National factors of a country are closely related with
nationalism and national system of education. In the study of Comparative Education
we will discuss the factors which make the education of a country national.
1. Geographical Factors
q Chaube and Chaube: “The various
countries of the world have different
geographical positions. Therefore, their modes of living, culture,
civilization, social institutions and education systems are also different.
Geography affects every sphere of life and in many ways shapes the lives of a
people”.
q The geography of any particular
place is often natural, which means that it is undefined by man. Education
system is influenced by the geography of the particular region. The geography
of a particular area dictates the type of building and equipment, means and
methods of transporting children to school, school going age of pupils among
others.
q Three major geographical aspects… climatic conditions, population distribution
and land configuration.
q In regard to Climatic Conditions they influence the system of education in
terms of ,content of education depend
on the continental climate, for example, training of teachers in the
university is likely to emphasize more on university base training.
q In regard to Population Distribution, which is often as a result of
geographical influence also affects the educational system. worldwide,
population is either concentrated in the urban centers, or scattered in the
country side having two systems of education, that is, one for the urban areas
and the other for rural areas.
q In regard to Land Configuration, this also influences the education system in
terms of architectural structure of farm houses, school buildings, village
location and also the whole way of life and thinking of people. By and large
land configuration determines settlement and location of schools.
2. Economic Factors
q The type of education largely
depends on the economic strength of any
country, it determines the content & method of an education system.
Formal education is often possible where production exceeds consumption.
q From an economic perspective,
expenditure on education refers to the amount
or %age of national revenue spent on education by both individuals and
the govt.
q If the economic condition is poor,
education becomes backward in many aspects while if the economy of a country is
strong, then educational aims & the curriculum are given a special
direction for making the country prosperous.
q Examples of Britain, France, Japan
and the USA… enough grant allocation and enough funds to support ..
q The case of developing countries,
very scarce funds, which affect even
payment of teachers salaries, essential resource materials.. This greatly
affects the nature of the systems of education in terms of the content and
methods in learning institutions and in essence the whole system of education.
3. The Social & Cultural Factors
q Schools at large often and closely
reflect the social patterns prevailing in a particular country. Education
system is usually seen as a social factor which must reflect the philosophy of
the people that it serves.
q The prime aim of education is to
ensure cultural continuity through fostering the growth and development of
national characteristics that often act as stabilizing forces. A culture of a
society is the total way of life of the society.
q Every society consist of human
beings and in whatever state they find themselves they always have some kind of
educational system. This form of education of the society always strives to effect and protect its
traditions and aspirations.
q A close study and analysis of each
education system always reveal the cultural concept and pattern of the
community. Also the social patterns of the people in any particular community
or country are reflected in its system of education.
q The culture of the people often
changes at a slow pace. In each culture, there are certain values which are not
affected by time and place, for example, faith in God, love for truth and
non-violence and the ideal of universal motherhood and justice are the
permanent values of many cultures of the world. However, radical reforms in a
society may be slowed down or blocked at the level of implementation because of
the cultural lag.
q Another view of cultural &
social change is in the reshaping of the educational machinery to make for
equality of educational opportunity for all. This has led to widening of school
curriculum and increased emphasis on the importance of right kind of technical
education for new technological age.
4. The Historical Factor
q Each country of the world has its
own history that shapes the national aims, aspirations, activities and destiny,
often reflected through the educational system.
q Colonialism has been an important
historical factor that can be said to have shaped the education system of many
countries in the world.
q The missionary factor also
contributed a great deal in shaping the system of education in most countries.
q Christian missionaries in particular
from Britain, France, Holland, Germany, Switzerland, US largely influenced the
development education system in Africa.
q The present systems of education in
many countries of Africa, Asia, North and South America are actual products of
past colonial influence.
q Similarities and differences of
education systems all over the world
have a history behind them.
5. Political Factors
q Throughout history the kind and
amount of education given has depended on the waxing or waning of political outlook or belief. (Vernon
Mallinson, 1966: 41)
q If a political party gains power it
wants the education system to be consistent with its ideology. Thus, the Govt.
controlled by that political movement or party will institute programs it feels
are necessary ‘for the good of the nation’.
q The political philosophy which
controls the Govt. of a country often has its inevitable impact on education.
q The political factor dictates the
kind of administration the system of education will have. They also underlie
the features in education system and the functioning of the same.
q A close relationship between the
national character and the national system of education and the former has been
universally accepted as an important basis of national system of education.
q For example, the national character
of USA & Japan is democratic as such its education system is democratic in
most of its aspects.
6. Language Factors
q Many languages may be spoken in a
country, but only one enjoys the status of a national language. In every
country the national language occupies a special place. Also every govt. tries
to ensure that every one acquires the capacity to express himself through the
national language. Without one's own national language, no country can be said
to be strong.
q Language in itself is a symbol of
the people. Each community or group has an original language of its own which
often suits its environment and stage of cultural development. It is through
language that individuals become members of a community and this is important
in building the national character.
q Through the native language, the
child has the first expression of himself/herself and the world.
q However, in the modern world…increasing use of
foreign language especially in the school system. This requires a child before
entering school to learn the foreign language.
q In most cases, before entering
school the child acquires proficiency in mother tongue or native language and
in so doing builds up vocabulary covering most of the objects of sense,
impression and daily activities. This means using a different and a foreign
language in school system means applying on this basis a language of ideas
expressed entirely in a foreign medium and this often poses a problem to the
learners.
