Education and Culture
Education encompasses teaching and learning specific skills and also something less tangible but more profound: the imparting of knowledge good judgement and wisdom. Durkheim sees education as the socialization of the younger generation .It is a continuous effort to impose on the child ways of seeing,feeling and acting which he could not have arrived at spontaneously.
Education has as one of its fundamental goals the imparting of culture from generation to generation.Culture is a growing whole.There can be no break in the continuity of culture.The cultural elements are passed on through the agents like family,school and other associations.All societies maintain themselves through their culture.Culture here refers to a set of beliefs,skills,art,literature,philosophy,religion,music etc which must be learned.This social heritage must be transmitted through social organizations.
Education has this function of cultural transmission in all societies.The curriculum of a school ,its extra-curricular activities and the informal relationships among students and teachers communicate social skills and values.Through various activities school imparts values such as co-operation ,teamspirit ,obedience ,discipline etc.Education acts an integrative force in the society by communicating values that unites different sections of society.The school teach skills to the children which help them later to integrate within the culture of the society.Education in its formal or informal pattern has been performing this role since time immemorial.Education can be looked upon as process from this point of view also. Education has brought phenomenal changes in every aspect of man’s life.
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