Definition of Education Types of Education African Indigenous Education

1. HISTORY AND PHILOSOPHY OF
EDUCATION:
INTRODUCTION TO EDUCATION
EHC
By Mr. KANGWA D.

2. UNIT 1.1 INTRODUCTION TO
EDUCATION.
LEARNING OUTCOMES
•At the end of this lesson you should be able to:
•Define education
•List definitions of education by different scholars
•Discuss the terms education, schooling, instruction,
indoctrination and culture
•Cite types of education

3. WHAT IS EDUCATION?
•The term, education originates from two Latin words:
i. ‘educare’: which means, ‘to guide’, ‘to bring up’ or
‘to direct’,
ii. ‘educere’: meaning, ‘to raise up’, ‘to draw out of’, or
‘to lead out of’.
In essence, the term suggests maintenance and
transmission of life through endowing one with
intelligence, industriousness and ensuring progress.
(Taneja, 1990)

4. …WHAT IS EDUCATION?
• Therefore, it’s a process of extracting the latent potentialities of
comprehension and dedication in the child’s mind.
• Involves bringing forth, bringing up, training and teaching.
• a process by society to form, train and teach its members, especially
the young ones, to think and behave according to the norms of society
in order to perpetuate and transform it.
• Its not merely acquiring knowledge or experience but its the
development of habits, attitudes and skills which help a person to
lead a fulfilling or worthwhile life.
• According to Mahatma Gandhi, education means an all-round
drawing out of the best in the person.

5. EDUCATION, therefore-
“Leads to individual creativity, improved
participation in the social, economic,
cultural and political life of society, and
hence to a more effective contribution to
human development”, (Kelly, 1999:03).

6. OTHER EDUCATIONAL EXPERTS ON EDUCATION
• Snelson: the means whereby one generation transmits the wisdom,
knowledge, and experience which prepare the next generation for life’s
duties and pleasure; in short, education is a condition of human
survival.
• Aristotle: Defines education as the creation of a sound mind in a body.
• Pestalozzi: defines education as the natural, harmonious, and
progressive development of man’s innate powers.
• Adams: Defines education as a conscious and deliberate process in
which one personality acts upon another in order to modify the
development of that other by communication and manipulation of
knowledge.

7. COLE, (1997:271) DEFINES EDUCATION AS
“any long-term learning activity aimed at preparing
individuals for a variety of roles in society: as citizens,
workers and members of family groups”.
-It is a life-long process.
• entails transmission of knowledge, values and attitudes
worth upholding.
• Ideally, one is prepared to successfully and creatively
respond and cope with their immediate environment at
present as well as in future.

8. CONCLUSION
1. In a narrow sense: Education means the modification of children’s behaviour.
- it allows them to adjust themselves according to their nature (here nature includes physical,
mental, and intellectual aspects of an individual).
- From instinctive to rational human behaviour.
2. In a broader sense: the process of children’s development from infancy to maturity.
- an attempt to develop a human being.
- the total effects of the various influences of the environment which act on the child’s
personality.
3. In the sense of human society: Education is a condition of human survival.
- the means whereby one generation transmits all of its wisdom, knowledge, and experience to the
next generation so that it can survive.
- Education is an act of training.
• Therefore, education may be said to be the process by which human kinds continuously works
out into fruition of its own inner nature; it is a person’s means of realizing his destination; of
reaching his goal or her goal or largest power which is happiness and service.

9. TASK 1
1.Define education in your own words. [3 marks]
2.Outline any four (4) aims of education. [8 marks]
3.Give an example of a classroom activity which a
teacher can use to emphasize the following aspects
of the meaning of education:
i. Educare: [3 marks]
ii.Educere: [3 marks]
4. Explain why a teacher should understand the
etymological meaning of education. [3 marks]

10. TYPES OF EDUCATION
•OBJECTIVES:
At the end of this Lesson, learners should be able to:
1.Define different types of education.
2.Explain the characteristics of the different types of
education.
3. Give examples of the different types of education.
4.Compare different types of education.

11. TYPES OF EDUCATION
•A) FORMAL EDUCATION
•B) NON-FORMAL EDUCATION
•C) INFORMAL EDUCATION

12. FORMAL EDUCATION
Formal education is basically an
•Institutional activity,
•Uniform and subject oriented,
•Full time,
•Sequential,
•Hierarchically structured,
•Leading to certificates degrees and diplomas.

13. CHARACTERISTICS OF FORMAL EDUCATION
• Full time education.
• Technical and professional training.
• A variety of specialized programmes.
• Running from primary school through the
university.
• Chronologically graded education system.

