Critical Evaluation of the Varying Ways in Which Educational Policy Has Been Meritocratic - Coursework Example

Critical Evaluation of the Varying Ways in Which Educational Policy Has Been Meritocratic Table of Contents Introduction 3 Education Reform Act 1988 4 2011 Education Act 7 Critical Evaluation on the Ways the Education Policies Have Been Meritocratic 10 Conclusion 14 References 15 Introduction The agenda of education policy is one of the growing concerns of the governments throughout the world. In this regard, the United Kingdom government is targeting on the development along with improvement in the level of education since the commencement of the Education Acts since 1945. The Education Act has been integrated in the UK to ensure that every child is given equal opportunity and chance of success on the basis of their merit (Machin & Vignoles, 2006). As per the functionalist view, the system of education helps the people in achieving their dreams on the basis of their ability. In other words, it can be stated that the education system acts as a ladder of success for the deserving candidates who turn out to be effective leaders of the society. This belief and attribute of the education system is known as meritocracy. The education system of the UK has seen various reforms since the post war period with an intention to make it more dynamic. The education policy reforms in the UK have been quiet extensive and therefore the UK has initiated market-oriented reforms in order to raise the standard of education and meritocracy. In this context, The Education Reform Act 1988 was initiated to amend the relationship amid the Department of Education and Science with local authorities (Policy Studies Institute, 2014). The main motive of the Act was to standardise along with centralise the provision of education to maintain equality in education. Another major reform in the education system of the UK was observed with the incorporation of the Education Act 2011. The Act was initiated by the coalition government to bring about discipline, supervision and administration in a well framed manner. The Act states that every child must be provided with high quality education so that high standards are achieved (Crown, 2012). Therefore, the essay intends to evaluate a few of the key reforms of the education policy in the UK with the intention of analysing the focus on meritocracy that these policies have bought or will bring in the future years in the education sector. Education Reform Act 1988 The Education Reform Act 1988 was one of the most important Acts in the education sector after the Education Act of 1944 and was formed on 29th July, 1988. The Act is occasionally referred as The Baker Act after Kenneth Baker the Secretary of State of then (Gillard, 2011). The Act was passed by Margaret Thatcher the leader of the Conservative government. The 1988 Education Reform Act stated the assurance of the Conservative Government toward the New Right ideology which was a mix of neo-liberalism along with neo-conservatism. The objective of the Act in the UK was to centralise the educational provision for standardisation across the nation so that every individual derives equal opportunity irrespective of their location. The Act had several important features in terms of the education sector and for the people to be treated equally on the basis of their performance irrespective of the gender and religion. The major features of the Act were such that the parents were now in a position to control the education of their children. With regard to education, the authority of the central government had increased to a considerable extent. Moreover, national programme of assessment was introduced for the children at the age of 7, 11, 14 and 16 (Powell & Edwards, 2005). Also, Standard Attainment Tests (SATs) was introduced for the test of the knowledge of the children for the above mentioned age group. This was further named as four key stages of a centralised education system as it evaluated the children within the age group of 4 to 16 years (Powell & Edwards, 2005). The power of the Local Education Authorities (LEAs) was no more effective due to the commencement of local management of schools. In the era amid 1988 to 1996, it was observed that extensive competition of the market along with consumer rights acted as a motivating force for the educational reform. The Education Reform Act 1988 can be noted as “parent power in a market place of schools that are made more accountable to their consumers would improve educational standards” (Powell & Edwards, 2005). The Act initiated National Curriculum (NC), which was required to be followed by every academic institution which stated that each institution has to follow few compulsory subjects throughout the nation which include literacy, science and numeracy. Additionally, the parents had the liberty and discretion to apply for any schools with the support of the open enrolment guidelines. The Education Reform Act of 1988 was a milestone in the educational sector of the UK as it helped in bringing few values to the society in terms of gender and social equality. The Act provided freedom to the people and the parents regarding the choice of the institution for further higher education. However, before the commencement of the Act, people had very less freedom regarding the choice of schools as they were automatically allocated to the schools nearby their area. Hence, it can be well ascertained that the Act brought a radical change in the educational system. In the words of Kenneth Baker, the Act “would open the doors of opportunity to our children” along with “National Curriculum was likely to be very useful in holding together a multi-racial and multi-cultural society” (Drury, 1992). The Act had a major influence on the children of