Concepts of Education and Economic Development - Education

Education has a very broad connotation. It is not to be straitjacketed with schooling. Any experience of life that results in learning is education. Learning may be characterised either by modification of behaviour or a change in thinking style. Schooling is a planned and organized learning process. The skills transmitted by an agriculturist to his offspring, by an innovative farmer to his fellowmen, by a mother to her children are also a form of education that may result in directly productive and tangible experiences or lead to the development of desirable habits of life.

This is termed as informal education. Knowledge and skills developed in training programmes, apprenticeship programmes, adult education centres are also not like formal schooling. Still they are educative and contribute to economic growth. They are known as non-formal education. Formal education is normally referred to the programmes of school and college education.