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NON-FORMAL EDUCATION: EDUCATIONAL GOALS ANDTHEIR IMPLICATIONS FOR LIBRARY SERVICE

Non-formal education is steadUy gaining in impor-tance in the total educational complex in a commu-nity. At the same time there is a conscious effortof linking the educational goals with national develop-ment. Theae developments are going to have pro-found implications for library services. Some ofthese implications are discussed in the context ofIndia.

The total educational complex of anynation may conveniently be divided into fourmajor educational co rnp onent s : (1) Formaleducational sy s t e rn consisting of sc hool ,COlleges, and universities which forms the coreof the educational complex; (2) Non-formaleducational efforts such as ••dult education,fa r rne r or worker training, extension work ofvarious kinds etc.; (3) Info r m al education wherepeople learn in a non s y ste rnat ic way under theinfluence of socio-cultural institutions, politi-cal processes and the rn as s rrre dia ; and (4)International education c ornp r is ing knowledgegained outside of national boundaries. Dr.Rolland G. Paulston [1] views the total edu-cational complex of a nation as concentr iccircle s and graphically represents it asfollows:

The Educational Complex

I,.,ternotlonol Education.....-------------Informa! Educ.otlon'"_. _ ..__ ._-- •.•.•....

[c n.Fo rmo l Education••..... ------

FormalEducation

Fig. 1. Concentric circles of the educationalcomplex circles.

Vol 20 No 1-4 Mar-Dee 1973

K Setty UmapathyGraduate School of Library and

Information ServicesUniver s ity of Pittsburgh, U. S. A.

WHAT IS NON-FORMAL EDUCATION?

Nonv F'or rna.l Education has rrie a nt differentthings to different people depending on theirpoints of view. SOIne people do not differen-tiate between N on-Formal Education andInformal Education. Several attempts are .made to define Nonv F'or ma I Education in recentve a r s , According to Philip H. Coornb s it.refers to 'any or g an iz e d prograIn of Le ar n ingcarried on outside the fr a rne work, rules andlogistics of the formal education sy s t e rn. [2]Rolland G. Pa ul st on defines it, 'as structured,sv s te rna t ic , noris chool , educational andtraining activities of relatively short durationin which sponsoring agencies seek concretebehavioral changes in fairly distinct targetpopulations. [3] McCall considers 'the entirerange of learning experiences outside of theregular, graded school system' as Non-cF'or m alEducation. [4] As thes e definitions in die ateNon=F'or m al Education does indeed cover agreat diversity of learning activities designedto serve =any different learning objectives andlearning cl ie nt el e s in Inany pl aces and at allages. It has a continuous history parallel tothe history of Man and certainly predates theCOIning of formal education. However, it hasnot received as rnuc h attention as it deservesin its own right or as Formal Education hasreceived. In 1960's for a variety of reasonseducationists began to pay more attention to theproblems and potentialities of Non-FormalEducation. This interest has become morepronounced in 1970's.

WHY NON-FORMAL EDUCATION?

Non-Formal Education is justified on twogrounds: (1) Its potential to provide educationfor all, and (2) Its ability to remedy some of':he dr awb ac ks of Formal Education. Today,every country in the world is for mass educa-tion. Most of the developing coun tr ies plan toachieve univer sal pr irna r y education goals by

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1980. Educational budgets of many countrieshave grown faster than their national budgets.Elementary Education h as doubled and Secon-dary and Higher Education have quadrupledsince 1950. Public investment in Educationhas grown from U.S. $ 1.5 billion in 1950 toapproximately 12 billion in 1969 in lessdeveloped countries of Africa, Latin Americaand Asia. [5] , (excluding Japan, the People'sRepublic of China, N. Korea and N. Vietnam).Yet, the goal is far beyond the reach of manynations. Annual rate of increase in enrollmentin Les s developed countr le s du r ing 1961 to1968 was only 5.6% although the correspondingincrease in public expenditure on educationWas 14'10. [6]. Further, 50'10 of the students whoentered the schools failed to complete the fourthgr ade. Indeed a high percentage dr opped outduring the first or second year thus giving no

chance for an endur ing effect of school ing.More than 45% of the age group are still out-

side school. There is a wide gap between the'schooled' and 'the unschooled' populationsin many c ount r ies, particularly the developingones which has tr iggered undesirable soc io-political and economic results. The cost ofeducation is becoming higher and higher andeven the rich countries are unable to providemore and better education though all recognizethe need for universal education upto a certainlevel. Some educators like Ivan Illich areharshly criticizing the formal educationsystem and have pronounced it a failure [7].Moderates like Harbinson assert that Non-Formal Education "ls the only means offilling the gap between the 'schooled' and the'unschooled' populations." [8]

A look at the situation in case of Indiawill help us to realize the nature,' gravity aswell as the urgency of the problem.

