COVID-19 Pandemic and Strategizing the Higher Education Policies of Public Universities of Ethiopia

The purpose of the research is to investigate the impact of COVID-19 on higher education policies and their effect on students' academic performance at public universities in Ethiopia. The study adopts a quantitative approach followed by causal analysis by applying structural equation modeling. A sample of 384 has been selected through simple random sampling out of a large population of academic staff spread homogeneously across Ethiopia. The study variables are COVID-19, higher education policies, digital learning, teacher preparedness, and student academic performance. The findings reveal that the hypothesized model becomes a perfect fit. Based on the standardized coefficient, the most influencing path is the effect of higher education policy on digital learning, followed by the impact of COVID-19 on higher education policy, academic performance, and teacher preparedness, respectively. The study has further observed the partial effect of teacher preparedness on the students' academic performance.

Use of Incremental Model in Analyzing Bangladesh Education Policy 2010

Education is one of the essential components in developing a scholarly society capable of facing the demands and challenges of the twenty-first century. Education policy refers to the principles of government policymaking in the educational sector and the set of laws and norms that govern the operation of the educational system. It focuses on the effects of educational policy decisions and alternatives in the real world. It investigates the link between educational policy and practice. Even though our educational system has shortcomings, we are improving daily. Bangladesh is fully committed to the EFA goals, the Millennium Development Goals, and universal declarations. Every child between the ages of six and eighteen is entitled to free education under Article seventeen of the Bangladesh Constitution. As a result, the "National Education Policy 2010" was created using the incremental model of one of the most used public policy frameworks. The government makes incremental public policy decisions based on earlier actions. All of the model's functions are divided into distinct groups. Our educational system underwent significant changes over a long period. The incremental model's important aspects are time progression and social demand.

Falling through the Cracks: Deaf New Americans and Their Unsupported Educational Needs

Members of the Deaf New American community reported they arrived in the United States with no formal education, unable to read or write in their native language, and had zero fluency in English. Efforts to educate them have floundered, and the study aims to find out why and how to fix the problem. Interviews of eight Deaf New Americans yielded rich data that demonstrates how education policy in the form of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and other laws fail to address their needs, because these laws do not include them in their coverage. The study’s main findings are the deleterious effect of the home country’s failure to educate their Deaf citizens, America’s failure to provide accessible and effective instruction, and the combined effect of these institutional failures on the ability of Deaf New Americans to master English and find gainful employment. This article is an argument for a change in education policy that recognizes the unique nature of this community and provides for a role of Deaf educators in teaching Deaf New Americans.

The positioning of dual qualification studies in Finnish upper secondary education and government policy since the 1980s

This article explores the positioning of dual qualifications (DQs) in the Finnish education policy and the education system since the late 1980s. The analysis is carried out in the context of academic-vocational divide. At the end of the 1980s, Finland questioned the functionality of the strict academic-vocational divide in post-compulsory education, and a unified upper secondary education was initiated. DQ was the result of two contradictory political discourses: the aim to make education system more equal and the 1990s’ market oriented education policy. In the 2000s, although segregation at the upper secondary level was strengthened, the DQ simultaneously became an established study route. However, in 2007 due to changes in political power, the DQ was repositioned on the periphery of education policy and academic-vocational divide became stronger. The main focus as regards the functions of DQs until the end of the 2010s was on efforts to enhance the use of educational resources and improve the possibilities for individual and flexible education choices. The aim of the current government, elected in 2019, is to strengthen cooperation at upper secondary level, which is also expected to include DQs. However, the actualisation might be mitigated by the educational reforms of the previous government.

Toward a Rural Philosophy of Education

This essay calls for the development of a rural philosophy of education and outlines considerations toward that end. Questioning the applicability of current school reform initiatives to rural education, the essay draws on the work of rural philosopher Wendell Berry, educational historian Paul Theobald, and other rural scholars to outline considerations for the development of such an education philosophy. Education policy issues, rural history, and current economic, political, and cultural challenges are presented. Differences, strengths, and needs of rural education are highlighted as considerations that must be addressed in the formation of a philosophy of rural education.

Racial formation and education: A critical analysis of the Sewell report

The article provides an analysis and critique of the education component of the 2021 Sewell Report on Race and Ethnic Disparities. It commences by providing a critical summary of the report focusing on its spurious claims to objectivity, the erasure of racism and the inadequacy of its recommendations. The second part of the article focuses on developing a contextualised analysis of the report. Omi and Winant’s ideas about racial formation are used to provide a lens through which to interpret the Sewell report as part of a wider hegemonic project of the right to redefine what it means to be British in the context of a deepening organic crises of capitalism. The article outlines the nature of the crisis. It locates the report within a consideration of three ‘racial projects’ that have shaped education policy, namely, the nationalist, multicultural and antiracist projects. Through advocating a ‘colourblind’ approach to education policy and the selective appropriation of multicultural discourse, it will be argued that the report needs to be understood as part of a wider effort to reconfigure the nationalist project in response to crisis. It is suggested, however, that despite its many flaws, the Sewell report poses challenges for those who have traditionally been aligned to multiculturalism and antiracism in education. The article concludes by setting out a vision for a new progressive project aimed at advancing racial and cultural justice that it is suggested, can begin to address these challenges.

Students of Railway College of the Town of Taiga in 1943–1991

The present article introduces a historical analysis of students of the Technical College of Taiga in 1943–1991. The socal analysis involved factorial, structural-systemic, and historical approaches. The Technical Railway College has almost 80 years of history, which makes it one of the leading educational institutions of its branch in the country. Since 1991, it has been the Taiga Institute of Railway Transport, a branch of the Omsk State Railway University. The author identified the changes in the contigent of applicants in 1943–1991. They appeared to be connected with the development of the country and education policy. The revealed characteristics made it possible to clarify the logic of the development of a particular institution based on the changes in the forms and methods of recruitment, payment, age, etc. In this regard, recruitment acted as a set of special methods, e.g.clubs of young naturalists, contests and conferences, material base, promotion of railway professions through alumni, etc. In addition, good working conditions and high salary were important factors that attracted people to the Technical College of Taiga.

Evaluation of the Application of an Inclusive Education Policy on Screening, Identification, Assessment and Support of the Learners at Schools in South Africa

The aim of this research was to evaluate the application of an inclusive education policy on screening, identification, assessment and support of learners (SIAS) policy at South African schools. The research explores how educators screen, identify, and assess barriers to learning as well as support learners with barriers. The variables on the screening, identification, assessment and support of learners were chosen as a focal point of this study mainly because they were all variables contained in the policy which must be mastered by the educators during the policy application. A survey design of quantitative research approach was followed. Document analysis of the SIAS 2014 policy document was done over the target population of educators in primary and secondary schools. A simple random sampling technique was used to select 320 male and female respondents from both primary and secondary schools. The quantitative data were collected using a seven-point semantic differential scale which elicited responses from a total of 250 educators. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze data on the educators’ responses about the extent to which they implemented the inclusive education policy. Statistical data revealed that the implementation of the policy was modest. Educators do not effectively use the screen resources such as the learner profile to screen barriers and the Support Needs Assessment 1 is not effectively used to identify and assess the barriers experienced by learners. As a result, support of learners was found to be inadequate. An independent-samples t-test revealed that there was statistically significant difference between the means of primary and secondary schools in the application of SIAS 2014 policy. This research recommends that the teacher training institutions should capacitate aspiring educators about inclusive education policies such as the SIAS 2014 policy rationale, principles, and how the policy is to be effectively implemented at schools.