UNIT-1: EDUCATION
Education is derived from the Latin word Educare which means
to bring out or to raise or to nourish or to mould. In this view, education is
the process of imparting certain information and knowledge to an individual.
Educating a child means nourishing or bringing up the child according to the
aims. In simple words, education implies the act of drawing out, extracting
out, leading forth, and leading out, teaching, training. In some other view,
education has been derived from two Latin words “e” and “duco” where e means
out of and ‘duco’ means to lead. Therefore, education means to lead out or to
draw out. Education is drawing out process from within rather than imparting
from with out. This derivation tells us that knowledge and abilities are
inherent in the child. Education is the process of development of the inherent
(inborn powers and talents) qualities. Education is bringing up process as well
as drawing out process. Education cannot draw out everything and it cannot
develop all the knowledge and values with in the child. Unless the knowledge or
experience is given to the child, we cannot draw out anything constructively
from the child.
Many great philosophers and educationists have defined the
word education in different ways. They are as follows.
According
to Upanishads, education is for liberation.
According
to Rig-Veda, education is something, which makes man self reliant and selfless.
According
to Swami Vivekananda, education is the manifestation of divine perfection
already existing in man. That is, education is that by which character is
formed, strength of the mind is increased, the intellect is expanded, and by
which one can stand on one’s own feet.
According
to Mahatma Gandhiji, by education, I mean all round drawing out of the best in
the child and man by body, mind, and spirit. That means education is all round
development of the individual.
According
to Rabindranath Tagore, education is the widest road leading to the solution to
all our problems in education.
According
to Shankaracharya, education is the realization of self.
According
to John Dewey, Education is the process of living through a continuous
reconstruction of experiences. It is the development of all the capacities in
the individual, which will enable to control his environment and fulfill his
responsibilities.
According
to Pestolozzy, Education is the natural harmonious and progressive development
of man’s innate powers.
According
to Froebel, education is the unfoldment of what is already enfolded. The child
makes internal and external changes through the process.
According
to T P Nunn, education is the complete development of an individual so that he
can make an original contribution to human beings according to his capacity.
According
to Kautilya, education is defined as training for the country and for the
nation.
According
to Guru Nanak, education is the self-realization and service of the people.
In the
words of Zakir hussain education is the process of the individual mind getting
to its full possible development. It is a long school, which lasts a lifetime.
In the
words of University education commission (1948-49), education to the Indian
traditions, is not merely a means of earning a living, nor it is only according nursery of thought or
according school for citizenship. It is initiation in to life of spirit, a
training of human soul in the pursuit of truth and the practice of virtue.
According
to the report of Indian education commission (1964-66), education ought to be
the life, needs, and aspiration of the people and thereby made powerful
instrument of social, economic, and cultural transformation.
According
to Thompson, education is the influence of the environment on the individual
with the view to producing a permanent change in his habits of behaviour of
thoughts and attitude.
According
to Mitton, Education is complete and generous education that which fits a man
to perform justly, skillfully and magnanimously all the offices, both private
and public, of peace and war.
According
to Herbert, education is the development of good character.
According
to Ross, the aim of education is the development of valuable personality and
spiritual individuality.
Education is the most important invention of mankind. It is
more important than his inventions of tools, machines, spacecrafts, medicine,
weapons, and even language. Because language too was the product of his
education. Man without education would still be living just like an animal.
Education has been considered as a natural process. The
process of education started during the pre-historic period, when man in his
primitive stage began to apply his intelligence to adapt himself to his
environment and fulfill the needs of his life. This process starts when he is
in the womb. Then after the birth, starts to learn from the parents, family and
the other members of the society. Hence, education is considered as a life long
process. Any modification brought about in the behaviour of an individual as a
result of his interaction with the environment constitutes education.
The concept of education is dynamic .It has passed through
many ages and stages in the process of evolution and at every stage it has had
a different meaning According to, the then existing social conditions, the
concept of education is still in the process of evolution and this process will
never come to an end. Emerging time will always demand a recession of the
prevailing educational ideals.
