democracy and education

Democracy is a complex concept in which an entity of free practices, relationships, and principles is organized, which can root in man the values of justice, equality, freedom of thought, and the values of criticism, dialogue, and respect for others. Hence, the person today is no longer just an individual in a subject, but rather a good citizen whose entity is determined by a number of broad and important rights that depend on him to obtain them in full, the most important of which is his right to education, and the right to equality in equal educational opportunities.

Democracy within this educational framework takes multiple means and means to reach the minds, hearts, and practices of individuals and groups to act freely to gain the desired benefits, and to refine their personalities and root their democratic practices through education. It is more appropriate to transfer its contents and practices to the children of their societies, and the basis for that is that democracy is a way of life based on important principles for man, including freedom, fraternity, justice and equality. These principles grow automatically in a positive direction if they are given opportunities to grow in a correct direction through various educational institutions, because Education strips individuals of the shackles of ignorance and introduces them to their abilities and capabilities, encourages them to adhere to their rights and carry out their duties, and helps them to be citizens with a high degree of awareness and culture, so that they can actively participate in the progress of their societies, and these principles and values can only be achieved through education in its various institutions. .

Through the foregoing, we cannot help but shed light on the close relationship between democracy and education to be the axis on which we rely. It is a dialectical and reciprocal relationship that depends on and is influenced by each other, and while true democracy does not open except in an educated society, education also does not take place and is not It develops and its opportunities and equality in education through it does not expand except in a democratic atmosphere, and this atmosphere cannot be achieved in the field of education except in the context of democratic social life, so democracy must be linked to all areas of life in general, and its connection to the field of education and education in particular to be more general. It is more comprehensive and accurate in order for this democracy to be achieved, because it cannot be achieved in any society unless education prevails in it, and opportunities spread among all its members, and the right to education is confirmed for all. The more education expands in a society, the greater its adherence to freedom and democracy.

In view of the current challenges and real problems that the educational process is facing, we emphasize that democratic education includes schools and educational institutions that are the focal point of it, which need equal opportunities that are based on providing individuals with access to various educational and educational institutions without discrimination between individuals on a social or social basis. Ethnic or religious on the one hand, and on the other hand, it includes democratic practice in the school and educational milieu, which is a system of educational interaction based on the coordination of relations between teachers and students, between students and students, and between teachers and educational administration, and the creation of democratic awareness that includes in the system of values that are rooted in awareness Students and their culture, in order to instill the values of tolerance, freedom, acceptance of the other, rejection of intolerance, rejection of discrimination, and respect for the rights of the other, to create an interactive, healthy and creative school atmosphere.

Hence, we will shed light on what educators have witnessed of John Dewey’s great influence on the philosophy of education and democracy and its systems, and how they see it as the basis for every reform achieved by education in this field because his views were comprehensive guidance rich in deep meanings in this regard, so John Dewey defined educational democracy as a personal way of life Therefore, it is not just an external thing that surrounds us, it is a set of attitudes and attitudes that form the personal characteristics of the individual, which determine his inclinations and goals in the field of his relations, and it follows from this perception the need to participate in expressing opinion and decision-making, and if we drop the implications of Dewey’s democracy on school and educational life, it would be An integral part of organizing life, affirming the value and dignity of the individual, and embodying the personality of humanity, which is based on the participation of the members of the educational body in all the management of its affairs in a democratic manner, and thus automatically eliminating the negative feeling of inequality for every member of the educational process, and this is what he emphasized Dewey, in his in-depth view of educational thought, and his focus on how society, including its educational institutions, deepens constructive criticism and sound dialogue in order to build an advanced and conscious society that contributes to modernity, with its productive energies, inventions, discoveries, and theoretical, technical, scientific and informational developments, and the achievement of lofty goals such as freedom and initiative Individualism and the rule of purposeful discussion. Access to this society, which was mentioned, is not easy as some might imagine. Rather, it requires serious and organized work that targets individuals, educating them on new concepts, and establishing the development that has occurred in lifestyles since the extension of science.

