Acatrinei Cosmin

VIIIth group

The advantages of formal and informal education-argumentative essay-

Education is maybe the most important concept of a modern society, because, as the name suggests,

creates human characters, giving them a certain meaning in this world during their development as individuals.

Currently, education as we know it has two different stages, both trying to create an essential environment for a

growing child. Although informal education is an important step in every kid’s life, formal education clearly

has the upper hand because it is provided by trained teachers in a specific location that is the classroom of a

school.

After seven years of playing and learning basic facts about life, every child steps into a new period of his

life called school. His formal education begins, having the goal of developing a well-grown member of the

society with a strong personality and moral virtues. This is where the trained teachers intervene, trying to work

with the shapeless skills of the child, developing them into defined and strong ones. Parents put their kids in

schools because they know that their offspring are in the hands of a professional worker qualified for this job:

shaping the members of the future society, a great responsibility for which they have been trained to

accomplish.

On the other hand, informal education, consisting in the extra-curricular activities the child is

experiencing, like after-school programs, visiting museums, libraries or going on a national or international trip,

creates the life-based knowledge which can lead to an experienced and confident human being. Compared with

the formal experience gained in school, this type of education provides a more flexible program where children

can learn without feeling the pressure of grades and strict behavior. The ultimate goal is that their success in an

informal setting can lead to greater confidence in the formal environment.

In conclusion, both types of education are essential in the development of an individual, but formal

education provided by skilled teachers is the principal and the most important in expanding children’s

knowledge and guiding them in the search of their career, whereas informal education, flexible and less

intimidating has the crucial role of giving children a boast of confidence in their own natural skills, helping

them to face every challenge life has to throw them.