Notre Dame of Tacurong College City of Tacurong

THE NATURE, CHARACTERISTICS AND SCOPE OF NON-FORMAL EDUCATION Topic 1 Non-formal Education Defined/The Nature of Non-formal Education What is Non-formal education? Non-formal education has been viewed differently by educators, national planners, and educational development lists. In his article Non-formal Education for Developing Societies, (1979), Djiwandone defines non-formal education as the method or process of assessing the needs and interests of people, of communicating with them, of motivating them to participate, and of helping them to acquire the necessary skills and to adopt behavioral patterns and related activities which will improve the quality of their lives. Coombs (1973) defines non-formal education as any organized educational activity outside the established formal system, whether operating separately or as an important feature of some broader activity that is intended to serve identifiable learning clienteles and learning objectives. The Education Act 1982, Section 24 considers NFE as one of the specialized educational services t6o meet special needs of certain clientele and defines NFE as any organized school-based educational activities undertaken by the MEC (now DECS) and other agencies aimed at attaining specific learning objectives for a particular clientele, especially the illiterate and the out-of-school youth and adults, distinct from and outside the regular offerings of the formal school system. PD. No. 1139 (1977), which created the position of Undersecretary of Education, culture, and Sports for NFE, defined BFE as a means of providing learning to the sector of the population who are not in a position to avail themselves of the facilities of formal education. Topic 2 Characteristics of Non-formal Education Section 24 of the Education Act 1982 provides for the inclusion of non-formal education as one of the three types of specialized educational services intended to benefit special categories of clientele within the context of the formal educational system, the two other services being special education and early childhood education. The NFE Primer published by the Office of Non-Formal Education has enumerated some important characteristics of non-formal education. These are as follows: a. Non-formal education is usually concerned with an immediate and practical mission b. It usually occurs outside the schools; any situation which affords appropriate experiences may be employed as a learning site. c. It considers proof of knowledge by performance rather that by certificate d. It usually do not involve highly organized context staff or structure e. It usually involves voluntary participation f. It is a part-time activity of participants g. It is less costly that formal education h. Instruction seldom graded and sequential

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It institutionally prescribed admission criteria It is not restricted to any particular organization, curricular or personal classification ; and is has great promise for re-knowing and expanding any of them. k. Selection of mentors based more on demonstrated ability than on credentials l. It has potential for multiplier effects in economy and efficiency because it utilizes appropriate personnel, media and other elements which may be available in a given situation without much criteria and restraints. m. Its areas of concern 1. Functional literacy 2. Basic vocational/technical skills training 3. Civic citizenship education 4. Socio-cultural development 5. Physical fitness and sports development 6. Leadership 7. Mass media education The revitalized NFE Program as embodied in the vision/mission of the NFE at threshold of the 21 century includes only four new programs; namely:
st

1. 2. 3. 4.

Functional education and literacy basic literacy and functional education Continuing education alternative learning system, adult education Livelihood skills development Institution building and staff development.

n. Its target clientele includes the following groups. 1. The employed or unemployed school leavers in the elementary or high school; 2. The unemployed or underemployed for training in certain occupational skills. 3. Those who never attended school for only a few years and those who never attended school; 4. Technical workers and even professionals to improve their qualification and performance o. It includes classes in : 1. Adult literacy program both basic and functional; 2. Occupational skills training; 3. Community programs for OSYs and adults 4. Agricultural extension and farmer training program; 5. Youth organizations; 6. Citizenship and Values Education Topic 3 Non-formal Education as Distinguished from Formal Education Formal Education is highly institutionalized, chronologically graded, and hierarchically structured educational system which spans lower primary school and the upper reaches of the university. While non-formal education is any organized, systematic, educational activity carried on outside the

framework of the formal school system with a view to providing selected types of learning to particular subgroups in the population, adults as well as children and youth. The research project conducted by PNC in 1981-1982 mentioned one alternative to formalized learning, and one that has been widely used as a development strategy is Non-formal education. NFE here was defined as the systematization of the learning process for purposes of practical productive ends that usually, but not always, takes place outside the formal structures of the school system. Topic 4 the education for All Programs of Development area. Early Childhood Care and Development Community Based early Childhood Classes; b. Universalization of Quality Primary Education e.g. IMPACT, Project BRIGHT, Mobile Schools; c. Program for the Strengthening of Alternative Learning Systems; 1. Eradication of illiteracy 2. Continuing education and development d. Continuing education for Adults and OSYs DELSILIFE ,Parent Education Topic 5 The Non-formal Education Program The NFE Program in the Philippines is a multi-component program that envisions to provide literacy and livelihood skills to functionally and basically illiterate Filipinos. The main objective of the NFE Program in the country is to improve the socio-economic status of the poor by enhancing their basic educational attainment through functional education and literacy, for them to become more self-reliant, to be integrated more effectively into the social and economic activities of their community, and to gain access to further self-enhancement and self-growth opportunities. The immediate objectives are: a. Minimize, if not eradicate basic illiteracy, and improve functional literacy in targeted areas. b. Develop flexible and relevant self-learning programs for out of-school youth as non-formal alternatives to the formal education system which will provide opportunities for selfimprovement among the poor. c. Improve the quality and relevance of functional education and literacy, and continuing education programs and materials for the OSYs and adults in marginalized communities, and provide demand-based learning socio-economic development needs and aspirations. d. Improve the outreach and effectiveness of community-based NFE programs by strengthening the delivery system at the local level. e. Build up the instructional and technical capability of the DECS NFE structure to promote and support community-based NFE programs at the local level, and manage a decentralized interagency program.

