Free Education Policy Research Articles

Implementing Free Primary Education in a Crisis Context: COVID-19 and Education Reform in South Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo

In September 2019, the Democratic Republic of the Congo implemented a new policy abolishing tuition fees in primary education. A few months later, schools closed for 4.5 months due to the COVID-19 pandemic. How did the lockdown affect the implementation of the free education policy? Did it reduce or enhance its effects? This article examines the experience of schools and teachers in two districts in South Kivu affected by armed conflict. Based on a survey of 752 teachers and 637 parents, as well as 157 qualitative interviews in 55 schools, we show that, supported by the free education policy, enrollment remained stable, and the relations between teachers and parents did not seem to deteriorate despite a near complete lack of teaching activity during the period of school closure. However, the hardships associated with the pandemic have made the financial circumstances of teachers on precarious contracts previously paid via tuition fees even more unsustainable. Their quitting the profession in increasing numbers threatens the stability of the school system. Thus, introducing free primary education is not a panacea in the context of a crisis. The sustainability of such reform requires an ambitious and comprehensive overhaul of human resources.

FORMATION OF SOFT SKILLS OF STUDENTS IN THE EDUCATIONAL PROCESS OF HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTION

The article is devoted to the characteristics of the peculiarities of the formation of soft skills of higher education in the educational process of higher education. To achieve this goal, general scientific methods were used: analysis, synthesis, comparison, concretization, generalization, content analysis. The following essential features of soft skills are singled out: coverage of competencies that contribute to the self-realization of future professionals and are individualized in terms of content, target, time and personal dimension; complexity, etc. Emphasis is placed on the need for active formation and intensive development of soft skills in students at the stage of study in higher education institutions. The importance of soft skills formation in the context of criteria for assessing the quality of the educational program and descriptors of the National Qualifications Framework is substantiated. It is emphasized that the formation of soft skills of students in the educational process depends on the policy of free economic education. Positive practice includes the pervasiveness of soft skills formation both within certain educational components (compulsory and optional) and extracurricular activities of higher education institutions. It is stated that the organization of the educational process in higher education institutions does not yet have universal technologies for the formation of soft skills. Teaching methods such as small group work, creative exercises, case method, role and business games, debate, discussion, interactive method, brainstorming, project method, facilitation, training, personal and professional portfolio creation, independent research, heuristic method – should be used in the educational process of modern universities for the formation and development of soft skills. Possibilities of non-formal education for self-development of soft skills are analyzed.
 Keywords: soft skills; educational process; teaching methods; learning technologies; personal development; educational program; professional training; non-formal education; self-development.

Influence of Parents, Peers and the Public on the Behavior of Street Children in Khartoum, Sudan

Children living on the streets are a common sight in Khartoum, the capital city of Sudan, and other parts of the country. These children have been exposed to many types of pressure which influence behavior outcomes. This study aims to investigate the street children’s socioeconomic profiles and examine the social-psychological influence of parents, peers and the public on the children’s behavior. A systematic sampling technique was used to select 12 markets in Khartoum state. 350 street children from the 12 markets volunteered for the face-to-face interview administered questionnaire. The study found that parents stressors and peers stressors significantly influence the children to perform maladaptive behavior. However, the public did not have any significant effect on children’s maladaptive behavior. The study suggests intervention programs should be applied to stop children from ending up on the streets by providing families with a basic income to guarantee children's welfare, security and sense of family life. To stop children from going back to the streets, a free education policy, fee waivers and free meals for poor children are recommended.

Sustainability and Free Education Policy: An Examination of Public Secondary Schools in Ogun State, Nigeria.

Sustainability and Free Education Policy: An Examination of Public Secondary Schools in Ogun State, Nigeria.

