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.