Education Reform in Australia - Essay Example

Student Name: Instructor’s Name: Course: Institution: Date Education Reform Introduction In the past decade, many countries have embarked on wide education reforms designed to swiftly improve the delivery of education, attain impartiality in education provision and notably improve the quality of education. A number of these education reforms have been extensive, altering the budget priorities of most countries and changing in an elementary way the approach that the governments have customarily made education services accessible and the way the public sector has worked in collaboration with the private sector. These have led to establishment of new relationships of accountability (World Bank, 2011). This paper is aimed at discussing the role of ongoing reform in education and the rationale for why these reform agendas have emerged, the types of ongoing reform that are occurring in both early childhood education and primary education in Australia, the possibilities and benefits in education reforms and what this means for teaching and learning in the 21st century and the social change that impact on education reform and teaching and learning in the 21st century. Rationale for education reforms Many countries have basically implemented education reforms following several decades of low education achievement and inequitable education admission. These reforms are therefore meant to generally achieve equity in education admission and increase coverage among low class households. This has seen major budgets increases for primary education, building projects and various compensatory programs meant for the poor. Efficiency considerations have also contributed to education reforms. Research studies have shown that the rate of return on education is higher on primary education (Verger, Novelli, & Altinyelken, 2012). A number of these education reforms are meant to improve the public funds. For instance, the cost recovery projects are aimed at supplementing the government returns when swift education development has major effect on the budget. Moreover, the funds raised can be used to enhance quality and increase education’s demand. In fact, several proponents of user fees have supported the establishment of cost recovery on the basis that such an idea can enhance quality and boost demand without considerably increasing cost barriers. In the meantime, a number of education reforms, like voucher schemes, intend to generate a market-oriented environment which promotes competition between private and public schools, improves school quality, decreases costs, and improves access to education. Moreover, vouchers are intended to allow learners admission to higher private education (Sahlberg, 2006). Decentralization programs, which are classified under management and institutional reforms, are intended to enhance effectiveness, accountability, and awareness in provision of education services. These education reforms stem from the supposition that centralized systems habitually are incapable of responding resourcefully and satisfactorily to local requirements. Decentralization programs are intended to promote local involvement and in the end enhance coverage and quality. In addition, the intensification of the private sector responsibility in voluntary education is designed to release public funds to be allocated to the compulsory primary education (Martens, Nagel, Windzio & Weymann, 2010). Lastly, currently, education has become precedence on the development agenda following several projects initiated by the international community. The international community has endorsed its obligation to worldwide primary education via the World Conference on Education for All and the globally accepted Millennium Development Goals. Moreover, unfavorable macroeconomic conditions as well as the student public resources after the debt crisis have promoted a more effective utilization of insufficient public funds (UNESCO, 2005). Types of Education reforms Decentralization reforms A government which supports a centralized administration in the education system can decide to execute management reforms through decentralizing the management of education. This can entail a transfer in accountability from the central administration to local administrations, communities, or schools. The transfer may involve a simple allocation of responsibilities from the central administration to local administrations or an absolute transfer of administrative authority. The transformations might be viewed as both administrative reforms as well as reforms which basically change relationships of responsibility and the approach in which services are supplied. Subsequently, the categorization of these transformations as institutional reforms can be fitting (Bolstad, 2011). Curriculum Reforms Many countries are designing the curriculum to be future-oriented and inclusive to ensure education sustainability. Such curriculum places the concept of citizenship amid its key objectives. It includes the development of goals and content subjects, and teaching, education and evaluation processes that stress ethical virtues, moral motivation and capacity to work with other people to aid create a sustainable future. The Australian government has adopted a National Curriculum that emphasis on humanities and social sciences. It includes systematic testing and reporting and teachers education development programs (Hipkins, 2011). Early childhood education reforms In Australia, the Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF) has been designed to provide equal access to education to all children from birth to 5 years. It stresses on importance of play-based learning since play is the greatest tool for children’s learning. Moreover, it play stimulates brain development, emotional development and literacy and numeracy learning. Also, to improve the quality of early childhood in Australia, a National Quality Framework has been developed. This framework is designed to regulate, evaluate the quality of education and care services in preschool, long day care and family day care. The Australian government has also endorsed a National Partnership Agreement on Early Childhood Education to ensure that all young children access quality early childhood education. It has also endorsed the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Universal Access Strategy to achieve universal education access (Eames, Roberts, Cooper, & Hipkins, 2010). Expenditure reform A country can decide to redistribute its expenditures to transfer expenditure from secondary or tertiary education to primary education levels. Such education reforms designed to expand education can center on targeted expenditure or the increase of coverage in particular geographic regions through a combination of public and private education support, as well as public support for private learning in marginal areas (Patrinos, Barrera-Osorio, & Guaqueta, 2009). In countries with gender inequalities in terms of education, expenditure reforms may be designed to particularly encourage girl child education. This may include building of separate girls’ schools, supply of sanitary amenities and the employment of more female teachers. Financing reform A country can decide to transform the financing of education by setting up or eliminating user fees, that is cost recovery, and initiating community financing. Cost recovery schemes may include providing free primary education, a move taken by many developing countries and offering targeted scholarships. A number of countries have abolished formal fees for textbooks, uniforms and examinations, whereas encouraging local people to donate money for construction and maintenance. Moreover, some countries have introduced voucher schemes to promote education for the poor. Community-oriented programs are aimed at making communities completely