Civil Society and Non-Formal Education: An Exploratory Governance Framework

• In Event: The Role of Civil Society in Educational Systems

Abstract

Few would deny the critical importance of having a functioning and effective educational system. Still, how to best accomplish this goal remains contested, ranging from those favoring public education to those supporting market-based reforms and parental choice. This ongoing debate remains salient as education systems across the world are facing numerous short- and long-term challenges including how to respond to the backsliding among K-12 students in the post-pandemic period, what some have referred to as “education’s long Covid” (Jacobsen, 2023), to the fast technological and socio-economic changes of our contemporary societies pushing the need for different and life-long learning (Tuijnman & Boström, 2002).

This paper centers of nonformal education (NE), which captures “any organized, intentional and explicit effort to promote learning to enhance the quality of life through non-school settings” (Heimlich, 1993, p. 2). Thus, NE is distinct from formal education which occurs within standardized and regulated education systems (e.g., public/private/charter schools, universities), and informal education which encompasses all acquisitions of knowledge, skills and attitudes from everyday interactions with family, friend, neighbors, work colleagues etc. NE can therefore be viewed as a gap-filler between formal education and what is picked up through people’s daily social interactions.

Given the many challenges facing national education efforts NE can offer a channel to reach educational goals beyond what is possible with standardized public educational systems (Morton & Montgomery, 2012). That is, NE can be highly instrumental in dealing with persistent and/or emerging educational needs not effectively due to its flexibility and nimbleness (Vega & Bajaj, 2016). However, this need for flexibility, as well as for contextual adjustments and innovative efforts, in NE also mean these efforts are likely to rely on additional/different resources, strategic approaches, and institutional support.

NE can obviously be examined using various lenses e.g., a public or market angle, however, we view the nonprofit sector/civil society as prospective and potent home for NE activities. Still, key questions, including when and how nonprofit/civil society agents are able address educational needs in an efficient and effective manner, still linger, in part because there are few frameworks to help orient and organize the diverse set of NE dimensions and activities in civil society. Thus, the main purpose of this paper is to present one such framework, drawing on specific governance challenges related to learning goals and content of various NE programs, organizations, and networks. We view this framework as a starting point to support practitioners in identifying governance challenges depending on NE contexts, and for researchers, the framework provides an initial step to explore, identify, and test the impact of factors that influence NE practices and its effectiveness.

References

Heimlich, J. E. (1993). Nonformal environmental education: Toward a working definition. Educational Resources Information Center. (ERIC) No. ED 360 154. Columbus, OH.

Jacobsen, L. (2023). Education’s Long COVID’: New Data Shows Recovery Stalled for Most Students. The 74 Million, Available at https://www.the74million.org/article/educations-long-covid-new-data-shows-recovery-stalled-for-most-students/

Morton, M. H, & Montgomery, P. (2012). Empowerment-based non-formal education for Arab youth: A pilot randomized trial. Children and Youth Services Review, 34(2), 417-425.

Tuijnman, A., & Boström, A. (2002). Changing notions of lifelong education and lifelong learning. International Review of Education, 48, 93-110.

Vega, L., & Bajaj, M. (2016). The right to education in protracted conflict: Teachers’ experiences in non-formal education in Colombia. Globalisation, Societies and Education, 14(3), 358-373.

Authors

• Jurgen Willems, Vienna University of Economics and Business

• Fredrik O. Andersson, Indiana University