NARROW AND BROADER MEANING OF EDUCATION
Education is never ending process. It starts with the birth
of an individual and it goes on until the last day of the individual. Education
makes an individual according real human being. Man becomes man through
education. Education equips the individual with social, moral, cultural and
spiritual aspects thus make life progressive, cultured, and civilized. In true
sense, education of man does not begin at school. It begins at birth and ends
on his death. Hence, education is a lifelong process. Any modification brought
about in the behaviour of an individual because of his interaction with the
environment constitutes learning.
Narrow view: Education is confined to the school and
University instruction. Education starts from the day child is admitted in the
school and it ends when the child completes the studies and leaves the college
or university stage. Education is limited to classroom teaching. It is formal
in nature. Here education is intentional rather than incidental. This education
takes place with controlled, planned and in conditional environment. It takes
place in the individual in a planned way with respect to curriculum,
methodology, teachers, and evaluation. Here education is related only to 3R’s
i.e., reading, writing and arithmetic skills.
Broader view: Education in the broader sense is a lifelong
process. It starts before the birth and ends with the death. This education is
spontaneous. This includes all knowledge, experiences acquired during infancy,
childhood, adulthood, and manhood, through various activities and various
agencies. In this view, one’s whole life activities become a real source of
education. In this process, the child receives education in the school as well
as outside the school like home, friends group, religious institution, mass
media, library etc.
In this view, education takes place directly, indirectly,
intentionally as well as incidentally. This includes formal, informal, and
non-formal education. This is not only related to 3 R’s (reading, writing and
arithmetic). It consists of all round development of the child by developing 4
H’s (head, hand, health, and heart). It includes knowledge, skill,
understanding, attitude, and behaviour and value aspect of the child.
In the broader sense, education is life and life is
education. All good and better experiences of the child will educate the child.
It is the education for life and through life activities. Whatever broadens our
horizon, deepens our insight, refines our emotions, stimulates our thoughts,
and directs our feelings to educate is called real education.
By the close analysis, the meaning of education can be
concluded as follows:
Education is a process of modification of behaviour. It is
the process of all round development. It is the process of moulding and
shaping; it is the process of manifestation of perfection; it is the process of
initiation and guidance and direction. It is a kind of training and
instruction. Ultimately, it is the process of human development.
FUNCTIONS OF EDUCATION:
The main function of education is to bring about change,
development, progress in the individual and society where all these being a
continuous one. Education should help the individual to use the acquired
knowledge in the way of achieving the aims of his life.
The function of education is not just producing technocrats
individual every field of science. Its goal must be to train the individual to
be open minded, applying his intellect in any needed, situation for effective
functioning. Therefore, the main function of education is to bring to light,
the pure, natural and sacred abilities of the individual. Thus to bring in
needed changes individual the intellect, to quip the young generation with the
skills to transmit the accepted values and behaviors of the society are also
the functions of education.
This is called the formal function of education because it
includes the achievements of the goal of basic social uniformity and protection
of the traditional lifestyles. The modern society wishes to have capable wise
and work oriented individual capable of taking up new researches and
inventions. It is said that constructive function of education is to bring
these changes in the people. Achieving coordination between the individual and
the society, adequacy, transparency, development of modern outlook and national
thinking are also the expected functions of education.
Education takes place in all walks of life wherever there is
scope for interaction. It is a life long process. Education takes place
throughout the life of an individual, from birth to death, from cradle to the
grave. It takes into account the precious and present and the future living
conditions of an individual and tries to equip him for a better life. Education
is not rigid which may lead an individual to develop a closed mind but is
flexible and dynamic. It should lead the individual to develop an open mind and
work for the progress. Education should help the man to become cultured,
dynamic, useful for himself and also for the society. Education should take
into consideration the individual interest and also the social interests and equip
the individual to achieve the welfare of the both.the total wellbeing of the
individual and the society is the object of real education.
The aim of education indicates what education should do and
the functions indicate what education does.
The functions of education can be discussed individual 3
stages. They are
1. Functions
of education at individual level.
2. Functions
of education at society level
3. Functions
of education at national level.
Education is mainly concerned with the development of the
Mind. It is usually understood in terns of its meaning, aims, objectives, and
functions. What education should do to an individual is very important aspect
and it needs proper study.
The functions of education according to John Dewey,
The
function of education is to help the growing of a helpless young animal into a
happy moral and efficient human being.
