Open learning and Rabindranath Tagore's idea on mass education: A critical study on Lokshikkha Samsad

Abstract

The ODL system is holistic as it can incorporate multiple learners from various locations compared to conventional education system. In India, the first Asian Noble laureate poet and humanist Rabindranath had a unique idea of mass education long before the establishment of open institutions around the world. He pointed out two directions of education: education of pleasure and education of need. These complex relations have been immensely propagated through the formation of Visva-Bharati University (1916) and Sriniketan. Rabindranath's ideas of education focused on self-respect and self-reliance or 'Palli-punargathan' (resurrection of villages) as well as social ethics. He proposed a unique education policy to incorporate aged and female learners of remote villages of Bengal in 1936. This was implemented in Visva-Bharati through the newly formed 'Lokshikkha Samsad' (Mass Education Council, 1937). This idea is similar to the open edu-cation system today. According to an advertisement published in Visva Bharati University Bulletin (August, 1937), there was a plan for an examination system to accredit knowledge of the margin . The concept of study centre, customisation of exam rules for learners, plan for home-assignment, through postage, were also introduced. The centre targeted aged females who faced difficulties obtaining proper education. Records of who have enrolled and passed show us that this attempt had gained popularity initially. Local Bengali language was used as the medium of instruction. Rabindranath believed that the university is not only a centre for knowledge distribution but also a centre of new knowledge generation. "Lokshikkha Granthamala" (Mass Education Publication Series) was another attempt to expand open learning through Open Education Repository. This publication series was content oriented, well-written and low-priced. It also served as an example of open book system as well as re-pository of knowledge for a university that thought of open learning long before the establishment of open universities around the world.