By Nowsheena Mushtaq
Education is a well-established means of intellectual growth, social understanding, and empowerment. As vibrant as Indian culture is, with tradition and religion being an integral part of society, there has been considerable debate on the influence of religion in educational institutions. Moral and ethical regulations can well be achieved through the teaching of religions, but when religion becomes too close to formal education, then at times, it hampers the inclusivity, scientific focus, and critical thinking that students face in order to cope with today’s scenario.
It is a distinct example of diversity in culture, languages, and traditions that distinguish India in the modern world. Apart from this cultural prosperity, India has also built a skilled workforce and many innovative minds. However, progress in both these areas has been somewhat retarded because of the religious indoctrination introduced in schools. While religious teachings can indeed teach us about moral values and right conduct in our lives, the education sector, above all, should focus on science, wisdom, and knowledge that will inspire technology and innovation better than what is usually practiced in Europe, the West, and the Far East.
Religious teachings are a foundation for the development of compassion and dedication to humankind, not hatred, discrimination, or extremism. A specific time for religious teaching in schools is appropriate if balanced with science, laboratories, and innovation towards educating students about healthy competition and growth. Unfortunately, religion is now an instrument for the miscegenation of people and antagonism that threatens the sovereignty of our country. All children should be protected from religious intolerance and instead taught tolerance, sensitivity, and respect for one another. Each soul in this land must be able to feel equally treated and be equal so that our motherland becomes invincible-the country united by value and strength.
Many educational institutes of India are closely associated with religious considerations in which biases creep in the case of methodologies and curricula delivered. That being said, when institutions focus more on certain religions more than others, it predisposes children to a divided society, thus truncating the freedom of learning and becoming prejudiced.
Some religiously affiliated institutions compel students to participate in activities that range from forced prayers, special dress codes, and conducting ceremonies based on faith. These activities may have significant applications within particular faith communities but make education not appealing to heterogenic students. Instead of spreading warmth and inclusivity, these forced activities tend to create divisions and isolate other students outside the same belief.
A morning assembly or religious practices belonging to one religion, such as Hindu prayers or Muslim recitations, alienates students belonging to religious minority communities because a Hindu prayer in a majority of Muslim students’ school or a Muslim prayer in a Hindu-majority school may make students belonging to other religions feel excluded or discomforted. This might create divisions rather than giving an impression of unity and equity, which may further impact the emotional well-being and sense of belonging of the students.
It resonates with the vision of Dr. D.S. Kothari, who presided over the Kothari Commission (1964-66). He realized that social, cultural, and religious factors bore a greater weight on the education system in India and, in numerous instances, confined the opportunities for just distribution. Overall, the differences in terms of the quality and inclusivity had been immense. In such cases, the Kothari Commission brought out recommendations from a secular education system, aiming to integrate this vast country and prevent religion-based influences that otherwise hamper educational development. It was also on the strength of science temperament and the machinery of thinking critically that it wanted rational thinking to dominate against dogmatic religious or cultural thinking; at school-going levels, Kothari’s secularism, therefore, fostered shared national identity since it transcends the religious differences, which would result in intellectual and social growth. This vision of education looked at balancing respect for culture and the focus on universal knowledge and skills, so that every child in India could be educated to prepare them for modern roles in society.
Similarly, the Romantic poet John Keats, known for his deep feeling for nature and skepticism towards organised religious dogma, did not clearly state that religion militated against education. Yet, however, his writings indicate that he followed a conservative attitude toward conventional religious dogma. Keats, in his letters, is an advocate of “negative capability,” that is, the ability to embrace doubt and uncertainty without seeking absolute religious answers. He thought that strict religious dogmas could limit intellectual as well as poetic exploration. For Keats, true education and development of the soul must embrace that complex rather than a determinate or transcendent religious view.
A British-American author and critic of religion, Hitchens proclaimed that religious indoctrination, together with education, should not be mixed together. In his book God Is Not Great, he declared that religious teachings often clash with science and ethics, which led to an education of scientific thought and view.
Quite vocally regarding postulates about the relationships of religion and education did the German philosopher and economist, Karl Marx. His most influential essay, A Contribution to the Critique of Hegel’s Philosophy of Right (1843), includes the statement that religion is “the opium of people.” This simply means that, although very popular, religion often acts as a source of pacification, controlling the masses and not letting them ask questions about the realities around them in society and political life. Marx would believe in the propagation of inequalities through religious teachings. He would see the dangers of such teachings away from the social change the people needed. Marx advocated for a secular system of materialist education, one that would satisfy man’s desire to understand the world in line with scientific analysis and critical thinking. It was through education of people for Marx that a person was to be liberated from religious illusions and was to become aware of the material conditions of life, which could in this manner transform into social and political activities.
It is an undeniable fact that religion is the greatest inspirer of values and also the highest moral guide. When religion comes into formal education in a slightly excessive manner, it would asphyxiate students’ development. Education for India must go forward as a secular, inclusive, and intellectually powerful society only if this serves to strengthen the secular element that combines scientific inquiry and critical thinking with religion and religious teachings kept strictly in the personal or cultural context. Education that values and supports diversity but gives objective, evidence-based facts can actually give students the sensibilities to be well-grounded open-minded citizens in today’s world.
- The author has completed her Masters in English Literature from Central University of Kashmir, currently working as an English educator
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