THE 4 MOST IMPORTANT FUNCTIONS OF EDUCATION - CULTURE VOCABULARY - 2025

To understand each of the functions of education in society, you must first understand what we mean when we talk about education. Education instructs us not only in knowledge, but also in values, habits, beliefs, and skills that allow us to develop to be active individuals in a civilized society.

Education is the system by which we acquire knowledge. This knowledge gives us the information, the theoretical or practical understanding of a specific area that concerns our reality. These contents that we acquire can be obtained from experience, or from the learning that education offers us.

The educational experience can be instructed by a tutor, teacher, professor, educator, in an institute or educational center (primary schools, secondary schools, universities, etc); or through the self-learning process, that is, the ability to teach oneself. Some self-taught people in history were Da Vinci, Kubrick or Saramago.

There is a systematization when it comes to educating. In order to achieve the objective proposed by each educational entity, different plans or study programs are carried out. These plans are developed in order to be able to clearly communicate and properly sow knowledge in the student.

Most important functions of education

Education is composed of and guided by various functions: personal function, social function, vocational function, and finally, academic function.

1- Personal function

It seeks to establish on the part of the teacher, the fundamental bases and tools in the student, as an individual, in their search for the truth. This search requires discipline, self-knowledge and time, in order to achieve a specific learning.

The main objective is to deepen and expand the thinking capacity of each individual in particular. That is, the development of the person in their physical, psychological and emotional aspects, among others.

Through practical and / or theoretical tools, all the values ​​and knowledge of the individual are focused in pursuit of a greater integration of the same in the social plane.

Emphasis is placed on the evolution of the person in all its aspects, strengthening their self-esteem and generating awareness in decision-making. The individual will be sheltered in compelling arguments and knowledge, "apprehended" in a training cycle.

The teacher must possess several qualities inherent to his function. They must have clear communicable values, commitment to the personal and social growth of the student, motivation, responsibility, communication styles and emotional intelligence.

These qualities are the triggers that incite the student, that move him and keep him rationally active. Generate uncertainties in the student and provide them with the necessary tools so that they acquire the ability to find a total or partial rational answer to their questions.

The apprentice must receive from the educators in charge of their training, an education equipped with new techniques and strategies, in accordance with the current technological evolution and typical of a globalized world. The teacher guides, gives meaning and strengthens the effort of his students, teaching them to discover, seek and think about a concrete reality independently.

2- Social function

It is based on the idea of ​​creating citizens with independent and free thinking. There are several authors, mostly sociologists, who propose various points to take into account regarding the social function of education.

Émile Durkheim (1858-1917, France), for example, said that the aim of education was to adapt the individual within a group where the older ones educate the younger and immature generations, indoctrinating them morally and intellectually, so that they fit within the social group to which they are destined.

There are professionals on the subject who call the State the social controller, thanks to the public domain of the educational system. That is, they argue that the development of educational institutions, protected by the State, serves as a factor for homogenizing the social and ideological identity of citizens.

Education at the service of politics is a fairly recurrent debate. It is about showing the indoctrination of students in schools by the State or the dominant political sphere.

A clear example of this situation was the educational process that took place during the German Nazi State (1933-1945). In the Third Reich, with Adolf Hitler at the head, students were instilled with a National Socialist vision of the world.

The educators of the regime were in charge of eliminating books that did not coincide with the imposed ideals and introducing new readings in favor of racism and anti-Semitism that were propagated to the new German generations.

Through different means and propaganda strategies, they educated the students on the basis of the existence of a superior race or "Aryan", of which they were a part. On the other hand, they promoted the elimination of anyone who was not a member of that social group, including the Jews.

Another example of the social function of education, as a service to politics, was the civic-military coup or coup in Argentina in 1976.

During this process, a military junta under the command of Lieutenant General (Army) Jorge Rafael Videla, Brigadier General (Air Force) Orlando Ramón Agosti and Admiral (Navy) Emilio Eduardo Massera, took control of the State from 1976 to the year 1983. This process was known as the "National Reorganization Process".

During these dark years of Argentine history, the authorities in charge carried out persecutions, kidnappings and murders of citizens. Also, they modified the curricula of educational centers and universities; they carried out book burns.

It should be noted that the social function of education does not only have negative consequences as in the examples given so far.

