Education in the World 1: What is education?

Education in the World 1

Aims for this class:

1. to understand and discuss the current situations and problems about education ad culture in the world
2. to develop the Intercultural communicative competence (ICC) through the activities to understand a variety of education and culture
3. to see the realities of education through ICT
4. to speak about education in the world through English as well as Japanese 

1 What is education?

"Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world." -- Nelson Mandela

• Education is the key to eliminating gender inequality, to reducing poverty, to creating a sustainable planet, to preventing needless deaths and illness, and to fostering peace.
• Education is the most valuable key to success. 
• Education is : 

• Guiding others towards the path of success.
• Acting courteous and well-mannered.
• Respecting others equally, without any difference.
• Adjusting during required times.
• Being practical and steady, when there’s a problem.
• Helping the needy people by teaching.
• Sharing the knowledge you possess.
• Learning from experiences and mistakes.
• Quest for knowing new things.
• The desire to enhance one’s skills.

Q: What do you think about education?  How come you are studying at university? What are you studying most?

3 types of education:

• Formal education

Formal education usually takes place in the premises of the school, where a person may learn basic, academic, or trade skills. Small children often attend a nursery or kindergarten but often formal education begins in elementary school and continues with secondary school.

Post-secondary education (or higher education) is usually at a college or university which may grant an academic degree. It is associated with a specific or stage and is provided under a certain set of rules and regulations. 

Formal education is given by specially qualified teachers they are supposed to be efficient in the art of instruction. It also observes strict discipline. The student and the teacher both are aware of the facts and engage themselves in the process of education.

Examples of Formal Education

• Learning in a classroom
• School grading/certification, college,  and university degrees
• Planned education of different subjects having a proper syllabus acquired by attending the institution.

Characteristics of formal education

• Formal education is structured hierarchically.
• It is planned and deliberate.
• Scheduled fees are paid regularly.
• It has a chronological grading system.
• It has a syllabus and subject-oriented. The syllabus has to be covered within a specific time period.
• The child is taught by the teachers

• Informal education

Informal education may be a parent teaching a child how to prepare a meal or ride a bicycle. People can also get an informal education by reading many books from a library or educational websites. 

Informal education is when you are not studying in a school and do not use any particular learning method. In this type of education, conscious efforts are not involved. It is neither pre-planned nor deliberate. It may be learned at some marketplace, hotel or at home. 

Unlike formal education, informal education is not imparted by an institution such as school or college. Informal education is not given according to any fixed timetable. There is no set curriculum required. Informal education consists of experiences and actually living in the family or community.

Examples of Informal Education

• Teaching the child some basics such as numeric characters.
• Someone learning his/her mother tongue
• A spontaneous type of learning, “if a person standing in a bank learns about opening and maintaining the account at the bank from someone.”

Characteristics of Informal Education

• It is independent of boundary walls.
• It has no definite syllabus.
• It is not pre-planned and has no timetable.
• No fees are required as we get informal education through daily experience and by learning new things.
• It is a lifelong process in a natural way.
• The certificates/degrees are not involved and one has no stress for learning the new things.
• You can get from any source such as media, life experiences, friends, family etc.

• Non-formal education

Non-formal education includes adult basic education, adult literacy education or school equivalency preparation.
In nonformal education, someone (who is not in school) can learn literacy, other basic skills or job skills.
Home education, individualized instruction (such as programmed learning), distance learning and computer-assisted instruction are other possibilities. 


Non-formal education is imparted consciously and deliberately and systematically implemented. It should be organized for a homogeneous group. Non-formal, education should be programmed to serve the needs of the identified group. This will necessitate flexibility in the design of the curriculum and the scheme of evaluation.

Examples of Non-formal Education

• Boy Scouts and Girls Guides develop some sports program such as swimming comes under nonformal education.
• Fitness programs.
• Community-based adult education courses.
• Free courses for adult education developed by some organization.

Characteristics of Non-formal Education

• Nonformal education is planned and takes place apart from the school system.
• The timetable and syllabus can be adjustable.
• Unlike theoretical formal education, it is practical and vocational education.
• Nonformal education has no age limit.
• Fees or certificates may or may not be necessary.
• It may be full time or part-time learning and one can earn and learn together.
• It involves learning of professional skills.

adapted from https://examplanning.com/types-education-formal-informal-non-formal/

Q2: Which type of education would you like? Why do you think so?

What is education? A definition and discussion


Education trends in the world

WENR

WES (World Education Services)
We are a non-profit organization dedicated to helping international students and professionals achieve their educational and professional goals in the United States and Canada. Founded in 1974, we evaluate and advocate for the recognition of international education qualifications.