India: Growth of enrollment (in millions) [9]

year level age group enrollment % of agegroup

1960-61 1-4 6-11 34.99 62.4%1968-69 1-4 55.49 77.3%1973-74 68.58 85.3%

1960-61 6-8 11-13 6.7 22.5 %1968-69 12.27 32.3 %1973-74 18.10 41.3 %

1960-61 9-11 14-17 3.03 11. 1 %1968-69 6.58 19.3%1973-74 9.69 24.2 %

1960-61 university 17-23 0.74 1.5 %1968-69 1. 69 2.9 %1973-74 2.66 3.8 %

target

target

target

target

The above figures give us an idea of ourachievement in recent years. Although itmarks substantial gains, it is far fromsatisfactory. It is not proposed to go into thequestion of what percentage of any age groupshould get in to formal educat ion ay ste m. Also,statistics do not tell the whole story. Thedrop out number and r ate as well as the levelwhere it occurs is a very important factor indetermining our success and unfortunatelythat is not enc our ag ing. Dur ing 1960 - 70 thetotal educational expenditure in India increasedby 11 '10annually. Literacy is increasing from

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year to year. However, the number ofilliterates is also increasing. There were 333million illiterates in 1961, while in 1971 therenumber rose to 368 million. In the age group15-44 in 1961 there were 131 million illiterateswhile in the same age group which is veryimportant for the development of the nationthere were 150 million illiterates in 1972. [10]This is due to many reasons such as increasein population, lack of continuing educationprogrammes which wipeout results of literacycompaigns etc.

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There are more people of all age groupsoutside the school system rather than insidethe school system. Yet, rnos t of the resourcesof the country is spent on forma)' educationalsyste rn with sc ant attention to the needs of thernajor ity of people. This situation has causedthe need to look beyond for rrial school systemsfor viable alter native s.

POTENTIAL OF NON-FORMAL EDUCATIONAS "LIBERATING EDUCATION"

It is a widely prevailing assumption thateducation has a liberating influence. Educationas we know it today began with 'Liberal Arts'and it was thought it 'libera.ted' anyone whowent through the process of get t ing it. Broadlyspeaking 'liber at ion' has atleast two conno-tations in this context. First, Educationliberates us from ignorance. It gives usskills with which we can acquire rnor e skillsand/ or infor mation that could benefit s elf orothers depending on the motives of the user.Secondly, Education may liberate one from anykind of exploitation, particularly socio-econorruc vpol itlc al exploitation here and now.It could help in ending exploitation of anoppressed group through many ways such as,providing an. awareness of the situation, helpingar t iculat ion of one's own pr oblems, pr ov[dingleadership training, communication skills anddeveloping the potential of su.ch groups inusing social agencies and established laws totheir advantage.

Both Formal and Non-formal educationhave potential for pr oviding 'liberating' educa-tion. However, by the ver y nature of thingsF'or rnaI education tends to pr ornote status qUOand does not seem to be very effective inpromoting 'liberation' of the oppressed, moreso if they also happen to be minorities, poor,or the helpless. On the other hand Non-formaleducation is not cornrn it ted to rna inta in statusquo in anything. It is apt to rush in where for-

rnal education fears to get in. It can provideknowledge and skills needed for the liberation ofthe oppressed without worrying about the conse-quence s , The success of Danish Folk Schoolsin ending the rrriaer y of peasants under thedirection of educators using unconventionalmethods is a class ic example of what Non-formal education can do to the oppressed. Theyevoked a picture of reality as it ought to be, notas is or was. The w ork of HIgher Lander FolkSchool located in Tennessey, U. 5, A., isanother example in this direction. It provides