Enable
the child to have self-realization and individual development.
To help
the child to have civic efficiency and social development as man is a social
being
Education
should be conservative and progressive.
Education
helps to make a choice of values.
The main
function of education is to prepare an individual for the future life.
Functions of education at individual level
(a). Functions of initiation:
Peter says, “Education is the process of initiation, the
child should be initiated into education or culture.”
Ross says, “Education is to initiate each child into the
general culture of the society.” Initiation means beginning ceremony. Initiate
means to begin with, or to expose or to commit. This means that education
should help the child to have proper exposure to culture or ways of the life of
the adult society or various new educational activities.
According to our Indian thought, initiation means Deeksha.
Initiate the child into the world of spirit, pursuit of truth and practice of
virtue. It is considered as a second birth for the child. Upanayana, linga
deeksha etc... are some of the practices prevailing in some sections of the
people, related to their religious believes. At a suitable age, the child is
given an exposure to their religious practices, after proper mental setup,
motivation through a ceremony. They are made to commit for specific philosophy
or religion. From then onwards the child starts making some efforts and try to
have some attainments in that area. This will help the child to lead a
comfortable and a peaceful life in future.
In the same way taking into consideration the age factor,
maturity and the educational background of the child, he should be introduced
to new area of knowledge and educational activities. The children are to be
motivated and mentally set for new activities. The proper exposure should be given
about the given area of learning.
Children come to institution in order to know about what
they do not know, so that they are equipped properly to lead a good life. The
life can be initiated into the worlds of science, mathematics, arts, social
sciences, languages, culture, music, sports professional skills etc.
The term initiation means to start or to introduce to
perform first act or to lead the first step into a new situation or the power
of beginning. Initiation in other words is a kind of motivation or direction or
help given to a child for new learning and development. It is a kind of help to
a child for new learning situation. The inborn child requires proper timely
initiation for growth. One of the primary functions of education is to initiate
the child for the unfolding of the innate qualities and potentialities. No
child is born with a functional mind. For the expansion of mind and physical
system, we must initiate the child by providing suitable learning experiences.
For a new learning, the child needs initiation, motivation, and help. For
example, initiation is required for the development of language, skills,
habits, knowledge and other personality patterns.
(b) Functions of Growth:
Education should help the individual to grow or to develop.
Here growth refers to physical, mental, moral, and emotional and the other
aspects of the personality of the individual. It is an all-round development of
the personality of the child. Growth should be balanced and integrated. All
aspects of the development should lead to the harmonious growth. According to
John Dewey, growing is education and getting education is growth. This
indicates that the functional aspect of education is hidden in the meaning of
education itself.
Growth and development are the essence of education and the
key role of education. Individual should be helped to achieve such a type of
growth and then only education becomes meaningful to the individual and the
society. People with developed abilities, capacities, and powers are very much
required for the nation. Individual who have achieved proper growth will be
able to have greater success in ones life and national life.
For the wellbeing of the society and the individual, growth
is essential. Hence, education should achieve proper growth and development of
individual.
Education is a kind of motivation and training that brings
the physical, mental, and emotional changes. The growth includes all aspects of
the individual towards the ideal human personality. It promotes balanced and
integrated growth.
Growth of the child can be achieved in the following ways.
Physical growth can be achieved by placing the individual in healthy
environment, proper food, shelter, clothing, water, air, physical exercise,
rest, recreation and such good physical environment will help the child to
achieve this. These things should be made available to the child properly.
Education should take care of these.
Mental and emotional growth can be achieved by placing the
child in social environment and educational environment. Education should
arrange for proper interactions. Interaction with men, material, social, and
educational environment leads individual to take up so many activities. These
activities provide experience to the child. This leads to proper mental and
emotional growth.
The job of education
is to plan, organize, and coordinate these interactions. Then they become
educational activities. In turn, these educational activities help the individual
to achieve growth.
Education helps the child to grow through formation of
habits and sentiments. Education promotes the growth of one’s innate powers and
abilities. It helps individual the expansion of functional abilities of sense
organs. Thus, education as growth promotes all round development by imparting
knowledge, development of skills and abilities, formation of habits and
inculcation of values.