Project Components: Programs a. Basic Literacy Target: those with zero literacy, who are likely to be the poorest of the poor. (The 1990 Census showed that there are 2,846,120 illiterates. In the targeted areas there are 1.8 million illiterates) b. Functional Literacy Target: Those with basic literacy, including those with less than 4 years of schooling or its equivalent. (The 1989 FLEMMS estimated that there are 13 million functional illiterates). Thrust/Content: Use of participatory process, where clientele will be involved in the selection of literacy topics addressing their problems and linking them to the livelihood-related concerns. (Ethnographic studies will be the basis for the development of prototype materials). c. Continuing Education Target: OSYs aged 7-16, estimated to be 2.1 million (.4 elementary school age, and 1.7 m. secondary school age). The revised DECS statistics shows 757,226 school leavers at the elementary level during the school year 1990-1991. Thrust/Content: Develop and implement an alternative learning system which would be parallel/comparable to the formal education system. Provide flexible entry and re-entry to the formal education system. (Note: The identification of target groups will be refined by means of literacy mapping, ethnographic studies, and continuing education surveys). The actual delivery of NFE programs to the beneficiaries at the community level will be managed by the NFE coordinator. The elementary schools in the village will used as delivery points. Description of the NFE Components Basic literacy those with zero literacy, who are likely to be the poorest of the poor. (The 1990 Census showed that there are 2,846,120 illiterates. Functional Literacy - Those with basic literacy, including those with less than 4 years of schooling or its equivalent. (The 1989 FLEMMS estimated that there are 13 million functional illiterates). Continuing Education - OSYs aged 7-16, estimated to be 2.1 million (.4 elementary school age, and 1.7 m. secondary school age). The revised DECS statistics shows 757,226 school leavers at the elementary level during the school year 1990-1991).

Topic 6 Non-formal Education Program of DECS Non-formal education is geared to the attainment of the following priority goals of the development of the Republic 1. Development of the individual into an educated, self-reliant, self-sufficient , and responsible citizen; 2. Development of human resources, particularly out-of-school youths and unemployed/underemployed adults to enable them to participate in economic activities through the application of pertinent knowledge and skills; and 3. Provision for employment opportunities with a view of improving the quality of life of the people. Non-formal education also aims to develop the whole man, because the ability to read, write, and cipher are not a guarantee of success in life. Man must know how to discriminate right from wrong; hence, he needs a sound value system. In the world of work, vocational skills must be applied along with a sound value system and responsiveness to the problems and needs of ones community. The desire for employment, for example, should not generate unconcern for and exploitation of others. To promote the development of the whole person so he can function effectively as a member of a society, the individual must be exposed to all opportunities for learning. He must exercise his rights as a citizen wisely and fulfill his duties and responsibilities. He must, on the other hand, know and respect education, consider the foregoing, closely relate to those of the formal school system (Nonformal Education Bulletin, Divisions of city Schools, Manila, March 1982, p.27). The approaches to non-formal education as used in the public schools include: 1. Classes in basic vocational, technical skills courses; 2. Individual/group instruction in functional literacy (reading, writing, numeracy); 3. Seminars, community assemblies, forums, work-conferences for citizenship education, (taxation, environmental sanitation, safety education, population education, and other government thrust); 4. Classes and demonstration lessons in food processing/conservation, plant propagation, seed selection, vermiculture, etc.; 5. Drama presentation/talent search for socio-cultural awareness, propagation of desirable values, customs, and traditions, and wise use of leisure; 6. Sports competitions/tournaments for physical fitness and sports development; 7. Listening groups, pre and post-discussion for Lingap ng Pangulo sa Barangay School-onthe-Air Program. Strategies used include the following: 1. 2. 3. 4. Democratic discussions and dialogues Critical analysis of factors in the environment Self-analysis and reflection leading to understand. Autonomous cognizance and selection of information

5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10.

Acquiring new communication potentials like reading, writing, and calculating capabilities Action program for community involvement Training in practical skills for immediate application Relating education to life, society, and work experiences Sharing experiences Putting up actual earn-while-you-learn projects.