Persons Benefited by Non-formal Education

 Non-formal education is mostly suitable for the subsequent categories of persons

1.      People of All Ages: Those who never had the opportunity to follow any formal education program.

2.      Students: Those who are not in a position to complete primary, middle, or secondary school.

3.      Learners: Learners of different stages of education who feel the need for deeper and more comprehensive knowledge in a subject of particular interest.

4.      Laborers: Both in urban and rural areas, young workers, small farmers, landless laborers, small entrepreneurs, etc. who need up-to-date knowledge related to their job particularly related to the latest technological improvements.

5.      Educated Unemployed: Unemployed educated persons of various age groups whose non-relevant education needs to be made relevant to increase their chances of employment.

6.      Graduates, Professionals, and Intellectuals: Those who need a refreshment or orientation to make themselves up-to-date in their knowledge.

7.      Other persons: Those who require programs for personal satisfaction like recreation, leisure time activities, cultural or artistic programs, etc.

References: Sociology of Education by S.S. Chandra & R. K. Sharma

Objectives and Types of Non-Formal Education Programs

Objectives of Non-Formal Education

Following are the three sets of objectives for Non-Formal education:

1.      The first objective is the elimination of illiteracy.

2.      The middle range objective is to apply ‘new’ knowledge to determine social, economic, and cultural problems

3.      The long-range objective is to provide life-long education.

Types of Non-Formal Education Programs

1.      Adult functional literacy programs.

2.      Correspondence courses.

3.      Open school studies.

4.      Satellite instructional television program.

5.      Program for drop-outs in the age group 6—14.

References: Sociology of Education by S.S. Chandra & R. K. Sharma

Advantages of Non-formal Education

 To sum up, Non-formal education provided the following advantage:

1.      Universalization of primary education.

2.      Eradication of adult illiteracy.

3.      Meeting the omissions of formal education.

4.      Meeting the massive and imperative challenges of democratic set-up.

5.      Qualifying the pupils to learn and earn money.

6.      Enabling those students who had to stop formal education owing to financial and other circumstances.

7.      Enabling students in geographically remote areas to get an education because formal education cannot be within their easy reach.

8.      Qualifying individuals to refresh and bring up-to-date knowledge.

9.      Rectifying the educational imbalance between rural and urban people.

10.  Providing educational services to socially and economically ignored segments of society.

References: Sociology of Education by S.S. Chandra & R. K. Sharma

Nature and Origin of Non-formal Edcuation

Nature of Non-Formal Education

Non-formal education is the “missing component” in enhanced social and economic development patterns that do not work. Therefore, it has a valid claim to reality. It is deliberate, planned, staffed, and financially supported like formal education. Moreover, non-formal education is functional, unrestricted as to time and place, and in general responsive to wants like formal education. It is more responsive to requirements and modifications. Therefore, it is a more effective tool for rural development. It unlocks the doors of development plans.

Malcom A. Adiseshiah remarked that “Non-formal education should be merchantable and vocational. It should emphasize the self-learning pattern.”

Moreover,  H.S.S. Lawrence defines that the “ Non-formal education system was not challenging to the formal educational system but it was complementary to the formal education. The common elements in both should be identified and an integrated system should be developed.”

Origin of Non-formal Education

After Second World War, post-colonial period new nations, one after another, scrambled for extended and enhanced formal education. By the late sixties, there was a rising nervousness that extension in the facilities in formal education was not the whole answer. The traditional two-fold categorization of education into formal and informal education leaves a big gap. Studies by Philip Coombs and others revealed that as societies developed, a third kind of education emerged which could be labeled as non-formal education. Thus, non-formal education accounts for much of the highly practical, developmental, and short-term connected needs of a quickly changing society.

References: Sociology of Education by S.S. Chandra & R. K. Sharma

Definition of Non-Formal Education

Non-formal education contains adult education, continuing education, job education, etc. Philip Coombs talked about nonformal education in 1968. However, it had not been defined until 1970. Non-formal education is a concept for an ancient phenomenon. Some of its definitions are as follows:

Coombs and Ahmed (1974) define

 “Any organized, systematic, educational, activity carried on outside the framework of the formal system to provide selected types of learning to particular sub-groups in the population, adults as well as children”.

