Understanding Culture,

Society & Politics Module

8: Functions and
Importance of Education
in the Society
• Specific learning Objectives:
• 1. define education;
• 2. trace and describe the educational system of the Philippines;
• 3. give the functions and importance of education in the society; and
• 4. evaluate how education functions and affects society.
IDENTIFY

11. He proposed the theory of hierarchy of needs.

12. What is the letter E in the acronym of UNESCO stands for?
13. What is the starting level under K to 12 the basic
education?
14. Primary education is considered a human ___________.
15. Type of education that enables a student to learn skills and
knowledge through structured learning experiences.
DEFINITION OF EDUCATION

Education is the social institution through which society

provides its members with important knowledge, including basic
facts, job skills, and cultural norms and values (Macionis, 2012).
Education is the acquisition of knowledge, habits, skills, and abilities
through instruction and training or through self-activity. It is
systematic training of the moral and intellectual faculties of the
mind. It is the process of transmitting to the young, the vital cultural
heritage of a group.
EDUCATION IN THE PHILIPPINES

• Education in the Philippines is managed and regulated by the

Department of Education, commonly referred to as the DepEd.
It controls the Philippine educational system, including the
creation and implementation of the curriculum and the utilization
of funds allotted by the national government. It also manages the
construction of schools, acquisition of books and other school
materials, and the recruitment of teachers and staff.
• Before the Philippines attained
independence in 1946, the country’s
education system was patterned after
the educational systems of Spain and
the United States. The Philippines, with
exemption to other parts of the country,
were under Spanish rule for more than
three hundred years while the
Americans stayed for twenty two years.
• Spanish and the United States brought educational practices,
which reflected their culture and ideologies. During the Spanish
time, the function of education was inculcated moral and
religious values. Religion was the core curriculum, and the
schools were used to spread Christianity. It mainly served the
upper classes; thus, education symbolized “social standing and
prestige.” The educated class consisted mostly of ilustrados.
When the Americans came,education was focused on the
development of new social patterns that would prepare the
nation for a self-governing democracy. Public institution
was institutionalized to give every person the education needed to
participate in a self- governing democracy. The medium of
instruction was English. However, after independence, the
country’s educational system changed radically
• Today, the government of the Philippines has
been very active in tapping the educational
system for the country’s development efforts.
With the adaptation of the K to 12 programs, it
is hoped that Philippine Educational System is
now responding to the demands of the
economy for national development.
TYPES OF EDUCATION
1. FORMAL EDUCATION

• This refers to the hierarchically structured, chronologically

graded educational system from primary school to the
university, including programs and institutions for full time
technical and vocational training. At the end of each level,
the learners must obtain certification in order to enter or
advance to the next level. Formal education shall correspond
to the following levels in basic education:
A. ELEMENTARY EDUCATION

• Elementary education involves compulsory, formal education primarily

concerned with providing basic education, and usually corresponds to
a traditional six grades or seven grades, and in addition, to preschool
programs. Such preschool education normally consists of kindergarten
schooling but may cover other preparatory courses as well.
• At the basic education level, the Department of Education
(DepEd) sets overall educational standards and mandates
standardized tests for the K to 12 basic education system, although
private schools are generally free to determine their own curriculum in
accordance with existing laws and Department regulations.
B. SECONDARY EDUCATION

• Secondary education, public schools and private

schools, is concerned primarily with continuing
basic education of the elementary level and
expanding it to include the learning of employable,
gainful skills, usually corresponding to four years
of junior high school and two years of senior high
school
C. TERTIARY EDUCATION
• Institutions of higher education may be classified as either public or private college or
university, and public institutions of higher education may further be subdivided into
two types: state universities and colleges and local colleges and universities.
• Most institutions of higher learning are regulated by the Commission of Higher
Education (CHED). Colleges typically offer 1 or more specialized programs while universities
must offer at least 8 or more different undergraduate degree programs in a wide array of
subjects and at least 2 or more graduate programs.
• Public universities are all non-sectarian and offer a wide-range of programs, with English
as medium of instruction. Public universities are government funded, with the largest,
the University of the Philippines, receiving a substantial amount from the annual budget.
There are also several private tertiary institutions, sectarian or non-sectarian as well as for
profit or not-for-profit.
2. NON-FORMAL EDUCATION

• It refers to any organized educational activity outside the established

formal system to provide selected types of learning to a segment of the
population.
• As a concept, non-formal education emerged in response to the world crisis
in education identified by Philip H. Coombs in 1967, who argued that the formal
education system have failed to address the changing dynamics of the
environment and the societies. The skills that are needed to foster economic
development are lacking due to untrained labor force that is not able to
access formal education. Non-formal education enables a student to learn
skills and knowledge through structured learning experiences. A student
learns his/her values, principles, and beliefs and undergoes lifelong learning.
3. INFORMAL EDUCATION
• It is a lifelong process whereby every individual acquires from daily
experiences, attitudes, values, facts, skills, and knowledge or motor
skill from resources in his or her higher environment.
• It offers alternative learning opportunities for the out of school
youth and adults specifically those who are 15 years old and above
and unable to avail themselves of the educational services and
programs of formal education. It reaches out to citizens of
varied interests, demographic characteristics, and socioeconomic
origins and status. Its primary objective is to provide literacy
programs to eradicate illiteracy.
SPECIAL EDUCATION

