The relationship between education and politics is complex and dynamic. There are occasions when the educational institution functions to reinforce the political system and consequently the status quo. At other times the is challenge to the political system from the educational system. This dynamic relationship can at times become volatile. The pervasive situation however is that education reinforces and supports the political institution in a country.
Education and Politics
(Iqbal, Azam, & Abiodullah, 2009) (Berry, 2008) (Stiggins, 2008)
The interaction between politics and education
Institutions are a critical part of the social structure. They work in combination and individually to reproduce the social structure. Two of the most dominant institutions in society are education and politics. The relationship between the two is not necessarily reciprocal but rather hierarchal and symbiotic. The educational institutions through schools, universities, and other institutes of learning reproduce the values and norms that reinforce the political system of a country. Both systems are necessary an understanding of their interaction however is dependent on the theoretical perspective that is applied to assess the existing system. Interestingly however there is a competing view that considers education as a "liberal force" (Carnoy 1975). The understanding is that it challenges the dominant systems and creates change.
An institution is a structure or mechanism of social order (Searle 2005). Institutions are the result of patterned ordered behavior over an extensive period of time. The construction and function of institutions differ based on the perspective that is adopted by the analyst. The functionalist perspective considers institutions not only as necessary parts of society but as social constructions that assist in producing and maintaining order. Institutions tend to reinforce the status quo and tend towards conservative action. The emergent nature of institutions suggests that there is no conscious individual action that results in institutions but they are the product of society as a general form.
Russell (1916) posited that education was a political institution (Para 2). This view suggests that educational institutions do not exist aimlessly but they are directed toward specific goals. The impartation of knowledge through educational institutions is a political process as that knowledge is designed to affect the norms and values of the individuals who participate in the political process. Education consequently is a conservative system that will reproduce the types of political systems within a country (Myer 1977).
In a democratic society the educational systems will reinforce the value of democracy. This reinforcing is accomplished through a complex system of teaching, and norms and values transfer. This suggests that education will give predominance to a democratic system as compared to other political systems. This could include presenting democracy as a better system and teaching democratic values to students in the classroom. There is often a thin line between the teaching of values and the creation of a system of propaganda. In many countries educational systems are used to present ideas that are incorrect.
In democratic countries there is a dominance of the idea of freedom and individual responsibility. Freedom is given preeminence over any kind of collectivist notions. Freedom and American "exceptionalism" is a dominant theme within the American educational system. The converse occurs in socialist countries where they would give support to collectivist notions. This practice by governments to use the educational systems to advance their agendas is a form of social control. In this regard education reinforces the status quo and maintains the power structures that are entrenched within a society.
The presentation of propaganda is one of the ways political agendas are advanced using the educational system. Historically, educational systems are used to teach ideas that are often scientifically false. An example of this would be the teaching of the inferiority of blacks as a way to shape the argument on race relations during the slavery period. A more recent example of that practice would be the attempt to change the content of text books to shape the concerns relating to the evolution and creation debate. The pro-creation side of the debate would like text books to not contain statements that support evolution. The debate for civil rights and in particular gay rights required educational changes to advance the movement. The gay rights movement while political is supported by having an educational system that suggests gays should have rights. This approach uses education to shape the ideas of future generations and that influences the political process.
Political institutions of a country are predominantly concerned with the distribution of power and resources. Under these conditions the stakes are very high as the loss of political power will result in losing the ability to influence the transfer of wealth within the country. Political structures tend to function in a similar manner without regard to the type of political system that is within the country.
The previous comments suggest that educational systems are highly conservative and only reinforce the status quo and existing structures. A divergent view however is that education challenges the status quo. This occurs in two ways, the first is through educational imperialism where foreign powers attempt to influence the politics of other countries through education.
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