UCSP MODULE #5:

EDUCATION AS A
SOCIAL INSTITUTION
mctoledo02 Uncategorized October 1, 2018 7 Minutes

MODULE #5: EDUCATION

AS A SOCIAL INSTITUTION
Most people equate education with schools, but there is a huge difference
between these two.

Education
It refers to the various ways through which knowledge is passed on to the
other members of the society. This knowledge can be in the form of
factual data, skills, norms, and values. On the other
hand, schooling refers to the formal education one receives under a
specially trained teacher.

This was what Mark Twain, author of the novels The Adventures of
Tom Sawyer and Adventures of Huckleberry Finn meant when he said,
“I have never let my schooling interfere with my education.” Education
evolves from time to time and from country to country. For example, in
the Middle Ages in Great Britain, education was reserved only for the
nobility, and the kind of education they received was focused on classical
subjects that had nothing to do with earning a living. Around the same
time in Japan, education was open to the nobility, but it was the Zen
Buddhist monasteries and the Ashikaga Gakko – which focused on
Chinese medicine, Confucianism, and the I Ching – that drove it
forward. Meanwhile, in the 1900s, education became more
mainstream and could be accessed by workers and commoners. In
Russia, education became a key component to becoming an industrial
power, hence prompting the creation of a standardized educational
system that was under the control of the government.

Unlike in the earlier years when students had the freedom to choose
what they wanted to learn, teachers were then required to teach based on
a predefined curriculum. Often, that curriculum focused on socialist
values and academic excellence. Industrialization also seems to be a
major contributor to the expansion of education in the United States.
Unlike socialist Russia or its mother country Great Britain, however,
education in the US focused on political participation.

According to Thomas Jefferson, allowing education to focus on the value

of freedom and citizen participation in governance would enable
Americans to “read and understand what is going on in the world.” The
US was also the first country to enact mandatory education laws.
Because the government paid for education in the country, it was
necessary to produce practical consequences.

As a result, each generation of students received a fixed body of

knowledge which often reflected the concerns and needs of the
generation. For example, modern education in the US is focused on
developing skills that students will need when they enter the job market.
Practical arts and art have less room in the curriculum, but computer
science and coding have gained center stage.

From the short discussion, one can already see that education is an
important factor in maintaining the stability of a society. Note, however,
that education can happen on various fronts. There is formal education
(or schooling) which refers to the complete educational ladder all
children must go through from childhood up to adulthood. And then
there are the alternative forms which are not controlled by the
government (often called private
education, indigenous education, informal learning, and self–
directed learning). With the advance of the internet, a new form of
education has emerged: open education through online courses.

Regardless of these developments in education, formal education

remains to be of paramount importance. Every child, in every country,
has to go through it. As such, its functions remain the same. Formal
education performs the following functions: socialization, social
integration, social placement, cultural innovation, and latent functions
such as childcare and the establishment of lasting social ties.

The Five Functions of Formal Education

 Socialization

As has been discussed above, education is used to promote the norms

and values of a society from one generation to the next. In some
countries, the transmission function of education is taken on by families.
However, in more advanced countries, social institutions such as schools
become important as the family can no longer provide the tools and
important knowledge needed by the young student. This is the reason
why formal education was developed.

From early childhood, students in formal education learn their native

language, as well as the mathematical skill they will need to function in
society. Such learning expands in secondary and tertiary education, as
students are prepared to adapt to his changing realities.

As can be seen in the example of Russia and the US, education can be
used to promote specific values which may be cultural or political
in nature.In many countries, students are oriented towards competition,
as can be evidenced by exams and the grading system adopted by formal
educational institutions.
 Social Integration

Because education is used to transmit norms and values, it can also be

regarded as a unifying force. It promotes desired values and ensures
conformity. In cases of deviance, it provides widely known approaches to
convert. For example, mandatory education laws in the US ensured that
all immigrants to the country knew what was desirable and undesirable
in the US society because they had to be educated in the US schools.
 Social Placement

Formal education helps students to discover approved statuses and roles

that will help the society’s longevity. Educational systems consider the
various talents and interests of students and attempt to provide
opportunities that provide a good fit for these talents and interests.
Formal education, in a way, is an equalizer. It focuses on achievement,
rather than educational.
 Cultural Innovation

Educational institutions are the center of cultural innovation because

they stimulate intellectual inquiry and promote critical thinking. It
enables new ideas to develop, as well as provide bases for new knowledge
to become accepted in the mainstream. Through schools, theories are
proven; technologies are improved; and cultures can adapt to the
changing society.
 Latent Functions of Formal Education

As more families have both parents working at the same time, schools
tend to become an institution of child care. As children have to be in
school, parents can have time to perform their economic duties without
being burdened with childcare duties. Another latent function of formal
education is the establishment of social relationships that would have a
lasting impact on the life of a child.

