Does ERP Refer to Formal or to Non formal Education?
ERP encompasses both. Formal Education in general refers to the education provided for all rural dwellers in a country by the conventional/formal system run by ministries of education. The ministry has a network of primary and secondary schools in rural and urban areas and, for the most part, has a “national” or standardized core curriculum that is offered to all. ERP, therefore, is part of the formal education system that deals with all social and geographical aspects of the population, but focuses especially on addressing the specific, very often neglected, learning needs of rural people and on the need to close the gap among them and urban people in fulfilling their right to education. Not all rural people have access to the formal education system and many who do enter basic education drop out for a variety of reasons. There are large numbers of out-of-school youth and adults in rural areas who have need for knowledge, attitudes, values and skills to enable them to pursue gainful e
