Syama Prasad Mookerjee: His Vision of Education
Contents: I. Reorganising Education Holistically: 1. Education in Bengal. 2. Reorganization of matriculation Education. 3. Educational Reconstructions. 4. Medium of Instruction. 5. Education and Employment. 6. Revamping the Education System. II. Reorienting Higher Education: 7. Reorienting the University to Its Goals. 8. Aims of University Education in India. 9. Functions of a University. 10. University Education and Our Destiny. 11. Role of the Universities in making the nation. 12. Forging the Future Through Universities in India. 13. Reorienting the University Education System to Changing India. 14. The Purpose of Higher Education. 15. Universities in Post-Independence India. 16. University for Spiritual Rebirth. 17. Reforming Higher Education for new India. III. On Advancement of Education: 18. On Science Education. 19. On Advancement of Science. 20. Science Education and Research in India. 21. Technical Education and Economic Development. 22. Role of Statistics in Education. 23. The Royal Asiatic Society and Its Contribution. IV. For Education: 24. The Visva-Bharati Bill Debate in the Indian Parliament. 25. The Bengal Secondary Education Bill Debate. 26. Presidential Speech at the Fifth All India Congress of the Arya Samaj. 27. Voice of women. 28. The Task of Reawakening the Soul of India. 29. Foundation Day Address, Calcutta University. 30. Convocation Address, Calcutta University. 31. Royal Asiatic Society.
Syama Prasad Mookerjee was an academician, administrator and educational thinker, as may be discerned from his life-long engagement with education and discourses on education that he delivered on various occasions in the last two decades of his life in particular. Ironically, his contribution to domains beyond politics remains unacknowledged and a serious and vigorous consideration of his educational views and vision still eludes us to an extent that they are not a part of the discussions in the mainstream education system in India even today.
The present volume endeavours to put together Mookerjee’s educational discourses culled from almost all known sources till now. It is a tribute to Mookerjee, the educationist, who was committed to high ideals of Indian education and culture and strove to implement his vision in his different capacities. Be it stressing on the importance of Indian languages, the need to stay connected with the nation’s civilisational strength and rich heritage, walking in step with the rest of the world in science and technology and shaping Indian education in a manner that it would appreciate the best of all religions rather than be totally cut off from them, Mookerjee's insights on education were essentially to facilitate the rediscovering of the Indian mind.
This comprehensive book capturing the timeless vision of Syama Prasad Mookerjee, not just on education, but also on using education as a means to nation building and in creating a new world order with contribution from enlightened Indian minds, is a treasure for educationists, scholars, education administrators as well as the uninitiated.
