EDUCATION

OBJECTIVES

 Examine the functions and importance of education in

the society.
 identify the functions of education.
 determine the importance of education in the society
Introduction

An individual learns his or her society’s values

and beliefs through various institutions. One of
the most pervading is that of the educational
system. In sociology, education is viewed as a
social institution
. It gives society the potential to reach
development and success. Generally,
education means the development of the
intellect. It is an act of thinking critically. It can
be classified into formal and non-formal.
Education is an important part of society
because it ensures that knowledge from one
generation can be passed on to the next.
Aside from passing on factual information,
education is also an important vehicle of
socialization. It passes on the norms and
values of a society and helps ensures the
society’s longevity.
 Essential Questions:

 1. What is education? What is the role of education in

the society?
 2. Why is education considered as a human right?
 3. What are the various issues in modern educational
system?
FUNCTIONS OF EDUCATION

 Albert Einstein once said, “The only thing that interferes

with my learning is my education.” Many of us who
have encountered it may wonder: what is the difference
between learning and education? What did Einstein
mean when he said these words?
Education from a decade ago has changed
drastically. In the Philippines alone, all students are
now required to take 13 years of formal school,
instead of just ten years. Moreover, curriculums
have been adjusted so that students can have
sufficient time to master skills and concepts.
Whether the change was successful or not, it is still
too early to say since the first grade 12 students of
the public school system are graduating only on
March 2018.
Most people equate education with schools,
but there is a huge difference between these
two. Education refers to the various ways
through which knowledge is passed on to the
other members of the society. This
knowledge can be in the form of factual
data, skills, norms, and values. On the other
hand, schooling refers to the formal
education one receives under a specially
trained teacher.
Education evolves from time to time and from country
to country. For example, in the Middle Ages in Great
Britain, education was reserved only for the nobility,
and the kind of education they received was focused
on classical subjects that had nothing to do with
earning a living. Around the same time in Japan,
education was open to the nobility, but it was the Zen
Buddhist monasteries and the Ashikaga Gakko – which
focused on Chinese medicine, Confucianism, and the I
Ching – that drove it forward.
Meanwhile, in the 1900s, education became more
mainstream and could be accessed by workers and
commoners. In Russia, education became a key
component to becoming an industrial power, hence
prompting the creation of a standardized
educational system that was under the control of
the government. Unlike in the earlier years when
students had the freedom to choose what they
wanted to learn, teachers were then required to
teach based on a predefined curriculum. Often, that
curriculum focused on socialist values and academic
excellence.
Industrialization also seems to be a major
contributor to the expansion of education in the
United States. Unlike socialist Russia or its mother
country Great Britain, however, education in the
US focused on political participation. According to
Thomas Jefferson, allowing education to focus on
the value of freedom and citizen participation in
governance would enable Americans to “read and
understand what is going on in the world.
The US was also the first country to enact
mandatory education laws. Because the
government paid for education in the country, it
was necessary to produce practical consequences.
As a result, each generation of students received
a fixed body of knowledge which often reflected
the concerns and needs of the generation.
 One can see that education is an important factor in
maintaining the stability of a society. Note, however, that
education can happen on various fronts. There is formal
education (or schooling) which refers to the complete
educational ladder all children must go through from
childhood up to adulthood. And then there are the
alternative forms which are not controlled by the
government (often called private education, indigenous
education, informal learning, and self-directed learning).
With the advance of the internet, a new form of education
has emerged: open education through online courses.
Regardless of these developments in education,
formal education remains to be of paramount
importance. Every child, in every country, has to go
through it. As such, its functions remain the same.
Formal education performs the following functions:
socialization, social integration, social placement,
cultural innovation, and latent functions such as
childcare and the establishment of lasting social
ties.
Functions of Education

 Socialization
 Education is used to promote the norms and values of a society
from one generation to the next. In some countries, the transmission
function of education is taken on by families. However, in more
advanced countries, social institutions such as schools The functions
of formal education include socialization, social integration, social
placement, cultural innovation, and other latent functions. 7 become
important as the family can no longer provide the tools and important
knowledge needed by the young student. This is the reason why
formal education was developed.
 From early childhood, students in
formal education learn their native
language, as well as the mathematical
skill they will need to function in
society. Such learning expands in
secondary and tertiary education, as
students are prepared to adapt to his
changing realities
As can be seen in the example of Russia
and the US, education can be used to
promote specific values which may be
cultural or political in nature. In many
countries, students are oriented towards
competition, as can be evidenced by
exams and the grading system adopted by
formal educational institutions.
Social Integration

 Because education is used to transmit norms and

values, it can also be regarded as a unifying force. It
promotes desired values and ensures conformity. In
cases of deviance, it provides widely known approaches
to convert. For example, mandatory education laws in
the US ensured that all immigrants to the country knew
what was desirable and undesirable in the US society
because they had to be educated in the US schools.
Social Placement

 Formal education helps students to discover approved

statuses and roles that will help the society’s longevity.
Educational systems consider the various talents and
interests of students and attempt to provide
opportunities that provide a good fit for these talents
and interests. Formal education, in a way, is an
equalizer. It focuses on achievement, rather than
educational background.
Cultural Innovation

 Educational institutions are the center of cultural

innovation because they stimulate intellectual inquiry
and promote critical thinking. It enables new ideas to
develop, as well as provide bases for new knowledge to
become accepted in the mainstream. Through schools,
theories are proven; technologies are improved; and
cultures can adapt to the changing society.
Latent Functions of Formal
Education

As more families have both parents working

at the same time, schools tend to become an
institution of child care. As children have to
be in school, parents can have time to
perform their economic duties without being
burdened with childcare duties.
 Another latent function of formal education is the
establishment of social relationships that would have a
lasting impact on the life of a child. We have heard of
students ascribing their success to their teachers or
successful businesspeople who rely on their social
networks to promote their businesses. Many of the
social ties a child forms in the course of their schooling
are lasting social networks and would impact various
aspects of their lives.
Activity 1

 1.How has education in the Philippines changed in the last decade? Give examples.
Answer the question in no more than 5 sentences.
_______________________________________________________________________________________
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 2. How have the various functions of education helped the ensure continuity and
solidarity within society?
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PUTTING VALUE

In 2010, then-secretary of Education Bro. Armin

Luistro wrote the rationale for the enhanced K to
12 basic education program proposed by the
Philippine Government. As a final note on the
goals of the K to 12 system, he had this to say:
 “Every graduate of the Enhanced K+12 Basic Education
Program is an empowered individual who has learned,
through a program that is rooted on sound educational
principles and geared towards excellence, the
foundations for learning throughout life, the
competence to engage in work and be productive, the
ability to coexist in fruitful harmony with local and
global communities, the capability to engage in
autonomous critical thinking, and the capacity to
transform others and one’s self.”
Based on your education so far, how
has education helped you to become
the kind of person described by Bro.
Armin Luistro? Do you think you have
developed the capacities you need to
succeed in life