All the training provided to society is intended to preserve the values, morals and knowledge of a culture. Different ways of observing and analyzing a certain reality are transmitted from generation to generation.

Historically, education has been a privilege for a few, while the current situation, with technological advances, generates an excessive amount of information. Today, any citizen, regardless of race, religion, color, social class, can seize knowledge, he only needs two faculties: will and determination.

Formal education in conjunction with informal education, that is, that taken from the experience of life, make the individuals who make up a society, free and independent beings, capable of constantly improving themselves. The knowledge obtained by education does not have borders or horizons.

Specifying the definition, we point out that the social function of education is in charge of preserving and transmitting the ethical and moral values, habits and customs of each social group, from generation to generation, accepting and applying the laws of evolution..

3- vocational function

Not many years have passed since the student had to choose between just a couple of "core" majors. The range of knowledge to be studied did not cross the barrier of Medicine, Law, Engineering, Architecture or Literature. Currently, the offer of tertiary or university careers has increased notably.

Careers such as Graphic Designer, Film Directing, Neuromarketing, Ontological Coaching or Neuro-linguistic Programming are just some of the options that a young student can choose for their professional development.

Given the wide range of offers, it is necessary for educators to guide the student in the search for their vocation. It is important that students have a solid training, but at the same time that it provides them with diverse capacities and skills, in order to adapt to a changing world of work.

Teachers, in addition to guiding and promoting the vocations of students, must collaborate in the development of their adaptation skills. With this I refer to the quality that a professional needs today to enter the labor market.

This function is in charge of the educational and / or vocational counselor. Many educational institutions have implemented subjects so that the counselor can provide the necessary support and attention to the students. This teacher deals not only with the vocational phase, but also with the student's pedagogy.

The counselor also has the functions of dealing with the students' parents, guardians and other teachers. These meetings can be individual, group or massive, and they try to guide the students in pursuit of making the most of their individual skills.

4- Academic function

This function emphasizes the role of teachers and managers within academic establishments, and their responsibilities.

With this I refer to the planning of the objectives to be achieved during the school period, the programming of the study materials, the evaluation tools, the pedagogical strategies that will be used with the students and the criteria, knowledge and values ​​that will be transmitted to them.

Each institution must have educated teachers with the ability to train objectively. Teachers or teachers must encourage the implementation of educational projects in various areas, innovate in educational methods to get the best out of each student.

They must understand that each student is a unique and unrepeatable individual and, therefore, adapt the teachings to their needs.

In short, each educational center and its component parts have to shape a context conducive to learning, and instill in their students theoretical and practical knowledge. In the same way, they must instill in one and each one of the young apprentices the real values ​​present in our contemporary society.

Historical facts about education

Education has its beginnings in Prehistory. At that time, knowledge was transmitted from the old generations to the young ones orally, using storytelling emphasizing different areas of knowledge. In this way, the values, culture and beliefs of a given society were also transmitted.

In ancient times, there were several thinkers who exercised different teaching methods in order to educate their disciples.

Among them were Confucius (551- 479 BC), in China; and in Greece, Plato (427-347 BC), disciple of the philosopher Socrates and teacher of Aristotle. This great ancient philosopher was the founder of the Academy of Athens, the first educational institution in Europe.

In the past, education was only intended for those people belonging to a crown, or for those who were part of an aristocratic family. As opposition and a sign of social evolution, at present, there are already several governments that have recognized the right to education of their inhabitants.

As a consequence of this provision, several developed and underdeveloped states have raised the figures in the percentage of literacy of their citizens. The right to a compulsory and public education leads to a greater development of the human being in her personal and social projections.

Stages or levels of education

1. Preschool: Training cycle that covers 0 to 6 years of age.
2. Primary school: Elementary education. Student literacy. It lasts 6 years.
3. Secondary school: Baccalaureate. Training to enter higher education.
4. Higher Education: Tertiary Level and University. In this last stage, you can acquire undergraduate, graduate, postgraduate, master's degrees, among others.

References

1. May, S.; Aikman, S. (2003). "Indigenous Education: Addressing Current Issues and Developments." Comparative Education.
2. David Card, "Causal effect of education on earnings," in Handbook of labor economics, Orley Ashenfelter and David Card (Eds). Amsterdam: North-Holland, 1999.
3. OECD. Recognition of non formal and informal learning. Recovered from oecd.org.
4. The role of education. Recovered from eluniverso.com.