September 2003 Insights
Education Issue #2
Class struggles:
the challenges of achieving schooling for all
The challenges of achieving Education for All (EFA) remain beyond the
grasp of many countries, particularly the poorest. Inequalities continue
to mar access to education. However, progress has been made over the
last decade. In April 2000 the Dakar World Education Forum adopted six
goals aimed at improving and extending EFA.
More...
Other articles in this issue:
The concepts of social inclusion and exclusion are used in many debates
around injustice and inequality. These concepts have found their way
into mainstream discussions of education policy through the influence
and experience of disabled people’s movements and ‘special
needs schools’. For example, in July 2001 the South African Ministry
of Education issued a White Paper on inclusive education arguing for
mainstreaming. Yet there are a number of concerns about efforts to increase
social inclusion.
The South African education system in 2000 consisted of 26789 public
and 971 independent (mainly low-fee charging) schools accommodating almost
12 million pupils. Given its size and the diverse population it caters
for, it is an extremely complex system.
According to the first post-apartheid national Census in 1996, 8.5%
of South African children between the ages of 7 and 15 were not in school
while approximately 16% of learners in Grades 1 to 7 were out of age
(in school but older than their grade cohort by at least three years).
From an educational point of view, these two groups of learners represent
important lenses for marginality – children, who for whatever reasons,
are unable to keep average pace with basic schooling.
On 26 June 2003, the highest court in the State of New York decided
that children are entitled to meaningful high school education and ordered
the state authorities to alter inadequate and discriminatory funding
for public education. That landmark ruling reminds us that resort to
court remains necessary where the responsible authorities do not provide
good public education for all. If education has not been secured in the
richest part of the world, what are our chances of doing so in the poorest?
Jamaica has one of the highest homicide rates in the world, mostly
committed by young men. Their socialisation begins at home but continues
in a society that holds strong stereotypes about male behaviour; homosexuality,
for example, is still illegal in Jamaica. The dominant culture in many
of the country’s comprehensive schools reflects the attitudes and
expectations of wider society rather than presenting an alternative to
it. As a result boys also learn to adopt a ‘macho’ and disruptive
attitude within school.
The talk in classrooms between teachers and children is important because
it defines what knowledge will become a part of ‘school-related
knowledge’ and whose voices will be allowed to shape this. The
value is in more than simply allowing children to speak and share their
experiences. When children’s talk is heard in the context of an
ongoing discussion they realise that their experiences and perceptions
are important and develop the mental skills needed to think and reason
independently and to construct knowledge. This is particularly important
for children from rural and underprivileged backgrounds. As their cultures
are often poorly represented in official school textbooks, classroom
talk could play an important role in including their knowledge and life
experiences within their education.
Working children are common in developing countries. The cluster of
young street vendors seen at traffic lights belies the largely invisible
mass of working children. They are at home cleaning, cooking and caring
and provide the household’s fuel and water. They are busy tending
crops and livestock and, sometimes, they are paid for their labour. But
how long do they spend on these responsibilities? How does their work
affect their capacity to participate in the schooling offered to them?
Further web resources.
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