Chapter 2 - Informal Education: Definitions and Agencies

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type and mode of educational activity. Recreational programme of an adult
school may be placed under the category of informal education and
therefore this comes under the category of informal agency of education.
With the increasing use of new educational technology and instructions.
through the electronic media, it has become very difficult to divide
educational agencies into formal and informal. However the family,
community, religious ceremonies, social gatherings, and newspapers,
radio, and television are some of the important informal agencies of
education today.
Family
Family is a powerful and active informal agency of education. The
infant begins its life under the fostering affection and care of his parents.
and other near and dear ones who are associated with his family. As the
child grows it receives the first lessons of life from the family and tries to
imbibe the habit, ideals and patterns of behaviour of the family members.
In this way the family continues to influence the child through out its life.
The child gets three important kinds of help from the family: They
are affection, protection and socialization. For the upbringing of the child,
there is no better institution than the family. Each members of the family
has an important role to influence the personality of the child. The
foundation of child's future life is laid in the family and in later life, it