Establishing a Technical College - Dissertation Example

?Running head: TECHNICAL COLLEGE IN COTE D’IVOIRE Literature Review on Establishing a Technical College Insert Insert Grade Insert Name February 3, 2012 Literature Review on Establishing a Technical College Introduction The fundamental objective in any country in the world is to enhance different aspects of development namely political, social, and economic development. One of the keys to achieving this objective is to improve the quality of education in a given country as well as an access to these learning opportunities. Growth of national income in a country often relates to education (Connecticut Technical Colleges, 1968, p.23). Quality education entails the availability of the teaching and learning resources (Lynch, 1997), their equitable distribution, meeting the educational standards, meeting the needs of the students, and meeting the societal needs through providing required expertise (Aziz, 2011). Various socio-economic factors can bar some potential members of the society from realizing their full potential to serve the country. This is a drawback not only to the individual but also to the entire nations and explains why the issue should be a national and global concern. The benefits of education to the society can be realized if there is an evident public investment in education (Murray, 2009). The established institutions of learning should provide adequate knowledge and skills to the learners that can easily be integrated into the different applications in the field. All these can be realized through an effective system of education in a given country. There is need to have an education system that ensures continued student progression to higher education institutions to equip them with the skills required in the society. This is thwarted, though, by the limited positions in these institutions of higher learning especially in the underdeveloped countries like Ivory Coast. Besides, not every individual in the primary schools qualify to proceed to secondary schools and neither can every student here qualify for university entrance. There is a need to establish alternative institutions that can absorb these students who have not been absorbed at higher levels. In this literature review, the writer focuses on the scholarly articles that discuss the theories on factors affecting education in a given country. Evidence is also short from other reports. The strategies that are appropriate in managing the arising social issues are also examined. The review is concerned with an identification of the central issues that affect the quality of education in a given country and an integration and generalization of these concepts. It will consider how these factors apply to the local context in Ivory Coast. The literature review involves qualitative methods of research and the researcher will not be neutral but will be bias towards his understanding of the factors affecting education. It may not be possible to exhaust all the scholarly articles addressing this issue even if it is narrowed down to the local context in Ivory Coast. As such, the researcher has opted to use representative sample of articles in academic databases that cover this topic in order to generalize the concept. The articles are analyzed according to the key issues they focus on. Problem Definition Cote D’Ivoire (or Ivory Coast) is one of the developing nations in the West African region that was a former French colony. The country enjoyed positive economic growth and political stability after independence under the leadership of her first autocratic president Felix Houphouet-Boigny (The Economist, 2010). However, the political stability ended with the death of the founder. The country currently has a poor underdeveloped economy owing to the political unrest and violence that has hit the country in the past. In 2010, the country’s population was 19.7 million; a population growth rate of 2%, a GDP of $22.8 billion, GDP per capita of $1,154, and a GDP growth rate of 3.0% (World Bank, 2011). The country has experienced high political temperatures in the last decade with the most recent experienced after the 2010 presidential elections (Travel.State.Gov, 2011). The incumbent president refused to concede defeat after the electoral body declared his opponent the winner in the election, a stance that threw the country into a violent political mayhem. The violence left the country in worse state and various reforms have to be put in place with the coming in of the new government. After forceful removal of the president, life has continued to resume normal state. Nonetheless, some fundamental issues such as security, economy, national reconciliation, and humanitarian needs need to be addressed (Travel.State.Gov, 2011). Stakeholders have pointed out that investing in education can be a good move towards this direction. In this regard, there is need to consider the central issues and theories that have been used to explain quality of education in the institutions of higher learning and the input that the government can add in order to attain this high quality education. There is need to consider establishment of more institutions of higher learning not only by the government but also by the private organizations and individuals. The factors to be considered in the establishment of such institutions as well as the potential challenges to be encountered also need to be examined. Literature search The effective literature review will be essential in identifying the ideas and theories that can be related