(c) Function of moulding /shaping:
Human child is immature and innocent before the adult
members of the society and teacher. It is fully dependent on them. Child’s mind
is plastic in nature. Hence, child’s mind can be moulded or shaped in to any
shape according to the demands of his society or social patterns.
Child is born with it own potentialities, talents and
abilities. They are latent. They are to be identified, nurtured, directed, and
shaped to function in a particular way and this is the major function of the
education. This is possible by placing the child in a suitable environment,
subjecting it to desired knowledge, understanding, applications, abilities,
capabilities, interest, attitude, skills, habits, appreciation etc.
The educational activities, programmes, interactions and the
environment, we provide to children with proper planning and organization will
help us to shape or mould the personality of children. In this connection,
J.B.Watson’s statement is worth quoting, “Give me a dozen of healthy infants,
well formed and in my own specified world, I will bring them up and I will
guarantee to take any one at random and train him to become any type of
specialist, doctor, lawyer, artist, merchant chief and even beggermen and thief
regardless of his talents, tendencies, abilities, vocations, and race of his
ancestors.
According to Drever, “Education is the process by which
knowledge, behaviour and character of young are shaped and moulded. Education
is rightly said as the process of man making which prepares the child into
complete human being. Education helps to develop cognitive, affective, and
psychomotor domain of the child and it helps the child to develop various
faculties such as physical, mental, emotional, social, spiritual and values.
The inborn child is like a raw stone and education shapes
the raw stone into an idol. Here the teacher acts as a sculptor to shape the
child. The individual takes rebirth due to education.
Education acts as the process of initiation, direction,
motivation, and training. By all these ways, education makes a man to work to
enrich human excellence.
Thus, education is the process of man making. It promotes
human relations, human resources, and human values.
Other functions at individual level are as follows:
Development
of innate powers.
Modification
of behaviour.
Self-realization.
Individual
development
Development
of knowledge, attitude, skills, values.
Development
of character.
Training
for vocational abilities and skills.
Preparation
for adult life.
For
personality development.
Functions of education at social level are as follows:
Training
for social life.
Transformation
of cultures.
Training
for socialization.
For
social change and social mobility.
For the
eradication of social problems.
For
social justice and equality.
Training
for citizenship.
Functions
of vocational training.
Spreading
literacy.
Training
for leadership.
Functions of education at national level:
Training
for national and emotional integration.
Inculcation
of democratic values.
Promotion
of economic growth.
Bringing
religious and cultural harmony.
Preservation
of environment.
Inculcation
of citizenship qualities.
Inculcation
of scientific attitude.
Education as a process and a product
Education is a process.
Education can be given through interactions, influences,
instructions, programmes, activities, projects etc. With the help of these,
human beings go on acquiring certain specific qualities. These qualities will
not remain unchanged in case of human beings unlike in non-living things. For
example, qualities of a finished product of industry do not change. But the
qualities acquired through education by human beings, go on changing due to
further interactions, influences activities etc. they never become static.
Therefore, the process aspects of education like interactions, influences
activities are the deciding factors of education. Therefore, the process is
very important in education.
Many consider education as an interactive process.
Interactions will never stop in case of individual, either in institutions or
outside. It takes place between teachers and students in schools and colleges.
Interactions are shared activity. Both are subjected to influences and go on
changing because of the experiences they get. In this way, education is a
bipolar process. Teacher is at one end and the taught is at the other end. Like
a magnet it works with magnetic lines of forces between the two poles of
education has to become meaningful. The interaction between the teacher and the
taught should be properly planned and organized. Modern educationists say that
education is tripolar process with three poles. Teacher is at the one pole,
taught is at another pole and the social environment is at the third pole. This
operates in all learning situations. If education has to become more meaningful,
proper interactions should be planned and organized between these three.
Whether we want or not interactions will be taking place and a kind education
is being received either knowingly or unknowingly. If the education has to
become more fruitful, the interaction has to be properly planned and organized.
Interaction is a life long process. It never stops. It is continuous from birth
to death. Therefore, education is also a life long process. The quality of
education depends on the quality of interaction.
Education is not static. It is dynamic. It is always in the
process of becoming something. There is no ultimate or final in education.
Individual is also in the process of becoming something more always through
interaction.
