Globalisation and Education Quality in Low-Income Countries: Towards a Research Agenda
The aim of the paper is to set out a research agenda for implementing quality education in low-income countries. The paper will report on initial findings from the inception phase of a new research programme consortium (RPC), funded by DFID. The aims of the RPC are to generate new knowledge to assist governments in low-income countries, DFID and the international development community to implement initiatives that will improve the quality of education in ways that will benefit the poorest people in the world. It aims to promote gender equity as well as develop the capacity of partner institutions in Africa to become regional centres of excellence in one or more areas of education quality.
The paper commences with a resume of recent research into the links between education quality, poverty reduction and gender equity in low-income countries. It then reports on the outcomes of a series of national consultative workshops with key policy stakeholders in four African countries. The purpose was to determine the underlying view of education quality, key indicators of quality, and research priorities for improving education quality, particularly for the most disadvantaged learners in overcrowded, remote and otherwise difficult delivery contexts. It will use the findings from these workshops as a basis for a critical evaluation of the broader literature and for setting out a new research agenda.
It will be argued that an emerging agenda must take account of a changing global context and regional context as well as ongoing processes of decentralisation which place increasing demands on organisations at a local level to lead quality improvement initiatives and to encourage community participation. The outputs of research must not only address the need to create sustainable livelihoods but also the creation of a skills base that can support global integration. Research needs to take account of differing views of quality, including those that emphasise the achievement of higher learning outcomes within a more efficient use of resources and those that adopt a more capability and rights based approach. We argue that an appreciation of education quality means paying attention to learner characteristics, including socio-economic and cultural background, gender, ethnicity, urban or rural location.
Further, research must take account of enabling inputs in the areas of the curriculum, teaching and learning strategies and assessment, the role of ICTs, medium of instruction, the use of the built environment and resources to support quality education and leadership, management and community involvement. We are interested in the relationship between these and a range of outputs relating to cognitive and affective goals, including achievement in core subject areas, awareness of risks associated with HIV/AIDS and attitudes to work and community. The paper will conclude with a consideration of implementation issues and of research evidence relating to strategies to overcome these.