FUNCTION OF EDUCATION

The primary function of education is the transferring or transmission of knowledge and reconstruction of the social heritage.

But education is broader than just obtaining knowledge.

As per John Dewey – The function of education is to help the growing of a helpless young animal into a happy, moral and efficient human being.

Education is a dynamic force in the life of an individual and influences his physical, mental, social, emotional, ethical, creative and spiritual development.

The functions of education can be classified into 3 types-

1. Function of education towards individual -

a.       Development of inborn potentialities:- Education helps the child to develop the inborn potentialities of the child providing scope to develop.

b.      Modifying behavior:- Education helps to modify the past behavior through learning and through different agencies of education.

c.       All round development:- Education aims at the all-round development of the child physical, mental, social, emotional and spiritual.

d.      Preparing for the future:- After completion of education the child can earn his livelihood getting proper education, which has productivity. The education should be imparted according to the own interest of child.

e.      Developing personality:- The whole personality of the child is developed physically, intellectually, morally, socially, aesthetically, spiritually. He is recognized in the society.

f.        Helping for adjustability:- Man differs from beast. Man has reasoning and thinking power. Man tries his best to adjust with his own environment through education.

2. Function of education toward society-

a.       Social change and control:- Society is progressive and dynamic in nature. An individual lives in society. Thus education helps to walk with the development of individual for benefit of society.

b.      Reconstruction of experience:- Life is education and education is life. Life is full of experiences. One cannot live with his past experiences which are unable to adjust in the society. So education helps the individual to reconstruct the experience and adjust with the environment.

c.       Development of social and moral value:- Society is always in tension with narrowism. There is no social or moral value. Education teaches the moral value and social value like co-operation, tolerance, sympathy, fellow, feelings, love affection, respect towards elder, helping the poor and needy person.

d.      Providing opportunity or equality:- Indian constitution has introduces the term equality because we are not getting equal opportunities in all aspects. Education teaches us to give equal opportunities in all aspects irrespective of caste, creed, colour, sex and religion.

3. Function of education toward nation-

a.       Inculcation of civic and social responsibility:- Education helps to make rising generation to understand its rights and duties as citizen of a democratic country.

b.      Training for leadership:- The leadership quality of the individual is developed when he participates in all spheres of social, political, religious and educational activities.

c.       National integration:- Education integration leads to emotional integration. Education trains people for unity, not for locality, for democracy and not for dictatorship.

d.      Total national development:- education help for bringing about total national development by developing its all aspects i.e. social, economic cultural, spiritual, moral, educational, etc.

Conclusion-

Education serves the most important end of educating the man. Therefore, really education is an essential ingredient for all ages and stages of the life of an individual, society as well as the nation. Education can be a real panacea for all social evils.