Functions of Education

"The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. Intelligence plus character-that is the goal of true education." -Martin Luther King

Education, based on Wikipedia’s definition, is the process of facilitating learning, or the acquisition of knowledge, skills, values, morals, beliefs, and habitats. This is true however, many, if not, most people associate education with acquiring knowledge by going to school or college. In reality, it is a social process - ‘a process of living and not a preparation for future living’ (Dewey, 1916). In this view, educators or anyone who provides guidance to a student or learner is tasked to bring out or develop life skills or their potential in different aspects. With that said, education’s role is to not only teach students or anyone academic learning but to also educate value and life lessons, and enhance their abilities whether it is directly taught or not. To further understand what education is, its functions or purpose will be mentioned below.

Education has different functions and one of its functions is socialization. Perhaps this is the most important function since as humans, as someone who is part of a society, it is in our nature to interact with different people, that is why we are social creatures. With education, it helps us learn different norms, values, and skills to function in society. These lessons help us understand and respect people, it helps become open-minded towards the differences in culture, religion, beliefs, race, gender preference, opinions, and etcetera. With the knowledge we acquire, we will be able to interact and build relationships with people of our age, common interests, and even someone who is completely different from us. Thus, it helps us build and groom our character and personality with these social interactions and helping in creating a harmonious relationship between members of society.

Social integration is another function of education. As mentioned earlier, we are different and diverse, and sometimes due to our differences, it creates a gap between people. However, education helps abolish our perspective about the difference of other people. Education helps us build respect and a sense of understanding that will help us unite regardless of our ideals, appearance, religion, or status. Therefore, if we are educated, discrimination will not prevail and we will be able to build a community where equality and rights are respected and practiced.

Another function is social placement. This is where education is used to prepare learners and help them build their future. Educators are always there to guide students and push them to face challenges in their studies, and usually encourage them to pursue advanced studies or for those educationally challenged, they are pushed to take programs that would suit their abilities. In this way, learners will be able to take roles and services in society in their later station in life so that they are able to contribute to the community.

Lastly, social and cultural innovation. Our scientists cannot make important scientific discoveries and our artists and thinkers cannot come up with great works of art, poetry, and prose unless they have first been educated in the many subjects they need to know for their chosen path. Hence, education is there to teach learners knowledge on cultures and different topics that helps them become socially aware. With this awareness, they may be able to create changes in our world.

With the four functions mentioned, we are able to divide these into three main functions: function towards the individual, function towards society, and function towards the nation.

FUNCTION TOWARDS INDIVIDUAL

1. Education as Growth

Every learner is immature at the beginning. He is to be trained deliberately for adult life. Education deliberately and systematically influences a mature influence of the teacher through instruction, discipline, and harmonious development. The harmonious development includes the development of in terms physical, intellectual, aesthetic, social, and spiritual powers of human beings, according to the needs of the society.

There are cardinal factors responsible for the growth of a child and these are:

A. Dependence

Every learner has a capacity to grow and develop. This development is possible because the child has qualities of dependence upon adaptability. The learner depends upon other mature persons, instructors for the satisfaction of his physical needs. This dependence decreases as the child grows older. Dependence enables children to inculcate qualities like obedience and cooperation

B. Adaptability

Every individual learns to adjust and adapt himself to his environment. This virtue is primarily learned in the family. Adaptability is also learned from the individual’s own experience in the family and in the neighborhood. This virtue helps the individual with the necessary power for the development of habits and attitudes to manage his future circumstances. Education provides such guidance through a pre-planned program of education. The education program will modify and redirect the instincts of the child to desirable ends to lead a worthwhile progressive and harmonious growth.

2. Education as Direction

The direction is the fixation of the activity into a right response by the elimination of unnecessary and confusing movements. Every learner is gifted with innate capacities and powers. His physical & social environment provides the learner with stimulus for activity. In the beginning, as the learner acts in response to the stimulus in an immature way, much of his constructive energy is wasted. This wastage can be avoided if the learner is properly directed towards an objective. Education provides this sense of direction and activities of the learner become purposeful.

There are two types of direction:

A. External and Internal Direction

External direction is the immediate environment that provides the learner a stimulus for his activity.

Internal direction is the responses to the stimuli which proceed from his internal tendencies.

B. Personal and Impersonal Direction

Personal direction includes ridicule, disapproval & punishment. It refers to physical control which is not educative

The impersonal direction is important as this direction is bound to appeal to the learner’s mind and heart. In this context, the teacher has to set a good example to follow. This direction is corrective it has the potentials to have a corrective effect.

3. Preparation for Responsibilities of Adult Life

FUNCTION TOWARDS SOCIETY

Education is a powerful tool to bring in a positive socialization process and has the ability to reconstruct life experiences for the growth of society on the whole.

1. Socialization

Man is a social animal. An individual is the sum total of his interactions with his social environment. The elders of the society pass on their experiences, interests, findings, conclusions, traditions, and attitudes to the younger generation. All these have a profound influence on the growth and development of the younger generations. In this manner, the continuity of the societal function is successfully maintained.

2. Reconstruction of Experience

As growth is a continuous process, education is also a continuous process throughout an individual’s life. Education provides the learner with rich resources to shape his life, personality, character, outlook, and experiences, and interaction in society. Thus education helps the learner in re-constructing and re-organizing the individual and societal life.

FUNCTION TOWARDS NATION

Education has the potentials to indirectly influence and support the state’s/nation functioning by means of inculcating civic sense among the learners & thereby paves way for emotional and national integration.

1. Civic and Social Responsibility

Promoting civic responsibility is considered to be the most important function of education. True education promotes learners to understand their rights and duties as individual citizens. The very existence and progress of a nation depend on the educational system of the state.

2. Training for Leadership

Efficient functioning in all the spheres such as social, political, religious, and educational activities depends on the quality of education. Therefore the function of a good educational system is to develop such qualities among the learners so as to promote the comprehensive development of the individual and the state.

3. Emotional Integration

The educational system aims at promoting unity in diversity, in terms of unity in the areas of religion, language, diet, dress, habit, and physical environment.

4. National Integration

True education aims to raise individuals to break down narrow prejudices of caste, community, region, and to look to a broad national outlook.

In conclusion, education plays a significant role in achieving a good quality of life. It is because education is important guidance in human life. It can be regarded as an important medium in changing the paradigm shift in one’s individual. Generally, education is always associated with the process of delivering skills, disseminating knowledge, and internalizing value. Practically, individuals who equipped with knowledge can be able to internalize and apply the knowledge in everyday life. In children’s context, education can be seen as a continuing process of their development, so that they can practice and apply their knowledge as preparation in the future. Thus, education is a major aspect of the development of any modern society since if there is a deficit of educated people then society will stop its further progress.