the minority section in relation to the equality in education. Conversely, points’ related to multi-cultural as well as anti-racist education were a concern for the people. New set of rules were initiated in the 1988 Reform wherein religious education was given importance. The Act stated that the students need to start their day with an act of collective worship mainly from the Christian characters. The various rules under the guidelines of 1988 Act were incorporated to bring freedom and independence in the education system. Another major achievement with regard to the Education Reform Act 1988 was for the female as they were now being able attain success due to the improvement in the educational sector. Due to the reform in the education sector, the gender role was becoming prominent among the females. The coursework provided though the Education Reform Act 1988, proved to be beneficial for the females as they were getting more scope and respect in the external environment of the society. In this context, it is worth mentioning that females in the society were treated differently from the males as they were reflected as weaker gender in comparison with male before the commencement of the Act. The educational policies were implemented in the society in order to bring equality in the society and bridge the gap in the status amid the genders. Thus, the Education Reform Act 1988 centralised the power of education by making the Secretary of State accountable. Schools were given empowerment for higher standardisation. Consequently, with the support of the Act, a new system was integrated which was funded and controlled directly by the central government. The National Curriculum provided general rules for the schools in order to increase the merit of the educational institutions. The objective of the National Curriculum was to encourage moral, mental along with cultural improvement of the pupils. Assessment of the knowledge gained by the students was evaluated with the help of the Act. Under section 22, 26 and 27, the parents had the power to select the schools for their children irrespective of the location. Finance and funding was one of the reasons for the establishment of the Education Reform Act 1988 in order to make the local authority responsible for distributing funds to the schools. The Act was initiated to ensure the development of the child in terms of both physical and mental dimensions with the shift in the educational policies (Ruotanen, 2001). The motive of the Act was to bring equality and choice for the students and their parents. The nation saw various reforms in relation to the education policy and this gave rise to other Acts including the 2011 Education Act. 2011 Education Act A new education bill was announced in the House of Commons in the year 2011on 26th January. On 15th November 2011, it received Royal Assent. The 2011 Education Act stated that every single child is worthy of high standard education so that they can attain a good standard of living. The Act measures the skills, innovation and also helps in improving the basic skills in order to attain high education. The Act stated that every child is liable for better education irrespective of the facts including gender, race, class and disability. The gap among the rich and poor can be reduced to a considerable extent with the help of the education policy and the new reformed Act of 2011. This Act involves policies which are useful for the teachers in order to increase their power along with ensuring a positive behaviour from them. The teachers under this Act have power to check the pupils in the schools and academic institutions to ensure that they do not carry items which are banned as per the rules of the school. Any student found guilty of carrying items restricted will be suspended from the school the very day and might also have to face detention and legal allegation in case of any criminal offence. Additionally, the Act has provided the schools with greater authority so that they are able to perform accordingly keeping in view the positives and the development of the students. The provision for the students from the age group of 16 to 19 will be extended for better effectiveness and equality in the society as per the norms of the Act. The Education Act 2011 consists of certain legislative elements regarding the reform programme along with Equalities Impact Assessment. The objective of the reform is to tackle the inequality and opportunity in the society. With regard to 2011 Act, it can be stated that the Act will make schools more responsible with the focus along with the inspection of Ofsted in under-performing schools. Moreover, the level of qualification in English will be compared with other regions which are outside the UK. The Education Act of 2011 will eradicate the five arm’s length bodies which implies that the weakening of their power (Crown, 2012). The Act will take into consideration various facets of education such as discipline and workforce. The Act has also proposals which state that the freedom of the colleges must be increased to a considerable extent. The Act further implies that freedom must be in place with regard to the development of the skills for the students so that they are successful in life on the basis of merit. For the development of the skills, the Department of Business had published Skills for Sustainable Growth as well as Further Education – New Horizon for the benefit of the people (Great Britain, 2011). The Education Act 2011 empowers the government to provide free education to the deprived at the age group of 2 years. They will be entitled for education for 15 hours a week free education provision. Furthermore, students who are below the age of 24 years and are deprived or underprivileged will be provided with free level two and