Wednesday, October 22, 2025
NSN
NTTF_mini_web_banner
SGSU-banner-1
Didac India & Skills Combined NSN Banner-01
  • Home
  • Conversations
    • Industry Conversations
    • All Conversations
  • Perspectives
    • Education
    • Emerging Technologies
    • Government Initiatives
    • Industry
    • Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs)
    • NEP 2020
    • Skill Training
  • News
    • Latest Updates
    • News Archives
    • CSR and ESG in Skill Education
    • Skill Development e-Magazine
    • NSN PDF Newsletter Archives
  • Videos
    • Explainers
    • Panel Discussions
    • Student Stories
    • Video Conversations
  • Resources
    • Apprenticeship
    • e-Books
    • Resources
    • Success Stories
  • Events
    • Workshops
  • About us
    • Our Team
    • Our Clients
    • Our Services
    • Privacy Policy
No Result
View All Result
NSN
  • Home
  • Industry Conversations
  • Perspectives
    • Education
    • Emerging Technologies
    • Government Initiatives
    • Industry
    • Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs)
    • NEP 2020
    • Skill Training
  • News
    • Latest Updates
    • News Archives
    • Skill Development e-Magazine
    • NSN PDF Newsletter Archives
  • Resources
    • Apprenticeship
    • E-books
    • Resources
    • Success Stories
  • Events
    • Workshops
  • About us
    • Our Team
    • Our Clients
    • Our Services
    • Privacy Policy
NSN
No Result
View All Result
Home Perspectives Education

Implementing Gandhian ideas through skills and work-integrated education

S. Divya Sree by S. Divya Sree
October 1, 2025
Reading Time: 4 mins read
A A
0

On the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti (October 2, 2025), we reflect on the enduring relevance of Mahatma Gandhi’s vision for education; an approach that emphasized skills, crafts, and work-integrated learning. Mahatma Gandhi believed that true education must go beyond literacy to engage the head, hand, and heart, preparing learners for both personal growth and social contribution. His philosophy continues to inspire vocational education and skill development in India today.

“Literacy is not the end of education nor even the beginning… I would, therefore, begin the child’s education by teaching it a useful handicraft and enabling it to produce from the moment it begins its training.” – Mahatma Gandhi

In this article, we explore how Mahatma Gandhi’s philosophy of skills, crafts, and work-integrated education continues to shape contemporary discussions on vocational training and education in India.

Implementing Gandhian ideas through skills and work-integrated education

Implementing Gandhian ideas for strengthening vocational and skill-based education in India

For Mahatma Gandhi, education was not limited to the head but equally to the heart and hand. He envisioned an education system rooted in crafts and skills—contemporary yet deeply connected to local needs. This approach, relevant even today, highlights three core areas:

  • Head, Heart, and Hand – making education holistic and skill-integrated.
  • Contextual learning – aligning rural and urban training with local requirements.
  • Local economy focus – enabling youth to engage in self-employment and MSMEs.

Gandhian ideas for vocational education and crafts-centric education

Handicrafts should be taught “not merely for production work but for developing intellect of the pupils.” Gandhi’s concept of basic education that included manual work as a means to make education inclusive. He strongly believed in a holistic curriculum, even in primary education that introduces children to work-experience through agriculture, weaving, carpentry, and several other skills. This would help in balancing the danger of making education over-academic or bookish and influence mindsets positively towards respect for work and dignity of skills and labor.

Click here to read more!

3 ways in which Gandhian philosophy of work-integrated education is being implemented in India

Mahatma Gandhi always closely associated education with the socioeconomic development of the country and emphasised the importance of vocational education and work-integrated learning.

  • He believed vocational education and training stimulate the human mind for creative thinking, learning by doing and thereby promoting the dignity of manual labour.
  • He strongly advocated work-integrated learning to be part of the education curriculum right from the primary level to the higher education level.

Over the years, India has taken several initiatives and implemented many ideas along the lines of Gandhian ideology. Against the backdrop of the National Education Policy 2020, these initiatives and ideas have also been constantly evolving to meet the current challenges of implementing work-integrated education.

Let us look at the three ways in which the Gandhian philosophy of work-integrated education is being implemented in India to meet contemporary challenges in the evolving ecosystem: Read more… 

NSN Quiz on Mahatma Gandhi’s concepts of education and crafts

Test your knowledge of Gandhian philosophy in education and crafts with our engaging quiz. A quick and insightful way to revisit his timeless ideas. Click here!

