Formal vs. Non-Formal Education Systems and Characteristics

Formal Education Systems

Formal education corresponds to a systematic, organized education model, structured and administered according to a given set of laws and norms. It typically presents a rather rigid curriculum regarding objectives, content, and methodology.

Key Characteristics of Formal Education

It is characterized by a contiguous education process, named, as Sarramona remarks, “presential education,” which necessarily involves the teacher, the students, and the institution.

It corresponds to the education process normally adopted by our schools and universities. Formal education institutions are administratively, physically, and curricularly organized and require students to maintain a minimum classroom attendance.

It confers degrees and diplomas pursuant to a quite strict set of regulations.

The methodology is basically expositive, scarcely relating to the desired behavioral objectives. As a matter of fact, it is but seldom that such targets are operationally established.

Non-Formal Education

Non-formal education characteristics are found when the adopted strategy does not require student attendance, decreasing the contacts between teacher and student, and most activities take place outside the institution—as for instance, home reading and paperwork.

Educative processes endowed with flexible curricula and methodology, capable of adapting to the needs and interests of students, for which time is not a pre-established factor but is contingent upon the student’s work pace, certainly do not correspond to those comprised by formal education, but fit into the so-called non-formal education.

Proportionally to the number of formal education factors that are absent from a process, we find several grades of non-formal systems.

Defining Non-Formal Education

As Ward and collaborators remarked: “A comprehensive and standard definition of non-formal education is not yet available in common usage. Perhaps such a definition will not emerge until after much more study of the educational issues and potentialities inherent in the variety of experiences now called non-formal education has been done.”

Features of Non-Formal Education

As non-formal education is focused on the student, it perforce presents flexible features regarding the initially established and adopted procedures, objectives, and contents. It is therefore quicker to react in the face of changes that may affect the needs of students and of the community.

Key features include:

1. Centralization of the process on the student, based on their previously identified needs and possibilities.
2. The immediate usefulness of the education for the student’s personal and professional growth.