Introduction to the Thoughts of a Humane Educator


Paulo Freire is one of the luminous intellectuals of the 20th century whose words and deeds are closely intermingled with his experiences of poverty, hard work, oppositions, and exile. He is concerned with humanization of man, which is to be brought about through the process of conscientization.[1] Freire’s encounter with different systems of thought in his early years, such as catholic liberation theology, marxism, personalism, phenomenology and existentialism influenced him in forming a humanistic outlook towards man and the world. Though his immediate concern was the reality of oppression in the Latin American countries, he did share the aspirations of the oppressed sections in the third world.[2]

            Education, for Freire, is never neutral.[3] It is a subversive activity, and is beyond just learning to read. He envisages education in terms of the development of critical consciousness for social transformation. It must lead us to ‘make and re-make’ ‘name and re-name’[4] the world. We humans are historical beings and therefore, we are called to reflect and act at the same time. When there is no reflection-action praxis our acts are no more human acts, rather they are fruits of adaptation to any given situation; it is a sign of a fatalistic attitude.

            Freire calls the popular educational method as the “banking method”[5] of education. Banking method can only make us read the word, and not the world and its challenges. It presents a dichotomy between man and the world as if he exists all alone, thus serving the interests of the elites and the oppressors, who wish that the oppressed remain uncritical, without any hope for their future. Freire proposes the problem-posing method of education for critical consciousness in order to attain the goal, namely, humanization. This idea is contrary to that of the banking method.

            Freire believes that no one has knowledge in its entirety so as to bequeath to someone; neither is there anyone who has nothing to contribute to others. Everyone’s knowledge is incomplete and therefore all of us need to learn and re-learn throughout our life. Since imposition of knowledge is out of question in the pedagogy of Freire, he coins terms such as ‘teacher-student’ and ‘student-teacher’ to emphasize that everyone needs to learn from everyone else. The content of learning should not be alien to that of students but taken from their own existential situations or applied to their existential situations. For instance, the students should not only learn to spell and write words like slum and palace, but also know their differences in reality. In this way education becomes political in nature.
           
            Though Freire recognizes the aspirations of the revolutionary leaders of Latin America, he does not approve violence as a means for emancipation; rather he promotes the means of dialogue. He bears no ill-will towards anyone, not even to the oppressors. In his view even the oppressors are in need of liberation inasmuch as they have failed in fulfilling their historical vocation to humanize others. In short, in failing to recognize and uphold the dignity of others the oppressors have come to be oppressed.

            He is deeply Christian and refuses to attribute oppression to God; God is neither the cause of oppression and injustice, nor does He will it. In truth, we cease to be Christians the moment we stop working for justice and brotherhood.[1]

            Freire’s educational philosophy has multiple implications for India, to its socio-political structure. Moreover, Freire is not new to India as he has interacted with the scholars, students, and politicians of India more than once. Freire remains an excellent guide to those who honestly work towards the emancipation of the social structure through education.

                [1] Denis E. Collins, Paulo Freire: His Life, Works, and Thought. (New York/Ramsey/Toronto: Paulist Press, 1977) 34.


                [1]  Paulo Freire, Pedagogy of the Oppressed (New York: Herder and Herder, 1970) 5-6. See also, Paulo Freire, The Politics of Education: Culture, Power and Liberation. Translated by Donaldo Mercado (Westport, CT: Bergin & Garvey, 1985) 67-91.
                [2] For Freire the third world is not geographical but political.
                [3] It either humanizes us by making us critically aware of our existential conditions or serves the purposes of the dominators or oppressors.
                [4] Pedagogy of the Oppressed, 76.  
                [5] Pedagogy of the Oppressed, 33, 37- 40, and 54.

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