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Non-formal education based on helpingeconomtc all y oppressed and politically mani-pulated citizens to devel op their own leadersand their own plans for securing better life.It has plaYf!dan important role in the CivilRights Movement in the United States and isnow pr omoting cornrnunity organization inAppalachia - the most poverty sticken,exploited region of the U. S. A. [11] Thefreedom struggle was characterized by the useof non-formal education as the formal schoolswere controlled by the British and were out ofnationalists' reach. At the present time largesections of Indian population is poor, suffering,and is subjected to exploitation of varioustypes. Though the country is cla.rnour ing forsac ial change and the government appear s toapprove and support social change, formaleducational system has not succeeded ineffecting the change. It is just possible Non-Formal education can help us in precipitatingthe great contemplated changes and promotingnational development and is an area worthy ofour exploration,

Non-Formal Education is able to reach allage groups at a lesser cost and can do something for the many that have no schooling orhave very little of it. It is not highly structuredand is voluntary thus conducive for learning ina free atmosphere. It is not meant for anyonestage of life and can provide life long educationat our will, which all education really is, orshould be. It offers better opportunity forinnovation or exper imentat ion. It is nearer tolife s ltuat icns and its pr ogr arnrne s do not out-last their usefulness. It can serve long rangeand short range objectives. It can more speci-fically be focussed on social and developmentalprogrammes and trigger Irnrriedlat e behaviourchange. It promotes greater peer learning.It can go where the people are and can operatein a flexible manner. It is need oriented andhas no monopoly of anything. It does notpromote elitism and is tied to productiveactivity. It. utilizes the existing human andphysical resources. Its pr oxirni ty to workgives an opportunity to put to work what islearnt with no time lag. VOluntary crganiza-tions can play greater r ole and it is moresuited for r ur al developrnenr, These reasonshave precipitated the 'rediscovery' of Non-Formal Education and its role in nationaldevelopment. It is looked upon as the 'saviour'of the hopel.es s situation cr eated by thefailings of F'or rriaI Education. Of course,the many assumptions of Non-Formal Edu-

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cation are yet to be fully tested. The WorldBank has decided to give priority to Non-Forrnal Education programmes in extendingits aid and support during 1970's although itsupported Secondary Education in 1960's. [12]

EDUCATIONAL GOALS AND NATIONALDEVELOPMENT

The social purposes of education areclearly emphasized in India's educational goals.Education is consciously used a.s a tool for therealization of national aspirations. Educationalgoals today relate directly to the nationalproblems: Self sufficiency in food; economicgrowth and full employment; social and nationalintegration; and political development.Education is viewed as an instrument of change.Economic growth is not merely a matter ofphysical resources or of training skilledworkers. It needs the education of the wholepopulation in new ways of life, thought, andwork. Robert Heibroner describes the journeyto economic development undertaken by atraditonal society as the great asc ent! andpoints out that the essential condition for itssuc'c e s s is 'human change on a grand scale. '[13]In the words of the Educational Commission,'If this change is to be achieved without violentrevolution, there is one instrument and onein st r urnerit only, that can be used:education' [14].

Promotion of democratic values andnational consciousness are among the statedgoals of Indian Education. The use ofregional languages as medium of instructionwithout affecting the learning of English andother world languages is stressed. Theimportance of providing channels of internaland international communication. Educationalprogress is linked with the process ofmodernization and rapid social change. TheCommiss ion recognizes the relationshipbetween Education and productivity andrecommends liberal provision for science edu-cation, work experience or iented to technologyand industry and v oca ttonal Iaat lon particularlyat the secondary level. Secularism is anotherideal of education in India at the present time.The importance of promoting a tolerant studyof all religions in India - a multi-relig ious -democratic state is stressed. A study ofScience with its emphasis on an open mind,tolerance and objectivity are viewedconducive to the development of a secular

72

outlook. Propagation of moral and spiritualvalues of the nation is not seen in any wayopposed to moder niz at ion and educationalsystem is expected to incorporate them andinculcate them. The spread of education islooked upon as one sure way to modernizequickly.