7. Religious Factor
q Religion is one such factor which
has influenced education more than any other single factor. (Sodhi, 1983: 25)
q The religion one chooses to follow
can determine whether one’s children go to school or not. For instance, in
Zimbabwe some members of the Apostolic Faith sect refuse to allow their
children to go to school at all.
q Religious loyalties dictate aims, content and even methods of
instruction in education. Indeed, religion and beliefs have also been known to influence
and shape aspects in education system.
8. Technological Factors
q Modern technology influence the education system of the
country. Historically, emphasis on industrial and technical education followed
the industrial revolution.
q Technology affects the type of education as
well as the means of instruction. With the emergence of computer technology,
internet technology, this has revolutionalized the whole education system..
q Through ICT, home learning has been
made possible. Universities are also adopting projects like e-learning.
9. Consciousness of National Unity
q Only that system of education can be
called national which strengthens a feeling of national unity. In each country
there are various communities, religions, classes and languages. Therefore, the
feeling of national unity is necessary to bring these varying units together.
q The people in US and India are
varying races and languages. Hence it was necessary in these countries to bring
the people into one fold by disregarding their provincial and regional
differences. In the achievement of these objective, education has played a
vital role.
10. National Character
q There is a close relationship
between the national character and national system of education. For instance
the national character of USA is democratic, so its education system is
democratic in most of its aspect. In china the national character is
communistic so its education system is governed by communisms.
q Philosophy of life as followed in a
country formulates its pattern of education. This philosophy of life also
shapes national character.
11. Effects of Race Relations
q The simply means a group of people
from the same geographical location see themselves as one and begin to
discriminate against others who are not from their geographical location. This
is very common in Nigeria.
q In order to overcome this problem of
ethnicity or racial, the federal government introduced National youth Service
Corps Scheme, Federal Government Colleges, Unity Schools, and Quota System for
Federal so that every State of the Federation will be taken care of anything.
q In the South Africa, the Africans
who were the sons of the land were heavily discriminated against by the whites.
The schools being attended by the children of the whites were superior to the
schools being attended by the children of the blacks.
12. Gender Issues
q The traditional ascription of
feminine and masculine standards of behavior, division of labor and family
responsibilities have been the main barriers in achieving female education
equal to that of males.
q In the rural areas, the poor people
send only their sons to school, but female children are kept without schooling.
Developing countries have not been able
to provide adequate opportunities for the girls to acquire education.
q Disparity in educational
opportunities is the result of factors such as geographical, socio-economic,
customs and local traditions, lack of separate schools for girls, lack of
qualified female teachers, poverty, socio-cultural bias against female
education, and lack of interest by parents in educating their daughters, school
distance from home (Ashraf, 2008).
13. Curriculum and textbooks
q Curricula influences the education system of the
country. It reflects the culture of specific country.
q Poor curricula in developing
countries… in terms of both scope and sequence,,, lacks relevance to students`
life & is inappropriate for a bi-lingual system.
q The difference of study courses in
the public & private institutes.
q The curriculum and textbooks seem to
have been driven more by experts and subject specialists with very little input
from practicing teachers and local administrators. Hence they are done more in
a scholarly way suggesting what children should learn rather than what they can
learn.
q Textbooks do not seem to be keeping
pace with the time, considering children's experiences and age level. Teachers
thus resort to encourage rote learning methods rather than developing
children's understanding and thinking.
14. Teacher effectiveness
q Teachers
play a vital role in making education system effective. Direct impact of
teachers on personal and professional development of student achievement.
q Out-dated
curriculum for teacher training with little relevance to practical problems
that the teachers face. Existing teacher training programs in Pakistan have not
improved in the content knowledge and practice of teaching.
q Status of
teaching profession in Pakistan is low ( Halai, 2007). Teachers are under paid
and do not have a promising career ladder. Thus it fails to attract the best
talents.
15.Cost of Education
q The cost of education is another
determinant for parents to decide whether to send their children; to Govt.
schools, private schools or no schools. Cost of education has increased further
due to increased inflation. (Andrabi et.al 40).
q The paradox is that private schools
are better but not everywhere and Governments schools ensure equitable access
but do not provide quality education.
16. Returns to Education- A misconception
Geeta Kingdon, in “Education, Skills, and Labor Market
Outcomes: Evidence from Pakistan” explained that returns to education are
significantly greater for women than men in almost all occupations. This could
be due to shortage of educated women nevertheless; women actually earn less
than men because of lack of equal opportunities.
Returns to wage employment as well as returns to
self-employment increase with the increasing years of education for both
genders. This implies the presence of misconception of education having negative
returns due to the forgone income. Thus there is a strong need to make the
students and their parents aware that returns to education increase with an
additional year of education.
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