Education,democracy and development in Latin America

The education first brought to America by Europeans was hardly more than ornamental culture, literacy was generally unimportant, and African slaves were not educated at all. Only in this century did industrialization cause some governments to provide economic and technological support through training and education. In the last decade, the debt crisis curtailed spending, while numbers of students and teachers continued to rise. A comparison between Latin America and South Korea illustrates the former's relative decline in investment. The advent of populist and corporatist democracies did not alleviate the situation, although there is now some evidence of concern for basic education for poorer children. With economic adjustment programmes, little else has been done for those who have suffered the heaviest burdens, and no obvious solutions to poverty and technological obsolescence are in prospect. A major reform of State institutions is called for, including a commitment to education, a change in the economic model, and a recognition of global interdependence.

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Zusammenfassung Das erste Bildungssystem, das von den Europäern nach Amerika gebracht wurde, war kaum mehr als eine dekorative Kultur; die Alphabetisierung war im allgemeinen unwichtig und afrikanische Sklaven erhielten überhaupt keine Bildung. Erst in diesem Jahrhundert veranlaßte die Industrialisierung einige Regierungen, durch Aus- und Fortbildung wirtschaftliche und technologische Unterstützung zu geben. Im letzten Jahrzehnt beschränkte die Schuldenkrise diese Ausgaben, während die Zahl der Studenten und Lehrer weiter anstieg. Ein Vergleich zwischen Lateinamerika und Südkorea macht den relativen Investitionsverfall in Lateinamerika deutlich. Die Einführung populistischer und corporativer Demokratien hat die Situation nicht verbessert, obwohl es jetzt Anzeichen dafür gibt, daß man sich um Grundbildung für ärmere Kinder kümmert. Mit den wirtschaftlichen Anpassungsprogrammen wurde sonst wenig für diejenigen getan, die die schwerste Bürde getragen haben, und es besteht keine Aussicht auf klare Konzepte zur Überwindung von Armut und technologisch veralteter Systeme. Es wird eine größere Reform staatlicher Institutionen gefordert — einschließlich eines Engagements für die Bildung, einer Änderung des wirtschaftlichen Modells und der Anerkennung globaler Abhängigkeiten.

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Résumé L'éducation apportée autrefois à l'Amérique par les Européens n'était guère plus qu'une culture d'agrément, l'alphabétisation n'avait généralement pas d'importance et les esclaves africains ne recevaient aucune instruction du tout. Ce n'est qu'au cours de notre siècle que l'industrialisation a amené certains gouvernements à offrir un soutien économique et technologique par le biais de la formation et de l'éducation. Durant les dix dernières années, la crise de la dette financière a réduit les dépenses, alors que le nombre d'apprenants et d'enseignants n'a cessé de croître. Une comparaison entre l'Amérique latine et la Corée du Sud illustre le déclin relatif de l'investissement de la part de la première. L'avènement des démocraties populistes et corporatistes n'a pas amélioré la situation, bien qu'on note maintenant quelques signes d'intérêt à l'égard de l'éducation de base des enfants pauvres. Les programmes d'ajustement économique n'ont rien apporté de plus à ceux qui portent les fardeaux les plus lourds, et il n'y a apparemment aucune solution en vue pour le problème de la pauvreté et de l'obsolescence technologique. Une réforme majeure des institutions publiques s'impose, impliquant un engagement envers l'éducation, un changement du modèle économique et une reconnaissance de l'interdépendance globale.

     

Education,democracy and development in a period of revolutionary change

The observation of the present global scene raises questions about the socioeconomic, political and cultural framework laying the ground for a constructive interaction between the three forces which greatly determine people's existence and survival, namely Development, Democracy and Education. In this approach reference is made to John Dewey's classical remarks about the interrelation between Democracy and Education. They are examined in the light of specific historical conditions which are exemplified by references to the history of the Bohemian Lands and the first Czechoslovak Republic as well as by a critical view of current events, revealing the anti-human perversion of Dewey's model.

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Zusammenfassung Ein Blick auf die gegenwärtige weltweite Szene wirft Fragen auf nach dem politischen und sozio-ökonomischen Rahmen, der Grundlage einer konstruktiven Interaktion der drei Kräfte ist, die vor allem die Existenz und das Überleben der Menschen bestimmen, nämlich Entwicklung, Demokratie und Bildung und Erziehung. Dieser Ansatz bezieht sich auf John Deweysklassische Bemerkungen über die Wechselwirkung von Demokratie und Bildung und Erziehung. Diese werden im Lichte spezifischer historischer Bedingungen untersucht, welche gleichermaßen am Beispiel der Geschichte der Böhmischen Länder und der ersten Tschechoslowakischen Republik veranschaulicht werden, wie durch einen kritischen Ausblick auf zeitgenössische Ereignisse, die die menschenfeindliche Perversion von Deweys Modell offenbaren.

