Understanding Culture, Society and Politics

NOTES/HANDOUTS
WEEK 11

TOPIC: EDUCATION AS A SOCIAL INSTITUTION

Meaning and importance of education in society: Formal and Non-Formal Education.

“The illiterate of the twenty-first century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who
cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn.” By Alvin Toffler.

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.

Is the social institution that formally socializes members of society. It remains a very important pillar in
society.

Also refers to the process through which skills, knowledge, and values are transmitted from the teachers
to the learners.

FORMAL EDUCATION
Is based in the classroom and provided by trained teaching and non-teaching personnel. It has an
approved curriculum, which includes the course outline, the prescribed number of sessions to finish the
lessons and authentic assessments and outputs.

NON - FORMAL EDUCATION

Is an organized educational activity that takes place outside a formal setup. It is usually, flexible, learner-
centered, contextualized, and even adults can take part in a non-formal education program.

FUNCTIONS OF EDUCATION TOWARDS INDIVIDUAL

1. Development of inborn potentialities - Education helps the child to develop the inborn potentialities
of child providing scope to develop.

2. Modifying behavior - education helps to modify the past behavior through learning and through
different agencies of education.

3. All-around development - Education aims at the all-around development of child-physical, mental,

social, emotional, and spiritual.

4. Preparing for the Future - when a child completes his/her education from kindergarten to tertiary,
s/he will be able to get a good-paying job where his/her knowledge and skills will be utilized. Here,
his/her education would have eventually led to productivity and success at work.

5. Development personality - the whole personality of the child is developed physically, intellectually,
morally, socially, aesthetically and spiritually. S/He is recognized in the society.

6. Helping for adjustability - human beings differ from bests. Men and women have the power to
reason and think for themselves. We, as human beings, have the ability to adapt to our environment
and even change it through education.

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FUNCTIONS OF EDUCATION IN THE SOCIETY
- Education is the key to success
- Education is an essential part of the development of any country and society as this is the primary of
enlightening an individual with each facet of life.
- Education also assist in molding a child’s behavior, social skills, and adjustability.
- Education as well aids in forming a society based on the state’s ideologies and goals by forming good
and productive citizens.

PRODUCTIVE CITIZENRY
-A good citizen is someone who is deserving of the state’s protection and love because of their behavior
within the state
– someone who would without a doubt- serve their society with the best of the families.
- A good citizen is someone who is an active member of the community
- someone who analyzes political, social, and economic structure and sees beyond what is being shown
and act upon the best interest of the society.
-Education is sometimes viewed as the prerequisite to a productive citizen as education helps citizens
weigh out varying opinions and ideologies and decide on which is a good decision for the society.

The popularly accepted concept of a Productive citizenry is the obvious positive atmosphere created by
the people in general. It is everyone participating in the development of the area for everyone’s benefit.
This means that more people are working and providing for their family. This could be done to provide
useful products which could be used for trading. Such an activity can produce more jobs for everyone
and in the end, maximize the collection of taxes to uplift more of the population. It is a way of pitching in
so everyone within the group can benefit. In order for this to succeed, a large percentage of the
population would have to do their part.

SELF-ACTUALIZATION
Self-actualization pertains to the point within someone’s life when an individual realizes who and what
he or she really is. It is the moment of clarity when it comes to knowing your abilities, purpose, goals,
and limits. It basically gives a clear path and direction to your life.

-Was coined by organismic theorist, KURT GOLDSTEIN for motivational purposes.

- According to Abraham Maslow’s fundamental teaching the basic needs of a person must be met before
an individual can achieve self- actualization
- the need to be good and fully alive.
- The theory of human needs. He states that humans naturally wish to seek and strive to reach higher
levels of consciousness and wisdom. Maslow described this desire as the process towards self-
actualization.
- Maslow states that a self-actualization person is described to focus on concerns outside of themselves,
they appreciate the world around them with a sense of awe and wonder.

Those living in modern times, do deserve Primary Education, and to deprive a child of this important
stage would be cruelty, as it would rob him of many opportunities in life. Primary education forms the
basic foundation for a person to function well within society, so yes it is a human right.

PRIMARY EDUCATION AS HUMAN RIGHT

- After assessing that education is a major contributing factor is not just a person’s development but of
the society as well, it is essential that education be provided for every individual in a society.
- Education as a human right began in 1995 through the UNESCO Associated Schools Program.

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