What are the most essential agencies of Education?

Education usually performs three kinds of functions in the society. Firstly, it transmits special or cultural heritage from one generation to another. It consists of various experiences, customs, values and traditions of the people.

Secondly, education conserves this cultural heritage through its courses of studies, text-books, instructional materials and different parties.

Thirdly, education creates new social organizations and patterns in order to develop and improve the society in view of the changing needs and conditions.

In course of time society has been developing a number of organizations and institutions to discharge various special responsibilities in connection with the functions mentioned above. These institutions and organizations are called the agencies of education. They shape their individuals in many ways. They shape their personalities, their knowledge, understanding, attitude, interests, values and aspirations. They range from primary institution like family to school, playground, clubs and so on.

Types of Agencies – Formal, Informal and Non-formal, Passive and Active Agencies:

Formal institutions are purposely set up by the society for various functions of education. They are special organizations to impart education and instruction in some way or other. Important of them are schools, libraries, religious and cultural organizations.

Informal agencies include organizations that come into being without any systematic planning to hand over the social traditions, customs, knowledge and cultural practices.

For example, the family, play-group and the community organization are set up for child rearing, recreational activities and professional growth. The formal agencies have direct educational objectives in view, whereas informal agencies contribute towards educational development through other activities. Both these formal and informal agencies are inter-connected as well as overlapping and there are no water­tight compartments between them.

Besides, these two kinds of agencies, nowadays another class of institutions has been developed known as non-formal agecies. It is found that the formal system of education cannot meet all social and individual needs for instruction, knowledge, skills and attitudes.

The rigid patterns of formal education are not found suitable for explosion of knowledge and universalization of elementary education. Non-formal education is imparted through organizations and institutions outside the formal system.

According to UNESCO it is out-of-school education. The difference between informal and non-formal education is that the former takes place all the time informally or incidentally, whereas the latter is intentionally given outside the formal system.

There are people who are quite deprived of formal education. There may be persons who are dropouts, workers working away from the schooling facilities, housewives, retired persons and others interested in gaining knowledge, information and training without a degree or diploma.

Some people are employed in various farms and factories and need in-service education, training and orientation. Non-formal education can be provided through correspondence courses, radio and television programmes, language laboratory, seminars, workshops, discussion groups, study circles, popular literature and public libraries.

The Indian Education Commission, 1964-66 recommended the growth of a parallel system of non-formal education in the country. So it was intended to develop a non-formal system of education which should be comprehensive and flexible. It should be as efficient as the schools usually do. But unlike the non- meeting parallel lines, both formal and non-formal system of education should meet so that the students can take the advantages of both according to their convenience and circumstances.

Agencies of education are also described as active or passive. Active agencies are those which provide education through personal interaction and mutual participation. In this case, education becomes a two-way process, the educator and educand influencing each other.

For instance, the family, the school, the play-group, the youth organizations are active agencies as they provide interaction among the participants. These agencies also inculcate good qualities like co-operations, fellow-feeling, competitive spirit, adaptability and emulation. They are, therefore useful for citizenship training and growth of leadership qualities.

The passive agency of education is a one-way process where there is no interaction and mutual give and take. The films, radio, television and press influence the behaviour of people without being influenced themselves. The listener listens to the radio programmes and gets knowledge, information or happiness or sorrow.

A movie-goer may witness a film and feel inspired or satisfied. But here is not systematic channel for expression of his feelings or reactions. That is, there is no “feed-back” in the system.

Nowadays, of course, attempts are being made to get reactions or feedback from the audience, so that desired improvement can be brought about in the radio programmes or in the films. But basically these media are known as passive agencies of education.