Back to: Sociological Foundations of Education B.ed Notes, M.A Notes, IGNOU Notes

Education as a Subsystem:

The term “social system” in the field of learning focuses on the internal organization and process of education as a logical unit that can be distinguished from other components of society. Education can indeed be divorced from its social context since individuals who work in educational backgrounds are also the ones carrying the emblems and inclinations that identify them as leaders of different social groups.

Example: Children carry their traditions with them. Adolescents do not immediately change their speech or clothing style after starting school. These are frequently restricted yet firmly rooted. Since it enables a kid to engage in pathways of contact or to have certain behaviours in the classroom, ethnic class is important to the examination of the relationship between education and socialization.

Nevertheless, the social background isn’t the sole distinguishing element. Peer bonds are also crucial. Thus, education is a process that assists each member of society in achieving a self-determined existence. Through a cycle of societal change, educational arrangements have become more complex. In this regard, learning is a way that assists elements of society in adapting to the ever-changing components of society.

What are the characteristics of education as a subsystem?

The characteristics can be broadly classified into the following categories:

Education is a potent and effective tool for fostering social individuality.

The workings and tensions of many institutions in society result in the creation of the educational system.
Through its accomplishments, the educational system enhances the discipline of education and sheds fresh light on how to solve educational difficulties.
Educational institutions, such as educational establishments, give opportunities to satisfy man’s demands for passing on acceptable cultural features in the form of beliefs, conventions, and so on.

It also contributes to the shaping of civilization in an intended way.
It cultivates a person’s reverence for social standards, ethics, information, and comprehension to make him a productive and responsible member of society.
It investigates the interaction system that comes from the organization and functioning of human groupings, as well as assists children in comprehending these aspects.

Relation of education with kinship:

The family is the institution most closely associated with the socialization process. One of its primary functions, it appears, is to care for and nurture infants born within its walls. As newborns, we live in families, and we go through a socialization process that continues as we grow older, receive an education, and work. We create our sense of self and sense of belonging here.

It is said that children’s intellects are enhanced when they are allowed to have contact with people who are older than they are. As a result, the more younger siblings a child has, the more he or she encounters others who are less developed. As a result, decreased intellectual growth may be predicted. This is equally true the other way around. The intelligence of a youngster is viewed as a consequence of the average intelligence of his family members.

The school-aged youngster maintains residency in the parental home and is psychologically and technically reliant on his parents and other family members. However, he now spends many hours a day away from home, where he is subjected to a disciplinary and incentive system that is mostly autonomous of his parents. Furthermore, the scope of this freedom steadily expands. Another factor that impacts a child’s school knowledge is a more immediate one, such as a parent’s presence in the academic world, descriptions of the child’s school experience, assistance with the child’s assignments, and so on.

Families influence the academic process in different ways, according to the relationship between education and kinship.

They offer the sort of relational engagement that contributes to the emergence in the child of attributes that are useful in a school context.
They also assist their children in adjusting to school by guiding, coaching, explaining, showing confidence, and intervening on their accounts.

They definitely assist youngsters in gaining the “understanding, abilities, and personality that enable them to function as more or less capable members of society.”

Relation of Education and politics:

Every society’s primary purpose is to keep existing. This is true of every particular group or subculture. Civilization is directly related to the quality of existence, which is determined by humanity’s ideal degree of health, consistency, adaptability, and neutrality. There are certain minimum requirements for survival to continue to exist.

Education originates in the home and extends throughout a kid’s upbringing. It is the government’s responsibility to ensure that a child’s education is correct both at home and at school. If the household and the school fail to fulfil their responsibilities, it is the role of the state to make suitable provisions for the student’s future. It should establish appropriate guidelines and restrictions and create conditions in which the household and the institution are compelled to fulfil their responsibilities in this respect.

According to T. B. Bootomore, “The present India has two elite groups- the high officials and the national political leaders- who have predominant influence and are indeed responsible for India’s effort to become a modern industrial nation.”

People in positions of political power are attempting to get political mileage from the education system. As a consequence of the greater educational opportunities available to minorities, a new class of powerful men is forming. Individuals from minorities, lower tribes, and scheduled tribes are the fresh faces that appear in structures of power. These organizations are also provided with security and safety precautions, as well as enough educational opportunities.

As a result, educated individuals in schools and universities, as well as the talented among the populace, are currently unable to affect the education system. However, as the country undergoes modernization, the capabilities of the technically competent and specialized will be demanded at higher levels of judgment and implementation, and their position in governance will become increasingly crucial.

Relationship of education and Religion:

Historically, religion has dominated education. The substance and field of learning were legitimized by religion. Religion had to legitimize the position and functions of the teacher and the students, as well as what was worth teaching. Even the school’s exterior connections, such as the structure of its entrance and progression through its several stages, were linked to social stratification, which was mostly defined by religion.

As a charitable deed, groups of Hindu, Muslim, and Jaina religions operated educational establishments. Early Christians eventually joined the struggle to spread their educational system throughout the early decades of the nineteenth century.

Ever since its inception, even before the founding of institutions, religion has played a significant role in the advancement of education. The earliest school was Gurukula, where the sole purpose of teaching was to persuade people to believe in a certain religion. Education was regarded as enlightenment throughout the Vedic period. The denomination that has had the greatest impact on education is Christianity. The pope was more powerful and respected than the monarch, and the church collected taxes from the people and controlled the rules of the nation. In a civilization where religion, information, and technology do not always go hand in hand, it is necessary to quickly describe the role of education in Islam. Islam has long advocated education, both in principle and in practice.

Religion plays an important role in education across the globe. Education’s spiritual goals can only be achieved via the educational process. It may be described as follows:

Education is the only way to achieve all of religion’s goals.
Education is the only way to develop an ideal religious Indian society.

Only through the mirror of learning can all religious ideologies be comprehended, preserved, and obeyed.

Thus Education planning entails the design, dissemination, and response of educational materials, all of which are influenced by economics, government, and religion. The knowledge that is available for dissemination in schools is linked to society’s broader classification of information and responsibility.