Education takes place in all living conditions whether
formal, informal, nonformal. That is why some people say that life itself is
education and education is life.
It is the sociological process taking place between the
individual and the society. It is the psychological process taking place
between the mind and external world in the form of constructions,
reconstructions and in the form of intuitions. Quality of these processes
decides the quality of educational process in education.
Education is a product:
A careful analysis into the sayings of the great thinkers,
educationists, and teachers reveals the following about the education.
Education is the development of knowledge, understanding,
application, abilities, talents, interests, attitudes, capacities, skills,etc.
it is the harmonious development of the personality of the individual. It is
the modification of the behaviour in a desired direction. It is the development
of the power of adaptation to an ever-changing environment. It is the
development of mans faculties. Education
should develop the individual to become a dynamic and a cultured man who is
useful for himself and for the society. Education is directly connected with
the development of so many desirable qualities in human beings.
All such desired qualities in the individual should be
produced by education. This is the expectation of the adult society, which has
organized the education. If it is not in a position to produce such qualities
in individual, we say that education has no meaning. Hence, education is called
a product.
If any industry is not in a position to produce goods, with
desired quality, that industry cannot survive. It has to produce goods,
products by making use of available raw materials. Similarly education should
develop or produce qualities in individual as desired by the society and the
nation. Education should remain as a useful commodity.
We plan and organize education with definite objectives,
curriculum, instructions, and providing learning experiences to bring about
desired changes over a period of time. All these things that takes place in
schools and colleges with the purpose of
making the individuals to become good citizens, skilled workers,
professionally trained technical persons and so on. Therefore, education should
be considered as a product in this sense.
We have taken in to consideration the background of the
individual potentialities, abilities, capacities, previous knowledge and then
take in to consideration his requirements, social requirements and accordingly
we provide educational experiences to meet their demands. The whole process of
education here is deliberate, purposeful, and conscious. Education is given
with an intention of producing these qualities in the individual.
All these viewpoints indicate that education is always
considered as a product. Some say that education is a process and some say
education is a product. But a person with proper insight into the education
considers education as a process and a product. Without educational processes,
desired products will never come out. Without proper understanding into the
educational products, educational processes cannot be designed and organized,
meaningfully. The whole educational enterprise becomes either blind or
meaningless, if the process and product aspects are looked apart. They should
never contradict each other. In fact,
they should be always complementary. Knowledge for desired product of education
will help us to design proper educational processes of education, which will
always yield proper products. They should be like the two sides of the same
coin. If he two sides of the coin are good, they said to have some value.
Similarly, value education or quality education will always take into
consideration the process aspect of education and the product aspect of
education. Therefore, education is both
a process and a product.
Education is a life long process, which begins at birth and
continues through out the life till the death i.e. it is a womb to tomb
process. An individual is educated during every walk of his life and every
moment he is ought to learn new things from his surrounding.
Education not only comes from the school but from the
family, socio cultural environment, peer group etc…The child learns through his
experiences. It goes on without any barrier or break. Thus, education becomes
an active and dynamic process. It is much more than schooling, learning, or
memorizing a prescribed syllabus. When the learner is exposed to the real
situation, he utilizes all his experiences that are relevant to it, and gains
experiences. Thus, the child goes on reconstructing the experiences through out
his life. Therefore, education is considered as an active and dynamic process.
Education as a bipolar process:
Education was considered as unipolar process in the past but
later it was realized that education is bipolar process. In this view, ones
personality adds on to others personality in order to modify the development of
the other. Here the educator and the education are the two poles of the educational
process. One is the teacher, other is the learner. One directs the other
follows. It is the process of two poles, teacher and student, which are
inter-related and inter influenced. There is a constant interrelation and
interaction between teacher and the learner mainly, because in this view,
education becomes a shared activity and there has to be close interaction
between the teacher and the taught.
TEACHER
STUDENT
Education as a tripolar process:
Besides the teacher and student, there is a third element,
which is significant like other two poles. That is curriculum or social
environment.
The social environment plays a very important role
individual the process of education.
It provides experience, knowledge in the form of
curriculum….