We have heard of students ascribing their success to their teachers or

successful businesspeople who rely on their social networks to promote
their businesses. Many of the social ties a child forms in the course of
their schooling are lasting social networks and would impact various
aspects of their lives.

Education as a Human Right

The status of education as a human right is no new thing. Many
international conventions such as the International Covenant on
Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, the Convention on the
Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women,
and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with
Disabilities have reaffirmed this right. Despite the consensus on the
importance of education, human rights advocates continue to campaign
for it due to two reasons:
 When children receive basic primary education, they will be able to
learn the basics of literacy and numeracy, and hence, gain the basic
social and life skills they need to be an active member of society and
live a fulfilling life; and
 Many children around the world still do not have access even to basic
primary education.

Three Facets of the Right to Education

The right to education goes beyond having the capacity to go to school.
Article 26 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights underscores
three basic rights in relation to education.
1. Education enables individuals to exercise all their
rights. Through basic education, individuals are able to know about
their rights and are able to assert them. They are able to get good
paying jobs, participate fully in the political process, care for their
environment, cooperate with their fellow men, and fight for equality
and justice.
2. All children have a right to quality education. It is not enough
that children are able to access education. Instead, they must be
afforded with an education that meets their needs and prepares them
for future challenges in their adulthood. In this aspect, learning
outcomes are important indicators of success.
3. All children must be given the same educational
opportunities. Socio-economic background, capacities, and
location should not be a factor in a child’s education. Wherever the
child is living, there should be schools that are able to provide him or
her with an education that is at par with international standards.
Children with disabilities should be allowed to go to school. The
curriculum, their teachers, and class activities have to be adapted to
fit their needs.

Education in the Philippines

As of 2013, the Philippine Statistics Authority shows that there are
almost 10,000 private education institutions operating in the country.
20.1% of them are offering pre-school education; 17.5% of them are
engaged in primary education; 25.6% are in secondary education, and
26% are involved in tertiary education. Because the lack of teachers and
educational facilities are perennial problems in the Philippines, having
these many private schools might sound like a good idea. But Kishore
Singh, the UN special rapporteur on the right to education believes that
the rise in private education is an indication of the government’s failure
to meet their obligation in ensuring universal, free, and high-quality
education for their citizens. With private schools, Singh continues,
education becomes a privilege for the well-to-do and could lead to
continued marginalization and exclusion of those who are already
marginalized. It creates social inequality and is a clear infringement of
the human rights law.

The problem with privatization of education does not end with basic
education. As state colleges are rare in many countries, there is unequal
access to higher education. In the Philippines, until recently, a family
must have at least PHP50, 000 per child per year in order to send their
children to a state university. While free college education in the country
is currently being implemented, there is no assurance as to how long it
will continue. Moreover, most state universities and colleges can only
accommodate a number of students, and a vast majority of secondary
school graduates must enter private universities for tertiary education.

As of 2015, tuition fees in private universities range from PHP 50,000 to

almost PHP200, 000 per semester, depending on the school the students
choose to enroll in. Statistics also show that the average family income
for the same year was only at PHP 22,000 per month with 41.9% of the
family’s total expenditures allotted for food. If an average Filipino family
has two to three children, it is clear that very few can afford to send their
children to good schools.

Even with the Philippines’ difficulties in providing adequate educational

opportunities for all its citizens, we are still better off compared to other
countries. As an example, in 2017, it has been reported that about 1.75
million Syrian children are out of school due to the continuing hostilities
in their country. As refugees flock Turkey, Jordan, and Lebanon, these
countries’ capacities to provide free, basic education are seriously at risk.