A Study on the High School Free Education Policy Using a Multi-Dimensional Policy Analysis Model

목적 본 연구에서는 고교 무상교육 정책의 도입과 시행 전 과정을 실증적으로 분석하였다. 방법 정책이 공론화된 2012년부터 시행되고 있는 2021년까지의 고교 무상교육정책 관련 선거공약, 국회회의록, 정책연구 보고서, 학술지 및 선행연구, 뉴스 기사 및 여론 조사 등을 수집하였다. 동 정책을 종합적인 관점에서 검토하기 위해 수집된 자료를 다차원 정책분석 모형을 적용하여 각 차원별로 분석하였다. 결과 고교 무상교육 정책은 공평한 교육기회 제공, 교육의 공공성 강화를 추구하고 있으며, 정책의 시행을 위해 국회(법 제정), 교육부(시행방안 강구), 시⋅도 교육청(소요액의 47.5% 부담)이 상호작용하였다. 정책의 시행에 대해 교육수혜자와 정치인 및 정당은 긍정적인 반면에, 교원 및 교원단체는 부정적이었다. 정책의 시행 시기와 시행 학년을 두고 여⋅야 간의 갈등이 있었지만 시행에 대해서는 합의한 것으로 볼 수 있으며, 2025년 이후의 재원 확보 마련이 해결되어야 할 과제로 남아있다. 결론 고교 무상교육 정책의 지속성을 보장하기 위해 재원 확보 방안의 법제화가 이루어져야 하며, 교육 여건 및 질 보장을 위해 효율적인 예산 배분 및 지출이 이루어져야 한다. 또한, 시⋅도 교육청의 재정 부담을 경감할 수 있는 방안이 마련되어야 할 것이다.

#FreeHigherEducation# in the Post-Apartheid Era:The Legitimacy Battle

Underpinned by institutional legitimacy, this study explores how South African public university executives struggled to maintain legitimacy during an unplanned radical change process. Universities faced a national upheaval of a violent student protest, by far the biggest disruption since the end of Apartheid; and the government introduced a free higher education policy in a sudden with a hope to stop the student #FeeMustFall# movement. We used phenomenology to collect data through interviews, observations, and documents and then thematically analyzed various institutional legitimacy forms. Our findings show that a radical change without proper planning can severely damage institutions in all aspects of normative, empirical, leadership, moral and pragmatic legitimacy. The study advances existing institutional legitimacy theories by illustrating how legitimacy can be ruined and create adverse effects during unplanned radical change. It also implies some good suggestions for policymakers and higher education managers in the management into learning and education for a sustainable world.

Socioeconomic Factors That Contribute to Criminal Behaviors in Louisiana: Policy Implications

This study investigates the socioeconomic factors that contribute to criminal behaviors in Louisiana by focusing on the residents’ perceptions. The study used a survey instrument through the help of google doc (internet) to sample 110 residents of Louisiana across the following cities: Lafayette, Baton Rouge, New Orleans, and Lake Charles. The study was purely descriptive in nature. The study found that the following socioeconomic factors influences criminal activities in the state of Louisiana: modern society, high poverty, low education, and race/ethnicity. The majority of the respondents were of the opinion that the modern society and its structure as well as low education attainment, and high poverty rates play significant role in influencing criminal behaviors. The study therefore suggests that policymakers and law enforcement agencies should enforce the free education policy in the state in order increase the number of people attaining high school certificates/education and to some extent college education. The study further suggests that policymakers should also make available financial aid resources that could easily be accessible by students as a way to motivate them to go to school. More jobs and equal opportunities should be given to all citizens irrespective of body color (or race) to minimize income inequality gap, and poverty among the citizens. Keywords: Crime, Education, Modern-Society, Poverty, Criminal-behavior, Socioeconomic, and Policy DOI: 10.7176/PPAR/11-7-04 Publication date: August 31 st 2021

Analysis of the Open University of Brazil Program as a National Policy for Public Distance Education in Brazil

This paper aims to understand how free distance education policies in Brazil, the Open University of Brazil (OUB) System, and public relations between this program and the weakening of distance education in Brazilian public education. Discuss the relationships between DE and teacher training in Brazil, as well as the program's weaknesses in directing teaching, and engage in dialogue with DE resistances in other areas of training in Brazilian public universities. We point out the ineffectiveness of expanding vacancies to train teachers and the perspective of planning the use of distance education in public universities, or what leads to the growing resistance to this model of education within institutions. Finally, that to strengthen distance education in Brazilian public education, and it is necessary to set aside programs of unstable duration, such as the OUB, and to think about public policies that affect the regularity and breadth of training areas in distance education.