La Bella defines non-formal education refers to 

“Organized out-of-school educational programs designed to provide specific learning experiences for the specific target population.”

          Hlich and Freire said that 

“Non-formal education is anti-formal education”.

            According to Moti Lal Sharma 

“ In brief one could say that non-formal education is an active, critical, dialectical educational program which aims at helping people to learn, to help themselves, to place them in consciously critical confrontation with their problems. To develop integrated authentic human beings who can contribute to the development of society is the aim of Non-Formal education. In this not only the individuals but also the total system learns, adding up to a true learning society.”

    

References: Sociology of Education by S.S. Chandra & R. K. Sharma

Non-Formal Education

It is an institution that is set up to convey flexibility and openness to the educational system. In addition, bring up educational opportunities for the weaker and disadvantaged sections of society. The objectives of Open School are given below: 

1. To offer a parallel non-formal system as an alternative to a formal education system.

2. To provide the opportunity of education to out-of-school learners, school drop-outs, working adults, housewives, and learners from disadvantaged sections of society living in remote areas of the country.

3.   To offer preparatory courses for permitting learners to take up secondary courses.

4. To offer Secondary, Senior Secondary, Technical, Vocational, and life enrichment courses through remoteness teaching approaches.

5. To endorse an open distance-learning structure of education through research, publication, and information dissemination.

This is an example of non-formal education

Non-formal education is an education system where flexibility is the keyword. Such a system is an open one concerning various aspects of education, i.e., admissions, curriculum, place of instruction, mode of instruction, and the time and duration of instruction. Various examples of such education systems are Open School and Open University, Open Learning, and Correspondence Courses.

References: Sociology of Education by S.S. Chandra & R. K. Sharma

Informal Education

Informal education complements formal education. Additionally, informal Education has no specific time or place where it can be provided. Even the educator is not fixed. Moreover, all fixed syllabi, rules and regulations, and formalities are absent for informal education. Education of this kind is the education one receives while playing in the field, talking to family members in the house, roaming around somewhere, in fact, everywhere. This kind of education never ended, and it teaches the individual more than he learns from his formal education.

However, a child can learn many things when he comes in interaction with new people. He goes to new places and learns many new worlds. And, this type of education that he receives from new places cannot be evaluated as formal education. On the other side, formal education can be evaluated by certain techniques and the quality and quantity defined by the authorities for educands. But this is not true of informal education, because there is no specific standard to or measure in its case. It also does not provide any certificate or degree for the educand. Additionally, informal education is a gradual process and people learn a few things after years of experience. But this type of learning is more valuable than all the degrees accumulated through formal education.

Formal education is one specific subject while informal education is more general.

References: Sociology of Education by S.S. Chandra & R. K. Sharma

Formal Education

Formal education as it is delivered in educational institutions following to a particular pattern. In the school, the educator educates the educand according to a specific program aiming at a specific goal mouth. He tracks a pre-determined syllabus. In formal education, the time and place of teaching are fixed. In addition, the educand has to arrive at that place at a specific time to receive an education. The duration of education is also fixed in terms of years.

The advantages of formal education lie in that it can be systematically and scientifically provided as well as determined beforehand. Although education is in one form that continues as long as a person lives. Additionally, formal education commonly starts at the age of four or five and continues till the age of twenty-five and more. During this period the individual passes through a series of institutions of primary, secondary, and advanced education in the form of schools, colleges, and universities. At all these places of learning he receives formal education, provided on a pattern determined by a syllabus which is itself framed to achieve certain targets.

However, the fact is that formal education can be provided to a large number of people is an advantage but also has some disadvantages. Because this type of education is completely formal. Additionally, formal education fails to fill up certain aspects of one’s personality and leaves it completely undeveloped his or her personality. Gradually, it can also become so detached from reality that it hampers rather than helps the students in satisfying his/her demands.

Finally, it would not be inaccurate to state that, the more formal education a person receives after a certain stage, the more useless he becomes in facing the problems of real life. His adjustment deteriorates instead of improving.

