3. Description of Informal Education

Education is a life long process. But in the case of Formal education, as we have noted earlier, it has a fixed entry and exit. The child learns many habits, manners and patterns while living with others or moving in different spheres like tradition or tribe, home, social groups, mass media etc. It is called informal education. Informal education is a process, by which people learn more as they live on. In other words, informal education is the process by which a person imbibes attitudes, develops skills, cultivates values and acquires knowledge, without there being any 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 take place while at work or at play and during travels as well as spontaneous learning through films radio and television'. Informal 5

113 education happens outside the class room, after school program like community basis organizations, museums, libraries or at home. The after school education provides more chances for learning by experience. Teaching techniques, content, expertise and group management are important at studies. On the other hand, Informal education can be more flexible with their content and offer a different kind of environment. An additional benefit of developing materials for informal educational settings is that they may be useful to parents at home with their children or to adult learners who are looking to expand their knowledge or to increase their career options. Some of the scholars view informal education as the learning that comes as part of being involved in youth and community organiztions. In these settings there are specialist educators whose job it is to encourage people to think about experiences and situations. Like friends or parents they may respond to what is going on at the work places but as professionals, these educators are able to bring special insights and ways of working.

114 Informal education works through and is driven by, conversation, involves exploring and enlarging experience, and it could take place in any setting. Purpose of informal education is no different to any other form of education John Deway once described. 'This is educating so that people may share in a common life. Those working as informal educators have a 6 special contribution to make here'. Though the informal education one can acquire some special qualities like work for the well being of all, respect the unique value and dignity of each human beings, dialogue equality and justice, democracy and the active involvement of people in the issues that affect their lives etc. Informal education has been around as long as people have grouped together. One way of thinking about it is as the education of daily living. Family, community, religion, state and various mass media are the active agencies of informal education. Informal education is, the incidental transmission of attitudes knowledge and skills (with the stress on attitudes) with highly diverse and culturally relative patterns for the organizations of time space and relationships, such are implicit in varying configurations of the family household and community."