The process of
institutionalization helps to transform the general potentialities for change
into historical realities, and one of the institutions involved in this process
is that of education. Education is conserving institution, seeking to mediate
and maintain the cultural heritage of society. But, while seeking to conserve,
education also must ensure as little “cultural lag” as possible occur within
the society. This means there must be the need to adjust the old culture to
suit the new conditions in order that individual with society may keep up with
technological change. It is for this reason that education is expected to
monitor changes in the society and be able to direct it.
Enoh
(1987) believes that education becomes widespread to all individuals who
acquire it; people become more receptive to change than if they were not
exposed to it. They acquire new habits of thought, views and even perceive the
environment differently. But perhaps, a more direct way in which education
serves as an instrument of social change is by enabling individuals critically
assess old values and where these no longer meet their aspirations discard them
and take on more appropriate ones.
Owan (1987) pointed out that no one
will doubt the tremendous influence education has had in changing social
structure of our societies. Whereas these were once based descent or
ascription, one’s position in the stratification ladder has today become more a
matter of the level of the educational attainment. This identify the remarkable
social change continue the discussant.
In a rapidly changing society, education
has keenly aware of change, but it must not go along with it. Change must be
evaluated and education must encourage the right sort of innovation and help to
direct it. Education particularly higher education has been a factor causing
social change in many aspects of cultural life. For instance, it may have
noticeable effect in areas like choice of occupation, change of upward social
mobility, political values and roles, attitude to marriage, the role of women,
the reproductive pattern, and people out their knowledge and ideas.
Title : Relationship between Education and Social Change
Description : The process of institutionalization helps to transform the general potentialities for change into historical realities, and one of the ...