Formal education is expected to prepare a person for his successful role and contribution as socialized and civilized citizen in national affairs. A shift from formal education to real life situation demands from a student to put the theoretical learning into practical form for the true realization of his learning.
De-education occurs if a student has learnt in formal something as reality and part of life. He or she anticipates the same to meet and practice in real life but when actually an opposite to what has been learnt is faced the experience is no less than shocking.
Students generally learn that the duty of a police personnel is to help people in distress. The school may arrange a group visit to local police station as a project work to know the systematic functioning carried out in a police station. In childhood such local visit teaches some ideal ways a police force behaves. It leaves a good and inspiring impression on a young mind.
What happens, if the same child turned graduate discovers to his dismay and shock a totally reverse situation in life to that he learnt in school. It would be shocking to him. As such he may get discouraged and even before coming to terms with reality he would possibly blame the education system or the social system which behaves contrary to his expectations and learning.
Such cases of de-education may not occur in well developed countries which take pains to keep administration procedures updated and people friendly. But those nations which fail to keep up with changed times and are faced with long held unfair practices like corruption, favoritism, unaccountability and incompetence in administration lacking a will power to reform will definitely face such problems of de-education in youth.
The unfortunate development can be seen in youth becoming rebellious and hostile to system by nature in which they fail to adjust and compromise with the experience of de-education and hence feel cheated.
This is the reason that one sided reforms and improvement in education cannot grantee national progress and stability. There is need to reform the system too so that youth having completed formal education meet a system which is compatible with their learning experience.
De-education can be avoided by reforms in national policies and plans of development by making them people friendly and there should be left no chance to learn to compromise with vices which tend to lower human dignity and status of an integrated personality. Only well learnt and well informed citizens can be asset to a national pride.