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<lonnieb@netactive.co.za>
I think it is missing a key point of the current global political economy
to simply say that standards of education are falling everywhere either
because it is a trend, or education is not as important as it once was.
Surely the major factor which has an impact on falling education standards
is the shift to neoliberal economic models which result in massive cutbacks
in state subsidies and support for education at all levels. In this
context, it is not surprising that in the U.S., in the U.K., as well as in
much of Africa, there is a perception (probably in most cases quite
accurate) that standards are falling. Certainly in South Africa, where many
universities have cut back in enrolments by up to 25% this year, where
there are large scale retrenchments of staff, and where the annual budget
allocation for textbooks to schools was reduced by more than 80% from 1996
to 1998, there is an economic explanation behind a fall in standards.
Having made that point, however, I would also like to note that there is a
component of the outcry against falling standards in South Africa which is
based on a racist longing for the past. This component of the outcry is
similar to what happened in the U.S. when schools were desegregated. It is
a protest against change and an adherence to colonial standards as the only
legitimate standards.
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