Reforming Education through the Lenses of Competence-Based Education: A Marxist Critique

Institute for Education Policy Studies. University of Northampton, School of Education, Boughton Green Road, Northampton, NN2 7AL, UK. Tel: +44-1273-270943; e-mail: [email protected]; Web site: http://epub.lib.uoa.gr/index.php/jceps

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Social Systems; Educational Change; Political Attitudes; English (Second Language); Second Language Learning; Language of Instruction; Educational Policy; Longitudinal Studies; Foreign Countries; Neoliberalism; Social Class; Social Differences; Conflict; Competency Based Education; Education Work Relationship; Outcomes of Education; Individualism; Collectivism; Social Change; Empowerment; Teacher Attitudes; Unions; Teaching Methods; Criticism; Educational Legislation; Secondary Education; Faculty Development; Curriculum Development; Colonialism; Educational History; Policy Analysis

1740-2743

Education policy ambitions or presumptions in most countries are being accused of turning schools into social factories to supply humanpower to produce commodities. This is apparent bureaucratic education policy imposition on school-actors which promotes class division and conflict in sharing resources. Using the Marxist-critical-lenses, this article aims to interrogate the potential outcomes of adopting-implementing the global policy of competence-based education (CBE). The overarching question is whether CBE empowers the grassroots and-or preserves the old-order? This interrogation is sustained through a longitudinal research protocol that mixes document and survey methods and diverse classes. Cameroon English-speaking general secondary school CBE policy is used as part of global flows. The sample has 19 policies, 361 questionnaires and 20 interviewees randomly drawn from 24 diverse schools. Findings suggest that, transnational actors and 'boss partners' often influence education bureaucrats to buy global policy, coerce or coax school-workers to drill students into conforming to work obligations. It is rather like bureaucrats rebrand old policy to retain the status-quo-order, dictate equal costs for all grassroot school-actors with diverse abilities, and give few means whilst overtly claiming to empower them. School-actors embody policy but decry few means while assuming complex roles that lead to few improved academic and real-world outcomes. The article concludes that, education policy with class issues often places individual over collective interests that foretell inevitable mass revolutions in transition to Marxist socialism and communism. It is necessary to continually deconstruct class as 'an elephant in the room' whilst empowering grassroot-actors against education and real-world biases.

As Provided

2023

EJ1393679