1. Heart of Education is the Education of the Heart
Rachita Behera
Pre.Ph.D Scholar
RIE(NCERT)BBSR
Email-rachitabehera367@gmail.com
Introduction:
We shall never learn to feel and respect
Our real calling and destiny, unless
we have thought ourselves
to consider everything as moonshine,
Compared to the Education of the Heart.
Sir Walter Scott
For education, the sense of heart which we have been considering primarily implies the
importance of a holistic approach. We have seen that heart encompasses feeling, knowing, loving,
and is our access to one another. An educated heart would be educated in the practice of self-knowledge.
An educated heart would be educated about affections, and the ways of interaction. It
would also have to understand the requirements of participation and the necessity, for that possibility
to be realized, of democratic association. It would understand the anatomy of courage and be
responsive to its call. The heart of education is the well-being of community. An educated heart, as
the place in ourselves and in others where we must especially allow hearing room, would respect
transcendence at the horizon of our own self-meaning.
A guide to educational practice generated by sensitivity to the education of the heart might
include aims like these: to encourage habits of critical self-awareness.to accept the equal right of all
individuals to the autonomy of their emotional lives. to learn what and how the other wants (the real
justification of multi-cultureless is equality of access to one's own emotional life; simple empathy for
each other is not enough).to accept mutuality as the form of the learning environment. To encourage
openness to the unknown, and humility and courage in its presence to promote habits and techniques
of collaboration. Today's education is no longer about a learning in which knowledge, skills and
habits of a people are transferred, it is about creating an experience that has a formative effect on the
way one thinks, feels, and acts.
Key Notes- Quality, Peace and Human Right Education and Sustainable Development
Meaning of Heart of Education:
Girls and boys, who learn to read, write and count will provide a better future for their families
and countries. With improved education, so many other areas are positively affected. In short,
education has the power to make the world a better place. Education in its general sense is a form

2. of learning in which the knowledge, skills, values, beliefs and habits of a group of people are
transferred from one generation to the next through storytelling, discussion, teaching, training, and or
research.
The Delors Report underlined the need for individuals to learn how to learn, for learning throughout
life and for diverse pathways for learning. Research on learning has mushroomed and is
multifaceted, ranging from psychology, anthropology, sociology, neurosciences, information studies,
instructional design and so on. Peoples of the region should learn to live together on the basis of
mutual respect and understanding, helping one another, sharing and caring for the benefit of all.
Learning to live together requires a dynamic, holistic, life-long process involving education of all
segments of society.
When all qualities attached to the concepts of learning to live together are considered,
education to achieve peace, human rights, democracy and sustainable development is undoubtedly an
holistic linked process. All values related to peace are linked to those of human rights, democracy
and sustainable development. Sustainable development, which covers all aspects of human life,
cannot be accomplished without peace. Peace cannot be achieved without democracy. It would be
difficult to attain democracy where violations of human rights exist.
Goal of Education Related to LTLT
Most countries have national education policies or goals that include aspects of learning to live
together (LTLT).In general, goals and programme titles used when a country wants to strengthen
LTLT reflect recent history – specific political and historical moments. Education for peace, human
rights, democracy and sustainable development is predicated on the development of a sense of
universal values
In societies that are at peace, there may be a concern to promote constructive citizenship on the part of
young people.
In post-conflict situations or where there are serious divisions within a national population,
there may be a stress on peace and social cohesion.
In countries where a previous government had committed human rights abuses, and neglected
the welfare of the population, there may be a stress on human rights.
In countries where the previous government had repressed political opposition, there may be
an emphasis on democratic citizenship and the development of civil society.
In countries where the rule of law is weak and corruption is commonplace, there may be
projects supporting good governance.
Finally, in most societies there is concern about the interpersonal pressures on adolescents and
youth, and this may lead to goals of ‘life sk ills’, especially for reducing risk y behaviours that
may lead to HIV/AIDS infection, drug abuse, gang and other violence and in some situations,
joining militias or extremist groups.
