Sir, - In ancient times, a school was meant to be a place of leisure where the inherent divinity and talents of the child was nurtured, leading to the emergence of a fully integrated individual. This was done not only by imparting secular knowledge but also by fostering a spirit of self-enquiry. This meant that a person was to come upon knowledge not only of the outer but also of the inner world of the self, a state of self-knowledge. Only one who lived a life based on self-knowledge would come upon the religious life. But such a situation does not exist in the modern day context. The coming of the Enlightenment and the relentless march of science and technology has created a crisis in the relationship between the sacred and the secular. The balance between these two must be restored if this crisis is to end. It is in the schools that this balance can be restored. There should be a paradigm shift in the way the world looks at the role of the educator. The teacher must change from being a mere transmitter of knowledge and become a facilitator, creating right conditions for the student to find his own way, allowing the flowering of the integrated and complete individual. This completeness is what is unique to each and every individual. Unless we achieve this completeness, there is a real danger of the human beings going over the abyss. This is the challenge of the new millennium.
- A Letter from George Joseph, Coimbatore, to the Editor of The Hindu dt 18.3.2003
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