three education as per this Act. The Education Act of 2011 has also enabled a real rate of interest on the education loan for the higher education so that the interest rate is not affected as per the external environment affecting the students. Likewise, the Act has capped a limit for the fees of the students who are entitled for undergraduate courses which is part time in nature (Crown, 2012). Subsequently, the Act is effective as it has created provision regarding the direct mode of payment for the people with special needs of education. Simultaneously, the Act 2011 has few basic themes in it which are helpful for the students and their parents. The themes reflected through the Education Act of 2011 are freedom, accountability along with responsibility, fair use of the resources as well as managing the behaviour of the pupils for better effectiveness in the education system on the basis of merit. The Act is so framed that the governance of the school changes considerably for better impact on the parents, students, schools, local authorities and other governing bodies. As stated, the commencement of the Act reflected the elimination of the “arms-length bodies” (Crown, 2012). The Act has given immense power to the schools in order to meet the required level of discipline so that the priority in the schools is given to education at large. Any student found guilty and not adhering to the rules of the schools are liable for detention without prior intimation. Another education reform in relation to the Act was that all the schools were being judged on four basic parameters irrespective of the location and status of the schools previously. The basic parameter for the measurement of the schools being the achievement level of the pupil, the quality of teachers and teaching, behaviour of the teachers and the students along with leadership in the institution. These benchmarks have been replaced by the 2011 reform. In this context, 2011 Act states that the schools have to be evaluated on the basis of the issues including equality, healthy eating along with community cohesion (Paton, 2011). Consequently, the objective of the Acts and the Department of Education are to upsurge the number of schools and create better education system with diversity for the welfare of the people. Critical Evaluation on the Ways the Education Policies Have Been Meritocratic The education system in the UK has changed significantly since the commencement of UK Parliament Acts from 1944-45 onwards. The education system had observed various changes in its operation and rules in order to give importance to merit and no other factors. The Education Reform Act 1988 was a step taken by the government in order to bring changes in the system irrespective of caste as well as creed. The Education Reform Act of 1988 stated that the education system will focus on equality and give equal opportunity to every member on the basis of their education. The major priorities of the Act were to bring changes and reforms in the education sector. The Act stated that standardisation would be maintained throughout the country. This implies that every student at any corner of the nation will be provided with equal opportunity and same level of education in order to maintain the merit of the student irrespective of the location. Prior to the Act the students of the underdeveloped areas were not provided with proper standard education which implies that merit and equality were not maintained. Hence, it can be stated that the policies were merit focus and thereby there has been is a change in the society. Another Act or a set of policies from the 2011 education reform reflected that the students’ who are underprivileged will be provided with free education, thus giving scope for the students to study hard and create their own identity. The Act was initiated to provide education to the people who are willing to study but are not financially strong. The assessment test wherein the students of the age group 7, 11, 14 and 16 years are evaluated is another step towards the promotion of merit. This is owing to the fact that every student will be judged on the basis of test and the results will be unbiased. This implies that the education policy has been focusing on giving education equally on the basis of the pupils’ education capability. The word “Meritocracy” in relation to education implies that social equality would be focussed upon only depending upon educational excellence. Meritocracy in the field of education reflects the concept of equal opportunity and education at every aspect. This form of education will only highlight the students and their potential on the basis of their education and provide them with opportunity (Allen, 2011). Furthermore, the Education Act of 2011 specified that the rate of interest of the education loan for the students will be based on the progressive real interest. This is again a positive aspect owing to the reason that the Act has taken initiative on behalf of the students for ensuring their higher level of education on the basis of their merit of education. The rate of interest will provide protection to the students who have taken loan as they will not be affected from the inflationary rate. This is a positive feature by the Act to ensure higher education for the students on the basis of their merit. In accordance with the cultural concept, it is observed that the UK is dominant in relation to the cultural aspects and thus had its effect on the field of education. In order to avoid the influence of culture, the reform act of 1988 emphasised equality and education of students to provide better effectiveness in the society without giving importance to the culture of the student. Every student, be it ‘white or black’, would be provided with equal opportunity and would be judged