Definition of Informal Education
Informal education is the new name of an ancient practice. Following are some definitions of informal education –
Coombs and Ahmed said – “There is no organized program outside the formal education system for providing this kind of learning to selected subgroups of adults and children in the population”.
According to La Bella – The context of informal education is an “out-of-school organized program for the specific target population.
Moti Lal Sharma defined it as – In short one can say that informal education is an active, critical, dialectical educational program that helps human beings to learn, help themselves, consciously equate their problems critically. The goal of informal education is to develop compiled, authentic human beings that can contribute to the development of society. In this, not only the individual but the whole social system learns by contributing to a true learning society. ”
Goals of this education
Some examples of informal education are. Open schools, open universities, open learning and correspondence courses, etc. An example of informal education is an open school with the following main goals –
(1) To present a parallel informal system in addition to formal schools as an alternative.
(2) To arrange education for out-of-school students, school dropouts, working adults, housewives, and backward sections of society living in remote areas.
(3) To arrange trainees, bridge preparatory courses for studying the secondary level course.
(4) To arrange courses for secondary senior secondary, technical, and life enrichment through distance learning methods.
(5) To present an open, second source of education through research, publication, and information broadcasting.
Tools of this education
Following are the various means to organize these education programs –
(1) Institutions of formal education.
(2) Specific tools for informal education such as Nehru Sports Center, training centers in factories, public libraries, centers of correspondence education, etc.
(3) Voluntary non-governmental organizations like clubs and societies.
(4) Radio and television.
Nature of informal education
Informal education weights the gaps in social and economic development that impede progress. As he has his authentic authority. It is a voluntary, planned, organized, and financially aided education system. It is functional, space, and time like formal education, unlimited and responsive to the needs education system.
Requirements and change open the door to development. In the words of Malcolm Adisia, “thiseducation should be marketable and professional. It should be emphasized on self-learning every day. ”
In the words of H. Aisi Lorins, “Informal education system is not competitive but complementary to the formal education system. Common elements should be identified in them and a compiled system should be developed.
Informal Education and Adult Education
Distinguishing informal education and adult education, Anik Bordia writes – “The new informal education system differs from earlier adult education programs in that it provides appropriate administrative and statutory support and on need-based courses, teaching and learning materials Emphasize but he is unique in insisting on evaluation on a continuous authority at all levels.
In this, all training programs, teaching, and learning materials should be pre-examined and effective studies should be emphasized.
Contribution of informal education
- Universal expansion of primary education
- Elimination of adult inattention
- To overcome the shortcomings of formal education
- Facing widespread and inevitable challenges of the democratic system
- Learners also have facilities to earn along with education
- To provide study facilities to those students who had to leave their formal education in the middle due to financial or other difficulties.
- To provide education facilities to the students of geographically remote areas in whose area educational facilities are not easily available.
- To mobilize people to renew and perfect their knowledge.
- To remove the imbalance in the education of people living in cities and villages.
- To provide educational facilities to socially and economically backward sections of society.
Individuals who benefit from this education
- People of all ages – Among them are people of all ages who did not even get the opportunity to get a formal education.
- Students – Students who could not complete primary or secondary education.
- Trainees – who feel the need for more deep and extensive knowledge in the subject of special interest in different stages of education.
- Workers- Young laborers, small farmers, landless farmers, small businessmen etc. in urban and rural areas who need to know about technology development and the latest knowledge about their work.
- Educated Unemployed – Unemployed educated people of different age groups whose irrelevant education needs to be made more irrelevant so that their employment opportunities can be increased.
- Graduates, business classes, and intellectuals – who need specific refresher courses to update their knowledge.