Non-formal education vs.

formal and
informal education
Formal Education – Definition:

“Learning that occurs in an organised and structured environment (such as in an education or

training institution or on the job) and is explicitly designated as learning (in terms of objectives, time
or resources). Formal learning is intentional from the learner’s point of view. It typically leads to
certification. Earning that occurs in an organised and structured context (in a school/training centre
or on the job) and is explicitly designated as learning (in terms of objectives, time or learning
support). Formal learning is intentional from the learner’s point of view. It typically leads to
certification.”

“What students are taught from the syllabus.”

Formal education is an organized education model which is structured and systematic. This model
presents rather a rigid curriculum that corresponds to laws and norms. It’s a presentational education.
This means that there are students, teachers and institutions involved. Schools and universities use
this method to teach their students. Formal education institutions are administratively, physically and
curricularly organized and require from students a minimum classroom attendance. In formal
education teachers and students have to observe, this involves intermediate and final assessments in
order to advance students to the next learning stage.

In formal education you receive a degree or diploma at the end of the formation but there are also
desired behavioural objectives. These objectives are rarely operationally established.

Assessments have a punitive, obeying and mono-directional methodology, and this fails to stimulate
the students. But it also fails to provide for their active participation during this progress. There’s
also another cause to this failure: the students’ standards, values and attitudes are not considered in
this education model.

It happens that in this kind of education teachers pretend to teach, students pretend to learn and the
institutions pretend to really catering the interests of students and the society. Shortly this means that
formal education fails to fulfil the real needs of students and the community.

Informal Education – Definition:

“Informal education is that learning which goes on outside of a formal learning environment such as
a school, a college or a university, therefore it is learning outside of the classroom/lecture theatre;
however more can be said by way of providing a definition of the term. Informal education can be
seen as ‘learning that goes on in daily life’, and/or ‘learning projects that we undertake for
ourselves“(Smith, 2009).

“learning that goes on in daily life and can be received from daily experience, such as from family,
peer groups, the media and other influences in a person’s environment” (Oñate, 2006).

“It encompasses a huge variety of activities: it could be a dance class at a church hall, a book group
at a local library, cookery skills learnt in a community centre, a guided visit to a nature reserve or
stately home, researching the National Gallery collection on-line, writing a Wikipedia entry or
taking part in a volunteer project to record the living history of [a] particular community.” (DIU&S,
2009: p4).

Informal education covers a vast array of learning that all people take part in, in their lives every day.
It covers activities like individual and personal research on a subject or interests for themselves by
using books, libraries, informal trainers, the internet or other resources. Informal education also
includes aspects whereby the individuals seek or want to learn a specific skill or when they look into
a certain area and don’t use formal or non-formal ways to learn. But informal education means also
learning things without the learner realising that he learned it. This can be any kind of information
that the learner picked up from the television, radio, conversations with friends and/or family.

Informal education is often used in formal or non-formal education as a method of teaching. When
television programs, films or internet are used to illustrate points, you may conclude that you are
using an informal method. What not means that this is always informal. Even in the informal
education some aspects are more informal than others.

For example:

1. Student led discussion;

2. Students use their biography and self-learning to complete a project;
3. Work based learning or practical placement where learning is done outside of the
classroom/lecture theatre. Increasingly in use by educators;
4. Use of DVD or television shows, podcasts developed by teachers. Often these approaches use
informal means – however these still support a transmissions mode of education.

In this example 1 being very informal and the higher the number the less informal it gets.

Non-formal Education – Definition:

“Learning resulting from daily activities related to work, family or leisure. It is not organised or
structured in terms of objectives, time or learning support. Informal learning is in most cases
unintentional from the learner’s perspective.
Comments:

1. Informal learning outcomes may be validated and certified;

2. Informal learning is also referred to as experiential or incidental/random learning.”

Non-formal education has an adopted strategy where the student attendance is not fully required. The
educative progress in non-formal education has a more flexible curricula and methodology. The
activities or lessons of the non-formal education take place outside the institutions or schools. Here
the needs and interest of the students are taken into consideration.

There are 2 features in the non-formal education that need to be constant:

 Centralization of the process on the student, as to his previously identified needs and
possibilities;
 The immediate usefulness of the education for the student’s personal and professional
growth.

Because of the importance of the interests and needs of the students, this form of education meets the
individual needs better. Non-formal education is focused on the student and this will have as result
that the student participates more. When the needs of the students change the non-formal education
can react quicker because of its flexibility.

Disadvantages

Formal education Non-formal education Informal education

· Formal
· Rigid
· Program · Drop-in: attendance is · tends to be
· Classroom-based inconsistent unpredictable
· Educational standards · It doesn’t result in a · Going with the flow
· It does not consider the degree/diploma · Conversations or
students’ standards, values · Teachers are not trained internet may have wrong
and attitudes but have experience information
 Formal education Non-formal education Informal education

· Informal
· Flexibility in
organization and methods · Anywhere and
· Known form of
· Acknowledging the anytime
education
importance of education · can take place in
· Trained teachers
· After-school programs almost any other location
· On a regular basis
· Community based · use a variety of
· Leads to a formally
organizations methods
recognized credential
· Can lead to greater · lifelong education
confidence in formal
classroom

Advantages

Conclusion

So we can conclude that when the needs and interests of the students are taken into consideration, the
student will be more interested and more willing to participate in the activities.

A formal education gives a more negative view on the education because of the punitive and obeying
features. The curriculum is based on the norms and laws given by the government/institution while
the students’ needs and interests fade.