to real life application towards improving the education sector in a country with a focus on developing nations like Ivory Coast. It is essential in helping scholars and other educational stakeholders to develop new perspectives and employ new approaches that may be appropriate in improving the quality of education. To get sufficient information on the issue under consideration, the researcher has opted to use articles from online databases, books on education and development issues, and other articles in the internet. The observations of various scholars on the factors affecting education, the government’s roles in improving education, the difficulties involved in improving quality of education, and the possible strategies to be applied in establishing more institutions of higher learning were the important concepts to be examined. The selection of the appropriate materials involved an electronic search of academic databases and the Internet. This provided a basis for the search of more materials touching on related issues. The researcher examined the references that had been used in these articles to examine their relevance as well. This process was continued until the required number of articles was obtained. The keywords that were applied in the research include “Education system in Cote D’Ivoire,” “education and development,” “Education and Political Stability,” “Effective system of education,” and “Government of Cote D’Ivoire on education” among others. Literature evaluations A number of literatures including scholarly articles and national and world reports exists that focus on the education systems, mostly in the developing countries, and the strategies that can be used in improving these systems. The article Cote D’Ivoire in the Colombia Electronic Encyclopedia (2011) provides the demographics, geography, economy, the government, and the political history the country. It is noted that the country was among the wealthiest French West African nations and recorded good economic growth after the independence in the 1970s. However, the country had serious economic crisis in the 1980s followed by ethnic and political unrest of the late 1990s. The high political temperatures rocked the countries into the 21st century bringing more damages to the country’s institutional infrastructure. The author succeeds in giving an account for what transpired in the past to put the country in the current state. The negative effects of conflicts on social aspects like education are evident here. In the article Education and Poverty: A gender analysis, Oxaal (1997) links education to poverty and shows the gender representation in educational institutions. Oxaal focuses on the importance of education in poverty eradication and asserts that higher education is positively correlated with economic development. It gives two fundamental relations between education and poverty. On one hand, education eradicates poverty through enhancing skills and productivity in the individuals in the community. On the other hand, poverty is a key obstacle to proper education at the micro and macro levels (Oxaal, 1997). Education then suffices to initiate other levels of development in the society as well. Nonetheless, it is also observed that there is still gender discrimination as far as education is concerned especially in some of the developing nations. The males have higher representation in the learning institutions as the level rises. Thus, one strategy of improving education system is to promote equal access to quality education for both genders. Further policies should also be developed in other areas like labor and finance to ensure females have equal returns on education investment. Oxaal touches on key issues on education in the contemporary society. Similar views relating education to economic development have also been given by Haddad et al (1990) in the article Education and Development: Evidence for new priorities. A 1998 report issued by the World Bank indicates the commitment that has been shown by the government of Cote D’Ivoire in conjunction with international agencies to promote education in the country. In the issue, Cote D’Ivoire: Improving Education in Cote D’Ivoire, the World Bank approved an equivalent of $53.3 million to be used for an Education and Training Support Project in Cote D’Ivoire. The project was aimed at improving quality of education, increasing access to education and managing the costs of education in the country (World Bank, 1998). This project was initiated in line with the government’s long-term objective and strategy of improving education and training in the country. The major goal was to ensure universal primary education in the country by 2010. This would be indicated by increased enrollment rates in the primary schools and increased female representation in the elementary learning centers. The goal would be attained through identifying the impoverished and underserved regions in the country and improving access to education in these areas through establishment and expansion of the learning centers (World Bank, 1998). Therefore, the author asserts that the government has shown commitment to improving education in the country. It also indicates that the establishment of a learning institution requires identification of the underserved areas that has more need for these services. In another article EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM IN COTE D’IVOIRE, Imboua-Niava (2002) examines the system of education that has been applied in the former French colony since the 1990s. The learning