Learning To Live Together-Its Meaning:
The Delors Report underlined the need for individuals to learn how to learn, for learning
throughout life and for diverse pathways for learning. Research on learning has mushroomed and is
multifaceted, ranging from psychology, anthropology, sociology, neurosciences, information studies,
instructional design and so on. A central argument is that if education is to succeed in its tasks,
curriculum assist core should be restructured or repacked around the four pillars of learning: learning

3. to know, learning to do, learning to live together, and learning to be. Now i will enlarge the idea of
Learning To Live Together (LTLT) as a Heart of Education.
Learning to Live Together incorporates both traditional and modern learning methodologies
based on experience, cooperation, problem solving, discussion, and introspection. They are served by
techniques such as arts, appreciative debates, experience sharing, field trips, games, meditation, role
playing, sports, inquiry, or story-telling, to form the programme’s core activities. This
methodological variety ensures a flexibility to suit various age groups, religious traditions and
cultural contexts, as well as to ensure ownership of the programme’s process and outcome.
In the context of increasing globalization, the Delors Commission places a special emphasis on
this pillar of learning. It implies an education taking two complementary paths: on one level,
discovery of others and on another, experience of shared purposes throughout life. Specifically it
implies the development of such qualities as: knowledge and understanding of self and others;
appreciation of the diversity of the human race and an awareness of the similarities between, and the
interdependence of, all humans; empathy and cooperative social behaviour in caring and sharing;
respect of other people and their cultures and value systems; capability of encountering others and
resolving conflicts through dialogue; and competency in working towards common objectives.
This theme is important to educators because:
■ Learning to live appropriately with others is important in our everyday lives – from life in the
school, family and community to the special problems of adolescent relationships.
■ Learning to live together in the wider society requires awareness of and respect for human
rights and the responsibilities of local, national and global citizenship.
■ Learning to live together as responsible citizens can help reduce tensions due to ethnic or other
divisions and social disparities which contribute to the instability or civil conflict seen in many
nations today.
Objectives of LTLT:
The objectives of Learning to Live Together are:
 To promote young people’s ability to form healthy and peaceful relationships with peers, family and
community members, including avoiding risky sexual behaviours, resisting peer pressure for
substance abuse, prevention of bullying and harassment, and learning how to resolve conflicts through
negotiation
 To promote respect for others, tolerance, positive attitudes to diversity in society, gender sensitivity,
mutual trust and understanding through progress towards these intrapersonal and interpersonal goals
to lay the foundation for mutual respect, justice, social inclusion and good governance in the wider
society. Goals relating to the wider society
 To strengthen the capacity of children and young people to make well-grounded ethical decisions
based on values that promote respect for other cultures and beliefs.
 To empower children and young people to engage in dialogue – to listen and to talk – as a means of
developing greater sensitivity to differences and an understanding of others.
 To nurture children’s and young people’s ability to respond to the needs of their societies with an
attitude of reconciliation and respect for diversity and to contribute, in this manner, to a culture of
peace.
 To allow children and young people to appreciate and nurture their spirituality.
 To affirm human dignity as expressed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Convention
on the Rights of the Child (CRC) and in the teachings of all religious traditions.

4.  To affirm the possibility of living together, respecting one another in a world of different religious,
ethnic and cultural traditions.
 To provide tools for educators to work with intercultural and interfaith learning indifferent regions
and in diverse settings.
 To develop and promote successful practices for living together with people of different cultures,
ethnicities, beliefs and religions.
Different aspects of Heart of Education:
There are various aspects which are included as the Heart of Education
A.QualityEducation:
A good quality education is one that provides all learners with capabilities they require to become
economically productive, develop sustainable livelihoods, contribute to peaceful and democratic
societies and enhance individual well-being. The learning outcomes that are required vary according
to context but at the end of the basic education cycle must include threshold levels of literacy and
numeracy, basic scientific knowledge and life skills including awareness and prevention of disease.
