Non Formal Education And Basic Education Reform

There is growing recognition that non-formal education (NFE) can play an important role in providing basic education for disadvantaged children and young people. However, development agencies and governments face difficult questions about how to manage the relationship between NFE and the formal education system. This paper offers strategies to support and expand the provision of quality non-formal basic education without compromising its innovation and responsiveness to the needs of different groups.The paper first provides an overview of the history of debates, ideological perspectives and practice in NFE, and outlines key areas of relationships between NFE and the education field as a whole. It draws on examples from Mali, Mexico, Tanzania, India, Namibia, Burkina Faso, Trinidad and Tobago, Somaliland, Brazil, South Africa and the Latin American Fey y Alegria (Faith and Joy) movement.

Volume numbers determined from Scope of the guidelines, p. 12-13.

The Comparative Education Research Centre (CERC) at the University of Hong Kong is proud and privileged to present this book in its series CERC Studies in Comparative Education. Alan Rogers is a distinguished figure in the field of non-formal education, and brings to this volume more than three decades of experience. The book is a masterly account, which will be seen as a milestone in the literature. It is based on the one hand on an exhaustive review of the literature, and on the other hand on extensive practical experience in all parts of the world. It is a truly comparative work, which fits admirably into the series Much of the thrust of Rogers' work is an analysis not only of the significance of non-formal education but also of the reasons for changing fashions in the development community. Confronting a major question at the outset, Rogers ask why the terminology of non-formal education, which was so much in vogue in the 1970s and 1980s, practically disappeared from the mainstream discourse in the 1990s and initial years of the present century. Much of the book is therefore about paradigms in the domain of development studies, and about the ways that fashions may gloss over substance.

If total human development is the ultimate goal of education, non - formal education can be built into the life and work of people in order that their diverse learning needs are fulfilled as and when required.

The five volumes of Education and Development are concerned with the achievement of universal primary education. Volume 1 looks at the factors which impede this aim, and suggests proposals for facilitating it.

Education as a concept has long been taken for granted. Most people immediately think of schools and colleges, of classes and exams. This volume aims to highlight non-formal education (NFE) in its various forms across different historical and cultural contexts. Contributors draw upon their experience as educators and researchers in comparative education and sociology to elucidate, compare, and critique NFE in Asia, Europe, Latin America, and the USA. By mapping out NFE’s forms, functions, and dynamics, this volume gives us the opportunity to reflect on the myriad iterations of education to challenge preconceived limitations in the field of education research. Only by expanding the focus beyond that of traditional schooling arrangements can we work towards a more sustainable future and improved lifelong learning. This book will appeal to researchers interested in non-formal education and comparative education.