On the other hand, Dewey also succeeded in his attack on the traditional stereotypical education philosophy, and this is a form of democracy in the exercise of freedom. His writings made a strong call that broke the rule of the traditional method that prevailed in human history for long periods, to emphasize the role of the family, school and society, in developing the learner to live. A free, productive thinker. For Dewey, education is life in its present first, then it is concerned with its future. He contributed to advancing education to a path different from it, as he called for the importance of experience in education, criticized the indoctrination method, and denied the total dependence on the textbook and the teacher, and he also launched his attack on the educational system. The strict system based on complete obedience to the rigid administrative regulations, and directed to make the school an environment rich in experiences full of learners’ movement, in order to form an adult scientific mentality that can solve problems in a systematic manner, and among the rules that Dewey strives to establish is that the child is the sun of education and a focal point in the educational process , and that he will not learn optimally except through life experiences and other mental and social skills, as he stressed the importance of linking the school to society and called for democratic life and limiting education to benefit and interest, and that education should serve scientific purposes and realistic goals that benefit the free individual and the democratic society.

It is clear from the foregoing that Dewey's views carry with it a harsh criticism of the prevailing traditional education that depends on memorizing information by heart, preparing the learner for the future while ignoring the present and marginalizing the stage in which he lives, and the rule was that the teacher is the basis of the educational process, so Dewey came to turn the scales and convey Educational thought is a quantum leap towards the learner and his needs, and thus, according to Dewey, the school is a democratic environment that seeks to create a democratic citizen. Therefore, the teacher is present in it as a member of a group to help his students choose experiences that stimulate their motives, unleash their energies, show their abilities, and organize their responses to those stimuli and influences, and not to impose his authority and opinions on them. Or to make them accustomed to certain habits that he wants, and Dewey believes that the teacher, with his broader experience, greater knowledge, and mature wisdom, can help those who teach them how to understand the social life around them, and benefit from the knowledge and experiences they obtain in developing themselves, solving their problems, and advancing their societies, to contribute to In building society and its development, and he also emphasized taking into account individual differences in teaching and setting the curriculum that suits them, so Dewey focused on the importance of making the student the center of the educational process by making methods and curricula revolve around him instead of making him revolve around curricula and methods developed in isolation from him, and as he went He also pointed out that the contents of the curriculum are not as important as the way in which the teacher deals with these contents, and then he called on the teacher not to adhere to any of the methods, but to choose the appropriate method that suits his lesson, the level of his students, and their psychological conditions, and he also stressed the principle of the need to take into account the individual differences between Students and the need to take into account their natural inclinations and motives and their good investment in the educational process, and the duty of the teacher to organize and direct these tendencies and motives according to a plan drawn up to achieve desirable educational goals.

If we want to summarize Dewey's educational philosophy and doctrine to benefit from it, then the ideal education for him is the one that inculcates skills and does not accumulate information, and it is the one that touches the requirements of reality, and does not indulge in reverence for the past. A number of practical educational applications that can be benefited from from his ideas, so that education is based on the principle of the learner’s interaction with the surrounding environment and the society in which he lives, and therefore he needs to develop his intellectual and practical skills always in order to solve problems in a rational manner and scientific foundations, and based on this vision, science The theory applied in many schools and its many ramifications are not of importance in the educational curriculum as long as it does not serve the learner in the conduct of his life affairs, so it is necessary to take advantage of what Dewey did by transforming the process of human refinement from caring for abstract mental ideals to caring for tangible material results, under this philosophy Known as pragmatism and functionalism for him, scientific research to solve realistic problems is the most important tool in life to know the facts, to educate the individual, and to form a democratic society.

Because of the importance of what we have mentioned, the Arab educational systems should not refuse to learn about the thought and experiences of others in the field of education, such as the ideas of John Dewey, but it is very necessary before that to settle for them that education is the result of a specific society, and that it is not possible to borrow an educational thought that has found success in a society to apply it In Arab societies, this thought grew in a soil and environment different from that of the Arab-Islamic culture. We have to take advantage of this educational philosophy after adapting it to suit the Arab countries financially and morally and in a way that does not contradict our cultural and religious constants, which guarantees the achievement of development and progress for the Arab educational systems.