Education is the process of acquiring and developing knowledge, skills and attitudes.

Traditional forms of education

Traditional forms of education are also known as informal education. This is the type of education that was passed from one generation to another before the coming of the missionaries.

Informal education was taught through many methods:

• story telling
• observation
• riddles
• proverbs
• songs
• instructions
• apprenticeships

Characteristics of informal education

• No trained teacher. All elders were teachers.
• Skills taught depended on the economic activities of the communities.
• It did not have an end.
• No text books were used.
• It was conducted everywhere. There were no classrooms and schools.
• Reading and writing were not taught.
• No exams or certificates were given.
• No learner dropped out of the system because it was largely relevant to their lives.

Traditional education takes place not just in Kenya but all over the world. In this picture an aboriginal man in Australia is teaching a young boy a craft.