Capacity development to improve the quality of teachers and other education stakeholders is crucial
throughout this process. Indeed a quality education should facilitate and promote human
relationships characterised by justice, peace and negotiated mutual interests which lead to greater
equity, respect and understanding. Six Crucial Dimensions of Quality Education
1. Equity: Equity in education means that personal and social circumstances such as gender,
ethnic origin or family background are not obstacles to achieving educational potential and
that all individuals reach at least a basic minimum level of skills.
2. Contextualisation and Relevance: Quality education cannot be based on a blueprint that is
applicable in all situations. Solutions and adaptations of education systems must be based on
the real needs of a country and community.
3. Child-friendly Teaching and Learning: Quality education puts the child in the centre and
helps it to reach his or her full potential. Quality Education requires children’s active
participation.
4. Sustainability: Educational change processes often need time to be realised. By enhancing
the capacities of local education authorities.
5. Balanced Approach: Quality education aims at developing a balanced set of capabilities of
children they require to become economically productive, develop sustainable livelihoods,
contribute to peaceful and democratic societies and enhance individual well-being.
6. Learning Outcomes: After completing a certain level of education, children must have
developed a minimum standard of skills. Quality education requires a results-oriented
approach.
B. Peace Education: Peace education be thought of as "encouraging a commitment to peace as a
settled disposition and enhancing the confidence of the individual as an individual agent of peace; as
informing the student on the consequences of war and social injustice; as informing the student on
the value of peaceful and just social structures and working to uphold or develop such social
structures; as encouraging the student to love the world and to imagine a peaceful future; and as
caring for the student and encouraging the student to care for others" . Since the early decades of the
20th century, “peace education” programs around the world have represented a spectrum of focal

5. themes, including anti-nuclearism, international understanding, environmental responsibility,
communication skills, non-violence, conflict resolution techniques, democracy, human rights
awareness, tolerance of diversity, coexistence and gender equality, among others.
C.Democracy education:
Peace education programs cantered on democracy education typically focus on the political
processes associated with conflict, and postulate that with an increase in democratic participation the
likelihood of societies resolving conflict through violence and war decreases. At the same time, “a
democratic society needs the commitment of citizens who accept the inevitability of conflict as well
as the necessity for tolerance” (U.S. Department of State, The Culture of Democracy, emphasis
added). Thus programs of this kind attempt to foster a conflict-positive orientation in the community
by training students to view conflict as a platform for creativity and growth.
Approaches of this type train participants in the skills of critical thinking, debate and coalition-building,
and promote the values of freedom of speech, individuality, tolerance of diversity,
compromise and conscientious objection. Their aim is to produce “responsible citizens” who will
hold their governments accountable to the standards of peace, primarily through adversarial
processes. Activities are structured to have students “assume the role of the citizen that chooses,
makes decisions, takes positions, argues positions and respects the opinions of others”: skills that a
multi-party democracy are based upon. Based on the assumption that democracy decreases the
likelihood of violence and war, it is assumed that these are the same skills necessary for creating a
culture of peace.
D.Human rights education:
Peace education programs cantered on raising awareness of human rights typically focus at the level
of policies that humanity ought to adopt in order to move closer to a peaceful global community. The
aim is to engender a commitment among participants to a vision of structural peace in which all
individual members of the human race can exercise their personal freedoms and be legally protected
from violence, oppression and indignity. Approaches of this type familiarize participants with the
international covenants and declarations of the United Nations system; train students to recognize
violations of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights; and promote tolerance, solidarity,
autonomy and self-affirmation at the individual and collective levels. Human rights education “faces
continual elaboration, a significant theory-practice gap and frequent challenge as to its validity”. In
one practitioner’s view:
“Human rights education does not work in communities fraught with conflict unless it is part of a
comprehensive approach. In fact, such education can be counterproductive and lead to greater
conflict if people become aware of rights which are not realized. In this respect, human rights
education can increase the potential for conflict"
To prevent these outcomes, many such programs are now being combined with aspects of conflict
resolution and democracy education schools of thought, along with training in non-violent action.
