Politics, Policies and Progress

The influence of politics on policy, whether at local, national or international levels, has far-reaching implications for educational development. Globalisation, international aid, the knowledge economy and the marketisation of education are well-recognised terms to describe complex processes which exert powerful and often competing pressures on education systems. In a contested and interdependent arena, they raise urgent questions about progress in education.

How do the dynamics of power influence the framing of educational policy and its commitment to developing human capabilities and social justice? What do the resulting strategies imply for progress in education and human development, and how they are implemented? Where is the political will to create programmes which enable and value new forms of work, eliminate poverty, protect environments, and fight disease? What learning will empower minorities, halt corruption, prevent financial instability and armed conflict? As education increasingly becomes a traded commodity, how can it transform the lives of those who do not enjoy the power of purchase?

The conference will once again bring together a wide constituency of participants, including policy makers, administrators, teachers, civil society representatives and researchers from all spheres of education and training. They will engage with these and other questions and seek to address future policy challenges.

To read more about the conference, click here.