Education is an intentional process with certain goals in mind, such as knowledge transmission or the development of abilities and moral character. The growth of comprehension, reason, kindness, and honesty may be some of these goals. To distinguish education from indoctrination, several studies emphasise the importance of critical thinking. Others favour a definition of the term that is value-neutral, while certain theories demand that education must lead to student improvement. Education can also be used to describe the mental states and dispositions that educated people possess, rather than the process itself. This is a slightly different meaning from the one previously mentioned. From its inception, education has been a means of passing down cultural heritage to succeeding generations. Currently, educational objectives increasingly incorporate novel concepts like the liberty of learners, skillsFormal, non-formal, and informal education are frequently used to categorise different types of education. Formal education occurs at educational and training facilities, is normally organised around curriculum goals and objectives, and is frequently facilitated by teachers. Formal education is usually required up to a particular age and is typically broken down into educational stages like kindergarten, primary school, and high school. In addition to or instead of formal education, there is nonformal education. [1] It is typically conducted in settings based on community, workplace, or civil society, though it may be organised in a more flexible manner in accordance with educational arrangements. Last but not least, informal education happens in daily life, in the home, or anywhere else that a formative experience may have on a person's thoughts, feelings, or behaviour.Teaching, training, storytelling, conversation, and focused study are all examples of educational methods, regardless of the environment. Pedagogy refers to the teaching approach. There are many diverse ideologies, beliefs, and goals for empirical research that support education.

There are movements for education reforms, such as those for evidence-based educational approaches or enhancing the quality and effectiveness of education in order to make it more relevant to students' lives and effective at solving problems for the present or future society as a whole. Some states and the United Nations have acknowledged the right to an education. [a] The International Day of Education, for instance, falls on January 24. Education has been the focus of various observance years and decades at the UN level, including the International Education Year of 1970. [5] One of the 17 Global Goals, where international cooperation is required, is education.