NAYEE TALIM

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, one of the greatest leaders of the twentieth century enunciated a novel method of teaching called Nayee Talim, meaning New Education. According to Gandhi, the intellectual use of the bodily organs in a child is the best and fastest way of developing his intellect.

According to Gandhi, the education system should imbibe both economic and intellectual values. Hence, primary education of a child should commence with the training of reading and writing of alphabets, as it would help in nurturing their intelligence.  Not only this, along with theoretical knowledge, one should also impart them practical training so that they could develop a better understanding of what they have learnt. For instance, when the child learns how to read the alphabets, he should be given the freedom to make simple drawing, draw geometric figures, the figures of birds etc, with the alphabets, so that  he learns how to write those alphabets without  scrawling . This is called the learning by doing method of teaching.

Vocations should also serve a dual purpose; it should pay for the student’s course and also develop his skill. Different crafts of India can be taught to them with minimum investment, which in long term will help to earn their livelihood. The self-supporting aspect of Gandhi’s New Education formula was the only way to carry education to the corers of children in India awaiting education.