MULTI DIMENSIONAL PERSPECTIVE OF HOLISTIC EDUCATION

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, article 26(20) states: Education shall be directed to the full development of the human personality..." Simply moulding the young ones into future workers or citizens is not true education. Education cannot be effective unless it helps a child open up himself to life.
A holistic way of thinking does not define the human possibilities narrowly rather it seeks to encompass and integrate multiple layers of meaning and experiences. Every child is more than a future employee; every person's intelligence and abilities are far more complex than his or her scores on standardized tests. This cannot be done through an academic curriculum which condenses the world into instructional packages, but through direct engagement with the environment. The holistic education is responsive to the diverse learning styles and needs evolving human beings. "We are creatures of both reason and emotion, mind and body, matter and spirit."
The dimensions of holistic education are many but some of them that require to be taken care of necessarily are:
Cognitive- Thought processes, the capacity to reason logically.
Social- All learning happens in a social context of shared meaning.
Emotional- All learning is accompanied by an emotional state which can greatly affect the learning outcome.
Physical- Mind-body harmony is an important element in the quality of learning.
Spiritual- The total and direct experience of universal love that establishes a sense of compassion, fraternity and peace towards all beings.
Moral- Basic moral values necessary to live.
There are separate strategies of teaching and learning that address more specific aspects of holistic education. While we all understand how crucial education is to shape the lives of our future generations, there is no denying the fact that a lot has to be done in this regard. Now more than ever, educators and education administrators are looking for new ways to effectively shape students into confident personalities. It remains clear that holistic education is still an area ripe for exploration. I am confident that by undertaking new practices, integrated principles and incorporating the National Education Policy 2020 we can fulfill the highest function of education, " The greatest function of education is to bring about an integrated individual who is capable of dealing with life as a whole effectively."