Types of Education: Formal, informal, and Non formal Education
Education is not a new concept. It is as old as the human race. After realizing the importance of education, humans emphasized the acquisition of knowledge. Man acquires knowledge from so many sources, and in several ways. Those several ways can be broadly categorized into three types of education:
- Informal Education,
- Formal Education, and
- Non formal Education.
To understand the difference between these three types of education, Let me explain Formal, Informal, and non Formal Education (types of education) separately.
Informal education
In the past, before the origin of the school system, education was the acquisition of knowledge in an informal way. People learned the trick of the trade of their parents through actually living in the community by participating in different activities. Informal education is also called incidental education.
It takes place both consciously and unconsciously. Informal-Education not systematic and pre-planned. It is casual and gained through daily experience, work, and activity. Such a kind of education is not confined to a place and time. It starts from birth and goes on till death.
But any specialized agencies do not impart the purpose. The child learns many habits, skills, manners, attitudes, and patterns while he lives, moves, and comes in contact with home, society, and groups. A child learns more through informal ways.
In his early years, he learns the basic control and the use of his body, learns his mother tongue, and imbibes certain virtues most essential for life. Such training is possible due to his living in the family and community.
However, there is no prescribed course for learning, no fixed timetable, and no formal ways of education. This informal education is nothing but the modification of behavior that comes about necessarily and spontaneously without any conscious and deliberate effort for it.
To know how informal Education differs from formal and non formal education, Let’s study what formal and non formal Education are.
Formal education
In the past, the child imitated his living in a family, society, social training, and vocational training. But due to the population explosion, the explosion of knowledge, technological progress, industrial advancement, and the complex nature of society, the old system: became ineffective to transmit cultural heritage to the rising generation.
Everybody realized to entrust the work to a formal agency to discharge its function satisfactorily. Therefore the school system has been originated.
Formal education is consciously and deliberately planned with a specific end in view. It is synonymous with direct schooling, instruction, and tuition.
When the child goes to school, he is to be formal and act according to the discipline of the school. So also the transmitter teacher is also conscious of the end in view.
Therefore, both teachers and taught are fully conscious of the process and proceed accordingly. Thus, everything becomes formal. Any process of teaching which involves supervision, instruction, set plan, definite aim, and principles amount to formal education.
Non formal Education
Besides informal and formal education, an important educational system has emerged in recent periods. It is a non formal education, In spite of the wide, spread expansion of formal education illiteracy has increased.
Due to industrialization and technological advancement, a need to train a large number of people has been keenly felt. It is to be imparted in a non-formal manner.
Besides informal and formal education, an important educational system has emerged in recent periods. It is a non formal education, In spite of the wide, spread expansion of formal education illiteracy has increased.
Due to industrialization and technological advancement, a need to train a large number of people has been keenly felt. In This kind of Education, the impairment is a non-formal manner.
The UNESCO Commission on Education 1972 in its report “Learning to Be’ stressed non formal education because a large number of people are preoccupied with the work for earning. They do not receive the desired education. And in keeping the view to the eradication of illiteracy among adults.
People should be provided an opportunity for studying privately in their leisure hours. But like formal education, non formal education is a systematic, deliberate, and planned activity organized outside the four walls of the classroom.
Non formal education is purely a correspondence course. This kind of education provides classes in summer institutes, postal tuition, television programs, radio programs, teaching machines, programmed instruction, open universities, distance education, etc. Thus, non formal education fulfills different objectives like imparting knowledge, developing different skills, and promoting values among the learners.
I hope now you got the answer to the above question what are the differences between Informal, Formal, and Non formal Education?
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