Education is a methodical effort tow- ards learning the basic facts about humanity. It is the vehicle of knowledge, self-preservation and success. Education not only gives a platform to succeed, but also the knowledge of social conduct, strength, character and self respect. The greatest gift education is the knowledge of unconditional love and a set of values.

Education is modern India’s greatest asset. It is the tide that lifts every boat, every where, in every sphere. Education has great role in socio-economic upliftment in India. It has been made compulsory up to secondary level. But value based education still remains a distant dream. The core idea behind value education is to cultivate essential values in the students so that the civilization that teaches us to manage complexities can be sustained and further developed. It begins at home and is continued in schools.

Education-  a huge meaning it has in our life, but sadly the meaning is reduced to the fact that it will go on to become our source of bread and butter – nothing more and nothing less. Is this what education stands for in our life? Is not education a way to make life better?  I believe that education is not an accessory to life but it is a necessity.

Here a question arises, what is ‘Value Based Education’? Character oriented education that instills basic and ethnic values in one’s mind is called ‘Value Based Education’. The prevalent system of education is not character-oriented but information-oriented. It is commercial and makes one selfish, arrogant, irrelevant and suspicious. It sharpens the child’s mind but hardens his heart. It lays no emphasis on basic values such as truth, love, humanity, compassion, forbearance and justice. It promotes materialistic outlook and generates cut-throat competition. Students being overburdened with lengthy syllabi and exams, find no time to acquire true knowledge.

Value education is important to help everyone in improving the value system that everyone holds and put them to use. Once, everyone has understood their values in life, they can examine and control the various choices they make in their lives. Thus, value education is always essential to shape one’s life and to give him an opportunity of performing himself on the global stage. The need for value education among the parents, children, teachers etc, is constantly increasing as we continue to witness increasing violent activities, behavioral disorders, lack of unity in the society etc.

The family system in India has a long tradition of imparting value education. But with the progress of modernity and fast changing role of the parents it has not been very easy for the parents to impart relevant values in their wards. Therefore it is the responsibility of the sacred temples of learning- educational institutions, to impart value education to the students. Schools must concentrate on the development of the children focusing on areas like humbleness, cooperation, honesty, simplicity, love, unity, peace etc. These values include the simple difference between right and wrong, the importance of hard work and self respect.

Hence, value based education is most necessary for the development of any individual of any gender and age. It is most important for a child. Education based on values gives him true knowledge, the most supreme knowledge of knowing oneself, which helps one to make his life better and purposeful. Our new generations, who are studying in thousands of schools across India lack proper value education. Schools are engaged in a never ending rat race to score better marks and that too in abundance. The objective of education in a country like India, which has a glorious heritage, is totally ignored.  Hence, it is the duty of both parents and teachers to impart value education to children for leading a healthy, meaningful and successful life.  The educational institutions in our country should inculcate value education in students, which is most necessary in present scenario.