INTRODUCTION
Education is a thought
full process by which the inner powers of the individual are developed.
Education is verb broad in it true sense and is not confined to school
experiences. But in a narrow sense education is a well-planned process.
Education may be defined as a purposive conscious or unconscious psychological,
sociological, scientific and philosophical process which brings about the
development of the individual to the fullest extent and also the maximum
development of society in such a way that both enjoy maximum happiness and
prosperity. T. Reymont has rightly remarked –“Education is that process of
development in which consists the passage of human being from infancy to
maturity, the process whereby he adapts himself gradually in various ways to
his physical, social and spiritual environment.”
There are
three important types of education,
EDUCATION
Formal Non-formal Informal
Formal education is that education where
according to predetermined aims and methods of teaching, definite dozes of
knowledge are thrust into the mind of a child at a specific place during a set
duration of time by a particular individual.
Informal
education is natural and incidental. There are no predetermined aims,
curricula, methods, teachers and places where
children receive informal education:
E.g.:
Family, community, peer groups, etc.
Non-formal education is in-between the formal and
informal types of education. It is midway because it is partly formal and
partly informal it is both intentional and incidental.
E.g. Open
school, open universities, correspondence course etc.
Sir
Godfrey Thomas has written, “The whole of environment is the instrument of
man’s education in the wildest sense. But in that environment certain factors
are distinguishable as more particularly concerned, the home, the school, the
church, press, the vacation, public life, amusement and hobbies”. Generally, of
course, the process of education continues from birth to death, but some
specific institution play more important part in it. All of these institutions
are the agencies of education, and they include all these factors, bases, places
or institutions, which have an educative influence upon the Child. Hence, the
institutions, agencies and bases of education mean the same thing, and should
be interpreted as such. Here are discussing about informal education and its
agencies only.