14. NON-FORMAL EDUCATION
Any organized education activity Outside the
established formal system whether operation
Separately or As an important feature of some
broader activity that is intended to serve
Identifiable learning clienteles and learning
objectives.

15. CHARACTERISTICS OF NON-FORMAL
EDUCATION
1. It is flexible
2. It is life, environment and learner oriented.
3. It is diversified in content and method.
4. It is non-authoritarian.
5. It is built on learner-participation.
6. It enhances human and environmental
potential.

16. INFORMAL EDUCATION
•The truly lifelong process, whereby
every individual acquires attitude,
values, skills and knowledge from
daily experience.

17. CHARACTERISTICS OF INFORMAL EDUCATION
1. Informal education is the least controlled, that’s why this
type of education can not be excluded of somebody’s life.
2. Informal education consists of accidental, unclear,
quantitative information.
3. Informal education refers even to emotions, feelings,
beliefs etc.
4. Informal education offers responsiveness ready response
when interact with environment.
5. Informal education offers possibility to freely act in
unknown situation.
6. Informal education offers freedom of self-formation

20. ASSESSMENT
1.Define any three (3) different types of
education.
2.State any two (2) characteristics of each
of the three types of education.
3. Give an example for each of the three
different types of education.
4.Outline any three (3) similarities of the
three types of education.

21. TRADITIONAL EDUCATION IN PRE-COLONIAL
ZAMBIA

22. LEARNING OUTCOME
After completing this lesson, you should be able to:
•Describe what traditional educational involved and how it was
taught
•Draw conclusions about the aims of traditional education
•Describe the goals, contents and methods of indigenous
education in Africa Introduction

23. INTRODUCTION
•Indigenous education is an example of informal
and formal education.
•Generally, its a typical education system that
existed among African communities before the
coming of missionary or western education.
•It varied according to the geographical setup or
environment, cultural beliefs and customs;
however, its general nature was common to all
tribes. (Snelson, 1974).

24. PHILOSOPHICAL FOUNDATION OF EDUCATION IN
AFRICAN INDIGENOUS SOCIETIES
•Education in African indigenous
societies, did not develop from
nowhere, it had its own philosophical
bases upon which it was built.
•African Philosophy: Family-hood and
Religiousness

25. CHARACTERISTICS
1. Communalism: bring the child within the
community by the community and for the community.
2. Functionalism: Prepare children to their future role
in the community as father or mother and production
unit.
3. Holisticism: Multiple learning.
4. Preparedness or preparationism: prepare children
to become useful members of the community.
5. Perennialism: ensure the continuity of cultural
heritage.

26. GOALS OF AIE
•Fafunwa (1974) to produce an
individual who is honest,
respectable, skilled, and cooperative
conforms .to the social order of the
day.

27. MAIN OBJECTIVES OF AIE
1.To develop the child’s latent
physical skills
2.To develop character
3.To inculcate respect for elders and
those in position of authority
4.To develop intellectual skills

28. MAIN OBJECTIVES OF AIE
5. To acquire specific vocational training and
to develop a healthy attitude towards honest
labour.
6. To develop a sense of belonging and to
participate in family and community affairs
7. To understand, appreciate and promote the
cultural heritage of the community at large.
(Fafunwa, 1974, p.20)

29. CURRICULUM/CONTENT OF AIE
•The content or subject matter of
traditional educational systems emanated
from the physical, social and spiritual
situations of pre-colonial African
societies.

30. THE CURRICULUM
•The physical exercises, this includes: wrestling,
games which required strength. This was meant to
enhance physical fitness, to strength them so that
they can be the defender of the community in case
of external attack.
•Economic: children were taught how to be
productive and useful to the community; this
includes the teaching of art, potteries, basket
making…

31. THE CURRICULUM
•Teaching of religious beliefs,
morals, ethics, how to perform rites
•History was taught orally (story of
the family, clan…), this was meant
to help children to understand why
they had to keep things, beliefs…, as
they are.

32. THE CURRICULUM
•The teaching of history, ethics, morals
and religions was done through tales,
legends, riddles, proverbs.
•They frightened the learners in order to
make them obey and respect rules, laws
and mystics, beliefs which were the base
of the community.

33. METHODS OF AIE
•Both theoretical and practical approaches were
employed in teaching, with pupils being
encouraged to recite poems, riddles and songs, etc.
"Schools" and "classes" were usually held in
secluded places or at the king's or chief's palace.
•The graduation was after learners sufficiently
mastered their courses it was often marked by
feasting, ceremonial dancing and rejoicing
(Tiberondwa, 1978).

