Prof.Joseph Mundassery - A study on his educational contributions
'Prof.Joseph Mundassery - A study on his educational contributions' gives a light on the following facts. Mundassery was a great teacher who fought for the teachers, was a great educationalist-par excellence and a scholar that Kerala have ever seen. His teachings and scholarly life was like both side of a coin.
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Education is an essential human virtue. The chief task of education is to shape man, or to guide the evolving dynamism through which man forms himself as a man. It fashions and models him for society. Human life can only be glorified through education and with its help, man; primarily an animal being can be transformed to the human being. Education has to play a vital role in the progress of a country. In order to understand and evaluate an educational system we have to study the history behind. If education has a history no less renowned than that of any other discipline. In the words of Dr.Radhakrishnan, "It must include, not only the training of the intellect, but also the refinement of the heart and the discipline of the spirit.
The state of Kerala has several features that distinguish it from the rest of India. Its achievement in improving the quality of life of its population reckoned in terms of life expectancy's ratio, literacy, is well known. The single most contributory factor of these achievements in universally acknowledged being educational development. Kerala is the only major state, which has attained universal literacy. Educational development did not come to Kerala in a day. It is a culmination of a long-drawn and sustained process, which began about two centuries ago.
If we go through the history of education in Kerala, we find that rulers of the local dynasties of Kerala have made significant contributions to the progress of education. Under the famous ruler Ravi Varma Kulashehara, Kollam the capital of Venad became the great center of learning and culture. The rulers of other kingdoms like Thekkumkur and Vadakumkur also patronized education and learning. Calicut under Zamorins became one of the reputed centers of learning in South India. In the 14th and 15th centuries under the Kolathiri Rajas, North Kerala also became a centre of enlightment and culture. The Travancore court of the 18th century became the center of attraction for scholars and men of letters. Marthanda Varma and his successor. Dharma Raja were famous for their patronage of learning. The beginning of western education in Kerala may be associated with the work of Christian missionaries.
Modern education in Kerala state began with the historic proclamation of 1844 by Maharaja of Travancore that for service in public officer's preference should be given to those educated in English schools. The first English school was started in 1834 at Thiruvananthapuram and it was taken over by the then Maharaja of Travancore and run as a free school. In Malabar, enactment of the Malabar Local Boards Act of 1834 gave an impetus in the field of education consequent on the acceptance of the principle that education was made free.
Kerala has witnessed tremendous changes and developments in the field of education before and after of its formation in 1956. It would be impossible to formulate an educational history of Kerala not taking into account the ministry headed by Sri. E.M. S. Namboodiripad, the first Chief Minister of unified Kerala. Pro. Joseph Mundassery was the education minister in this ministry. During his period significant development took place in the education field.
Considering the history and the growth of education in Kerala, the contributions of various individuals, rulers and agencies cannot be ignored, even though they lie in oblivion. These individuals, rulers and agencies have rendered great services for the upliftment of the society through education. So it is important to trace the service rendered by these individuals, rulers and agencies in order to make a complete sketch of the history of education in Kerala.
My work is an attempt to study and analyses one of the famous educationalist Prof. Joseph Mundasseri and his contribution in the history of education of the Kerala state. The period of Joseph Mundassery witnessed significant development in the field of education. It would be impossible to formulate an educational history of Kerala, not taking into account of the contribution of Prof. Mundassery.
Mundassery master was one of the best literary critic, administrator, educationalist, parliamentarian, orator, politician, writer, thinker, leader and organizer of Kerala. In Kerala politics, he is mostly remembered as the Education Minister who is the mastermind behind the drafting of the controversial Education Bill in the first Ministry of Kerala. This bill is a remarkable one in the political and legal and educational history of Kerala.
The educational contributions of Prof. Joseph Mundassery still reminds in the minds of the people of Kerala. Though several years have gone by, after the initial spurt, it remains doubtful today the educational field has ever since received the due attention that it did in those beginning years. The present study is an attempt to know and find more the educational contributions of Prof. Joseph Mundassery to the field of education in Kerala.