Full employment is yet another objectiveof Indian Education. The Commiss ion be-moans the lack of direct link between edu-cation and employment and underscores theneed to establish direct and indirect linksbetween education and employment. It declaresthat 'every graduate should be given, alongwith his degree or diploma, an offer of anappointment as well. This offer need not bebinding •. '[151. There is wide spread un-employment of the educated in India at thepresent time. However. Bl.aug , La var d andWoodhall in a study have shown that secondaryand higher education still payoff handsomelyto the individual though the rate of return tosociety is far less satisfactory. [16]

PROBLEMS OF POVERTY AND EQUALDISTRIBUTION OF NATIONAL GAINS

Wide spread poverty has been a persis-tant national problem faced by India. Thenational per capita inc orne at current pricesduring the year 1968-69 was less than $70.00and the per capita expenditure during the sameyear was around $ 40. 00.[17] The NationalPlans for economic development accepted anational minim= income and assured the sameto all with in the shortest time. However, theydepended entirely on a high rate of economicgrowth to realize the stated goals. It is nowrealized that a high rate of economic growth isnot a substitute for deliberate policies, eco-nomic development makes the rich far too richbefore the poor can secure the rnl.n irnurn.Such wide disparities inevitably undermine thedemocratic foundations of economy. Unequaldistr ibution of the gains of national develop- _ment inevitably leads to growing inequality anda widening gulf between the rich and the poor.V. M. Dandekar states, 'The small gains ofnational development have not been equitablydistributed among all sections of the popula-tion. The condition of the bottom 20'1. ruralpoor has remained more or less stagnent.The condition of the bottom 20'1. of the urbanpoor has definitely deteriorated and foranother 20'1. of the urban population, it hasremained more or less stagnant [18]. It has

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benefited the upper middle and the richersections much more than the rn id dl e, thelower middle and thelloorer sections. (19].

IMPLICATIONS FOR LIBRARY SERVICE

The corning of Non-Formal Education tothe forefront in 1970's and the conscious link-ing of Educational Goals (National Goals? )with National Development have profoundimplications for library service which is fastbecoming a reality thanks to the pioneer ingefforts of leaders such as S. R. Ranganathan.Several States of the Indian Union have passedLibrary Laws and have provided a basis forthe establishment and maintenance of libraryse r v ic e to the people supported by state funds.The Five Year Plans of the country have givena place for library dev el oprne nt. A time maycorn e when a library will be within the r e achof every citizen no matter where he or shelives. The Education Corrirn is s Lon hase rnph as iz e d the role of I ibr a r ie s and othersocial agencies in realizing the stated goals.Libraries can work with people of all ages,all levels and all groups creating an environ-ment of equal access to information for allcitizens 'on· equal footing. '.

The role of libraries is all the moreimportant as more than half of our populationis still illiterate and yet has to participate inthe decision making process at national, stateand local levels. As Libr ar Ians we can nolonger be satisfied to work with the literate'habit' patrons that voluntarily corne to thelibrary. We need to worry about the literatepeople who do not c orne to the libr ar y and mor e 'so of the illiterate people who think that thelibrary is not for them, but need a differenttype of Iib r a r y s erv ice invol ving nonbookmaterials. We have to outgrow earlier tradi-tions of serving the few and acting as merecustodians of materials. We cannot afford toexist merely as a channel any longer if weintend to actively parhcipate in national de-velopment. We need to be active change ag ent s,Now. Promoting change any where is a ch al >

lenging job. It is more so ina tradition boundsociety used to slow change. Librarians inour country have to do just that.

We have to get rid of the notion thatlibraries are for the fe w Llt e r at e s willing to usethem. They are not the service stations of theprivileged few but are the service stations of

Vol 20 No 1-4 Ma.r vDe c 1973

the whole population, including the poor and theunde r pr ivileged. It is our obligation to bringsuch people and the illiterates into the libraryworld. Libraries in the West ar e slowly recog-nizing this fact under the pr e s s ur e s of changedsocial environment. Terms such as 'socialresponsibility' and 's e rv ice to the under pr ivi-le ge d ' are appearing in library literature morefrequently [20]. American Library Associationhas recently recognized a Round Table for'Social' Responsibilitie s'. 'Librar ians ForSocial Change' - a journal which recognizes theneed to work for change in society has recentlyappeared in the United Kingdom. Our libraries,while in their infancy should vigorously try toavoid becoming middle class or iented institu-tions and attempt to become true representa-tives of all classes of people. A librarian canno longer be satisfied with the transfer of datawith no knowledge of its relevance to the needsof the patron. He should work in co-operationwith the availabl e mas s media such as films,pi.ctures, news papers, radio, records, tapes,ha r- ikathas, bhaj ans , mus ic performances,holy d is cour s e s e tc , , and saturate the c ornrmr-nity with an awareness of its needs and make itdifficult for them not to think about them. Asa professional he should create a situation inwhich knowledge becomes kinetic and relatesthis knowledge to the social purpose. He shouldrealize that his work will not end, but justbegins with the signing out of library rna te r ia Ito the individual. He has to look beyond thetraditional corner stones of Librarianship;Acquisition, Organization, and Administrationof materials and learn to look in new ways theconcepts of service if he is going to be an effec-tive change agent.

