JOURNAL OF EDUCATION: RABINDRA BHARATI UNIVERSITY ISSN : 0972-7175 Vol.: XXV, No. :1(III), 2022 126 STUDENTS’ INTERACTION OUTSIDE CLASSROOM: AN EVALUATION OF STUDENTS OF CENTRAL UNIVERSITY OF JAMMU Manik Sharma Ph.D Scholar, Department of Public Policy and Public Administration, Central University of Jammu; Email:manrajin10@gmail.com Dr. Akshay Kumar Assistant Professor, Department of Journalism and Mass Communication, Lovely Professional University, Jalandhar; Email; akshayazad23@gmail.com Abstract Universities are meant to reflect, produce and reproduce education. It can produce better if they interact with society and environment. In the present university setups in India it appears that the education is largely restricted to classroom interactions. What happens within four walls of classroom is generally considered more important than outside. This paper assumes that the processes inside classroom lack an organic connect with outside environment. Many prominent thinkers have emphasised on the interplay of education with society practice, work etc. Invoking the visions of Aurobindo, Tagore and Gandhi the present paper seeks to evaluate students’ interaction outside class room within a university. Keywords: University Education, Evaluation, Teaching-Learning, Interaction, Practice 1. Introduction Practice based learning, as a principle, has been accepted and adopted at all levels of educational ladder. A university is constituted of various structures, processes and humans. There should be an institutional connect between all these entities on the basis of which a university becomes functional. In a similar way the university as well as educational institutions are expected to contribute in the development of society, and subsequently for the country, through its trained human resource. Such type of education should be based on distinction drawn by Paulo Freire between the ‘banking concept of education’ and the ‘problem posing education’. In the former case ‘knowledge is a gift bestowed by those who consider themselves knowledgeable upon those whom they consider to know nothing’ whereas in the later the teacher enters in a dialogue with his students, acknowledging them as fellow beings capable of consciousness and intentionality (Freire, 2000; Skidmore & Murakami, 2016). Given the present educational scenario, the primary thrust of elementary as well as university level education is more inclined towards curriculum but noble laureate Rabinderanath Tagore had pointed some fundamental problems in the schooling system. Tagore termed the schools as “Book Learning Factories”, where students learn all the “injustices, impatience, anger in the process of instructions more easily than lessons”. According to Tagore, the teachers are obsessed with the consciousness of their dignity as grown up persons and as learned men and therefore they always tried to burden the children with their grown up manners and hurt the minds of students unnecessarily. Disappointed with such schooling system, he established Shantiniketan (Abode of Peace) in 1901. He conceived an imaginative and innovative system of education at Shantiniketan. Tagore was concerned not only that there should be wider opportunities for education across the country but also that the school themselves be more lively and enjoyable (Sen, 2010). The emphasis at Shantiniketan was on self motivation rather than on discipline, and on fostering intellectual curiosity rather than competitive excellence (ibid.). Some of the unique features of Shantiniketan were, the classes were held outdoor (except those requiring a laboratory), often no examination, debate and discussions as method of teaching, celebrating all forms of diversity, nature walks and excursions as part