The concept of Total Education was conceived by Vijayadev Yogendra as a response to his observations and concerns of what was (and still is) happening in our society. He observed that our society, being based on materialism, was fostering values such as greed, selfishness, desire and egoism and, as a direct consequence, was creating many problems such as anxiety, stress, disease, broken marriages, suicide, etc.

Society is a product of our education system. So, to break this cycle, the basis of the education system must be changed. Our future society will be determined by the education of the children now and their impact as adults later. If we want a benevolent, kind, understanding society, then we must teach them to value these qualities.

In Total Education: The Urgent Need, Vijay simply states, “The basis of proper education is refinement, without which no civilisation is ever possible”.

Western education is geared to material values and getting a degree so one can fit into the workplace, whereas eastern culture emphasises spiritual realisation and the relationship which exists between the individual soul and the universal spirit. Vijay’s idea of Total Education was a new method which would encompass the best of both eastern and western cultures.

He defines the basic principle of education thus, “Education should be based on the spiritual ideal that each individual soul is potentially divine, that it possesses infinite possibilities, and that knowledge cannot be transferred from outside to within but must evolve from within outwards. This cannot be taught. The individual teaches himself. The teachers only give suggestions on techniques and methods. This should be the basic principle of education.”

Hence the importance given to character development within the School of Total Education as a basis for the child’s education. From this comes: a child’s self understanding and self respect; a settled mind that is free to concentrate and develop; the development of intuitive faculties; and a child’s value basis and emotional stability. So, not only do we have a student who is academically trained to fit into society, but they also have the self-understanding to know what they are, where they are going and the intuition to guide themselves and others correctly.

Because of the uniqueness of each child, the teacher needs to understand the nature of each individual child, as each will have different experiences that they will need to be guided through to gain understanding. Creative pursuits such as music can work to focus an otherwise distracted mind and provide an alternative to cravings for material gadgets. The greater our understanding and growth, the greater will be our ability to relate and help each child grow.

Vijay also stresses the need for more physical training. Not only sport but also activities to tone and cleanse the nervous system and breathing techniques that oxygenate the brain and aid concentration.

For an education system to be total, we have to look at the development of the teacher, the development of the parent, and the proper education of the child. The challenge for us as teachers is to gain greater understanding and personal growth so we can better relate to each child as an individual. To create a connection with the child is of vital importance. Teachers also need to be able to inspire students and parents to want more than just the material and mundane by helping them see the relevance of values to our present day society. A contentment that is based internally is less likely to be affected by external pressures. We also need to constantly reassess the academic program so it is relevant to the world they will enter. For this we need to look five, ten or twenty years ahead.

Vijay concludes Total Education: The Urgent Need with this statement, “I only hope and pray that we will have one day a type of program that is all-embracing and which breeds a better man. If that is achieved then the purpose of education will have been achieved and that harmony and rhythm which has been lacking for so many centuries will be brought back to humanity.”

		Bronnie Osborn started as a primary teacher at the School of Total Education in 1979. She was Primary Headmistress of the School in Warwick when it opened in 1981 and has been Chair of the School Governing Council since 1997. Bronnie has a particular interest in the early years of schooling and in seeing the principles of Total Education understood more widely in the community.

This article is based on a presentation given to a teachers seminar at the School of Total Education in January 1999. (Published on web site: September 2001)

Copyright The School of Total Education 2001. This page last generated Thu, 7 Mar 2002. Web site by The Design Group.