Showing papers in "Current Issues in Comparative Education in 2012"

Inclusive Education in Bhutan: A Small State with Alternative Priorities.

Abstract: Bhutan is a ‘small state’ according to the World Bank, and therefore categorized as fragile and vulnerable to local and global challenges. However, since the 1960s, when the country first engaged in ‘modernization’ development and global politics, Bhutan has been anything but fragile and helpless. The Royal Government’s focus on sustainable development, cultural heritage, and Gross National Happiness as a template for all social policies has empowered Bhutan to become a leader in the alternative development of small states. This article explores Bhutanese development in one specific area: inclusive education. As Bhutan has shifted its educational policy from elite monasticism to secular ‘Education for All’, issues of educating a heterogenous student population led to the development of inclusive education policies. This article examines how equity-based educational policies provide an alternative to economic-based policy prescriptions of the World Bank for small states.

Small State, Large World, Global University: Comparing Ascendant National Universities in Luxemburg and Qatar

Abstract: Comparing the small states of Luxembourg and Qatar, I analyze their ascendant national universities to find out the extent to which these higher education institutions reflect global norms relating to research universities – or the traditions of their host countries. Which characteristics of “worldclass” universities exist in the Université du Luxembourg and Qatar University, embedded in two unusual small states that are hyper-diverse culturally and extremely wealthy? Despite significant cultural differences, both Luxembourg and Qatar have compensated perceived vulnerabilities of small states as they invest in national skill formation and the production of knowledge. Although tensions remain regarding the languages of instruction, the international recruitment of scholars and students, and sustainability, these universities are growing in prominence regionally and globally.

A Broader Definition of Fragility: The Communities and Schools of Brazil's "Favelas".

Abstract: Though the existing literature on the favelas (or shantytowns) of Brazil thoroughly documents the chaotic and violent nature of life within them, few connections have been made between the literature on favelas, fragility and small states, particularly with regard to the fragile state of educational institutions in favelas. This article summarizes the primary findings of prominent favela studies across the social sciences alongside the literature on fragility, drawing out a summative definition of fragility that easily applies to the context of education in Brazilian favelas. Primarily, this article argues that not only do the slums of Brazil qualify for classification as fragile small states, but such a classification by prominent multilaterals would open these areas to donor funding for educational programming that could greatly mitigate their fragility and advance educational equity, as occurs in other postconflict and fragile settings around the world.

How to Make the Small Indigenous Cultures Bloom? Special Traits of Sami Education in Finland.

Abstract: This article discusses smallness from the point of view of the Sámi, an indigenous people of the Arctic, and describes today’s Sámi education in Finland, the factors that have affected its formation and the challenges in strengthening it. The purpose of the article is to provide ideas to develop Sámi education and encourage discovering methods that emanate from indigenous peoples’ own cultural premises. This article is based on our previous studies and data that we further analyzed into theoretical tools. Here, we discuss what it would mean to the Sámi to have a sovereign educational system. The challenges are viewed especially from the point of view of the Sámi being a small assemblage that inhabits four countries.

Building on Living Traditions: Early Childhood Education and Culture in Solomon Islands.

Abstract: The Solomon Islands, a small developing nation in the South Pacific, demonstrates an emerging community-based kindergarten model with the potential to promote context and culture relevant early learning and development, despite deeply embedded foundations in colonial legacies. Based on the Kahua region of Makira-Ulawa Province, this collaborative, ethnographicallyinformed, study explores how the kindergarten is situated at the core of a cultural revolution. Findings enlighten how the kindergarten is serving as the basis to building on living traditions through cultural reinvigoration efforts, while the very essence of the kindergarten’s sustainability has become dependent upon the revitalization of traditional practices historically fundamental to Kahuan society. From this, implications drawn address how community-based initiatives can facilitate early childhood education while still supporting context-specific cultures and identities through sustainable initiatives.

Internationalization of Higher Education in Post-Soviet Small States: Realities and Perspectives of Moldova.

Abstract: Internationalization of higher education has become a priority for many universities in post-Soviet small states. Focusing on international communication networks, student mobility, or international curriculum development, universities invest human and financial resources to prepare graduates to meet global challenges. Globalization and post-Soviet independence have promoted emerging patterns of international education strategies and new approaches to managing international activities. This study explores current trends of university internationalization in post-Soviet Moldova as understood and interpreted by Moldova state universities’ administrators. International Relations Department officials who are responsible for the design and implementation of international education programs discuss their perceptions of post-Soviet small state international outreach strategies, smallness and marginalization, and the unique aspects of academic internationalization in Moldova. Respondents’ diverse internationalization techniques and expectations illustrate the importance of academic dialogue with post-USSR small states and raise possible standards for international collaboration with Eastern and Southern European universities.

