CAPIZ STATE UNIVERSITY

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MA 201: Foundations of Education

Historical Foundations of Education

EDUCATION AND
SOCIETY AND AIMS OF
EDUCATION
By: Marvin Deocampo Catalan
 Outline of the Topic

• Relationship of Education and Society

• The role of education in Society
• General Aims of Education
chers, have you ever tried to ask yo

What really is the relationship of Education

and Society?
 Education and Society
• Education is a major institution in most societies. Indeed, it is difficult to
imagine any industrialized or industrializing society without a system of schools.
Sociologists of education examine many parts of educational systems interaction,
classrooms and peer groups, school organizations and national and international
systems of education. Sociologists see education as one of the major institutions
that constitutes society; they place the study of education in a larger framework of
institutions found in every society. These institutions include family, religion,
politics, economics and health, in addition to education.
 Education and Society

• MaNergney and Herbert describe the school as first and foremost a

social institution, that is, an established organization and a set of
functions meant to preserve and extend social order. His image is
concerned with “preserving our heritage and adapt to social change
and make change happen where it is needed.”
chers, have you ever tried to ask yo

What are the aims of education?

 Knowledge Aim of Education
• According to this aim, the individual develops his
individuality and fulfills his possibility by the help of
knowledge.
• Knowledge is considered as power by which things
are done. So, “Knowledge is power” was said by
Bacon. It is knowledge that has enabled humanity to
make progress.
• Man becomes resourceful through knowledge.
Socrates said that “one who had true knowledge
could not be other than virtuous”. Knowledge is sine
qua non for every spheres of human life—physical,
social, moral, spiritual and economic.
 Knowledge Aim of Education

• In other words, knowledge and wisdom must

be for the good of the greatest number. Further,
knowledge acquisition should not be considered
as an end in itself. Rather it should be a means
to other ends—individual development, civil
efficiency, economic competency, living a richer
and healthy life, welfare of the humanity, etc.
• Reception and utilization of knowledge is
essential element in knowledge aim of
education.
 Vocational Aim of Education

• In the modern times, it is felt that education

should have its preparatory value to enable
individuals to earn his livelihood or to make both
ends meet in order to live happily and successfully.
• It is the economic self-sufficiency of a person
which makes him a worthy and contributing citizen.
• Education should aim at imparting knowledge,
skill, and information to the pupils in order to make
them self-reliant; not to be a drag or parasite upon
others.
 Vocational Aim of Education

• Education with the vocational aim will

prepare each individual for an occupation
which will suit to his needs, abilities,
interests and attitudes.
• Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi says,
“True education ought to be for the boys
and girls a kind of insurance against
unemployment”.
 Character Aim of Education
• Character is a mental quality and it should be built
very cautiously by education.
• T. Raymond opines, “Education finds its real
meaning and value when its aim is character-
building”.
• Character should be fostered by a suitable
program of education. Therefore, S.
Radhakrishnan says, “The troubles of the whole
world including India are due to the fact that
education has become a mere intellectual exercise
and not the acquisition of moral and spiritual
values”.
 Character Aim of Education

• It is education for character which will enable a

man to rise above narrow mindedness, self-
interest, anger, fear, miserliness and to utilize
his knowledge for the betterment of humanity
rather than for its destruction and dilapidation.
• The aim of education should be the
development of character or building of
character for the larger interest of the
community and humanity as a whole.
 Cultural Aim of Education
• Culture is defined as complex whole which includes
knowledge, belief, art, morals, law, custom, tradition,
folk ways, religion, literature and any other capabilities
and habits acquired by man as a member of society.
• A cultured person is he whose personality is refined,
whose aesthetic tastes are developed, who lives a
socially useful life, who is socially efficient, who
appreciates ideas and values, who understands the
best thought of the community and who not only
assimilates the rich experiences of the race but also
utilize these experiences in a meaningful way for the
development of the society.
 Cultural Aim of Education

• Culture also expands one’s outlook, sharpens

one’s interest and fosters an acceptable
behavior of the individual.
• The aim of education is to help the individuals to
inherit rich cultural heritage of past, to preserve
and enrich it through activities and transmit it to
the rising generation in a fruitful and meaningful
way.
 All-round development Aim of Education

• It is also known as harmonious development

aim of education.
• It refers to harmonious development of the
physical, intellectual, emotional, spiritual, moral
and aesthetic sides of human personality. It is
with this harmonious development of all aspects
of human nature that he will be able to play his
part well in life and achieve success in all fields
of human life.
 All-round development Aim of Education
• Pestalozzi regards, “Education is natural,
harmonious and progressive development of
man’s innate powers”. By harmonious
development he means the education of 3 H’s
—Head, Heart and Hand.
• M.K. Gandhi, says, “Man is neither mere
intellect, nor the gross animal, nor the heart and
soul alone. A proper and harmonious
combination of all the three is required for
making the whole man and constitutes the true
economics of education”.
 All-round development Aim of Education
• Pestalozzi regards, “Education is natural,
harmonious and progressive development of
man’s innate powers”. By harmonious
development he means the education of 3 H’s
—Head, Heart and Hand.
• M.K. Gandhi, says, “Man is neither mere
intellect, nor the gross animal, nor the heart and
soul alone. A proper and harmonious
combination of all the three is required for
making the whole man and constitutes the true
economics of education”.
 Complete Living Aim of Education
• Spencer said that “education should bring about
the whole-some development which enables an
individual to face all problems of life in all
spheres and solve them with great courage and
conviction.”
• He asserted that the chief task of education is
to enable the individuals to prepare for life and
the art of life consists of right ruling of conduct
in all directions under all circumstances.
• Education should acquaint us with the laws and
ways of complete living
 Spiritual Aim of Education
• The sole aim of education should be the
maximum development of spiritual potentialities
of the individual.
• Inculcation of spiritual values in the minds of
individuals by the program of education is the
need of the hour to save the humanity from
plunging into the morass of hat redness,
selfishness, corruption, aggression, violence,
chaos, disorder, narrow-mindedness,
malevolent spirit, tensions, fears, conflicts,
brutality, suspicion, destruction and disaster.
 Spiritual Aim of Education

• Pristine glory and pride of the nation can be

brought back by education, by inculcating the
spiritual values or truths in children and by
propelling them to practice in their day to day
lives. Because it is said that the taste of
pudding lies in eating it.
 Democratic Aim of Education

• It is accepted that education should aim at the

promotion of democratic values which are
necessary for the success of a democracy.
• These values are the pre-requisites for the
successful living in a democratic nation wedded
to democratic cult and principles.
 Democratic Aim of Education

• The aim of education in the democratic

countries in the world should be the cultivation
of democratic values in the minds of the
children and individuals—faith in democratic
way of living, respect for dignity of other
persons, freedom, equality of opportunity,
justice, faith in tolerance, faith in change, and
peaceful methods and faith in co-operative
living and above all fellow-feelingness.
 References

https://oppimateriaalit.jamk.fi/edusociety/
https://www.slideshare.net/msjessaabagat16/function-of-education-in-
the-society
http://
www.yourarticlelibrary.com/education/what-are-the-main-aims-of-edu
cation/76806