The effect of government expenditure and free maternal health care policy (FMHC) on household consumption in Ghana

PurposeIn Covid-19 pandemic era when most households' members have lost their jobs and incomes, the government assistance and programs in ensuring household consumption smoothing is very significant. The main objectives of this study are to analyze the impact of government expenditure and free maternal healthcare (FMHC) policy on household consumption expenditure in Ghana in both long run and short run.Design/methodology/approachThey used the ARDL to estimate the impact of government expenditure on household consumption and Segmented Linear Regression to examine impact of FMHC policy household consumption using longitudinal data from 1967 to 2018.FindingsThe results revealed that government expenditure had a negative and statistically significant effect on household consumption expenditure suggesting that government expenditure crowed-out private consumption in Ghana. Also, it was observed that before the implementation of the FMHC policy, there was an increase household consumption expenditure, but after the introduction of the FMHC policy, the study household consumption expenditure decreases significantly suggesting that FMHC policy has strong association with household consumption in Ghana.Research limitations/implicationsDue to limited data availability, this study did not assess the impact of the FMHC policy at the household or district level. Also, Ghana has introduced a free senior high school education policy in 2017 so further research could analyze the implications of these policies for household consumption in Ghana at the micro-level using different estimation technique such as the difference in difference.Practical implicationsThe study suggests the need to increase public spending on basic social amenities and also extend the free maternal healthcare policy to all pregnant women especially those in the rural areas of Ghana as these have a greater impact on household consumption in Ghana. The findings from this study have important implications for household savings and interest rate in Ghana. The findings from this study also have important implications for both fiscal policy and healthcare policy in Ghana and other developing countries.Originality/valueTo the best of my knowledge this is the first empirical study to examine the effect of government expenditure and free maternal healthcare policy on household consumption in Ghana.

The Role of Low-cost Private Secondary Schools in Rural Kenya Under the ‘Free Secondary Education Policy’

This study aims to understand the role of private secondary schools in rural Kenya under the Free Secondary Education Policy. Data were collected from four private schools over two months in 2018 and 2019. All the schools had experienced instability due to low enrolment, particularly after the policy was implemented in 2018. The decline in the schools’ income also affected the quality of education. However, the results suggest that some students prefer to complete their education at private schools as low-expense-boarders or as beneficiaries of fee discounts. Other students choose private schools to avoid overcrowded classrooms and travel far, especially when excluded from public schools. This study argues that despite limited learning resources, private secondary schools in rural Kenya have an important place in the public education system outside of the academic pyramid of public schools.

The Impacts of Fee - Free Education Policy in Junior Secondary Schools in Tanzania

This study was based to examine the impacts of Fee-Free Education Policy in Junior Secondary Schools in Tanzania. The study used secondary data which were collected from the Ministry of Education Science and Technology (MOEST), National Examination Council of Tanzania (NECTA), United Republic of Tanzania (URT), Buchosa District Education Officer (BDEO), and other Non-governmental institutions. Finally, data were analyzed and presented. Data collection was guided by four objects such as the number of classrooms, the number of teachers, the number of students enrolled, and students’ pass rate. The findings from this study demonstrated that a fee-free education policy has shown a direct impact on junior secondary education. Through national examination, the students’ pass rate has improved, also to some extent number of teaches has increased. Apart from that, number of classrooms are imbalance with number of students. Therefore, this study recommended that the Tanzanian government should employ more qualified teachers, at the same time to build more classes to accommodate the number of students.

AKSESIBILITAS PENDIDIKAN GRATIS PADA SEKOLAH SWASTA DI GORONTALO UTARA

This study aims to examine the accessibility of free education policies at senior high school of private schools in Kwandang sub-district, Gorontalo Utara districts. This type of research is a case study research, with a descriptive qualitative approach. The data sources used interviews, observations, and documentation. The results showed that the free education policy for private schools in Gorontalo Utara districts has fulfilled several aspects, namely: 1) Legal Protection, 2) Budget Sources, 3) Free Education Policy Design, 4) Implementing Organizations, 5) Free Education Costs, 6) Fund Distribution and Disbursement, 7) Accountability and Evaluation. Public accessibility to free education policies are carried out in the context of 1) stimulating equitable distribution of education in the regions, as well as providing opportunities for the less fortunate for sustainable education, 2) narrowing the space for the existence of education costs that burden students 3) encouraging private schools to compete realizing quality education, 4) providing moral and material encouragement for underprivileged children to obtain an education that was previously loaded with various types of financing items, 5) improving the quality of human resources (HR) in private schools, 6) reducing the level of children dropping out of school, ignorance, unemployment and poverty, 7) assisting students in getting the education and learning services in order to develop themselves based on their talents, interests, intelligence, and abilities, 8) assisting private schools in fulfilling adequate educational facilities and infrastructure.