34. METHODS OF AIE
i. Through assignments under the supervision of older
members of the community who correct their
mistakes.
ii. Through being given lectures on special topics of life.
iii.Through song and dance which highlight moral
lessons, cultural heritage and skills.
iv.Through initiation ceremonies in which they are taught
the secrets of society and mysteries of life.
v. Through folk stories in which the youth were taught to
uphold values and avoid vices.

35. METHODS OF AIE
vi. Through proverbs and riddles, parables to pass on
messages to the children and train them to think for
themselves.
vii. Through practical involvement such as accompanying
older people to learn how certain duties are done.
viii. Through question and answer in order to find out whether
children understand certain teaching.
ix. Through apprenticeship in specialized areas for example,
blacksmiths, rainmakers and herbalists.
x. Through peer group where members learn from one
another.

36. MERITS OF AFRICAN INDIGENOUS
EDUCATION
•Indigenous education stressed on togetherness or
unity as well as understanding of the rights and
obligations of each individual and working
together within the community.
•It involved children in real life. Indigenous
preparation was guides by the principle of learning
by doing “theories come from practice”, children
received functional learning which largely
prepared them to live and to work.

37. MERITS OF AFRICAN INDIGENOUS
EDUCATION
•it sought to develop the person as a whole, (socially,
spiritually, politically and economically) by providing
them with learning opportunities on the various areas
of life.
•Additionally, it was practical in nature and actively
involved the learners, thereby guaranteeing high
retentions levels of information.
•It was uniting as it involved the community as a whole
and so much centred on the person as an individual

38. WEAKNESSES OF AFRICAN INDIGENOUS
EDUCATION
•AIE was conservative and there was very little hope or room
for modification. This could entail that if need be for change it
would not possible to effect the change because it was
‘traditional’ to do it that way. This could be very retrogressive
in a situation like sexual cleansing in this era of HIV/AIDS as
many people would be infected through this practice.
•it did not provide room for documentation of information so
that it could be reliably referred to in future. Then if
adjustments were made here and there, it would not be easy to
tell since there was no written record.

39. WEAKNESSES OF AFRICAN INDIGENOUS
EDUCATION
•Snelson (1974:3), argues that,” it aimed not so much to
develop a young person’s individuality or competitive
spirit as to encourage conformity to community norms,
and to demonstrate the arts and science of living as a
member of a community and playing one’s role for the
well-being of society”.
•Indigenous education on the other hand employed fear
rather than a logical explanation for why certain things
were taught.

40. WEAKNESSES OF AFRICAN INDIGENOUS
EDUCATION
•did not have a specific and organized
syllabus. (environment determined the
nature of occupations in pre-colonial Africa).
•Was centred on particular society and clan
units.it readily responded to the needs of a
particular tribe or region.
•Most African communities were not literate
and therefore illiteracy was perpetuated.

41. WEAKNESSES OF AFRICAN INDIGENOUS
EDUCATION
•it emphasized specific roles for boys and
girls consequently women were usually not
involved in governance affairs of the
community
•relied much on oral tradition where by
many stories given by elders could not be
proved scientifically. Through oral tradition
elders had a tendency of having bias toward
their society

42. WEAKNESSES OF AFRICAN INDIGENOUS
EDUCATION
•The programs of teaching were restricted to a
certain period in life of an individual, especially at
the time of initiation. the education system did not
have specific program for older people
•Pre-colonial African education lacked a social
philosophic base that could have introduced a
sense of uniformity and conformity. There was
absence of common language that could have
united all communities that ensuring skills are not
confined within one particular community

43. SUMMARY
• AIE was meant to give learners the sense of belonging to their
community, to prepare for life and for their roles in the
community to teach them how to conserve the beliefs and rites
of the community.
• It had values which are important in modern societies, values
such as: “sense of belonging, togetherness, protection of the
common goods and the spirit of serving the community.
• Kelly (1999), among other scholars argues that this education
was rather meaningful as it focused on the real life situation of
the learners and most of all, it aimed at serving the needs of its
immediate environment as seen from the five main
components/characteristics.

44. ASSESSMENT
1.State three (3) reasons why you think Traditional
African Education is better than European
Education.
2.Mention two (2) functions of African indigenous
Education for:
a)An individual
b)A community
3. Give five (5) reasons why African indigenous
Education is important in the development of
Zambia.