Mahatma Gandhi on the importance of vocational education and skill development

Mahatma Gandhi’s views on education have inspired and invigorated several discussions and decisions on educational policy and practice. Kothari Commission Report (1964 -66) was significantly inspired by Gandhian philosophy while recommending reforms in schooling and technical training that have stayed with us till today. However, somewhere down the line, we seem to have lost a balanced approach to promote, pursue and reward vocational aspects of learning by doing, dignity of labour and other values to be inculcated at an early age. These were the main tenets of Mahatma Gandhi craft-centric education policy that seems to find an echo in present initiatives at skill development and vocationalisation of school education in India.

Technical and vocational education and training

Today, we are at a critical juncture when it comes to reviving interest in skills and vocational training and making learning outcome-based and industry-relevant. Mahatma Gandhi was earliest proponent of technical education and linking curriculum with industry needs. Of course, the needs may be different today, but the essence of making education work-integrated is of prime value.

Read more…

“Head, Hand and Heart”: Relevance of craft-centered education for 21st century skills – Webinar report

On the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti 2021, Team NSN organized a webinar “Head, Hand and Heart”: Relevance of craft-centered education for 21st-century skills” with an aim to convey and re-emphasize the significance and potential of handicrafts, toys, and crafts in enabling livelihoods, empowering youth, and contributing to the economy.

Watch the full webinar: YouTube link

Click here to read the report!

Mahatma Gandhi’s vision reminds us that education should not remain bookish or limited to literacy; it must be practical, skill-driven, and rooted in social good. His timeless principles of head, hand, and heart continue to inspire vocational education and skill development in India.

Let us carry forward his legacy by strengthening vocational and work-integrated education for a future that values both knowledge and dignity of labour.

RelatedPosts

Lighting Futures with Skills: How SGSU Redefines Learning Through Diwali Skill Wali

Understanding Assessment As, For, and Of Learning in Skill Development

Bengaluru Skill Summit 2025: Driving Skills, Innovation, and Growth in Karnataka

Tags: Gandhi craft-based learningGandhi Jayanti 2025head hand heart education Mahatma Gandhiskill educationvocational education in Indiawork-integrated education India
WhatsApp Join our WhatsApp channel for more updates:
WhatsApp Join Now!
YouTube Subscribe to our YouTube channel for more updates:
YouTube Subscribe Now!
Previous Post

Weekly Newsbytes from NSN on Skill Development and Education – 30th September 2025

Next Post

Telangana Unveils 65 Advanced Technology Centres to Empower Youth with Skills

S. Divya Sree

S. Divya Sree

S. Divya Sree is a Content Developer at National Skills Network (NSN), covering topics related to education, technology, work-integrated learning, and skill development. She is passionate about creating digital content, fond of research and analysis, and believes in the role of education and skilling in shaping the future of work.

Next Post
Telangana Unveils 65 Advanced Technology Centres to Empower Youth with Skills

Telangana Unveils 65 Advanced Technology Centres to Empower Youth with Skills

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

No Result
View All Result
samplead3 samplead1

Subscribe to our e-Magazine

Trending Topics

skilling in India (131) National Skill Development Corporation - NSDC (127) skill development news India (124) skill development (114) Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship MSDE (101) vocational education (93) Apprenticeships (86) skill development news (79) skill development programs (70) Nettur Technical Training Foundation (NTTF) (68)

