Informal education

by Yuvi - November 15, 2020

Informal Educations

Informal Educations are those which are not structured, not systematically organized, not regulated and not deliberately planned. Informal education does not observe any formalities, rules and regulations and discipline. Teachers, students, curriculum and methods are not definite and specific. There is no authority to control it specifically. It is a life-long process. It starts from birth and ends to death. Family, society, state, playground, field, library, neighborhood, mass-media etc. come under informal agencies of education.

CHARACTERISTICS

(i) Incidental and spontaneous

Informal education is incidents and spontaneous. There is no conscious effort involved in it. Courtesies gentleness, etc. learnt in a market place or in a hotel or in one’s sitting room amount to informal education.

(ii) Not-pre-planned nor deliberate

Informal education is an educative activity which is neither pre-planned nor deliberate. The child learns many habits, manners and patterns while living with others or moving in different spheres like home, society, groups etc.

(iii) Not imparted by any specialized agency

Unlike formal education, informal education is not imparted by informal agencies of education and is not imparted by any specialized agency such as school or college.

(iv) No prescribed time-table or curriculum-

Informal education is not given according to any fixed time-table or through formal means of education. There is no set curriculum required. Informal education consists in experiences and actual living in the family or community.

(v) May be negative education also –

Informal education may take to negative direction also. Instances are not rare when one learns stealing, or some other forms of misbehavior from the experiences which the child may casually have in the street, in the market, in the cinema hall or in some other such place.

In the words of an expert, Informal Education is “the process, by which a person imbibes attitudes, develops skills, cultivates values and acquires knowledge, without there being any informal agencies of education or organization or system about it. This would include the deliberate attempts of parents and elders in the family and community to help the young ones grow and adapt themselves to the environment. Informal Education would also include all incidental learning that takes place while at work or at play and during travels-as well as spontaneous learning through films, radio and television.”