ongeschoolde

Ongeschoolde is a Dutch term used to describe a person who has not received formal schooling or who has not completed a formal school education. The word combines the prefix on- (not) with schoolde, related to school. In historical and sociological contexts, ongeschoolde often referred to individuals from times or places where access to education was limited, such as rural communities, marginalized groups, or populations without compulsory schooling.

The term emphasizes the absence of formal schooling rather than literacy alone. An ongeschoolde person may be literate and capable of reading and writing, but without having attended or completed recognized schooling. Conversely, someone who is illiterate might be described with terms like ongeletterd, though the distinctions can be nuanced in historical records. Ongeschoolde appears primarily in historical texts, ethnographic descriptions, and genealogical sources, rather than in contemporary everyday Dutch.

In modern usage, ongeschoolde is relatively rare and can carry old-fashioned or paternalistic connotations. When researchers or writers describe educational attainment today, they more commonly use phrases such as zonder schoolopleiding (without formal school education), niet opgeleid (not educated), or ongeletterd (illiterate) to specify different aspects of literacy and schooling.

See also: leerplicht, onderwijs, opgeleid, ongeletterd, achterstand.