accountable for the building and maintenance of schools buildings. For example, the Australian government has come up with a Home-School Partnership aimed at encouraging parents and families to support their children’s education. Financing projects may consist of projects on the demand side, whereby resources are distributed directly toward individuals who need education instead of individuals who provide it to reinforce the consumer’s power over suppliers. Demand-side financing projects may include transfers to families, vouchers, or payments offered directly to learners who may present them to the schools of their preference. Possibilities and Benefits in Education Reforms Access to quality education services Education reforms have immediate impact on access to quality education services. For example, construction programs may improve enrollment among the low class by reducing a number of financial constraints, enhancing admission to quality higher schools and improving education quality. However, education reforms aimed at increasing user fees may lead to decrease in enrollment in schools, especially among the poor. Meanwhile, increase in school enrollment calls for capacity to accommodate the expansions. Rural schools have inadequate qualified teachers who may lack the same capacity as their city colleagues to rapidly absorb abrupt increases in enrollment. Schools in urban areas may be in a good position to recruit qualified teachers swiftly to absorb fast increases in enrollment. In this case, decentralized reforms can widen education inequalities to the degree that there exist geographical variations in the accessibility of resources. Generally, rich people are in a good position to access education resources. They can have more access to information and hence, be in a good position to fully exploit voucher schemes. Moreover, people residing in urban areas can enjoy advantages, like wider variety of quality schools, not likewise accessible to their rural counterparts (Montt, 2011). Enhance employment opportunities and reduce poverty Investment in human capital enhances income-generating competence. Education reforms can have permanent, progressive impacts on income distribution. Education reforms designed to improve education access supports human capital formation leading to increase in the long-term employment opportunities for those individual that benefit from the enhanced education opportunities. But as the team of learned employees increases, some learned employees may experience a fall in their education value. Education expansion boosts average income as well as reduces inequality (Sahlberg, 2006). However, there are second-round impacts that can alleviate the first-round benefits of education access. For example, fast increases in school enrollment may lead to decrease in the quality of education when such expansion causes sharing of limited class room. Also, even as voucher schemes might generate incentives that improve performance among public schools, it may lead to transfer of the excellent students from public schools to private schools causing general deterioration in public schools performances. Moreover, schools vouchers may lead to penalization of students from poor households through ‘cream-skimming’ as students from richer household transfer from schools which are accepting vouchers to high-quality schools (Levin, 2002). Power and Authority Education reforms reallocate power and authority. Generally, they reallocate resources in the form of prospects, transfers and the fairness of education. For example, management reforms may transfer authority from a central department to local departments. Expenditure reform may lead to reallocation of funds in schools to encourage girl education, leading to women empowerment. Moreover, education reforms may lead to development of accountability relationships, like between schools and local communities, between government and the private sector and among managements, teachers, and parents (Gershberg, González, & Meade, 2012). The impact of social change on education Reforms The knowledge-base society The 21st century society is rapidly experiencing changes in knowledge with high demands for new knowledge and studying throughout life. There is increasing demand for higher education calling for more public funding for higher learning institutions. Enhanced access to higher education and the growing utilization of current knowledge to create new knowledge, has transformed the manner people work and value knowledge itself. To achieve much greater exploration and dynamism in education, it is critical to reform schools’ curriculum as a profusion of knowledge lead to increased abundance in curriculum content (Resnick, 2010). Technology change The 21st century has witnessed considerable technology development which has created many opportunities for learning. Nowadays, students can learn through a range of technological means, such as computers and video-conferencing. There is also growing emphasis on e-learning which signal an increase of the curriculum possibilities. To improve pedagogy, it is critical for teachers to learn relevant technological skills. Students from poor households may not be able to access these technologies and therefore there is need to invest in these digital resources (McDowall, 2011). Cultural change The growing diversity and equity in the 21st century that has led to education reform so as to bridge the differences and promote mutual respect, lenience and understanding between individuals of diverse tribes, races, cultures, gender, religion and sexuality. Development of pedagogy is needed to address the diversity of students, school communities and clients (Leu, 2005). Moreover, there is growing proof that the wealthy are becoming wealthier and the poor are becoming poorer. There is therefore a convincing need for equity in education access and opportunity. Globalization Globalization has several impacts on education reforms. The global knowledge economy demands and compensates those who are highly educated and more experienced. As a result, there is growing need for education expansion in primary, secondary and tertiary levels. To be competitive in the world economy, countries need to invest in human capital formation. They have therefore designed competition-oriented, equity-oriented and finance-oriented reforms aimed at increasing economic productivity through enhancing the quality of labor and of institutions of education. Examples of such reforms entail decentralization, curriculum, expenditure and financing. This has seen many countries increasing their educational budget. Moreover, globalization has led to the perception of education as a human right and therefore everyone should have access to it (Bolstad, 2011). Conclusion Several developments have acted as catalysts for education reform. The world economy transformation, education inequalities and outcome emerging from educational research on economic development, returns to education, as well as consumer fees, among numerous other factors, have contributed greatly to the drive for education reforms. In particular, a more market-centered world economy has promoted initiatives meant for creating a more market-centered environment for education provision, as well as measures to promote public-private strategies. Education reforms include decentralization, curriculum, expenditure, financing and early childhood reforms. Benefits for education reform include improved access to quality education, enhancement in employment opportunities and poverty alleviation and empowerment. Social changes that impact on education reform include globalization, advance in technology, knowledge-based society and diversity and equity in education. References Bolstad, R. (2011). Taking a “future focus” in education—what does it mean? 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