References: Sociology of Education by S.S. Chandra & R. K. Sharma

The Scope of Sociology of Education

Educational sociology is the study of educational organizations and procedures. It can be stated the study of education from a sociological viewpoint. It is the study of the inter-relationship between education and the social structure. The scope of the sociology of education includes almost all the elements of general sociology with particular reference to education. Thus it includes the study of the relationship of education to the other aspects of the social system particularly kinship, social stratification, political organization, knowledge, and knowledge attitudes.

1.      Education and kinship: Both education and kinship are important institutions of socialization in society. Every society introduces the gradual socialization of a child through complex processes which give the child an individual identity and the ability to acquire social status and fulfill roles according to it. In the kinship system, the most important role in socialization is performed by the parental family. The school transfers knowledge and ideas from one generation to another and develops intellectual ability among students. Thus, both kinship and educational institutions develop the values and morals in a society.

2.      The School as a Social System: After home, the child is visible to the school which also influences him. Additionally, the school is nothing less than a small society to him. It socializes him, allows him to manifest his qualities, instincts, drives, and motives, and helps to develop his personality. For the child, the educator’s personality and character provide a model to them and it helps to develop the child's personality.

3.      Education and Social Stratification: Social stratification, whether open or close, is also connected with education. Social mobility is very much influenced by castes, religious groups, and classes.

a.    Influence of Castes: Under the Hindu social organization, it is caste that determines the individual’s status and position in the social hierarchy. One finds elements of the caste system even among Muslims. In the caste system, the professions for the lower castes are preset and fixed, and the child aims to follow the occupation of his caste. Since the child is almost compelled to adopt the same profession as his forefathers, he is inevitably exposed to the rules of untouchability which operate between his caste and a superior caste. This makes very adverse prejudices and provides a narrow-mindedness in the child.

b. Impact of Religious Groups: In India, one can see many religious groups such as Hindus, Muslims, Christians, Buddhists, Sikhs and Jains, etc. Most of these religious groups have established and are maintaining many religious schools in which general religion is taught, along with their respective religious teachings. Most of these schools try to teach a particular set of religious philosophies in the educand. In many ways, the teaching of religious principles benefited the child as well as the community, but when teaching in the school contradicts religious principles, it naturally gives rise to a consciousness of differences between one religion and another religion.

c. Impact of Classes: Social class has the most potent influence on the child. This awareness, that one belongs to the lower, middle, or upper class is linked to the child also. Consequently, children coming from the lower classes start with the feeling of inferiority, being poor, and being deprived of the good things in life. In reaction to this inferiority, many turn to criminal movement, because children from the upper status find pleasure in showing their superiority which has already created in them pride and vanity, and many other ignominious emotions and sentiments.

4.  Education and the Political System: In modern societies, one finds that education is delivered by government institutions as well as private institutions. Many educational institutions are also managed by religious organizations. And even among the government institutions, one finds that some are administered by the central authority and others by state or local self-governing bodies. Another aspect of the state control of education is to determine the spheres which the state should take under its wings and the areas which can be safely left to the control of the people. In recent days, every government, be it totalitarian or democratic, must invest in education. There is no doubt that a democratic state government was elected by the people, but it cannot be denied that the people themselves cannot be involved in an educational pattern in which many look after the educational needs of every individual. Additionally, it is also recognized that democracy cannot be successful without universal education. Hence, modern democratic states play a greater role in educational planning and organization.

5. Education and the attitude to knowledge: The sociologist is attracted to the social approaches toward the sources, the limits, and the rationality of knowledge. With the change in these social approaches, one finds a significant interest in the communication among educators and the educand in educational institutes. In ancient times knowledge was limited and attained through some limited means. It was acquired by a few and individually circulated based on the Guru-Shishya relationship. Therefore, the attitude towards knowledge was awe and reverence. The teacher was feared and respected, his word was the law. Teachers denied admission to a student on personal grounds. The students, on the other hand, considered knowledge to be a treasure deposited with few persons who must be obeyed to learn. He had high respect for knowledge since most knowledgeable persons belonged to a high caste or high social status.

