Formal Education: Characteristics and Objectives

• A true education aims to develop both intelligence and character.
• Education should teach individuals to think intensively and critically.
• Education that focuses solely on efficiency can pose a threat to society.
• A dangerous individual might be highly intelligent but lack morals.
• Martin Luther King Jr. stated "Intelligence plus character - that is the goal of true education" during a speech at Morehouse College in 1948.
• Education aims to equip young individuals with facts, knowledge, and skills for functioning as adults.
• Effective education includes exposure to, understanding of, and practice in relevant skill sets.
• Education should foster reflective thinking and feeling abilities, enabling individuals to shape their lives.
• Education entails deliberate, systematic, and continuous efforts to transmit, provoke, or acquire knowledge, values, attitudes, skills, or sensibilities.
• Education involves conscious intent to educate, representing an ongoing process rather than a static place.
• Education occurs across diverse settings and aims to foster knowledge, understanding, valuing, growth, caring, and positive behavior.
• The function of education is to modify behavior and help with adjustability.
• Education should prepare individuals for the future and enhance their personalities.
• Social change and control involves the development of social and moral values, providing opportunities or equality, and Reconstruction of experience.
• For a nation, education involves inculcating civic and social responsibility, training for leadership, promoting national integration and total national development.
• Education is a discipline concerned with teaching and learning methods in various environments.
• Unlike informal education, education uses formal or non-formal means of socialization.

Brief History of Education

• Ancient civilizations provided education for scribes and priests in reading, writing, and religious texts.
• Education in Greece focused on philosophy, arts, and sciences (Athens) or military training (Sparta).
• Roman education aimed to prepare citizens for public life through rhetoric and public speaking.
• In Europe during the Middle Ages, the Church predominated education through monasteries and cathedral schools.
• Europe taught religious studies and basic literacy skills.
• The Islamic world’s madrasahs offered instruction in both religious and secular subjects, preserving and expanding upon knowledge.
• Renaissance and Enlightenment involved a renewal of classical knowledge, humanism fostered the study of literature, philosophy, and arts.
• Scientific inquiry during the Renaissance and Enlightenment began incorporating scientific methods alongside critical thinking skills.
• Industrialization in the 19th century prompted the advent of public school systems to educate the workforce.
• In the 20th century, reforms made education more accessible, promoting compulsory schooling and curricula.
• Pre-colonial education in Malaysia was informal and community-based through traditions that passed down knowledge.
• Islamic education was taught in pondok and madrasah settings.
• In Malaysia during the colonial era, there were English-medium schools and vernacular schools for Malays, Chinese, and Indians.
• Post-Independent Malaysia, after 1957, implemented policies to unite Malaysians and shape a new modern education system.
• The Razak Report of (1956) and the Rahman Talib Report of (1960) led to the emphasis on Bahasa Melayu, higher education, and the Education Act 1996.
• Malaysia Education Blueprint of 2013 - 2025 focused on competitiveness, innovation, and critical thinking.

Concepts of Education

• Education can be informal, formal or non-formal

Informal education

• Learning occurs naturally through daily experiences, is unstructured, is spontaneous and lifelong, and is often self motivated.
• Transmission of skills, skills, based on society and community values, and examples include learning to cook and farm.
• Lacks formal structure, rules, or restrictions unlike formal education.
• There is no school schedule carrying school items are proper dress code.
• There are no exams or curriculum.
• There is more freedom to choose a natural system of gaining an education.
• It lacks schedule making the whole procedure inefficient.
• Reliabe sources for getting knowledge is more challenging, and there is an absence of trained professional trainers.
• Discipline, social interaction and communication skills that are taught in school are not available in an informal setting.

Formal education

• Is a system or framework decided by a society depending on developments, economic and social needs.
• Orderly and regulated having a syllabus or curriculum and certified or accredited with schools or institutions.
• Has structure with schedules, syllabus and assessments.
• A designed structure on a specific hierarchy with exams, and fees.
• Formal Education has instilled technical skills and helps students towards achieving a goal.
• Social interaction developed, but can be costly and students might be easily negatively influenced.

Formal Education Stages

• Can be divided into stages: early childhood/preschool, primary/elementary, secondary/highschool, tertiary/post-secondary

Non-formal education

• Organized outside the formal system for short terms for specific groups to achieve.
• Objectives are to increase skills and knowledge for rewards and increased passion.
• Examples are swimming lessons and community-based sports programs or adult education courses, seminars, Boy Scout or girl guide groups.
• Flexible courses are possible as per personal capabilites.
• No schedule need be followed and it helps develop specialized skills.
• Lack of seriousness and certifications can undermine its credibility since it is not useful in the long run.

Other forms of education include

• Alternative, Indigenous, Self-directed and Open style learning

The importance of The National Education Philosophy

• Education in Malaysia should develop people’s moral, physical, emotional, spiritual and intellectual character.
• It is important to produce knowledgeable, competent and God-fearing individuals.

Teacher Philosophy

• Outlines the need for teachers to embody a vision of a good person and the ability to progress individuals ready to uphold values and culture.

Education Of Humankind

• Teachers should meet the individuals at their own terms in order to deliver personal assistance and deliver the curriculum instead of a standard format.

UNESCO’s Four Pillars of Learning

• Learning to know involves acquiring knowledge, understanding the world and continuing education.
• Learning to live together encourages collaboration, social harmony, and respect.
• Learning to do involves developing practical skills, problem-solving abilities, and teamwork skills.
• These are all important for daily life and employment.
• Learning to be fosters personal growth, creativity, and emotional intelligence to be a rounded individual.

Key Aspects of UNESCO’s Four Pillars

• "Learning to Know:" involves literacy, numeracy, and critical thinking to function in the world.

"Learning to live together"

• Requires social skills and peace values.
• Includes respect for nature, emotional regulation, and cultural identity, peace, and harmony.
• "Know how to do" requires thinking skills, citizenship, and action in participation and proactive attitude.

"Learning to Act"

• This includes intervention in the conflicts in order to function better in society.

"Learning to Do"

• Develops Vocational training, technical skills, leadership, and teamwork .

“Learning To Be”

• This requires vocational training, technical skills, leadership, and teamwork in general.