The role of education
as an agent or instrument of social change and social development is widely
recognized today. Social change may take place – when humans need change, when the
existing social system or network of social institutions fails to meet the
existing human needs and when new materials suggest better ways of meeting
human needs.
According to Maclver, social change takes place as a response to many types of changes that take
place in the social and nonsocial environment. Education can initiate social
changes by bringing about a change in outlook and attitude of man. It can bring
about a change in the pattern of social relationships and thereby it may cause
social changes.
Earlier educational
institutions and teachers used to show a specific way of life to the students
and education was more a means of social control than an instrument of social
change. Modern educational institutions do not place much emphasis upon
transmitting a way of life to the students. The traditional education was meant
for an unchanging static society not marked by any change. But today education
aims at imparting knowledge. Education was associated with religion.
It has become secular
today. It is an independent institution now. Education has been chiefly
instrumental in preparing the way for the development of science and
technology. Education has brought about phenomenal changes in every aspect of
men’s life.
Francis J.Brown remarks that education is a process which brings about changes
in the behavior of society. It is a process which enables every individual to
effectively participate in the activities of society and to make positive
contribution to the progress of society.
Education has become
one of the influential instruments of social change in India. It has led to the
mobilization of people’s aspirations for development and change. Thus in modern complex
national societies, education can neither be regarded as a controlling neither
force conserving cultural heritage, nor could it be viewed as an agent of
social change. It can only be regarded as a cooperative force in bringing about
social changes decided by the forces possessing more pervasive power in
society.
Education has been accepted as one
major agency of socialization, and teachers and educational institutions as
socializing agents. In describing education as an instrument of social change,
three things are important: the agents of change, the content of change, and
the social background of those who are sought to be changed, i.e. students.
Educational institutions under the control of different cultural groups reflect
the values of those groups which support and control education. In this situation,
teachers Impart specific values, aspirations and to the children. Social
reformers, who were educated emphasized values like removal of caste restrictions,
equality of women, doing away with social evil social customs and practices,
voice in the governance of the country, establishing democratic institutions and
so on. They, thus, wanted to teach liberal philosophy through education for changing
society. In other words they regarded education as a flame or light of knowledge
which dispelled the darkness of ignorance.
The use of education for spreading the values
of modernization came to be emphasized from the 1960s and 1970s onwards. Highly
productive economies, distributive justice, people‟s participation in
decision-making bodies, adoption of scientific technology in industry,
agriculture and other occupations and professions were accepted as goals for
modernizing the Indian society. And these goals were to be achieved through
liberal education. Thus, modernization was not accepted as a philosophy or a
movement based on rational values system but as a process that was to be
confined only to economic field but was to be achieved in social, political, cultural
and religious fields too. Education was sought to be utilized as channel for
the spread of modernity.
According to the sociological perspective,
education does not arise in response of the individual needs of the individual,
but it arises out of the needs of the society of which the individual is a
member. The educational system of any society is related to its total social
system. It is a sub system performing certain functions for the on-going social
system. The goals and needs of the total social system get reflected in the
functions it lays down for educational system and the form in which it structures
it to fulfill those functions.
In a static society, the main
function of the educational system is to transmit the cultural heritage to the
new generations. But in a changing society, these keep on changing from
generation to generation and the educational system in such a society must not
only transmit the cultural heritage, but also aid in preparing the young for adjustment
to any changes in them that may have occurred or are likely to occur in future.
In contemporary societies, “The proportion of change that is
either planned or issues from the secondary consequences of deliberate innovations
is much higher than in former times.” This is more so in societies that
has newly become independent and are in a developing stage. Consequently, in
such modern complex societies, education is called upon to perform an
additional function of becoming
Thus, the relationship between
educational system and society is mutual; sometimes the society influences
changes in educational system and at other times the educational system
influences changes in the society.
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