He should become a true communitylibrarian. He should identify and use c ornrnu-nity interests and problems for the growth anddevelopment of people in. the eonununity.People Iea rn better and fas te r when the know-ledge sought is closely related to every dayactivities of the community. Involvement incommunity problems is the best way to achievewide spread and enlightend c it iz e n participation.The Libr a r ian should develop programs whichstress the citizen's participation in the im-provement of their physical and social environ-ment. Libraries should provide space forcommunity meetings and arrange short non-formal cour s e s with an accent on literacy andvocationalization. They should de vel op intoinformation centers and provide useful in-formation concerning national, state and local

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a~encies, private and commercial services,employment opportunities and a host of otherthings that become important to society fromtime to time. The librarian will have to workin co-operation with the educators, socialworkers and other leaders in the communityand should always avoid isolation.

This community dev el cprnen t appr oachaims at changing the attitudes of people whichis the need of the hour. Even at the c os t ofoc ca s ional irr itat ion to the community, thelibrarian should become an activist and use thelibrary as a method for helping the people tolearn continuously rather than considering itjust as another agency dispensing books atstipulated hours. Programs of library edu-cation should anticipate such approaches andaim at produc ing community librarians. Edu-cators and practitioners in our field need tochange in several ways so that we may be ableto act as catalysts for change and do our partin pr ec ipitating 'human change on a grandscale - a prerequisite for 'the great "ascent' ofIndia. In so doing Our libraries will truly be-come a cultural force contributing to the per-sonal enrichment of citizens and to nationaldevelopment.

REFERENCES

[1] Paulston, R G ed.: Non-formal educa-tion: an annotat;d international biblio-graphy. New York, Praeger Publishers,1971, pv x.

[2] Coombs, P H: Opportunities in n~n-fo rrn al education for rural development.lE..Education and Dev el oprn ent Reconsi-dered, vol. 2 (Prepared for a Conferenceat the Villa Serbelloni, Bellagio, Italy,May 3 - 5, 1972, sponsored by the Rocke-feller Foundation and the Ford Founda-tion), p.155.

[3] Paulston, Rolland G e d , : Ib id; , P> Ix,

[ 4J McCall, Steen: Non-formal education, adefinition (Mimeo, 1971).

[ 5J Education and Dev el opm ent Reconsidered,vol. I, ibid. '. p. 2.

74

[6] Ibid., p.5.

[7] Illich, Ivan: The futility of schooling inLatin Am er ic a. Saturday Rev. 1968,April 20, p.57.

[8] Harbinson, F H: Developing the poten-tial of non -f o rrn al education (Draft of apaper dated Nov. 1970), p.4.

[9] Education in India, 1960-70. BullUnesco Regional Office in Asia, Ma r ch1972, p.45.

[10] Education in India, 1960-70, Ibid., p.53.

[II] Adarn s , Frank: High Lander FolkSchool; getting information, going backand teaching it. Harvard EducationalRev. 1972, 42, 497-520.

[12] Education Sector Working Paper, WorldBank, Sept. 1971, p. 23.

[13] Heilbroner, Robert: The Great ascent.New York, Harper and Row, 1963, p.66.

[14] India, Education Cornrn is s ion; Educationand national development; Report of theEducation Commission, 1964-66. NewDelhi, Ministry of Education, 1966, p.4.

[ 15] Ib id; , p.106

[16 ] Blang,causesIndia.Press,

M, Layard, R," Woodhall M: Theof graduate unernpl ovrn ent inLondon, Allen Lane the Penguin1967, p.223.

[ 17] India 1971-72, a reference annual.New Delhi, Ministry of Information II!Broadcasting, Govt. of India, 1971, p. 173.

[18] Dandekar, V M, Nil akant ha, R: Povertyin India. Bornb av, Indian Sc ho ol ofPolitical EconotTly, 1971, p.32.

[ 19] Ibid., p. 28.

[20] Sherill, Laurence L: Library service tothe unserved. New York, Bowker, 1970.

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