This education is tripolar processes, which involves
interplay and inter supports of three elements. In this view teacher has to
consider the other two poles. The social environment is the foundation of
education and education must work according to the society. Social environment
helps fixing the goals, preparation of curriculum according to the needs and in
order to cater to the needs of the present generation and also to fulfill the
national goals of education and so on..
It provides experience and knowledge in the form of
curriculum.
Education is also a psychological process and it works
according to the psychology of the child. The teacher and the curriculum
construction must consider the psychological aspects of the child, their
nature, interest, aptitude, heredity, environment, individual differences
etc...
Education is a social process:
Education is the social process and it has its social base
and function. Education is the process of socialization and it brings the
social change and social development. The education will not be complete
without social atmosphere and social development. Therefore, social aspect is
very important.
Education is an economic process:
Education is the process of economic development and it is
rightly called as the process of human development. It makes man-to-man power.
It brings economic change and development by enriching men and material
development
Education as a product:
Education is the process through which we can get men and
material products. Hence, the education is considered as producer of goods and
products. By education, there will be some outcomes and outputs in terms of
knowledge, attitude, skills, abilities, behaviors, values, etc…
Totally, education shapes and modifies an individual as an
integrated man. The personality-developed is the product of the education can
also produce material products. The product of education always depends on
process of education. Therefore, we must improve the process for expecting good
products.
TYPES OF EDUCATION
There are three types of education. They are as follows:
1. Formal
education
2. Non-Formal
education
3. Informal
education.
Formal education
Formal education is an education given consciously and
deliberately with a particular purpose, by an organized agency. It is direct
schooling instruction and tuition. It provides in the framework of certain set
of rules and regulations through a specialized or formal agency such as
schools, colleges, universities, professional, vocational, technical
institutions etc.
Formal education is given by qualified and trained teachers
in an organized way. It is limited to a specific period, extent, place etc.
Education given to the students, who have a particular background or
qualification and not for all. All the constituents of education are
controlled.
We have been introduced to the features, functions, meaning,
and aims of education. The system introduced to achieve these aims and
objectives and making efforts to achieve the same is known as formal education.
A fixed programme, a school, a planned timetable, teacher pupil interaction,
infrastructure, attendance are some of the features of formal education. This
system of education is intentionally structured and processed.
This means the process is developed based on the set of
objectives. Here learning takes place within a planned framework. It is a two
polar process with a hold on the teacher and the taught. If the society is
considered as the other pole then education becomes a tri polar process where
the social atmosphere helps in the development of curriculum according to the
set aims and objectives. In the formal education, predetermined factors,
traditions, and social systems will have their influence and acts as the
deciding factors of education, imparted in the formal environment such as
schools, colleges, universities constitutes formal education. Formal education
is deliberately and consciously planned in order to bring specific knowledge
and behavioral changes in the students. The education has formal means and
formal ends with respect to aims, curriculum, methods, teacher and evaluation.
Formal education is necessary to provide compulsory primary education to all.
The government has to provide equal educational opportunities to everybody.
The government maintains formal education along with some
private agencies. Formal education is equivalent to schooling or instruction.
Here both teacher and the student are formal and pre-determined. Both of them deliberately
engage in the process of education. It is a fulltime education limited to the
classroom teaching and learning. Formal education starts with the entry of
child in to the school and it will stop with the departure of the child from
the school. Formal education is fixed, controlled and knowledge oriented.
Importance of formal education:
Formal
education is properly planned, systematically organized, and consciously given
to people. Therefore, it is very effective and systematic.
Certainty
of results will be there, where people get qualified for the profession,
vocation, job etc more systematically.
Individual
and the society are satisfied to some extent with the specified benefits they
get from formal education, if given on right lines.
Speed of
achievements is more on the part of individuals.
Individual
and social demands can be taken care in a better way.
Discipline
and code of conduct is there.
Informal education
Informal education does not impart education in a planned
way. The education that one gets through the family, peer group, through
society, mass media, library, traveling, and other various experiences is
informal. In this system the aims, objectives, content, etc… are not
predetermined. It is not time bound. External discipline has no role here to
play. Here there is actual scope for life long learning. Informal education is
indirect, incidental and spontaneous education. This is neither planned nor
deliberate. Learning takes place both consciously and unconsciously. During the
lifetime, the child acquires knowledge, attitude, skills etc because of
experience. This is a casual education. In this process, the individual gets
education in his own pace and own way. This education is a lifelong process
where the learning begins before the birth ends with the death of an
individual. In this process, the child grows individual different stages and
learns variety of things through sources of education such as parents, family,
peer group, community, religious, and social institution, mass media etc...