Follow us

  • Team NSN wishes you a very Happy Diwali! ✨️  #diwali #diwali2025
  • We’re proud to join hands with the Bengaluru Skill Summit 2025 as an Association Partner! 🤝  Organised by the Government of Karnataka , through the Skill Development Entrepreneurship and Livelihood Department, Government of Karnataka (SDEL), Karnataka Skill Development Corporation (KSDC), Karnataka State Department of Agriculture (KSDA) and Karnataka Digital Economy Mission (KDEM), the summit will bring together leaders from government, industry, academia, and youth to power the next wave of India’s skilling revolution.  This year’s summit will bring together leaders and changemakers shaping the future of India’s skilling, innovation, and workforce transformation.  🌐 3,000+ Participants
 🎤100+ Speakers
 🏢 100+ Exhibitors
 🤝25+ Media Partners  Be part of this transformative platform that unites government, industry, academia, and youth, driving India’s workforce vision for 2030.  📅 4–6 November 2025
 📍 The Lalit Ashok, Bengaluru  Visit https://bengaluruskillsummit.com/  to know more.  Register Now: https://konfhub.com/bengaluru-skill-summit-2025  #BengaluruSkillSummit #SkillDevelopment #FutureOfWork #Innovation #Leadership  #Workforce2030 #PartnershipsForProgress
  • We are excited to partner with Bengaluru Skill Summit as the Association Partner for the Bengaluru Skill Summit 2025.  We look forward to contributing to this impactful platform that brings together government, industry, and academia to advance India’s skill development and workforce transformation.  Let’s make this summit a milestone for the skilling ecosystem!  📅 4–6 November 2025 | The Lalit Ashok, Bengaluru  #BengaluruSkillSummit2025 #SkillsForFuture #SkillingIndia #SkillDevelopment
  • India’s electronics industry is rapidly emerging as a global hub for innovation, manufacturing, and design.  With advances in semiconductors, embedded systems, IoT, and automation, the demand for skilled professionals has never been higher.  From production and testing to chip design and system integration, this sector is creating diverse career opportunities for youth and professionals across all levels.  At the heart of this growth is skilling; empowering a workforce that’s ready for future technologies and capable of driving innovation across industries.  Explore how India’s electronics ecosystem is evolving through skills, education, and entrepreneurship.  #ElectronicsIndustry #SkillDevelopment #Semiconductors #STEMEducation
  • Myth vs Fact – India’s Textile Industry  India’s textile industry is evolving beyond traditional spinning and weaving. 
Today, technical textiles, from Meditech to Sportstech, are creating new opportunities that demand advanced skills in CAD design, machine operation, and material science.  It’s time to move past the myths and recognise textiles as a future-ready, skill-driven industry.  Watch the full interview on our YouTube channel!  #Textile #textileindustry #mythvsfacts
  • The shift from Generative AI to Agentic AI is here!  While Generative AI creates based on prompts, Agentic AI goes a step further - it plans, decides, and acts to achieve goals autonomously.  We’re moving from prompt-based assistance to purpose-driven autonomy.  To thrive in this new era, professionals need more than AI literacy. They need skills in workflow design, problem-solving, and human–AI collaboration.  Swipe 👉 to explore:
✨ How Agentic AI is reshaping workflows and learning
✨ How it’s redefining the future of work
✨ The key skills to thrive in the Agentic era  #AI #AgenticAI #GenerativeAI #SkillDevelopment #DigitalSkills #LearningAndInnovation
  • Telangana unveils 65 Advanced Technology Centres (ATCs) with hands-on training, ₹2,000 scholarships, RTC apprenticeships, and pathways to global careers. Watch the video to know more!  #skilldevelopment​ #telangana​ #advancedtechnologycentres​ #futurereadyskills​ #techskills2025​
  • Team NSN wishes you all a Happy and Prosperous Dussehra!  #dussehra #dasara #durgapuja #ashtami
  • Across India, states are stepping up with new skill development policies, global collaborations, certification drives, and future-focused programs.  From integrating vocational education and digital technologies to preparing youth for opportunities in AI, sustainability, and overseas jobs, these initiatives are shaping a future-ready workforce.  Such efforts reflect how state governments are aligning with national priorities and global trends to make skilling more inclusive, industry-driven, and impactful.  Stay updated with this week’s roundup of state initiatives in skill development!  Click here to read more: https://nationalskillsnetwork.in/weekly-newsbytes-from-nsn-on-skill-development-and-education-30th-september-2025/  Want your state’s skill development story featured? Reach out to us at NSN!

About us

National Skills Network (NSN) captures and shares the positive impact of various training, skill development and vocational education initiatives in India.

To know more about Our Team: Click here

Address

NSN Digital Solutions Pvt. Ltd.
CIN: U74999TG2020PTC147299
MSME: UDYAM-TS-09-0086473
Gachibowli, Hyderabad – 500032

Email us: contact@nationalskillsnetwork.com

Important Links

  • Conversations
  • Perspectives
  • News
  • Skill Development e-Magazine
  • Resources
  • Our Team
  • Our Clients
  • Partner with us
  • About us
  • Advertise with us
  • Content Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy

© National Skills Network Content licensed under CC BY-ND 4.0. Commercial use requires permission.

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Conversations
    • Industry Conversations
    • All Conversations
  • Perspectives
    • Education
    • Emerging Technologies
    • Government Initiatives
    • Industry
    • Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs)
    • NEP 2020
    • Skill Training
  • News
    • Latest Updates
    • News Archives
    • CSR and ESG in Skill Education
    • Skill Development e-Magazine
    • NSN PDF Newsletter Archives
  • Videos
    • Explainers
    • Panel Discussions
    • Student Stories
    • Video Conversations
  • Resources
    • Apprenticeship
    • e-Books
    • Resources
    • Success Stories
  • Events
    • Workshops
  • About us
    • Our Team
    • Our Clients
    • Our Services
    • Privacy Policy

© National Skills Network Content licensed under CC BY-ND 4.0. Commercial use requires permission.