Reforming Education through the Lenses of Competence-based Education: A Marxist critique

Njih, Clement Bang and Kum, Henry Asei (2023) Reforming Education through the Lenses of Competence-based Education: A Marxist critique. Journal for Critical Education Policy Studies.. ISSN 2051-0969 (Accepted for Publication)

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Abstract

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.
Key words: Marxist education policy; Policy adaptation; Competence based education; Bureaucratic policy resilience; School actor empowerment

Item Type:	Article
Keywords:	Marxist education policy; Policy adaptation; Competence based education; Bureaucratic policy resilience; School actor empowerment
Faculty / Department:	Faculty of Education and Social Sciences > School of Education
Depositing User:	Henry Kum
Date Deposited:	01 Feb 2023 09:32
Last Modified:	12 Nov 2024 14:25
URI:	https://hira.hope.ac.uk/id/eprint/3769

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