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Résumé L'observation de la scène actuelle soulève des questions au sujet du cadre socio-économique, politique et culturel qui constitue le fondement d'une interaction constructive entre les trois forces qui déterminent essentiellement l'existence et la survie des peuples, à savoir le développement, la démocratie et l'éducation. Cette approche se réfère aux remarques classiques de John Dewey sur l'interrelation entre la démocratie et l'éducation. On les examine en fonction de conditions historiques spécifiques illustrées par l'histoire des pays de la Bohème et de la première République tchécoslovaque ainsi que par une vue critique des événements actuels, qui révèlent la perversion misanthropique du modèle de Dewey.

     

Education,religion, and deliberative democracy

This paper describes how a group of primary schools in Northern Ireland plan a differentiated curriculum, and the extent to which subject co-ordinators offer guidance to teacher colleagues in planning for English, mathematics and science. The views of headteachers, subject co-ordinators and teachers on the ways in which plans are translated into classroom practice for higher and lower attaining pupils in both classwork and homework were obtained. The curriculum support staff described how far they consider teachers are applying the principles of differentiation, including progression and continuity. The results showed that, although most teachers were said to understand the meaning of differentiation moderately well, help was needed in drawing up schemes of work and providing for the extremes of pupil attainment.     

Agonistic democracy and passionate professional development in teacher-leaders

Politicians and policy-makers in education routinely proclaim the centrality of schools and teachers in sustaining and consolidating democracy and democratic society. This article offers an account of teachers engaged in research in their schools and classrooms, with peers and students, so as to highlight the democratic potential of this engagement. In order to do so, it draws on an agonistic account of democracy that is distinct from more familiar liberal or procedural versions. Such an account is characterised by an emphasis on the values of constitutive pluralism, robust contestation and enduring tragedy, where the latter entails recognition of the ineliminable nature of (political) conflict and the inevitability of loss in human life. The teachers involved in this research demonstrated capacities which, it is argued, reflect an agonistic democratic ethos, including: developing the confidence to assume intellectual leadership by asking questions and eliciting and engaging plural perspectives in relation to these questions; engagement in the cut and thrust of research without the expectation of finding any final or perfect solutions; and an acceptance of difference and disagreement as constitutive and constructive elements in rethinking areas of policy and practice. Developing and encouraging these capacities, it is argued, is important in an increasingly authoritarian policy context that threatens the vital links between democracy and education highlighted by Dewey a century ago.     

Education for liberal democracy: Fred Clarke and the 1944 Education Act

Fred Clarke (1880–1952), an English educationist, emerged as a leading figure with his liberal approach alongside such key figures as R. H. Tawney and Cyril Norwood in the reform leading to the 1944 Education Act. Many of his reform proposals, which were provided by the new Act, reflected his ideals of liberal democracy. Nevertheless, his contribution to the process of the legislation has not been examined thoroughly. Therefore, this paper explores his positions on educational issues in various debates and his approaches towards the reform. It also evaluates the extent to which the 1944 Education Act was in line with Clarke’s ideals and proposals so that a comprehensive assessment of Clarke’s contribution to the legislation can be made.     

Longitudinal development of educational theory: democracy and the classroom

The problem of making education policy documents more explicit is addressed in this paper. As a vehicle for discussion the paper examines a contemporary policy that has major shortcomings in the explicitness of its language: Australia's ‘Participation and Equity Program’, a policy directed at increasing access to education by post‐compulsory level students. Problems in making policies explicit are discussed. Policies are seen as complex messages whose meanings routinely become scrambled for implementers remote from the language community of policy framers. The paper suggests the use of a sociology of policy language in education to assist in policy design and dissemination. Its concluding sections recommend the kinds of applied work that might be undertaken to improve the explicitness of policy language generally.     

Education,democracy and colonial transition the case of Hong Kong

Among the main features of the decolonisation process in Africa, Asia and the South Pacific were widespread efforts by colonial authorities to introduce democratic forms of government. These efforts sought to prepare the territories for selfgovernment and independence. In Hong Kong, the colonial era is coming to an end later than in other sizeable territories in the world, and the transition will not be to independence but to a Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China. This transition is planned to take place in 1997. Nevertheless, in the twilight of the colonial era the authorities are making strong efforts to promote democracy, and see the education system as an important instrument to help achieve this goal. This paper analyses the case of Hong Kong within the context of comparative literature, and shows how the Hong Kong experience requires adaptation of existing theories. It addresses both macro-level and school-level initiatives, and discusses the extent to which education is a useful instrument to achieve the overall objective.