CHALLENGES AND CONSTRAINTS TO ENHANCE THE ENTREPRENEURSHIP EDUCATION IN HIGHER EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS OF A DEVELOPING COUNTRY: EVIDENCE FROM SRI LANKA

This study through an exploratory approach review the challenges and constraints faced in enhancing entrepreneurship education in developing countries using Sri Lanka as a case study. Previous studies on the subject matter is very scarce and even in international journals only few papers appeared on entrepreneurship education in developing countries. The purpose of this paper is to study the current entrepreneurship education system in Sri Lankan state universities with reference to challenges and constraints and to propose an action plan to raise entrepreneurship education in Sri Lanka to be in par with that of developed nations so that these universities can act as the centerpieces of business innovations and entrepreneurship development. This paper employs an exploratory study approach by analyzing current entrepreneurship education system in Sri Lanka by reviewing secondary data such as various journals and government publications to build the arguments and recommendations outlined. Among constraints and challenges for the development of entrepreneurship education, lack of resources, lack of entrepreneurial skills in lecturers, poor stake-holder engagement, weak government policies and industry � university gap are common to most developing countries. In addition with its free education policy, Sri Lankan universities are faced with strict university entrance procedures and lack of selection of desired courses for majority of students. Findings of this study and salient suggestions will be an invaluable toolkit for policy makers to design effective strategies for entrepreneurship education in developing countries.

CHALLENGES AND CONSTRAINTS TO ENHANCE THE ENTREPRENEURSHIP EDUCATION IN HIGHER EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS OF A DEVELOPING COUNTRY: EVIDENCE FROM SRI LANKA

This study through an exploratory approach review the challenges and constraints faced in enhancing entrepreneurship education in developing countries using Sri Lanka as a case study. Previous studies on the subject matter is very scarce and even in international journals only few papers appeared on entrepreneurship education in developing countries. The purpose of this paper is to study the current entrepreneurship education system in Sri Lankan state universities with reference to challenges and constraints and to propose an action plan to raise entrepreneurship education in Sri Lanka to be in par with that of developed nations so that these universities can act as the centerpieces of business innovations and entrepreneurship development. This paper employs an exploratory study approach by analyzing current entrepreneurship education system in Sri Lanka by reviewing secondary data such as various journals and government publications to build the arguments and recommendations outlined. Among constraints and challenges for the development of entrepreneurship education, lack of resources, lack of entrepreneurial skills in lecturers, poor stake-holder engagement, weak government policies and industry � university gap are common to most developing countries. In addition with its free education policy, Sri Lankan universities are faced with strict university entrance procedures and lack of selection of desired courses for majority of students. Findings of this study and salient suggestions will be an invaluable toolkit for policy makers to design effective strategies for entrepreneurship education in developing countries.

Challenges on the Implementation of Free Education Policy in Tanzania: A Case of Public Primary Schools in Babati Town

The aim of the study was to analyze the challenges facing implementation of free education policy in Tanzania among selected Public Primary Schools in Babati Town. The study used descriptive research design by applying quantitative research approach. Teachers were selected using total population sampling. Since the study involved only 13 schools, it was easy to collect data from all 147 teachers. The data collection instruments were validated by expert judgement from University of Arusha Research Board. Moreover, a pilot study was done and the tool was revised accordingly. The data was coded in SPSS software and descriptive analysis was used to collect data. The first objective was about teaching based challenges faced by teachers under the current policy of free education at public primary schools. The overall finding shows the teaching based challenges have exponentially increased as seen in the shortage of classrooms, availability of large number of students in small classrooms and making it harder for teachers to facilitate crowded classrooms. The second objective was geared to describe management-based challenges faced by heads of schools under the current policy of free education. The overall findings show that head teachers worked in harder environments as compared to when the free education policy was not in operation. It is recommended that the government of Tanzania should increase education funding in order to make free education policy relevant. Also it is further recommended that the government should give clear explanation of what free education is all about in order to make parents be willing to support schools through material and moral support.

