Role of Teachers and Educational Institutions in Value Based Higher Education

Abstract

Greed is believed to be at the root of the current crisis. Modern education system's failure to impart ethical values is partly to blame. Spiritual principles of selfless service hold the promise of a solution. Teachers can play a crucial role. They have an opportunity to help shape the character of students. This paper examines the teaching – learning process from Indian spiritual perspectives, to try and find some potential solutions for the current moral crisis. We discuss teacher-student relationship in an institutional setting with the case study of Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, a university founded and guided by the great spiritual and humanitarian leader Mata Amritanandamayi Devi. Amrita follows practices inspired by the exalted values of the rich Indian spiritual tradition like joint prayer by the teachers and students before starting the classes, teaching lofty human values through formal courses, inculcating values like service to the mother land, mankind and nature, with love, trust, tolerance and humility. We report on the methodologies adopted and the results achieved so far. We also cite other practices like “Stilling the Mind” taught by Prof. S K Chakraborty at IIM Calcutta and offer the authors' experience in following these practices.