institutions that were developed in the 1990s after the political upheavals are illustrated here. The accounts given in the article mainly consider the education in the country towards the end of the twentieth century. Imboua-Niava notes that a substantial proportion of the citizens of the country are not natives of Cote D’Ivoire. The government of Cote D’Ivoire has shown concern on matters pertaining to education. Imboua-Niava reports that three key ministries are in the government concerned with education at various capacities and levels. The Ministry of Education, Ministry of Technical Education and Professional Training, and the Ministry of Higher Education and Research are the key ministries directly concerned with education in the country (Imboua-Niava, 2002). Other ministries also have influence in education and provide professional training. These include the Ministry of Agriculture and Wild Resources, Ministry of Public Health, Ministry of Family and Promotion of Women, and Ministry of Sports. As Imboua-Niava reports, the educational system involves primary school that lasts six years and pre-school education that is only common in the urban regions. An exam at the end of six years provides access to secondary education. The secondary education generally takes seven years and it is divided into two cycles. The first cycle, Premier Cycle, takes four years yielding a diploma at the end (Imboua-Niava, 2002). This provides access to the Second Cycle that lasts 3 years with the students earning a diploma to access higher education. Depending on the qualifications of the students at this level, they can join various institutions including public universities, technical and professional training institutes, and private colleges. By the end of the twentieth century, the country had three independent public universities: the University of Cocodo, the University of Abobo-Adjame, and the University of Bouake. The country had two university colleges and four higher education institutions. A number of private colleges had also been established in the country especially in the last decade of the century. The article also illustrates on the grading systems, the learning language, and the different types of certificates offered at different levels. The article is sufficient in providing the basis of government’s involvement in improving education in the country. The author is an educational advisor in the Public Affairs section of the US Embassy in the country. The sources of information provided in the article are thus reliable. The political stability in the country is also essential in ensuring proper education systems in the country. In the article Education and Conflict in Cote D’Ivoire, Sany (2010) illustrates how the civil war that broke in the country in 2002 had negative impacts on the delicate public institutions like schools that had been established. The education sector was an obvious victim of the violence with individuals having unequal access to education as well as unequal distribution of educational resources across the country (Sany, 2010). The education system was damaged and education became among the bottom government priorities. Sany asserts that a proper intervention by the government to improve education system does only involve curriculum development, coordination of resources, or improving access to educational facilities. It also consists in addressing issues related to peace and conflict. This can be incorporated in the curriculum as well as the use of national institutions to improve national unity. In this article, Sany successfully touches on a key area of conflict resolution and national unity as a necessity in improving the quality of education. In the address “Improving Education Systems” given during the 2010 World Innovation Summit for Education, Qian Tiang, the Assistant Director-General for Education UNESCO, illustrates the measures that can be used to improve education especially in the developing nations. The article focuses on the efforts that governments can put in ensuring quality education to the citizens. It asserts that mere building of schools, training teachers and distributing learning materials to the schools may not suffice to ensure proper learning (Tiang, 2010). They have shown little or no progress in reforming the education standards. The full development of education systems consists in the development and cultivation of abilities of all the stakeholders in the education. There is need for the government to plan and regulate school enrolment and identify areas that require more teachers and learning facilities. The government should ensure regular updates of the school curriculum and the learning materials used at different levels. There should be some consistency at different levels to ensure school transition and smooth student progress to higher levels (Tiang, 2010). Tiang, (2010) also observes that improving the educational system in a developing country like Cote D’Ivoire, which has been rocked by conflicts, requires collaboration with the developed countries and international organs on development e.g. UNESCO. It is noted that the country has problem in student progression from primary to secondary schools due to lack of learning facilities, a situation leading to increased youth unemployment. As such, a program by UNESCO has focused on establishment of technical and vocational education and training (TVET) centers in the country. The success of such an initiative required cooperation and coordination among six ministries in the country, national education, TVET, higher