Understanding Culture, Society and Politics

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Educational Institution

Educational Institution

Education is a relevant part of the development of humans, and the society

itself. It is for this reason that they became an important social institution.
Educational institutions nurture individuals to become productive citizens
who will help build society for the better.
Society will not develop without the aid of educational institutions. In this
lesson, you will learn the following:
1. Evaluate how functions of education affect the lives of people in
society
2. Promote primary education as a human right

Education as a Social Institution

Education is one of the important social institutions needed to ensure the
progress of the society.
This social institution is relevant in developing individuals, who make up our
society. It upholds the basic human right to be functionally literate.
Moreover, it is also one way of transmitting culture to the younger
generations.
Education begins from the moment a child is born. It begins as an informal
process in which a child watches others and learns by imitating them. As they
grow up, they receive a more formal education, starting with playschool.
Once they reach grade school, they begin to focus on academic lessons. And
their education continues even after they finish their studies and attain a
degree.
Simply put, education shapes the individuals. They learn cultural
expectations and norms as they grow up. They do not just learn important
skills and knowledge needed for them to be able to perform important tasks
for the society, they also learn values which will shape their personalities.
And as education is a social institution, it is also affected by other social
institutions. The quality of education that we receive may be affected by the
current state of economic institutions.

Formal, Non-Formal, and Informal Education

Education can be classified into three types: formal, non-formal and informal
education. These two differ in where and how the individual learns and gains
knowledge.

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 Formal education is classroom-based, provided by trained teachers. It is a
systematic, organized education model that has structure and given set of
laws and norms.
This type of education comes with rigid curriculum, as well as objective,
content, and methodology. It corresponds to the education process that is
normally adopted by schools and universities.
Non-formal education, on the other hand, refers to an education process
that has a more flexible curricula and methodology compared to formal
education. While formal education has a rigid structure which the students
must follow, non-formal education tends to adapt to the interest and work
pace of the students. Under non-formal education are educative processes
such as correspondence learning, distance learning, and open systems.
Correspondence learning is a planned, systematized and individualized
learning system that allows students to proceed at their own pace, according
to their interests. Distance learning is, according to B. Holmberg, “learning
supported by those teaching methods in which, because of the physical
separateness of learners and teachers, the interactive, as well as the
preactive phase of teaching is conducted through print, mechanical, or
electronic devices.” This is different from correspondence learning, in a way
that in distance study, the student is at a distance from the teacher for much,
most or even all the time, during the teaching-learning process. And then the
Open Systems or open learning is “defined as those which offer students a
measure of flexibility and autonomy, to study the programmes of their choice
when and where they wish, and at a pace to suit their circumstances.”
Lastly, Informal education refers to education that does not correspond to
an organized and systematic view. It does not necessarily include the
objective and subjects which we often encounter in the traditional curricula.
Informal education is learning that takes place outside of a classroom setting.
An example of this would be visit to museums or exhibits, or watching
educational TV programs, etc.
With informal education, there is generally no control over the performed
activities nor does it necessarily regard the providing of degrees or diplomas.
Informal education simply serves as supplement for both formal and non-
formal education.

Productive Citizenry
Educational institutions play an important role in building productive
citizenry for the development of society.
The society needs productive citizens in order for it to become more
progressive in the future. That is why it is essential for the individual to be
nurtured and achieve skills which they can use to contribute to the society.
The main goal of educating individuals is to help them grow up and develop
essential competencies which they will need to become productive citizens in
the future.
 Understanding Culture, Society and Politics
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Educational Institution

Self-Actualization and Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

Self-actualization is the need for personal growth and development that
exists throughout your life. People who are self-actualized tend to work hard
in order to achieve growth and become the kind of person that they want to
be in the future. Simply put, it refers to the person’s need to reach his or her
full potential.
It is the highest level in Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. Abraham Maslow
believed that human motivation comes from the individual’s ability to seek
fulfillment and change through personal growth. According to Maslow,
individuals strive for higher needs once their lower-level needs have been
fulfilled.

S
o
u
r
c
e
:

w
w
Maslow’s
w hierarchy of needs is a five stage model, the highest being self-
actualization.
. But in order to get to this stage, the individual must first fulfill
the
s lower basic needs, from Physiological needs, Safety needs, Belongingness
and
i Love, and Esteem.
m
People who are self-actualized are said to have the following characteristics:
p
1. They perceive reality efficiently and can tolerate uncertainty.
l
2.y Accept themselves and others for what they are
3.p Spontaneous in thought and action
s
4.y Problem-centered (not self-centered)
5.c Unusual sense of humor
h
6.o Able to look at life objectively
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o
g
 7. Highly creative
8. Resistant to enculturation, but not purposely unconventional
9. Concerned for the welfare of the humanity
10. Capable of deep appreciation of basic life-experience
11. Establish deep satisfying interpersonal relationships with few people
12. Peak experiences
13. Need for privacy
14. Democratic attitudes
15. Strong moral/ethical standards
Everyone is capable of reaching self-actualization. However, there are those
who are hindered by their failure to meet lower level needs. According to
Maslow, only one in a hundred people become fully self-actualized because
the society tends to reward motivation based on esteem, love and other
social needs.
But while self-actualization is the highest in the hierarchy of needs, Maslow
did not equate it with perfection. Self-actualization simply involves achieving
one’s potential.

Primary Education as a Human Right

The Human Rights have been established to ensure that the basic needs of
people are met. An example of this would be the right to education.
Mass illiteracy, which is caused mainly by poverty, is one of the global issues
which are affecting the progress of the society.
It is for this reason that universal primary education has become an
imperative for addressing the worldwide problem that is eradication of
poverty. Education has become increasingly important in the 20th century. As
we progress in technology and other aspects of knowledge, people
continuously need to acquire more competencies which will help them grow
to become productive citizens of the society.
Moreover, education has become a fundamental requirement for social
justice. Education is increasingly become a determinant of living standards
nowadays. Countries that have access to the skills and knowledge provided
by education are more advanced and tend to be more progressive compared
to those who have no access.
The society needs to have capable individuals to ensure it continuous
progress. Education has been regarded by all societies as a means for growth,
not just for the individual but to the society as well.

References
Education. Retrieved from:
https://opentextbc.ca/introductiontosociology/chapter/chapter16-
education/
 Understanding Culture, Society and Politics
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Educational Institution

Formal, Non-formal, and Informal Education: Concepts/Applicability.

Retrieved from: http://techne-dib.com.br/downloads/6.pdf
Simply Psychology. Self-Actualization. Retrieved from:
http://www.simplypsychology.org/maslow.html#collapseFour
Self-Actualization. Retrieved from: http://study.com/academy/lesson/self-
actualization-definition-lesson-quiz.html
Module 16: The Right to Education. Retrieved from:
http://hrlibrary.umn.edu/edumat/IHRIP/circle/modules/module16.
htm

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