7 Key Differences in Schooling & Education

Normally Education and Schooling are used commonly as synonyms but there is a huge difference if we look at it from an overall objective and effectiveness in our life.

Let us understand the basic meaning for these two terms , Schooling means a way of structured curriculum based & instructor  led training & learning, that normally happens in institutions under supervision of Trainers , Teachers etc. Even horse and other pets training also fall under this category . This is the most suitable way of learning /training something in a very defined way ,process oriented &  industrialised Jobs, where we are supposed to act , behave and follow instructions outlined for specific results. Like running a machine in a Workshop or Lab testing process.

Whereas Education is derived from terms called Educo ,which means “Inside out Development”,  which is much beyond subjects and syllabus, this covers anything and everything self learning and from others , which develop us Physically, Mentally and Financially & Spiritually, our ancient Gurukul system was completely based on Education philosophy, in which Guru was just like Mentor & Guide to enable his/her Students learning process by lessons , tasks and group assignment. 

1. Formal v/s Informal

 

 Schooling is a purely formal way of learning, we need to enrol in institutions and progres step by step from LKG to Primary/Junior/Higher Secondary/Graduate /PG/Phd etc. there are exams at every stage and we need to pass that to move to the next Class /Grade.

Education can sometimes happen formally as well, like if you learn any Skill & Course of your choice in a particular institute, but moreover it happens beyond any Physical boundaries like Schools, Homes etc. 

Education has much wider scope and starts soon we are born and continue until we are on the Earth, like we learn from our parents & siblings how to speak , walk behave properly, thereafter as we grow up we learn from our Family & Society how to live & behave as good Citizen, learn how we remain Physically & Mentally fit and we take care of our Environment , Animals ,Trees etc, then we learn how we manage Career, Money & Relationship and achieve overall Success in life. All these we learn consciously or unconsciously from our Surroundings, Friends ,Family and Society , Books, Social Media etc.

 2. Regulated v/s Liberal :

Schooling system is highly regulated, all Boards , Technical and Non Technical Education authorities like UGC , AICTE etc. set the guidelines like how & where  learning can happen and what is recognized and what’s not, like still Online and distance learning is not recognized equally as Class Room model under umbrella of Schools/Colleges, there are set up criterion to get admission to particular Degree & Diploma even if you have same knowledge .

On the other hand Education is very much liberalised, you don’t need to go to School /Colleges to learn Skills and Knowledge, that you can get from various sources via online, distance, from any Institute, Mentor, Trainer and Friends , Family and Society.

You may learn in your home, sitting in a Parks, under a Tree or and even in the Jungle and mountains . As long as you acquire the Knowledge , Skills and attain proficiency , it hardly matters how and where you get .

 

3. Stream focused & Goal Focussed 

 

Schooling is more over focused on streams like Science, Art, Commerce & Technology etc. and Success is measured on Knowledge and Proficiency achieved in all these subjects. We need to study all subjects /areas under the Streams whether interested or not , relevant or not . However Education is aligned to our life’s Goal and we choose deliberately and make our own recipe of subjects and areas based on interest and desired proficiency , like if we aim to become a Social Scientist and transform the Society by adding knowledge, awareness and actively working with Govt./other organisations, we will learn anything /everything which is a relevant matter of our interest and required to achieve the Goal.

4. Time Bound v/s  Life Long:

Schooling is time bound which normally start from Childhood, continues from teenage , young age and completes based on level of Degree and Certificates is been pursued 

 By definition Education is a life long process and does not stop with any level of Degree or Certificates.  This is about lifelong learning and achieving excellence in our Personal and Professional life, there is no last stop for this Journey and continues for lifelong Learners are Students for ever. This is said rightly if we don’t learn continuously, after every 10 year period we can remain literate but become Uneducated, since there are consistent changes happening due to Technological, Economical and Social disruptions , so we need to keep our Eyes & Ears open else we will become obsolete .

 5. Uniformity and Diversity:

Schooling revolves around uniformity like same Subjects/Syllabus for a given Stream, uniform teaching methodology, same questions papers for all Students in Class, same Dress and Code of conduct, basically this is designed to create Citizens who think, act and behave alike in a desired matter, so that they are ready for Corporate/Industry Jobs to follow set of rules & guidelines and perform their Jobs.

Education does not promote uniformity, this is focused on attaining Knowledge and Skills based on individual interest and based on innate strength.

Can you imagine if Bhim in Mahabharata was taught Archery,  would he be as proficient and greatest like Arjuana , since Bhim has more muscle power rather than focus and brain power, so his Guru has developed his interest and skills in Gada

6. Conformity v/s Uniqueness:

This is again a worrying fact that our Schooling is designed around conformity to write answers using the same words & sentences to get the highest Marks , even if they are asked to copy the generalised notes rather than encourage Students to study and make their own notes even if this is delayed by some days . By philosophy Schools tag Students as Super, Excellent and title like Captain etc based on Academic performance only rather identify, acknowledge & appreciate individual strengths.

On other hand Education by definition is personalised, since everyone is unique,so we can find our way of learning, developing and achieving our Goal .Like there are ten different routes to a location, likewise there may be ten ways to reach the same Goal & Destination.

7. Mediocrity v/s  Excellency:

Since the Schooling System is designed and operated on Uniformity and Conformity , this produces a Mediocre workforce, who know almost everything but have mastery of none. Can we name any great Leaders, Entrepreneurs and Business Tycoon who have been from these great Schools,most of them are self Educated and not Schooled , they found their why and their Goal, educated them on the way. If you name top Successful names like Steve Jobs , Mark Zuckerberg , Dhirubhai Ambani etc , they have never been to any Business schools and even dropped out from Colleges .

Let us take our example of Swami Baba Ramdev, he has achieved excellency in Ayurveda and set up a big Patanjali Brand, I am not aware of if he has studied any renowned College & University, but he is highly Educated in his field 

Excellency requires thinking outside the box, being creative and achieving our Goal, which is in DNA of Education ( Goal aligned life long learning )

Though there are revised Education policies and  reforms underway which is more flexible and personalised , but still there are wider gaps to fill between Career /Jobs demand and relevance of subjects /knowledge

Road Ahead 

After a major gaps been acknowledged in our Schooling system, there are major reform and initiatives already taken up by Governments globally and some growth mindset Institutions are adapting more liberal, open and diversified learning culture  and developing skills in various areas , however this is a long & continuous journey to keep a pace with fast changing World,

 So be part of this change, until then your “ Schooling should not be in  way of your Education.”