One of the great things about the traditional system of education in India was that the student was taught about values. In fact, values were one of the strong focus areas and early subjects. Students not only had to learn about values - they also had to live them. They had no options in terms of skipping the subject or dropping a few of the topics.

The education was not about having a bookish knowledge which evaporates once the exams are over. Education was about imbibing the learnings and putting them to practice with a rigour that made it difficult to ever forget it.

This education on values was started off at a very early stage when the child is highly impressionable and tuned to learn without asking questions. So, it became second nature to the child.

Values was the foundation upon which the entire education was built. Come to think of it, values are critical to the success of an individual and of the society. If we see degeneration in the society today, it is because the traditional system of education has been replaced by a system that is focussed on making people literate only. Of what use is the ability to read and write if we do not know how to take decisions based on a value system ?

Stories, mythology etc. were used traditionally to reinforce and motivate people with the use of examples of heros and heroines who would display fairness, honesty, valour, truth, integrity and such other values. Thus peole would be encouraged to tread the path followed by such divine and righteous people.

This was a great way to encourage people to form their own decisions on adopting and accepting the value system. Typically, people tend to reject ideas that are thrust on them. If we think we can get people to be honest by repeatedly telling them to be honest, it may not work. But if we use stories and have the lead characters display such behaviour and show the consequences of not conforming, it will have a much better acceptance.

Skills development was then focussed on with a view to make people gainfully employed to earn a livelihood whilst serving society. Thus, people were encouraged to look at employment both as a means of sustenance and as a tool to serve society. People were taught to be selfless and more service oriented in this manner. Skills were imparted to people based on what they were already aware of and exposed to. Therefore, the system of specialisation (later called caste system) was born. It is not that there was any absolute restriction in people switching professions. However, it would be correct to state that it was not encouraged. This was esecially true as the purpose of skills development, as stated earlier, was to serve society and not for building personal wealth.

There was also a tradition wherein during the education period, the children would typically stay with the teacher. Thus focus was ensured as also the need for learning by observing. This system also imparted the ability of non-attachment to the student.

More on this later....