From a horizontal perspective, the basic forms of education include: family education, social education, school education, self-education and nature education (a phenomenon that penetrates into production and life by oral means).

Education in a broad sense: all activities that enhance people's knowledge and skills, develop people's intelligence and physical strength, and influence people's thoughts and morals are education. It includes social education, school education and family education.

Education in a narrow sense: it mainly refers to school education, which is an activity that educators exert influence on the educated purposefully, planned and organized according to certain social requirements to promote their development in the expected direction.