E. Love and Empathy:
The love and Empathy, however, took a nurturing approach to pupils, justified by the belief that
human nature, being instinct with good, required primarily a sympathetic atmosphere in which it
might grow according to natural law. The standard to be met was implicitly internal in each child.

6. Regarded as maternal by definition, women were thought specially graced by their sex to provide a
nurturing atmosphere and to teach more by moral example than by intellectual rigor. The
feminization of the teaching corps could be perceived as a merely quantitative question of replacing
men with women teachers involving no radical views as to the character and status of womanhood.
F. Sustainable Development:
Education for Sustainable Development argues that education embracing sustainable development
must share the characteristics of any high quality learning experience but emphasises that an
additional criterion must be that the process of learning and teaching model the values of sustainable
development. These include:
a. Respect for the dignity and human rights of people throughout the world and a commitment to
social and economic justice for all.
b. Respect for the human rights of future generations and a commitment to Intergenerational
responsibility.
c. Respect and care for the great community of life in all its diversity which involves the protection
and restoration of the earth’s eco systems.
Future Vision of LTLT in Indian Context
The vision and mission of the Interfaith Council resonate in particular with those articles in
the Universal Declaration of Human Rights that address: the right to freedom of thought
and belief, opinion and expression; to education and rest and leisure; to an adequate standard
of living and medical care; and to participation in the community’s cultural life. The Interfaith
Council subscribes wholly to the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Learning to Live Together
responds specifically to which states that the education of the child shall
be directed to:
a) The development of the child’s personality, talents and mental and physical abilities to their fullest
potential.
b) The development of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, and for the
principles enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations.
c) The development of respect for the child’s parents, his or her own cultural identity, language and
values, for the national values of the country in which the child is living, the country from which he
or she may originate, and for civilizations different from his or her own.
d) The preparation of the child for responsible life in a free society, in the spirit of understanding,
peace, tolerance, equality of sexes, and friendship among all peoples, ethnic, national and religious
groups and persons of indigenous origin.
e) The development of respect for the natural environment. The Convention on the Rights of the Child
provides an instrument for a responsible approach to children. The CRC, signed by all nations and ratified by
all but two nations, indicates three areas of children’s rights. All children have the right to: Life, health,
education and development. The CRC has four general principles for the overall safeguarding of the rights of
the child:
 The right to survival and development.
 The right to no discrimination.
 The right to be heard.

7.  The best interests of the child.
Learning to Live Together has been developed as a contribution to the realisation of the right of the child to
education and to full and healthy physical, mental, spiritual, moral and social development, as set out in the
Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Conclusion:-
The concept of learning to live together focuses on the development of understanding,
consideration and respect for others, their beliefs, values and cultures. This concept of LTLT
recognizing that differences and diversities are opportunities rather than obstacles to growth. It will
our interdependence, as well as the risks and challenges involved, is the first step towards the
formulation of more effective solutions for learning how we can live together although this is not an
easy task. We have to develop the people who are highly capable, skilled, innovative and resourceful,
but our fundamental responsibility – as policy makers, leaders, educators, parents and community
members – is to produce people with hearts and people who care.
Reference:
UNESCO. 1996. Learning – the treasure within: report to UNESCO of the International
Commission on Education for the Twenty-first Century.Paris: UNESCO. (Retrieved on 10
January 2007 from http://www.unesco.org/education/pdf/15-62.pdf ).
Sobhi Tawil, Marie Cougoureux.(2013). Revisiting Learning:The Treasure Within: Assessing the influence of
the 1996 Delors Report Available at/www.unesco.org/new/en/education/themes/leading-the../
resources/retrived on 12/11/14.
Vision2020-Education/available
at/planningcommission.gov.in/reports/genrep/bkpap2020/14_bg2020.pdf/retrived on 12/11/14.
Zhou Nan-zhao.(2013).Four ‘Pillars of Learning’ for the Reorientation and Reorganization of curriculum:
Reflections and Discussions/available at/http://www.scribd.com/doc/37459980/4-pillars-of-learning/retrived
on 12/11/14.