Learning from Small States for Post-2015 Educational and International Development

Abstract: Drawing upon recent work for the Commonwealth Secretariat and our ongoing comparative research, this article focuses upon the nature, impact and implications of contemporary development challenges for education in small states. It is argued that the post-Jomtien era has been dominated by international goals and targets that have focussed predominantly upon basic education, an area of strength for many small states. During this era, many small states found themselves ahead of other nations in terms of access to basic education. They were, therefore, extending the boundaries and parameters of many international educational agendas, pressing ahead and often challenging the focus of international development trajectories. In this article we argue that, because of this, small states have much innovative and pioneering experience to share with those who are now considering the possible nature and direction of post-2015 global education agendas. This includes a rationale for the strengthening of educational research capacity within small states, and an acknowledgement of the fact that small states have much to share with each other, and to contribute to wider development discourse and educational policy deliberations worldwide.

Explaining Whole System Reform in Small States: The Case of Trinidad and Tobago Secondary Education Modernization Program.

Abstract: This paper analyzes drivers and impediments to secondary school reform in Trinidad and Tobago during the period from 1999 to 2009. International assessment data suggested limited progress on improving system quality and equity. Several policy levers and barriers have been defined in current system reform theory. However, explanations for the failure or success of education reforms in Commonwealth small states must also consider theory related to their unique contexts, namely smallness and colonial history. In this study, whole system reform theory is bridged with contextualized small state and postcolonial theories to analyze themes derived from a qualitative analysis of experiences in a major reform project for the secondary school sector. The identified barriers to change were ambiguity, coherence, and stringency and the contextualized drivers were leadership, support, and participation. Small state and postcolonial theory had added explanatory value, providing more precise insights into the specific impediments to change within these contexts.

Overcoming Smallness through Education Development: A Comparative Analysis of Jamaica and Singapore.

Abstract: Between 1960 and 2010, Singapore’s real gross domestic product (GDP) per capita skyrocketed from $4,383 to $55,862, while Jamaica’s barely increased from $6,417 to $8,539. It is plausible that differing rates of GDP growth are associated with differences in the development of education systems but causally the linkage is not well understood. Using a comparative analysis of education in Jamaica and Singapore, this paper explores the critical factors in education development in small states. This article argues that education development can substantively help small states overcome many of the limitations of their smallness that are exacerbated in an increasingly global economy. Three significant factors that shaped the education development of Jamaica and Singapore are identified. First, the timing of reforms is important, not just the content of educational reforms. Second, having a vocational strategy is key. Third, a balanced, forward-looking education development strategy that closely ties education, economic and national development is crucial.

Meeting the tests of time : small states in the 21st century

Abstract: The analytic category of ‘small states’ remains problematic in the 21st century. Its legitimacy as a rigorous conceptual category continues to be debated; even as small states assume a strident visibility on the world stage because of climate change negotiations. This paper reviews the scepticism that hovers around the small state concept, and invites a largely social constructivist discussion that looks at a syndrome of behavioural issues which are more likely to occur with decreasing polity size. Education remains a key policy battleground for small states, as the latter balance human resource needs with the trans-territorial aspirations of their brightest and ablest (and often wealthiest). In spite of spectacular advances in information and communication technologies, the personality of the small state has not essentially changed; and this remains characterised by rootedness and mobility.

Small States and Big Institutions: USAID and Education Policy Formation in El Salvador.

Abstract: This article analyses the institutional power of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in the process of education policy formation in El Salvador during 20032005. The results show how biand multi-lateral institutions are able to leverage financial and intellectual capital to guide the policymaking process and sway which policies are seen as acceptable and desirable. As is shown, one key to this influence is how USAID was able to manipulate the policymaking process by creating key events and producing key informational inputs that led to future events and subsequent opportunities to present and emphasize their research. Additionally, this research underscores how even exceptional leadership and political will at the national level can be insufficient to avoid the agendas that are at times advanced by international institutions. Finally, it is suggested that research on education in small states expand the notion of smallness to focus on institutional capacity, particularly within the context of the “global architecture of education.”