This article discusses the seven ways that the education system affects culture.
1. Preservation of Culture
2. Transmission of Culture
3. Promotion of Culture
4. Equips Man to Adapt to Changing Cultural Patterns
5. Moulding the Personality
6. Restoring Unity of Mankind through the Diffusion of Culture
7. Removing Cultural Lag.
Preservation of Culture
Preservation of culture is essential for a society’s vitality. Assistance in the preservation of cultural or social legacy is a crucial role of the education system.
Employing its specialized agencies, education attempts to imbue students’ fragile brains with traditions, customs, values, arts, morality, etc.
This is something that T.P. Nunn has stressed in his opinions about education. The opinion of Pt. J.L. Nehru was that “education must help in preserving the vital elements of our heritage.”
Transmission of Culture
Education has the responsibility of not only preserving culture but also ensuring its continuation by transmitting cultural experiences, values, customs, traditions, etc. from one generation to the next through a variety of programs and activities. In the absence of this transmission, the nation’s existence may be the most difficult challenge, and human development might be hindered. Complete turmoil and bewilderment grip society.
People will become barbarians, and human relationships will disintegrate. Because of this, a society’s priceless culture is what keeps it cohesive. “Transmitting social values and ideals to the young and capable members of society is the function of education,” argues renowned sociologist Ottaway.
Promotion of Culture
Education has a crucial role not only in the maintenance and transmission of cultural practices but also in adapting such practices to the changing requirements and expectations of society. Cross-cultural factors contribute to these shifts. To adapt to the shifting demands of both time and humanity, ancient, antiquated cultural forms are therefore replaced and reoriented to create new cultural patterns. As a result, civilization appears to have advanced. The progressive function of education refers to this aspect of education. Consequently, education functions by continuously rebuilding and rearranging human experiences to advance and enhance culture.
Equips Man to Adapt to Changing Cultural Patterns
It is a well-known truth that successive generations adapt ancient and antiquated cultural traditions while incorporating new ones to better suit their own. Through methods and techniques of instruction, this is achievable. Additionally, a good education system gives people the tools they need to adapt to the shifting cultural forms and customs to live better and more prosperous lives.
Moulding the Personality
Education shapes and molds personality; this is a universal aspect of culture. As a person continues to weave a web of relationships with other people in society, their personality continues to evolve.
Education that is based on the cultural norms or behavioral patterns of the current society facilitates this type of connection. To put it simply, culture is an unofficial means of social control that aids in modifying people’s conduct into desired patterns.
Restoring the Unity of Mankind through the Diffusion of Culture
It is a dire necessity of the civilization that unity of mankind is to be restored. It is to be made possible through education which assists in the diffusion of culture effectively. Education should treat human culture as a whole like a full-blossom flower whose different petals represent different groups.
Removing Cultural Lag
The concept of cultural lag is attributed to the famous sociologist Ogburn. When there exists a difference between material culture and non-material culture, there emerges this lag concept. As it is seen, material culture is advanced due to the rapid strides in science and technology and people adopt modern lifestyles ignoring the non-material parts of the culture.
Therefore, non-material culture lags behind the former. This situation is a cultural lag that needs to be eradicated by education through its various programs and myriad activities. Culture is the antithesis of social change and development of the civilization.
From the previous discussion, it is crystal clear that there exists a close relationship between education and culture. Education socializes an individual on the one hand and it conserves, transmits, and promotes the culture of a society on the other. In brief, education and culture are mutually interwoven, complementary, and supplementary in all their aspects. It is education which refines the culture.
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