According to Osho, the new commune’s education is five-dimensional, non-competitive, and present-centered. Examinations disappear; teachers become guides who observe daily, encourage individual pace, and direct students to the latest sources. Learning is delivered primarily through television and computers, with libraries and technology providing up-to-date knowledge. No one passes or fails; continuous observation replaces grades, nurturing love, joy, and friendliness instead of ambition and superiority/inferiority.
School will focus on learning now, not competing or taking big tests, with helpful guides and media showing you the newest things while you grow at your own speed.
From the Discourses
Passages where Osho speaks to this question — each links to the complete discourse.
Question: BELOVED OSHO, WHAT WOULD BE THE FORM OF EDUCATION IN THE NEW COMMUNE? Maneesha, the education that has prevailed in the past is very insufficient, incomplete, superficial. It only creates people who can earn their livelihood but it does not give any insight into living itself. It is not only incomplete, it is harmful too -- because it is based on competition. Any type of competition is violent deep down, and creates people who are unloving. Their whole effort is to be the achievers -- of name, of fame, of all kinds of ambitions. Obviously they have to struggle and be in conflict for them. That destroys their joys and that destroys their friendliness. It seems everybody is fighting against the whole world.
Osho, do you feel, sir, that a new education could bring about a revolution that frees the individual and creates a beautiful society?
Two things are certain: 1) First, we must save new children from the old. Half of education’s task should be to protect children from the stupidities of the past. At present, education initiates them into those past follies—it inducts them. The foolishness that has gone on for thousands of years, we teach to new children too. The primary work is to save them from the errors of the past. 2) Second, where the past went wrong, we must do the opposite. Instead of fighting sex, sex should be known and understood. Instead of fighting anger, it should be recognized and known. This knowing will operate on two planes. One: there should be laboratories where such experiments are conducted on a large scale. And two: each person should become a laboratory himself, continuing his own experiments. Just as we eat every day and sleep every day, so too every day we…
Naturally, they cannot be taught to be Christians, Hindus, Mohammedans; no -- the commune has no religion. It will teach the children everything that has been found truthful, and it will teach the children that there are many things they will have to seek and find themselves. We cannot give them the answers for those things: God, soul.... We cannot give them any answers, but we will give them a curiosity, we will give them an inquiry, we will give them a doubting mind. We will give them a sharp intelligence. We will give them the art of meditation so they can be utterly still. Archimedes used to say, "If I can find a single still point, I can change the whole universe." He was right, but he was looking in the wrong direction. That single still point exists within you.
Question: BELOVED MASTER, WHAT IS YOUR VISION FOR THE NEW COMMUNE? Krishna Prem, the new commune is an experiment in spiritual communism. The word 'communism' comes from 'commune'. There is only one possibility of communism in the world and that possibility is through meditation. Communism is not possible through changing the economic structures of societies. The change of economic structures of societies will only bring new classes; it cannot bring a classless society. The proletariat may disappear, the bourgeoisie may go, but then the ruler and the ruled...that's what has happened in Soviet Russia, that's what has happened in China. New distinctions, new classes have arisen. Communism is basically a spiritual vision. It is not a question of changing the economic structures of the society, but changing people's spiritual vision.
Question: BELOVED OSHO, WHAT IS YOUR IDEA OF A MODEL COMMUNE? This is as far as human growth is concerned. One thing for the inner growth is that everybody, irrespective of whether he is a man or a woman, should be allowed to choose a method of meditation suitable to him, so that he can not only experience the joys of life, but he can also experience the joys of his spirit. Communism is missing only one thing: a spirituality. A model commune should be a spiritual gathering of seekers, of lovers, of friends, of creative people in all dimensions of life. They can produce paradise here on the earth. The time for families is over, and the time for cities is over, and the time for nations is over. The world should be one, consisting of small communes.