In Reform Act Reflect The Marketisation Of Education Essay Example

or close, whereas the funding of schools is based on the another.These ideas of open enrolment were taken from the Austrian economist Hayek and used by the New Right, who wished to move away from monopolistic state provision and make schools more entrepreneurial and efficient, as well as to provide freedom of choice to the consumers.Critics of education markets draw attention to the fact that the theory of marketisation is very different to the practice of marketisation, and that in reality perhaps schools selective and economic purposes become more important than their pastoral, academic and citizenship roles.

This also means that markets can put schools educative purposes at risk, as 'image' may become more important than substance, and thus portraying the senior staff as businessmen.Furthermore, critics, such as Ball, argue that the original idea of meritocracy is lost, as although the consumers obtain the power of choice, the schools with the greatest market capacity will always gain the upper hand. In addition there is not equality of opportunities to begin with, as, for example, schools in middle-class areas with good buildings and resources to begin with are obviously in a better position to attract consumers than schools set up in lower-class areas with poor buildings and resources.Finally, Ball argued in 1994 that resources are wasted on marketing and testing, as league tables, on which choices are made, use raw data, making simple comparisons impossible. "The implementation of market reforms in education is essentially a class strategy which has as one of its major effects the reproduction of relative social class (and ethnic) advantages and disadvantages.

" - Ball, 19941The idea of the New Vocationalism is that the

education system should contribute to economic growth by providing a more skilled and productive workforce through the Government involvement of training pupils for work. Liberal educational values have always stressed the importance of 'education for its own sake' and its significance in relation to the individual development. Restricted academic education aims to produce the 'educated' person, whereas vocational training aims to either produce trainees with flexible skills useful for a variety of low-skilled occupations or to prepare people for a specific occupation.However, initial attempts at such a programme received high criticism, with claims that such training schemes were a means of covering up high unemployment figures and supply a source of cheap labour. They were regarded as a 'con' by those involved in the training, and simply a way of keeping young people off the street and preventing them from turning to crime.

Fortunately the introduction of NVQs and GNVQs in 1991 provided youths with a much broader course schedule relating to a wider range of vocational areas, like health and social care.Yet a national survey conducted by the Southampton University in 1996 showed that all efforts to improve the scheme had failed. It found that students still regard such qualifications as work-related rather than useful for continuing onto a higher education. The research found that vocationalism is still regarded as a second-rate education, with only a quarter of those taking a vocational qualification even planning to continue through to a higher education.Supporters of the New Vocationalism argue that it gives the less academic person more opportunities in life, thus allowing them to obtain some form of qualification. It also keeps unemployment levels down, as more

post-16 students will leave college with a qualification they are able to use effectively, so keeping more people in work.

Finally the scheme socialises students into work life and gives them the first hand experience of work situations, as well as creating a specialised, skilled labour force, resulting in an increase in the competitiveness of the economy.However, critics of the scheme claim that such work experience doesn't necessarily always lead to a job and prevent young people turning to crime and is a form of exploitation by providing cheap labour. This consequently leads to profit maximisation.There is also the argument that although it is supply people with the opportunity of a job, they are only gain the experience in one area of unskilled work. Therefore, it leads them down a narrow path, in which there is no way of turning back unless quitting.

Finally, despite all state efforts vocational training is still viewed and treated as an inferior qualification and is seen as second-rate to A-level qualifications.Although, the Education Reform Act of 1988 mainly reflected the marketisation of education and the introduction of New Vocationalism, on contemplation this was perhaps not the best option, yet maybe it was the only available one. Even though both lead to much criticism, they did still solve some problems, like giving the working-class the opportunity to a better education before and beyond sixteen. Finally I feel that all schemes like these will always receive criticism from at least one group of theorists, therefore it is up to the Government of the time to decide what is the best way to deal with the problem and follow the national feeling, which, in

conclusion, I think was achieved in this case.