Page:SELECTED ESSAYS of Dr. S. S. KALBAG.pdf/19

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He says, "the Piaget Theory of learning suggests that one cannot learn in the classroom unless and until one has learnt the prerequisite 'concepts' by experience in the real life, that is, the natural way." (Ref: Chapter 3, "Learning while doing") He was convinced that “it has major implications for all education and for science education in particular." (Ref: Chapter 10, "Science through technical education") Dr. Kalbag has also quoted Gandhiji while discussing the core principle of "learning by doing". Main purpose for quoting Gandhiji seems to draw support from the great man who has deep influence on the minds of Indian people. He has also detected mistakes in implementation of the Gandhian programme of basic education in independent India. He has narrated these mistakes in his article "Work education in schools, from concept to implementation with a specific reference to rural vocationalisation" (Ref: Chapter 7) as follows. 11 "Because of the choice of activities given in schools, the programme gave an impression to the society at large as being divorced from the direction of Science and Technology and therefore, retrogrades. 2) The ruling elite did not opt for it and created the impression that Basic Education was for the Masses and the normal 'academic' education was for the Classes. 3) We stressed the ideology and not the performance of the system. 4) We do not monitor performance indicators to judge the results of any educational experiment we do." Interestingly, these mistakes pointed out by Dr. Kalbag also are differentiating features between his own design and the implemented version of the Gandhian programme of basic education. Rural Development Through Education System 14