education, Agriculture, Youth & Sports, and culture, women and social affairs (Tiang, 2010). A combined effort to review available resources and review the curriculum according to the potential needs is necessary. Tiang succeeds in identifying the proper mechanisms of improving education in a given country. He successfully points out the key strategies that are applicable in the establishment of institutions of higher learning including the assessment of the available resources as well as the key areas that need improvement. An institution is then developed that fills the identified gaps. Conflicting issues arise on the benefits of education with reference to the returns on the investment in education. Various reports indicate increasing positive returns. However, the returns have been high in lower education with the rate decreasing as the level of education rises. In the article Returns to investment in education: A global Update, Psacharopoulos (1994) showed that primary education continued to show high profitability across the globe with the lowest social returns being recorded in higher education in the OECD countries (p.1327). These findings justify the need to improve on higher education to meet the social needs such as the skills and expertise required in the different sectors in a given country or region. In the article Quest for a better operation system in education: Privatization and teacher educationalization or voucherilization glimpsing from consumer and product perspectives, Alam et al (2010) also considers education as the key to economic development. However, the authors observe that the effective education requires resources and yet little investment is put on education in the developing countries. As such, purpose of education is not achieved in the developing countries as opposed to the developed nations. Alam et al (2010) propose an introduction of a voucher system in education that considers development of educational infrastructure as an investment and the students as potential consumers. It advocates for investment in education by the private sector. Both private and public sector should then strive to provide quality products to their clients- the students. The essence of this is provision of affordable and quality education especially to the underserved regions in a given country. The voucher education is also pointed out in another work by Gauri and Vawda (2003). In the article Vouchers for Basic Education in Developing Countries: A Principle-Agent Perspective, Gauri and Vawda advocate for the voucher system of education that allows parents to choose institutions providing quality services and creating incentives in schools so that more students can be absorbed. This follows the observed inefficient, insufficient, and inequitable spending by governments in education in the developing countries. The effects are poor quality education and unequal representation of different groups of people (gender, ethnic groups, or social class). Another important consideration to be made during the establishment of a technical college is its accreditation. It has to be noted that the establishment of several institutions may also affect the quality of education and training negatively as has been witnessed in India. Prasad and Bhar (2010) observes that India has experienced growth in the number of technical institutions providing programmes in various fields like engineering, technology, architecture, management and many others. Various government departments are concerned with the improvement of quality of education in the country. Nevertheless, the quality of education in these technical colleges has declined in the past due to huge enrollments. Accreditation involves a professional judgment as to whether an institution of higher learning and its program meets the required quality standards (Prasad & Bhar, 2010). This improves on the employability of graduates from the institution. In other words, the institution has to be recognized locally and internationally. On a similar note, Adedoyin and Shangodoyin (2010) focus on education based on outcome that is currently the concern of many countries. Outcome Based Education is an initiative that is currently used in countries like Botswana and advocates for education that can be adapted to the needs of the country. Analysis and interpretation The literatures that were encountered focus on three main areas. These include the economic benefits of education, the political upheavals in Ivory Coast and their impacts on education, and the strategies that can be used in reforming the education system. The last category encompasses the mechanisms that can be applied in the establishment of a new institution of higher learning such as technical college in the area. A good proportion of the literatures that have been sought focus on similar issues. It is evident that education is the key to poverty eradication and economic empowerment in the society. It equips the society with adequate skills and expertise to promote economic development. The scholars generally agree that the political violence that has rocked the country has had serious damages to the educational system in the country. There is also a generally observation that the government of Cote D’Ivoire has shown concern on education issues with some projects dating back to the late 1990s. Despite the unrests, some positive achievements have been recorded. The government’s commitment towards improving education in the country has been evident and significant positive impacts have been recorded. Promotion