on the same parameter. This amendment in the policies of education since 1945 has given greater importance to the merit of the student. At the same time, meritocracy in the education system has been observed by the proper distribution of power into a centralised source from the hands of the local authorities. This gave rise to a better educational society for the students and the parents as they are now being valued and resected because of their level of education and achievements in the academics and not on the basis of social status. As per the advanced meritocracy, the education reform Acts state that the competition in the field of education is good and the students are to be promoted on the basis of their ability and education. In this context, it is worth mentioning that the parents are now being able to take independent decision in selecting the schools for their children depending on the education level i.e. merit basis. As the power has been centralised and the schools have the authority to make their decision on the basis of performance, the social status of the people has increased significantly. The Act of 2011 has made various reforms in the field of education by increasing the level of freedom along with autonomy for every school in order to meet the need of the deprived. Additionally, it can be deciphered that the level of merit for the students has increased with the passage of time as the teachers are becoming more strict and disciplined in maintaining the level of education for meritocracy. This can be explained through the new Act of 2011 wherein the school teacher is given the authority to penalise the students doing a wrong act. This action of the government in turn has helped in increasing the merit of the education sector and the students by ensuring that they are focused more on their academics rather than on indulging in undesirable activities. Furthermore, it is worth mentioning that prior to the formation of the educational Acts of 1988 and 2011, schools were majorly influenced by the social status of the people rather than the talent of the students. The success in the schools was interconnected with the gender, ethnicity along with the locality. However, with the advancement of the policies and the creation of the educational Acts, it is observed that in the current day scenario, the people are judged only on the basis of the education and every individual is provided with the same opportunity without considering the race and ethnicity. The aspect of meritocracy in the education level can be determined and reflected by the fact that the teachers of the academic institutions have to abide by the policies initiated by the government. This will help in providing equal right to the people and promote students on the basis of the qualification and knowledge gained by them. The reforms in the education sector have changed the style of teaching and education is imparted to every member of the schools or academic institutions. Meritocracy is an idea which has been reflected through the changing policies of the education sector (Riddel, 2009). The Acts of 1988 and 2011 are the foundation of the meritocracy in the education sector as they promote standard education and promotion of educational performance. It can be stated that the aspect of meritocracy is apparent in the society and for every individual with the advent and implication of the policies from The Education Reform Act 1988 and Education Act 2011. Conclusion The change in the education sector can be deemed to be evitable with the commencement of the Education Acts and reforms of 1988 and 2011. The Acts brought various changes in the UK society amid the people on the basis of their educational standard. The Act was introduced in order to ensure success of the students by imparting equal opportunity to them. This equal right given to every student gives rise to the meritocracy in respect of the educational system. The education system can be stated as meritocratic as the students are judged on the basis of their performance in the schools and not on the basis of their gender and ethnicity. Thus, it can be stated that the education system and the style of teaching have changed and have significantly given rise to meritocracy in the society of the UK for better standardisation. References Allen, A., 2011. Michael Young’s The Rise of the Meritocracy: A Philosophical Critique. British Journal of Educational Studies, Vol. 59, No. 4, 367-382. Crown, 2012. The Education Act 2011 Equalities Impact Assessment. Department for Education, pp. 1-20. Drury, B., 1992. Education, the Education Reform Act (1988) and Racial Equality. Centre for Research, pp. 1-72. Gillard, D., 2011. Education in England: a brief history. Chapter 8. [Online] Available at: http://www.educationengland.org.uk/history/chapter08.html [Accessed June 03, 2014]. Great Britain, 2011. Education Act 2011, Part 21. The Stationery Office. Machin, S., & Vignoles, A., 2006. Education Policy in UK. Centre for the Economics of Education, pp. 1-20. Policy Studies Institute, 2014. The Education Reform Act. University Of Westminster, pp. 30-38. Powell, J.L., & Edwards, M., 2005. Surveillance and Morality: Revisiting the Education Reform Act (1988) In the United Kingdom. Surveillance & Society, Vol. 3, No. 1, pp. 96-106. Paton, G., 2011. Education Act 2011: Teachers Given Powers to Search Pupils. Telegraph Media. [Online] Available at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/educationnews/8892317/Education-Act-2011-teachers-given-powers-to-search-pupils.html [Accessed June 04, 2014]. Ruotanen, T.K., 2001. The 1988 Education Reform Act and Its Consequences. The Open University, pp. 3-90. Riddel, S., 2009. Social Justice, Equality And Inclusion In Scottish Education. Discourse, Vol. 30, No 3, pp. 283-297. Read More