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Zusammenfassung Zu den Hauptmaßnahmen im Dekolonisierungsprozeß in Afrika, Asien und dem südpazifischen Raum zählen weitreichende Bemühungen der Kolonialbehörden um die Einführung demokratischer Regierungsformen. Diese Aktivitäten sollten die Kolonialgebiete auf Selbstregierung und Unabhängigkeit vorbereiten. In Hongkong endet das Kolonialzeitalter später als in anderen großen Territorien der Welt, und der für 1997 geplante Übergang wird nicht in die Unabhängigkeit sondern in eine Sonderverwaltungszone der Volksrepublik China führen. Dennoch bemühen sich die Behörden im Schatten des Kolonialzeitalters in starkem Maße um eine Förderung der Demokratie und sehen das Bildungssystem als wichtiges Hilfsmittel dazu an. Der Artikel sieht den Fall Hongkong im Zusammenhang mit vergleichender Literatur und zeigt auf, daß die Erfahrungen mit Hongkong eine Anpassung bestehender Theorien erfordern. Es werden sowohl Initiativen auf gesellschaftlicher Ebene als auch auf schulischer Ebene angesprochen, und es wird erörtert, inwieweit Bildung ein nützliches Instrument zur Erreichung des übergeordneten Ziels sein kann.

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Résumé Les efforts déployés par les autorités coloniales pour introduire des formes de gouvernement démocratiques comptent parmi les principales caractéristiques du processus de décolonisation en Afrique, en Asie et dans le Pacifique sud. Ces efforts visaient à préparer les territoires en question à l'autonomie et à l'indépendance. A Hong Kong, l'ère coloniale touche à sa fin plus tardivement que dans tout autre pays important du monde, et la transition ne se fera pas vers l'indépendance mais vers une région administrative spéciale de la République populaire de Chine. Cette transition doit avoir Heu en 1997. Néanmoins, au crépuscule de l'ère coloniale les autorités font de gros efforts pour promouvoir la démocratie, et considèrent le système d'éducation comme un instrument important pour la réalisation de cet objectif. Le présent article analyse le cas de Hong Kong dans le contexte de la littérature comparée, et montre de quelle manière l'expérience de ce territoire requiert une adaptation des théories existantes. Il présente les initiatives recensées tant au macro-niveau qu'à l'échelon scolaire, et examine la valeur de l'éducation en tant qu'instrument utile pour réaliser cet objectif global.

     

建立和健全有序推进农村基层民主建设的运行机制

完善村民自治,健全村党组织领导的充满活力的村民自治机制,应着眼于建立科学规范的农村基层民主管理体制,实施党支部领导下的村民自治运行机制,推进支部工作规范化,村民自治制度化,民主监督程序化,把党支部工作、村民自治、民主监督有机地融于一个制度体系中。     

Education and development

International Review of Education -     

Higher education,democracy, and development: Implications for Newly Industrialized Countries

Universities are central institutions in modern societies, providing education, research, and communication of scientific information needed by technologically based societies. The focus of this essay is on the role of universities in the emerging economies of the Newly Industrializing Countries (NIC) of the Pacific Rim, although this discussion has relevance for all countries seeking to enter the ranks of the industrialized nations. Universities in the NICs are especially important because they are the windows through which modern science enters society. Academic institutions have also served to provide an important critical voice to emerging democracies because their faculties often contribute to public debates and discussions. The roles of faculty and students in the development of the NICs is also examined in this essay.     

Mathematical education and democracy

Is it possible to develop the content and form of mathematical education in such a way that it may serve as a tool of democratization in both school and society? This question is related to two different arguments. The social argument of democratization states: (1) Mathematics has an extensive range of applications, (2) because of its applications mathematics has a “society-shaping” function, and (3) in order to carry out democratic obligations and rights it is necessary to be able to identify the main principles of the development of society. The pedagogical argument of democratization states: (1) Mathematical education has a “hidden curriculum”, (2) the “hidden curriculum” of mathematical education in a traditional form implants a servile attitude towards technological questions into a large number of students, and (3) we cannot expect any development of democratic competence in school unless the teaching-learning situation is based on a dialogue and unless the curriculum is not totally determined from outside the classroom. The social argument implies that we must aim at “empowering material” which could constitute a basis for reflective knowledge i.e. knowledge about how to evaluate and criticize a mathematical model, while the pedagogical argument implies that we must aim at “open material” leaving space for decisions to be taken in the classroom. Will it become possible to create materials at the same time open and empowering? To answer this question we have to analyse the concept ‘democratic competence’, which can be related to ‘reflective knowledge’ characterized by a specific object of knowledge and a specific way of knowledge production. The ultimate aim will be to unify these characteristics in an epistemological theory of mathematical education. This paper is a revised version of \ldDemocratization and Mathematical Education\rd, R. 88-33 Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, Aalborg University Centre.