Non-formal education on the other hand succeeds to convert the interests and needs of the students in
a flexible and adapted formation.

Sources

Definition formal education: Source: Cedefop, 2008. http://www.shortly.nl/peZ

Definition non-formal/informal education: Source: Cedefop, 2008. http://www.shortly.nl/peZ
Disadvantage, advantages and information:

http://infed.org/mobi/what-is-non-formal-education/
https://elearningargentina.files.wordpress.com/2008/03/informal-learning.jpg
http://enhancinged.wgbh.org/started/what/formal.html
http://wqd.nl/qJErt
 http://infed.org/mobi/what-is-informal-education/
http://www.techne-dib.com.br/downloads/6.pdf
https://metranet.londonmet.ac.uk/fms/MRSite/Research/cice/pubs/professional/professional-04.pdf
http://infed.org/mobi/what-is-informal-education/

by Laura López Ruíz

EDUCATION AS SELF-ACTUALIZATION
 Published on April 23, 2017

Andrew Johnson

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Human being, professor of literacy

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Education is most effective when the prime directive is to do what Marie Montessori proposed in
1946, and that is to help each child discover and then release his or her full potential. In other
words, schools should be vehicles for self-actualization. Self-actualization is the state where one
is able to accept and express of one’s inner core or self and begin to actualize those capacities
and potentialities found there.
There are four tasks specifically related to self-actualization:

1. Discover and understand oneself. This occurs through writing and various other
self-reflective experiences. Understanding and accepting oneself makes it more likely that these
qualities will be applied others. Also, understanding oneself makes it less likely that the
conscious will be ruled by unconscious forces. Part of self-actualizing then involves integrating
the conscious and unconscious parts of one’s personality. Only by bringing unconscious images,
wants, and feelings to consciousness is one free to act upon them.

2. Express one’s inner core. Once one has discovered important images and ideas from
the inner, the next step it to express them. This allows those images and ideas to interact with
other humans, and in so doing, creates a more dynamic and more richly defined interaction
between the ego and the self. This can be done through poetry, writing, music, dance, the visual
arts, and drama, and in small group discussions where students are engaged in honest dialogue.

3. Find one’s passion and act on it. This is a matter of discovering what one is
interested in and indulging in it. This is what adults do. If we respect children, we should afford
them the same opportunity. For example, a student may find a passion for science, mathematics,
religion, marketing, writing, or some other topic. That student should then be allowed to pursue
that passion. This is what mythologist Joseph Campbell calls finding your bliss. Part of a
teacher’s role then is to expose students to a wide variety of topics and activities and create the
structure whereby they can indulge their passions.

4. Discover one’s strengths or talents and learn how to use them to solve
problems. Highly successful people are not necessarily those who have a great many strengths
and few weaknesses; rather, successful people are those who learn how to use their strengths to
compensate for a weakness in order to solve problems or create products. And, as Howard
Gardner has illustrated, intelligence is not a specific entity or a clearly defined way of thinking;
rather, it is the ability to solve problems or create products where are valued within a cultural
setting. There are as many ways to solve problems as there are problems and as such, intelligence
manifests in many forms and in many ways. Helping children to become effective problem
solvers means finding and helping to develop their preferred way of thinking and knowing.

Primary education is a
Fundamental Human Right
JULY 4, 2017 / BIZTECH / 1 COMMENT

Primary education is the most fundamental form of education. It provides

the foundation and lays the ground work for not only more advanced levels
of education, but also basic participation in and contribution to, the modern
world. Primary education is a right of every child and it is the responsibility
of the state and parents to ensure that every child is provided with a
satisfactory level of education. Primary education creates opportunities
and opens doors as well as allowing new generations to break free of
chronic and inter-generational poverty. Any state sanctioned welfare
system should prioritise universal primary education.

Every child, irrespective of the socio-economic background of their parents,

should have the opportunity to complete a full course of education. In order
to be competitive in the modern would, children must be prepared from an
early age.

In order to help develop well-rounded individuals, education systems need

to address a multitude of different disciplines. Fundamentally, primary
education needs to address basic mathematics, word formation and
rudimentary english, general ethics and social norms and an introduction
to the sciences. Initially, students will be assessed by observation. As they
progress through primary school, assessments begin to become more
formal. In the latter half of primary school, students will often encounter in-
class tests and may even be required to submit an assignment. Primary
education teaches discipline and helps to develop individuals who
appreciate the importance of adhering to a routine.
Most students successfully complete primary education between the ages
of 10 and 13 years. However, some nations are in educational crisis.
Nations such as Pakistan have literacy rates as low as 57% and little is
being done to rectify this. Seemingly poverty is the most common reason
for poor education. Often parents cannot afford school fees and other
associated costs. In some cases, entire communities may lack the resources
to run a properly functioning school. Lack of education is also often
attributable to geographical isolation.
Often female students are prevented from receiving an education, in spite
of their males peers receiving an education. This is generally the result of
cultural values and can be hard to reconcile from a western perspective.
Young girls are often kept away from school to help with domestic duties
and childcare. It is important that nations make a concerted effort to reduce
the gap between male and female students.

As has been explored in the preceding discussion, primary education is an

essential right of every child. It serves as the foundation for further
education and determines the extent of an individuals prospects. There are
many factors which may serves as potential impediments to equal
opportunity of education and governments need to make policy which is
specifically targeted at combating and compensating the adverse affects of
these impediment. Education has the ability to disrupt generations of
chronic poverty and policy makers need to take heed of this fact.
This article was written by the NUS community. If you would like to contribute your
article, please get in touch.