DHARMARAM VIDYA KSHETRAM: An Icon of Holistic Education for Integral Development (by Shijja Kevin Kuhumba, Tanzania)

DHARMARAM VIDYA KSHETRAM

An Icon of Holistic Education for Integral Development

Shijja Kevin Kuhumba, Tanzania (DVK, 2014-2016)

Candidly, this topic under discussion brings me into a volley of questions remarkably, how is DVK an icon of education for holistic development? Is it because of the highly enlightened gurus available for teaching and research guidance? Or else, is it because of multicultural and multi religious ambiance offered by an institute? Is it because of the beautiful scenery of the campus? Basing on these reasons and others I can vouch to the fact that DVK is an icon of ecclesiastical education and training. The academic activities and extra-curricular activities equip students with skills to become good ambassadors of Jesus Christ and to be active participants in the process of integral human development.

The Link between Education and Development

The term education is derived from the Latin term ‘educare’, meaning, in general, a process of growing up, rearing and bringing up. Thus, it is a continuous process designed to acquaint learners with knowledge, skills and develop their talents. On the other hand, the term development is derived from French verb ‘veloper’, which means to wrap up. In nutshell, to develop is to cause positive change, to grow gradually, into a fuller, larger, stronger and better state of existence. Proper education should be in a position to facilitate positive growth and integral development of the learners. Hence, learners equipped with holistic education ought to be active participants in the process of integral development and should advocate social justice in their respective societies and in the global society.

Reasons Why We Rank DVK as an Icon of Holistic Education for Integral Development

The validity of this claim is based on three dimensions which are highly emphasized at DVK. The first dimension is the ‘head’. It entails development of the cognition and intellectual powers. The academic schedule and programmes at DVK realize mental liberation allowing students to acquire knowledge, skills and critical thinking. Assuredly, the qualified professors and a well facilitated library contribute significantly into it. The conducive learning environment, which includes well-furnished lecture halls, garden library, etc., are the indicators of good pedagogical variables. International conferences and special lectures such as endowment lectures, new philosophical trends and student’s participation in preparing monthly newsletters are remarkable initiatives to facilitate intellectual growth of students.

More so, committed and updated instructors, who are not only good teachers who narrate, better teaches who teach, but more importantly teachers who are source of motivation to the students. Also, the extra-curricular programmes such as cultural programmes, sports day, Christmas Carol competitions and spacious playgrounds (basketball, volley, cricket and football) give an impetus to the development of cognitive faculties and intellectual formation. Therefore, the ‘head’ dimension is well trained to correspond to the recent development paradigms which involve a lot of intellectual activities with critical thinking to solve problems.

The second dimension which makes DVK an icon of education is the formation of the ‘heart’. It is manifested by spiritual activities; for example, each academic year is opened by special mass and is closed with a special benediction as thanksgiving to the Almighty God. Thanks to the Faculty of Philosophy for facilitating monthly special mass where students of philosophy gather together at the table of the Lord with their professors. Ultimately, this dimension realizes spiritual growth as a necessary variable in the development process. For instance, this form of training produces people who are spiritual and imbibed with moral values which are indispensable factors in human capital building for integral development.  

The third dimension is formation of the ‘hands’. It is portrayed by several activities at DVK such as Sramadan day. It is a special day for each faculty to engage in manual activities like cleaning the campus compound and engaging in social activities in hospitals so as to prepare students to face real life situation. Moreover, some professors offer opportunities to develop student’s creativity by using their hand. For example, as part of the course on cosmology and philosophy of science a science exhibition was organized where students showcased their scientific items created by their hand. Such initiatives offer a humble opening for promoting creativity by using our hands in connection with our heads. This connection is necessary for an integrated personal development for the promotion of human and social causes.  

To conclude, the training offered at DVK in these three dimensions prepares learners to be active in the process of integral development. Today’s world needs people who are well-versed in intellectual virtues, critical thinking (head), moral virtues and ethical values (heart) plus people who are good with their hands (hand). I make a submission that DVK is an icon of education which focuses on holistic growth for the integral human development by focusing on these three dimensions.