It includes self-thinking and self-learning. The child
learns language, behaviour, culture, vocational skills and values by his social
living. The life and social environment and self-experience will be the source
of education. In other words, a life long education is the one that takes place
outside the school. Life is education and the education is life.
Non-formal education
This type of education has become very popular during the
recent past. This is neither formal nor informal. It is between formal and
informal. E.g., open university, correspondence courses. The features of both
formal and informal system of education can be seen here. In non-formal
education, attendance is not compulsory. The system of classroom teaching is not
rigid. However, the syllabus for learning and examination are as in formal
education. There is scope for learning. Learning here largely is
self-motivated. Education in this system can be both bipolar and tripolar. The
aims of education can be achieved comparatively at a lesser cost than the
formal education.
Distance education, television and radio lessons provide
systematic, structured non-formal education.
In this form of education, there are rules and regulations
but no rigidity. Different media are used for educating the people. Education
is being provided at the doors of the learners who could not or unable to
receive formal education due to any reason. It is a learner centered approach,
life oriented and environment based. It caters to the needs and requirements of
all. Non-formal education helps in developing positive attitude. It has
flexibility in curriculum and methodology. It is an open system of education.
This enables a person to continue his/her education even after the age has been
completed. This is a voluntary type of education through non-formal means.
Non-formal education is a kind of organized, systematic and
deliberately given education, outside the formal system. It is not a separate
programme; it is integrated with other educational programmes. It covers the
objectives of formal education. Non-formal education is a need based,
complimentary programme to formal education, functional experience and work
oriented and for both short and for long range. It lays more emphasis on
learning rather than on teaching. It works according to the progress of the
learner. It creates participating environment. It is a kind of free, flexible
and open education and it has diversified means and ends. It brings education
to the doorsteps of millions in need. The workers, dropouts, and illiterates
are the target groups and the teachers are Para professionals, resource
persons, and volunteers. This education takes place in socio cultural
institutions. It is a self-learning programme and more importance is given to
group activity and participatory learning. Non-formal education is given
through postal, distance education, open universities, mass media,
self-learning, vocational training, part-time schools and through social
institutions.
Need for Non-formal education in India
It is a supplementary to formal education and emerged after
the Second World War.
In India, non-formal education was started under the expert
advice of CABE(Council of Advisory Board for Education). Non-formal education
is required to achieve total literacy and to improve the formal education.
Non-formal education can support government to achieve 100% literacy.
Non-formal education as a whole is for illiterates of all age groups, dropouts,
working group population, working mothers, people who are learning in literacy
programmes.
Objectives of Non-formal education
1. To
provide functional literacy to dropouts and illiterates.
2. To
provide development linked functional education.
3. To
provide equal educational opportunities to all.
4. To
develop vocational skills and abilities.
5. To
supplement formal education.
6. To make
children understand and appreciate the scientific phenomenon in everyday life.
7. To create
awareness and develop rational attitudes regarding current problems.
8. To
develop citizenship qualities.
9. To
develop and to inculcate interest and values towards national values such as
democracy, socialism, national integration, and communal harmony.
The formal, informal and non-formal education are not
isolated they are inter related and inter supportive. For better we have to
organize and provide all three ways of education for the progress of the
country. The non-formal education supports and promotes the formal education in
many ways like total literacy, mass education, education of girls, mothers,
workers, vocational education. It also helps in education of the dropouts. The
Non-formal education is being planned and propagated in India as the
complimentary system of formal education.
Education and quality of life:
The term quality of life is a very complex and comprehensive
term. In general, quality of life means it is the indication of the level of
the family in its quality. Quality of life indicates the extension of human
capacities in the individual as well as community level. Quality of life
differs depending upon the socio cultural and religious background of the
country.
There are many factors/components involved in the quality of
life. We can assess and understand the quality of life by understanding the
following components, which are also the components of life.
