head. It has to melt the heart, refine it and turn it towards God. Man has to be transformed into an ideal human being with a compassionate heart. Every effort should be made to utilize education for the purpose of divinizing man.”