6. Interaction within the educational system: The important part of the scope of the sociology of education is social contact within the educational structure. The educational system includes three social elements: teachers, students, and the society or the community. A detailed analysis of the communications within the educational system will give a better understanding of the scope of the sociology of education.

a.  Teacher-Administrator Relationship: At the fringe of the social organization in the educational institution is the teacher-administrator relationship. The administrator is the employer or agent of the employer. He worked as the leader, the supervisor, and the guide of the teachers. With the authority vested in him, he gives rewards and punishments for successes and failures.

b.   Teacher-teacher relationship: In every educational institution today there is more than one teacher. Therefore, the educational sociologist is interested in knowing the teacher-teacher relationship. This relationship may be familial or blemished by rivalry. While fraternity results in cooperation, team spirit, and goodwill, rivalry leads to mudslinging, favoritism, and factionalism. Even in small institutions or university or college departments two or more campuses may be found among teachers giving vent to jealousy and rivalry against each other.

c.   Student-Student Interaction: The communication among scholars is administered by age, study habits, classes, sex, extra-curricular activities, and so on. The friendliest interaction is delivered by the classroom situation.  

d.   Teacher-Taught Relationship: The important sector of interaction among educational structures is the teacher-taught relationship. Formerly, this relationship was familistic and today it is contractual. Formerly, the teacher himself put downs the instructions of admission, teaching methods, syllabi, teaching schedules, and practically every detail of education.

In the end, it may be noted that the scope and type of interaction between the educators and the educand is today becoming more and more complex and changing fast. This needs an infrequent evaluation by the sociologists of education. 

References: Sociology of Education by S.S. Chandra & R. K. Sharma

Factors Governing Teacher-Taught Relationship

The following are the factors governing the teacher-taught relationship

1. Age: The distinction of age creates respect on the part of the younger and leadership on the part of the elder. In teacher-taught relationships, the distinction of age is inverse to the level of education. Thus it is maximum at the primary level and minimum at the university level. The bigger age gap allows for the development of teacher-taught relationships based on respect, fear, and reverence. The smaller age gap makes for more intimacy, love, affection, and more interaction between teachers and taught.

2. Teacher’s Status: In some societies the hereditary status of the teacher is high. He is an all-knowing and infallible person. He may punish or reward according to his judgment. In modern democratic societies, the authority of the teacher is eroded along with the authority of the administrator. Therefore, there are more interactions in the present-day institutions in comparison to the institutions of the ancient past.

3. Status and Attitude of Knowledge: If these are marked by a certain finality the teacher wields more authority over the students. If these are tentative and probable, as it is today, the authority of the teacher is proportionately eroded.

4. Mode of Acquiring Knowledge: Formerly, the teacher’s words were unquestionable. He commanded total loyalty. Today, however, the mode of obtaining knowledge is numerous, tentative, and creative. Therefore, the teacher-taught relationship has become more informal, less based upon fear, and more intimate.

5.  Image of the Teacher in Society: Formerly, the image of the teacher was almost the highest in society. Therefore, even the princes used to touch the feet of their teachers. If a scholar came to a court even the king left his seat. Today with the contractual system of education, the teacher is a professional person if not a poor member of society. With the destruction of the image of the teacher in society, the interaction between the teacher and taught has significantly changed.

6. The Self-image of the Teacher and the Student: The self-image of the student’s teacher is a professional person delivering goods, making out his living, and at most pursuing knowledge. He is one among equals, never higher and occasionally even lower. The self-image of the student, on the other hand, is no more of a submissive discipline obeying his teacher but an individual making the best of education to further his aim in life.

7.  Role of the Teacher: The teacher-taught relationships change according to changes in the teacher’s role in education. Formerly, he was independent and sovereign. Today he is subordinate and dependent upon the management, the government, the wider community, and even the student. This role again changes on various levels of education such as primary, secondary, and university. This role again is governed by personal traits, seniority, qualifications, cadre, economic condition, and innumerable other factors. The educational sociologist analyses the change of role and the consequent changes in teacher-taught relationships.

8. Mode of Standardization: As most educational institutions today receive financial aid, the government lays down uniform modes of standardization regarding the syllabi, the teaching methods, and the evaluation techniques at various levels of education. Sometimes there is an examining body governing all the students in a state.

 

References: Sociology of Education by S.S. Chandra & R. K. Sharma

Influence of Sociology on Education

It is evident from the foregoing account of the sociological tendency in education that sociology has had a widespread influence on the meaning, objectives, and functions of education, the curriculum, the methods of teaching, the school organization, etc. these effects can be concisely described as follows:

1.      Meaning of education: Educational sociologists opinioned that education is a social course that helps socializes the child and causes convinced changes in his behavior. In this way, even in defining education, sociologists have stressed its social aspects.