• Special Education refers to the education of persons who are physically, mentally, emotionally,
socially, or culturally different from so- called “normal” individuals, such that they require modification
of school practices to develop their potential. Special education provides distinct services, curricula,
and instructional materials geared to pupils or students who are significantly higher or lower than the
average or norm.
• SPED aims to develop the maximums potential of the child with the special needs to enable him/her
to become self-reliant and take advantage of the opportunities for a full and happy life.
FUNCTIONS OF EDUCATION IN THE SOCIETY

• As British sociologist Herbert Spencer explains,

functions are important to be performed as they make
the society whole. If each function is working well,
society attains progress. He lays down the functions of
education as follows:
1. PRODUCTIVE CITIZENRY

• Education systems enable citizens to be productive members of a society, as they are equipped with
knowledge and skills that could contribute to the development of their society’s systems and
institutions. This highlights the importance of formal and non-formal education in the development of
oneself and the society. Consequentially, it is crucial for educational systems to adapt to the
changing demands of the environment to efficiently capacitate individuals.
• Being a productive citizen requires critical thinking. One must have the ability to understand his or her
duties and be able to respond to them by making decisions. Through education, individuals are
introduced to concepts concerning democracy, power, inequality, and the like. This promotes greater
awareness in his or her society. It encourages vigilance and participation. Educational attainment does
not only contribute to the individual’s success but also to the betterment of his or her environment.
2. SELF-ACTUALIZATION

• Education develops one’s sense of self. As a huge part of the discovery process of oneself,
education encourages having the vision to become self-actualized. Moreover, it enables one to see your
strengths and maintain them. It enables one to determine weakness and adjust to them. This helps
one reach full potential and establish oneself as a whole.
• According to Abraham Maslow, self-actualization is the highest form of human need. It was defined
as “to become more and more what one is, to become everything that one is capable of becoming.”
• The concept of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is once that level is
• fulfilled the next level up is what motivates us, and so on.
1. Physiological needs - these are biological requirements for human survival, e.g.
air, food, drink, shelter, clothing, warmth, sex, sleep. If these needs are not
satisfied the human body cannot function optimally.
2. Safety needs - protection from elements, security, order, law, stability,
freedom from fear.
3. Love and belongingness needs -the need for interpersonal relationships
motivates behavior Examples include friendship, intimacy, trust, and
acceptance, receiving and giving affection and love. Affiliating, being part of a group
(family, friends, work).
4. Esteem needs - which Maslow classified into two categories: (i) esteem for
oneself (dignity, achievement, mastery, and independence) and (ii) the desire for
reputation or respect from others (e.g., status, prestige). Maslow indicated that the
need for respect or reputation is most important for children and adolescents and
precedes real self-esteem or dignity.
5. Self-actualization needs - realizing personal potential, self-fulfillment,
seeking personal growth and peak experiences.
• 1) Teaching basic skills, such as reading, writing, and arithmetic.
• 2) Helping children develop skills in abstracting thinking and problem solving.
• 3) Transmitting the cultural heritage, from which individual may develop an
appreciation of their society.
• 4) Communicating to children the basic value of the society.
• 5) Teaching the special aspects of the culture, such as art,
music,literature, drama, science, technology, and sports.
• 6) Teaching vocational skills that help individuals enter the job market.
• 7) Training citizens for life within the political system of their society.
• 8) Preparing children to live long and form meaningful relationship with other
human beings.
PRIMARY EDUCATION AS A HUMAN RIGHT

• Primary education is essential in the early stages of human life.

Humans need education to enable them to adapt to the dictates of
their society. The United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural
Organization (UNESCO) declare that education is a fundamental
human right and essential for the exercise of all other human rights.
It promotes individual freedom and empowerment and yields
important development benefits. Yet millions of children and
adults remain deprived of educational opportunities, many as a
result of poverty.”
• 1. The institution that administers the regulatory
functions of law and order, and maintains security in
society.
• A. Family C. Government
• B. Education D. Religion
• 2. The process of socialization, which begins
informally at home and then formally in educational
institutions.
• A. Family C. Government
• B. Education D. Religion
• 3. The most basic social institution and is a system of
organized relationship involving workable and
dependable ways of meeting basic social needs.
• A. Family C. Government
• B. Education D. Religion
• 4. Constitutes a set of beliefs regarding the ultimate
power in the universe, the ideal and proper pattern of
behavior, and ceremonial ways to expressing these
beliefs.
• A. Family C. Government
• B. Education D. Religion