Sathya Sai Education in Human Values ("SSEHV") takes its name from Sathya Sai Baba, the great contemporary world educator. Sathya Sai Baba says that education has two aspects: the first is related to external and worldly education, sometimes referred to as book knowledge. The second aspect, known as Educare, is related to human values. The word "Educare" means to bring out that which is within. Sathya Sai Baba teaches that human values are innate in every human being and that true education develops the full human potential of every individual. It is because human values are absent in "educated" persons that they are steeped in anxiety and worry.

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The program of Sathya Sai Education in Human Values elicits the human values from within the hearts and minds of each individual and promotes the daily application of the values in each life. To promote the awakening of these values, Sathya Sai Baba has established an educational system in India consisting of primary and secondary schools, colleges and an accredited university. The educational system emphasizes character development along with the acquisition of skills and knowledge. The universal nature of Sathya Sai Education in Human Values is poignantly demonstrated by its enthusiastic reception in over 170 countries and diverse cultures throughout the world. The program is adaptable to all countries and diverse cultures, yet its essence remains the same.

The Sathya Sai Education in Human Values program rests on the five pillars of Truth, Right Action, Peace, Love and Nonviolence. The spiritual principles embedded within these values are the foundations of true humanness. The values are interrelated. Love is the source and sustenance of all the values. Love associated with thought is Truth. The same Love expressed as action is Right Action. When one contemplates Love, the heart and mind are filled with a state of supreme Peace. When Love becomes the guiding principle of understanding and reason, the intelligence becomes permeated with Nonviolence.

• Love expressed as thought is Truth
• Love expressed as action is Right Action
• Love expressed as feeling is Peace
• Love as understanding is Nonviolence

Practicing these values with a loving heart fulfills the quest of the intellect for Truth and channels the will into Right Action. Properly applied and harmonized within the human being, the values help resolve conflicts of human emotions, and foster the positive emotions and interactions that bring inner and outer Peace. An attitude of Nonviolence leads to expansion outward with a sense of responsibility to others and a respect for all creation.

The Sathya Sai Education in Human Values Program lays the foundation for eliciting the human values from within the children, helping them to lead happy and fulfilling lives. It is the cornerstone upon which children can develop into caring and responsible adults who meet life's challenges with resourcefulness and inner strength, and thus positively impacting their families, communities, and the world.

In essence, this character development program builds on three levels. It makes children aware of the values. It promotes the process of moral reasoning by developing the ability to distinguish right from wrong. Most importantly, the program emphasizes and supports the practicing of the values. It is not enough merely to make children aware of the values. It is not enough to develop their moral reasoning. The power of the program lies in its strong emphasis on the practice of that which the children have come to feel, think, and know, as truth, right action, peace, love, and nonviolence. Ultimately, the daily practice of the values will enable them to live the values through the ability to unify their actions with their highest moral thoughts, feelings, and promptings from the conscience or inner voice.

Sathya Sai Baba says that the true end of education is Character. Character is the most crucial and enduring quality one can possess. Its power far exceeds the acquisition of other types of knowledge. Cultivating the innate human values that form the foundation of character will provide children with the self-confidence, love, and moral strength needed to build good, meaningful lives.

Children are the world's most precious treasure. They must be provided the means and guidance to discover their innate goodness and spiritual nature. Through the development of individual character, all humanity will be elevated to live in unity, harmony, and universal understanding.