In this context, it becomes very essential for us to know
about those qualities that makes a man’s life meaningful. A good life or
quality life. Education should develop these qualities in the individual.
Success of education depends upon the extent of his success in bringing these
desired changes or the development of these qualities in individuals.
Individuals should be progressive. He should be in a position to improve his
own living and others by making use of his acquired knowledge, abilities, and
skills through education. Individuals should possess good communication skills.
He should have good language in order to have better interaction with others.
Then only he will be in a position to live in harmony and peace. Our words
should be good, courteous, and dignified. It should help in the maintenance of
cordial human relationships.
Individuals should be intelligent and possess all the
capacities to make use of opportunities and the available resources for his
welfare and for the social welfare.
Mere acquisition of degrees and positions are not important
but the conduct and the character are very important. Others should be pleased
by ones conduct and character. One should be free from animal behaviour. He
should not conduct in an irresponsible way involving in loose talk, which may
come in the way of others.
Individual should be in a position to maintain ones dignity
and decorum. His conduct should be good in accordance with the status and the
position he holds in the society.
One must be broad minded in treating others as equals and
not as inferiors or superior. He should not think that he is the only person
who knows every thing, the only important person and the only educated man
whereas the others are not.
Individual’s knowledge, abilities, skills, etc should serve
the welfare of the individuals and the society.
One should have a treasure of knowledge, with an attitude of
looking all subjects as different branches of the same tree of knowledge. One
should be in a position to understand the problems of life in its social,
cultural, and philosophical background etc. He should have the ability to find
solutions in a scientific way and help others.
Good conduct , good adjustment, tolerant attitude, good
character, impartial and co-ordial outlook interests in social welfare
activities, friendly and jovial attitudes with others etc. are all the positive
and desirable qualities which are to be developed by education. Individual
should not be a hippocrat instead he should be principled where his word and
actions are same. One should be dynamic with proper philosophical and
sociological background and not lazy.
One should be sharp in intelligence, broad in mind, pure in
heart and committed for noble values and philosophy of life of the society that
he belongs to.
Individual should have a balanced personality with a proper
spiritual development and cultural development. One should be a good citizen
working for the progress, prosperity, peace, and order of the society. One
should not possess a closed or narrow mind, instead he should possess broad
mind or open mind.
Educated person should be mentally alert, physically fit,
and morally upright with all qualities. One should become an asset for the
nation and a guide for the young. He should spend his time always in taking up
worthwhile activities in the sense useful for himself and for the society,
taking into consideration the well-being of the both.
According to the new concept of quality education, education
should develop the capacity to create new social order with an emphasis an
equality, austerity, abolition of poverty, co-operation, self restraint,
consideration for others and intensive pursuit of knowledge and excellence. All
trends towards segregation is regarded as undesirable, education should meet
the requirements of the infinite diversity of excellence and inherent equality.
Education should be redesigned in terms of its goals,
process, value system, content, and performance to attain that quality life.
A person with these qualities can be called as an educated
person, a cultured person, or a gentle man. All the qualities of a cultured
person should be developed by education should always try to help the individual
to lead such a quality life. All such knowledge, understanding, abilities,
competencies, skills, attitudes, interests, habits, etc, which help the
individual to lead such a quality life, and this responsibility lies in the
hands of education.
The whole purpose of education is to make the individual to
work for the improvement of the living standards of himself and the society.
Components or factors affecting quality of life.
Percapita
income
Family
income
Family
size
Educational
level of the family
Health
condition
Food and
nutrition
Shelter
and environment
Education
of women
Status of
women
Employment
Resources-
human resource, natural resources, technical resources.
Capital
investment, savings.
Family
relationships
Age
structure in the family.
Vocation
of the family.
Family
norms, culture.
Facilities
available in the society.
The above listed components directly or indirectly influence
the quality of life. Education is considered as the best instrument or
component, which can help and promote in enhancing the quality of life. One of
the aims of education is to promote quality of life by imparting useful
knowledge, development of rational attitude formation of productive skills and
abilities. Education can bring social, economic and health changes. The science
and technical education can promote the economic development. Education can
also cultivate the values of small families, good health, scientific attitude
etc…In turn education helps to promote the quality of life.