2.  The objective of education: According to them, the objective or aim of education is to evolve those social qualities and social feelings in the child which will enable him to understand his responsibility to society and nation, and to become the ideal citizen of his country, and train to fulfill his duties. Such aims of education as education for citizenship and education for social life are influenced by sociological tendencies.

3.    Functions of education: Elucidating the functions of education, educational sociologists have stressed the social functions of education. Munro, in his Brief Course in the History of Education, said the following functions of education……

a.  Spread of knowledge: The first function of education is to provide various kinds of knowledge to the child. This develops the child’s psychology, and without this other development is impossible.

b.     Social control: The child undergoes a process of socialization in educational institutions and is thus subjected to social control. But social control through education becomes self-control for the kid so that he has no trouble accepting it. Hence, in every society, schools instill the elements of social control into the younger generation through the process of education.

c.       Protection of the social heritage: Education is one important medium of transferring social heritage and culture from one generation to the next, because it is through education that the new generation is familiar with the culture and civilization of society.

d.      Social development: Social development is also one of the important aims of education because, without this individual development is not possible. The school is itself a miniature form of society, for in the school the educators try to create an ideal social environment to inculcate the best possible picture of society in the minds of educands. After completing school, the educand remembers this picture of the ideal society in his mind and attempts to reconstruct it in truth.

4. Organization of curriculum: Educational sociologists have provided several valuable suggestions about reorganizing the curriculum of education. They propose that the syllabus should be based mainly on social ethics and values, and should deliver an introduction to social subjects and cooperative activities. The curriculum should be revised from time to time, according to the needs of society, because it should always educate the individual to be a member of society and to fulfill his responsibilities towards the family. Hence, sufficient significance must be committed to professional and scientific subjects in the curriculum, which should be flexible and variable so that it can be completed to accommodate all social changes and necessities.

5.  Methods of teaching: The sociological trend also left stress on the social elements in the methods of teaching so that education can change essential social qualities in children. Some examples are the Dalton method, the Project method, etc. Educational sociologists suggested changes in teaching approaches from the perspective of social dynamics.

6.    Administrative techniques: Efforts at administration and discipline were individualistic but the sociological influence laid stress on collective methods. Collective methods pressure the fact that administration and discipline should be collective, not single. It is desirable to create such an atmosphere in the college that social discipline should naturally emerge in the education so that he may not indulge in activities harmful to the individual or the society at large. In this way, community feeling has completed the foundation of the discipline. It is understood in many situations that much better discipline can be established through the influence of social control and public opinion than is possible through individual methods.

7.      Child education movement: As a result of the sociological trend, there started a movement for the education of infants. Many infant schools were established in America and many European countries. Most of them aimed at providing education to the children of laborers. In England, Robert Owen drew attention to the ill effects of not educating the children of the labor class.

8.  Monitor method: The influence of sociological tendency can be seen in the monitor method introduced by Dr. Andrew Bell. This method suggested the responsibility of teaching fell on the children, for children of higher classes were essential to teach children of lower classes. As a result, one single educator could teach a larger number of students. Based on this monitor system, many monitorial schools were established in several countries.

9. Adult education movement: The sociological influence insisted upon the fact that no individual in society should be left uneducated, and hence many movements for adult education began; schools and colleges for such people were run at night.

10. Social education: The sociological tendency has also made strong effects on social education. Social education of the individual implies an education that acquaints the individual with every aspect of his environment and trains him to fulfill his responsibilities as a citizen. Social education goals are not only for the whole development of the individual but also for developing social unity and other social morals in him. Agencies of social education are literacy, lectures, exhibitions, meetings, tours, etc.  

11.  Responsibility of the state: According to the sociological tendency, it is the responsibility of the state to provide education. Hence, it is for the state to make every individual, through education, capable of earning his livelihood, developing his personality, of fulfilling his social duties. Without proper education of the masses, democracy can never be a success. Hence, the state should provide primary, secondary, university, and professional education.

References: Sociology of Education by S.S. Chandra & R. K. Sharma