of gender education has been among the successful initiative. The female literacy rate (ages 15-24) was 61.0% in 2010 (World Bank, 2011). Proper education system involves identifying regions that are in dire need of educational facilities as well as the study areas that are needed in the society. There is the need for various stakeholders to combine efforts in order to ensure quality education is provided to the students. This also involves collaboration with international organizations and donor agencies. It also calls for collaboration between government ministries. Conclusions The political factors prevailing in a given nation have significant influence on the establishment of effective education system in the country. It may affect the government’s investment in education as a strategy to develop the country. Ivory Coast has experienced high political temperatures in the past and is in the process of restoring peace and reconstructing the nation. The country has realized the essence of peace and conflict resolution in ensuring quality education. Despite the challenges, the government of the country has shown interest in the establishment of more institutions of higher learning through collaboration with donor agencies and international organizations like UNESCO. The education to be provided should meet the local and international standards. It should also meet the needs of the students and the society through provision of the necessary skills. References Adedoyin, O. and Shangodoyin, D. (2010). Concepts and Practices of Outcome Based Education for Effective Educational System in Botswana. European Journal of Social Sciences, 13(2). Ebscohost Alam, G. et al. (2010). Quest for a better operation system in education: Privatization and teacher educationalization or voucherilization glimpsing from consumer and product perspectives. African Journal of Business Management, 4(6), pp. 1202-1214. Retrieved from http://www.academicjournals.org/AJBM/PDF/pdf2010/June/Alam%20et%20al.pdf Aziz, A. (2011). An urge for Quality and Quality Assurance of basic nurse education, Pakistan: The Leadership perspective, International Journal of Collaborative Research on Internal Medicine & Public Health, 3(9). Ebscohost. Connecticut Technical Colleges. (1968). Training & Development Journal, 22(9) Retrieved from http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=10&hid=10&sid=f86dc23e-a5c8-4dc1-a00b-6ad1c15123b7%40sessionmgr12 Cote d'Ivoire. (2011) Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia. Sixth Edition. Retrieved from http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?vid=7&hid=10&sid=f86dc23e-a5c8-4dc1-a00b-6ad1c15123b7%40sessionmgr12&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=a9h&AN=39001011 Gauri, V. and Vawda, A. (2003). Vouchers for Basic Education in Developing Countries: A Principal-Agent Perspective. POLICY RESEARCH WORKING PAPER 3 005. Retrieved from http://dspace.cigilibrary.org/jspui/bitstream/123456789/21474/1/Vouchers%20for%20Basic%20Education%20in%20Developing%20Countries%20A%20Principal%20Agent%20Perspective.pdf?1 Haddad, W. et al. (1990). Education and Development: Evidence for New Priorities. World Bank Discussion Papers Retrieved from http://www-wds.worldbank.org/external/default/WDSContentServer/WDSP/IB/2000/01/11/000178830_98101903574266/Rendered/PDF/multi_page.pdf Imboua-Niava, C. (2002). Educational System in Cote D’Ivoire. Retrieved from http://www.bibl.u-szeged.hu/oseas_adsec/cote.htm Lynch, J. (1997). Education and development: tradition and innovation. London: Continuum International Publishing Group. Murray, J. (2009). The wider social benefits of higher education: What do we know about them? Australian Journal of Education; 53(3), p230-244, Retrieved from http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=5&hid=10&sid=f86dc23e-a5c8-4dc1-a00b-6ad1c15123b7%40sessionmgr12 Oxaal, Z. (1997). Education and Poverty: A Gender Analysis, Report No 53, Retrieved from http://www.bridge.ids.ac.uk/reports/re53.pdf Prasad, G. and Bhar, C. (2010). Accreditation system for technical education programmes in India: A critical review. European Journal of Engineering Education, 35(2); 187-213. Retrieved from http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=9&hid=10&sid=f86dc23e-a5c8-4dc1-a00b-6ad1c15123b7%40sessionmgr12 Psacharopoulos, G. (1994). Returns to Investment in Education: A Global Update. World Development, 22(9) pp. 132.5-l 343 Sany, J. (2010). Education and Conflict in Cote d’Ivoire. Special Report. Retrieved from http://www.usip.org/files/resources/SR235Sany_final_lowres-1.pdf The Economist. (2010). Another big test for Africa. Economist, 00130613, 12/11/2010, Vol. 397, Issue 8712. Retrieved from http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?vid=7&hid=10&sid=f86dc23e-a5c8-4dc1-a00b-6ad1c15123b7%40sessionmgr12&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=a9h&AN=55773148 Travel.State.Gov. (2011). Cote d'Ivoire- Country Specific Information. Retrieved from http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1094.html Tiang, Q. (2010). World Innovation Summit for Education “Improving education systems”http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0019/001903/190312e.pdf World Bank. (1998). Cote d'Ivoire: Improving Education in Cote D'Ivoire. Retrieved from http://allafrica.com/stories/199805290193.html World Bank. (2011). Data and Statistics. Retrieved from http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/COUNTRIES/AFRICAEXT/CDIVOIREEXTN/0,,menuPK:382633~pagePK:141132~piPK:141109~theSitePK:382607,00.html Read More