Key notes on Neo-Humanistic Education

The Purpose and the Objectives of Education: It is implied that education should provide the knowledge of multifaceted aspects / problems of individual and social life, knowledge of latent multiple potentialities in human structure to solve all those problems; practical know-how, the technique and the skill to explore and utilise enormous expressed & unexpressed human potentialities to solve the multiple human problems and achieve the purpose or goal of life.

To sum up, it can be said that the purpose of education is to secure for mankind a respectable and honourable status in this world.

Hence, the education has three objectives before it to fulfil, i.e., –

1) To make one learned.

2) To make one skilled (technical & methodical skill) and

3) To make one an ideal citizen and a perfect man, a whole man by inculcating the values of human life including discipline (obedience), morality, etiquette, courtesy, manner, humility, service mentality, love for animates and inanimates, compassion for old and invalids etc.

The Plight of Present Education and Peoples’ Expectations: Today’s education in general has fallen far away from the high expectations of the sort as mentioned above due to many reasons, which are the matters of debate and elaborate discussions.

Due to lack of a comprehensive philosophy of life as the basis of education and lack of ideal teachers, the education today has become purposeless and directionless. The educational Institutions have been reduced to factories for manufacturing bread-earners. Education has become a trade, a commerce. Educational Institutions have become trading houses; in many cases it has become a multi-national trading houses. The humanity today is very eagerly in search of a value based purposeful education, which will be a blending of perfect learning, proper and effective skill and moral values entwined with the purpose of life, which will make one, a whole man. That is to say the value based, purposeful, holistic and wholistic education is the need of the day. To such a value based, purposeful, holistic and wholistic education, Shrii P.R. Sarkar alias Shrii Ananda Murtijii terms it ‘Neo-Humanistic Education’. So education should be based on neo-Humanistic philosophy of life.

The relationship between philosophy and education: Education and philosophy both are inter related and inter dependent. Education without philosophy becomes purposeless and directionless, whereas philosophy without education becomes ineffective and inconsequential. Philosophy is the abstract counterpart of education and education is dynamic counterpart of philosophy. Philosophy without education is lame and education without philosophy is blind. So, education must be based on a comprehensive philosophy of life. According to Shrii P. R. Sarkar Neo-Humanism which has the holistic and wholistic approach to life, should be the basis of education.

Neo-Humanism: According to Shrii P. R. Sarkar, there are two kinds of humanism –

i) General Humanism or ordinary Humanism or pseudo-Humanism

ii) Neo Humanism.

The concept, which is concerned about the interest of human beings only is known as General Humanism or Ordinary Humanism or Pseudo-Humanism. And the humanism, which is concerned for the welfare of all-animates and inanimates of the universe, is termed as Neo-Humanism.

Shrii P.R. Sarkar defines Humanism as “When the underlying spirit of Humanism is extended to every thing animate and inanimate of the universe, such an all-embracing and all-encompassing Humanism is known as Neo-Humanism”.

The course of the flow of Human existence is from finite to infinite, from limited to limitless, that is why it has been said that Human existence is an ideological flow. As humans advance towards infinity, the angle of vision also expands to 360º. Then humans develop an integral outlook and one no longer thinks only for human beings but he/she will embrace everything animates and inanimates of this universe. This extended bond of human love out of the feeling of oneness of genesis (progenitor), feeling of all pervasiveness, is known as Neo-Humanism. It is this distinct quality of human being that makes one exclusive, special and distinct from the rest of the creatures. Here lies the excellence of human beings. This is the underlying spirit of humanism; this is the human being in real sense of the term. Thus the humanism, which advocates and stands for all embracing and all encompassing humanism is rightly known as Neo Humanism.

Obstacles and bondages to Neo Humanism: The three sentiments namely geo-sentiment, socio-sentiment (group sentiment) and humano-sentiment are the obvious bondages on the path of Neo Humanism. Man has to overcome these sentiments in the following manner:

i) Geo-Sentiment should be overcome by study and rationalistic outlook or rationalistic mind

ii) Socio-sentiment to be overcome by samasamáj tattva i.e. welfare of all “sarvajan hitáya sarvajan sukhaya” on the basis of the principle of social equality. Everything, every animate or inanimate of this universe wants to survive its fullest span of life. It wants to enjoy life, and that nothing of this universe is useless, everything is useful either on the basis of utility value or existential value. It is on this count and on this principle of survival and utility that everything of this universe is equal. This is the principle of social equality; this is the guiding principle behind the samasamáj tattva.

iii) Ordinary Humanism or general Humanism can be overcome by Neo-Humanism.

Neo-Humanistic Education: The education based on Neo-Humanistic principles or Neo-Humanistic values of life is known as Neo-Humanistic education.

Neo-Humanistic principles/values in a nutshell:



i) Finding and feeling the supreme link between the self and the Supreme Consciousness is the essence of life i.e. spirituality and devotion is the essence of life.

ii) One should be guided by rationality, not by sentiment or dogma.

iii) Welfare of all

iv) Love and care for all the animates and inanimates of the universe

v) Nothing of this universe is useless, everything is useful based on the utility value and existential value. Thus –

• Protect, preserve and care for everything
• Save the creatures from their extinction
• Don’t waste or destroy or let anything be wasted or destroyed unnecessarily
• Maximum utilisation and rational distribution
• Love and compassion; respect and care for all including old and aged; handicapped and invalid;
• Obedience and discipline
• Social norms (manners of social living)
• Sense of dutifulness and responsibility
• Service mentality (sense of service and volunteer ship)
• Aesthetic sense
• Morality
• Moral courage

Educational Reformation: Today there is the need of a radical change in the educational system. When it comes to educational reformation, we have to take into account the following factors:

1) Philosophy of education - Education must be based on a comprehensive philosophy of life, i.e., if the education has to be made meaningful and purposeful then the philosophy of life must be the basis of philosophy of education.

2) Ideal teachers - Teachers are the instruments of imparting education. Hence, the teachers must be an ideal one. For an ideal teacher, besides many other qualities, it is necessary that:

• A teacher must be well acquainted and must have well understood the concept and philosophy of education and philosophy of life.


• The life style of teachers must be in accordance with the ideals, the concept and the philosophy of education and philosophy of life.


• Teachers’ quality, motivation and orientation are the important factors in imbibing the values of education in the students. If the teachers feel that they are the paid servants and if the relationship between the teachers and the management is that of employees and employer then the end product, i.e., the manifestation of education will be different. If the teachers really feel and become the guides, philosophers and friends then the result will be entirely different.


• A teacher must have made education as his / her mission. A teacher must feel that he / she is an educational missionary, a crusader in the field of education.

Besides the above the other factors responsible for education which should also be taken into account are –

3) Curriculum 4) Methods of teaching 5) Management 6) Students 7) Guardians 8) Surrounding / society

It is in order to bring a radical change in the field of education and to fulfil people’s expectations and aspirations that Ananda Marga Pracaraka Samgha being a socio- spiritual organisation has to enter into the field of education to elevate the standard by imparting the value based education, i.e., the Neo-Humanistic education by opening hundreds of primary, junior and high schools throughout India and abroad.