The Role of Education in Society

Society can be viewed as a system of interconnected, mutually dependent parts that work together (more or less) to maintain a recognisable whole and to achieve some purpose or goal. The term "social system" refers to the orderly arrangement of parts of society and a diverse group of people interacting with one another. A social system assumes a social structure composed of various parts that are interconnected in order to perform its functions.

Every society establishes various institutions to carry out its functions. There are five major institutional complexes identified: familial institutions, religious institutions, educational institutions, economic institutions, and political institutions. These institutions constitute sub-systems within the larger social system.

Education and society are intertwined or interdependent because they mutually influence each other, i.e. they are complementary. Without education, how can we build an ideal society? And without society, how can we organise an education system in a systematic manner? Education teaches people how to live, how to behave, how to organise their lives, and everything else in their lives, so it is a change agent in society, or to put it another way, education is a social change agent. Let us examine the role of education in society.

Education is the representative of society: 

Education is a social process that strives to fulfil society's desires. Education's destination is determined by social objectives. The ultimate goals of education are societal desires. Education creates programmes that pave the way for social aspirations to be realised. Education is the social desire's representative. Education is nothing more than a reflection of societal needs.

Society directs education's course of action: 

education cannot decide its own goals. It is the responsibility of society to determine the goals of education. In fact, the needs and desires of society are the goals of education. A comprehensive educational process is used to achieve these educational goals. There would be no concept of educational goals if society did not exist. The ultimate goal of education is determined by society. Educational institutions are established in society to achieve the objectives of education.

Education teaches social roles: 

Every society intends to teach its values and traditions so that individuals can become useful citizens. Education is held accountable for educating individuals in order for them to understand social values and play their social roles. Education is the only way to pass on social fabric to current and future generations. In this regard, education runs the entire social structure, which is required for its stability and growth.

Education is critical to society's survival:

Social survival is defined as the continuous flow of righteous values and the unity of social elements observed in social institutions. Education, along with the continuation of human life, is held accountable for societal survival. The lives of society and education are intertwined. Education creates programmes that pave the way for social survival. The educational process is carried out to benefit society. In its true sense, this benefit leads to the goal of social survival and stability.

Education rebuilds values: 

Reconstruction is the modification and improvement of the components of a phenomenon or ideology. Reconstruction also entails re-evaluating doctrines, values, traditions, and ideas that are directly concerned with human life affairs. Social stability is more than just the promotion and transmission of social values. The concept of social stability also includes the re-evaluation of social values. The social needs change as time passes. In this situation, it appears critical to align social values with social needs. It is the school's responsibility to constantly assess social values. It should also pay attention to the phenomenon of how much social values contribute to the cause of social stability. To my mind, social value reconstruction is an important function of education without which the goal of social stability cannot be attained.

Education preserves social stability: 

In a stable and prosperous society, people live their lives according to their social values. When people adhere to social values and traditions, it results in social stability and integrity. Individuals who apply social values in their daily lives are largely responsible for their survival and growth. Social values can only be enlivened when they become a part of an individual's personality. This is education that teaches students their social roles in order to maintain social stability.

Education transmits values: 

Education is the only way for social values to be preserved and passed down to future generations. The social values would have lost their identity and survival if education did not function in this manner. If education is halted, social growth will be halted as well. With the presence of an educational process, it is hoped that social values will become a part of the youths' personalities.

The society serves as an educational guide: 

Society not only determines the goals of education but also guides the educational process at every stage. Society objects to all inappropriate measures and steps to be taken and suggests the best educational options available. Such educational activities that are contrary to social values and interests cannot be tolerated by society. To me, society guides the educational process, allowing it to achieve the social objectives associated with social development.

Education develops and promotes civilization: 

Education does more than just transmit values; it also develops and promotes civilization. The rise and fall of civilizations parallel the rise and fall of education. The role of education in civilization is multifaceted. It fosters and grows civilization. It also reduces the likelihood of a clash between civilizations. Civilization is comprised of national ideology, values, and traditions. An ideology's rule is, in fact, the rule of a specific civilization. All of this is impossible without an effective educational system. There is no civilization if there is no education. When the process of civilization's development comes to a halt, the process of social development also comes to a halt, resulting in the social death of individuals. Thus, it is a visible reality that education is the only means of civilizational growth and advancement.