Analysis and implementation of free education at the University of Atacama

Based on the Chilean reality about the Free Education Policy (2016), the article presents a study that addresses the reception sustained by higher education institutions regarding the mechanisms of application and control of the policy; taking as a sample the group of students at the University of Atacama with the benefit on the year 2018. The quantitative data analysis is carried out considering the faculties and careers, the route of entry of the students, type of establishment of origin, and academic's entry factors. It is concluded that without evaluation and monitoring mechanisms this benefit could become an item of the higher education budget without fruitful results for the country. Regarding the result, it is established that in the sample analyzed, students who enter by regular route or University Selection Test (PSU), the score range obtained in Middle School Grades (NEM), is lower than the PSU and Ranking scores, so it does not influence significantly as an academic income factor. This means that for a student with the benefit prevails the PSU score, independent where he has completed his secondary education, and to which career he enters.

Spending privately for education despite having a free public education policy: evidence from Sri Lankan household surveys

PurposeCompared to other neighbouring South Asian countries, Sri Lanka performs well in terms of education outcomes. Education is provided by the government for free from primary school level to the first-degree University level, yet households’ private education expenses are steadily increasing over time. Thus, this paper analyses trends and determinants of household private education expenditures using the country-wide micro-data from 1990 to 2013.Design/methodology/approachUsing Household Income and Expenditure Survey (HIES) 1990/91, 2002 and 2012/13 data along with annual school census data, this paper examines the relationship between private education expenditure patterns and the observed changes of reported both demand-side and supply-side factors. In particular, the present paper analyses determinants of household private education expenditures within the two-part model econometric framework by taking into account location and time fixed-effects.FindingsThe results show that trend of spending privately for education is increasing over time with rising household income. Rural, Tamil and Islamic households and those headed by less-educated members are less likely to spend privately for education. The results also confirm that improved-supply-side factors can significantly lower the household burden arising from out-of-pocket education expenditure.Research limitations/implicationsUnavailability of panel data and missing data on several districts due to security concerns are limitations of the study.Social implicationsThe trend of increasing private education expenses has implications on equity concerns of education in Sri Lanka, and it can undermine the purpose of free public education policy.Originality/valueTo our knowledge, this is the first study for Sri Lanka that examines patterns and determinants of private education expenditures using nationwide data for last two decades. This paper applies novel econometric techniques to account for various issues in household survey data analysis.Peer reviewThe peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/IJSE-07-2019-0445

Free Education Policy and its Emerging Challenges in Sri Lanka

Free Education Policy and its Emerging Challenges in Sri Lanka

Grounding Adult Education in Radical Guyanese and Caribbean Pedagogy

AbstractThe evolution of education in postcolonial Guyana was closely tied to the state through the socialist government's policy of Free Education from Nursery to University. Walter Rodney, a product of the colonial education system and a revolutionary scholar was able to both critique the shortcomings of the existing system while creating a critical pedagogy which could serve as a radical alternative. This chapter examines possibilities for adult education grounded in Rodney's vision.

Effect of Universal Basic Education Programme (Ube) on Girl-Child Education Enrolment in Katsina Local Government Area of Katsina State

In a bid to address girl-child education challenges and promote greater access to basic education generally, the Federal Government as a signatory to the Jomtien Declaration on Education for All (EFA, 1990) and other international treaties introduced the Universal Basic Education (UBE) Program in 1999. The UBE program seeks to ensure an uninterrupted access to 9-year formal education by providing free, and compulsory basic education for every child of school-going age, with a particular emphasis on the girl child and other disadvantaged groups. Against this backdrop, this study attempted an assessment of the effect of the UBE program on girl-child education in Katsina LGA with a particular focus on enrolment rate of the girl child. Data were generated from mainly secondary source but complemented with interviews and questionnaires. Findings of the study revealed that the UBE program has brought about increased educational enrolment of the girl-child owing to the free and compulsory basic education policy of the program, establishment of girls’ model primary schools, enlightenment on girl child education, provision of bus services and increased provision of infrastructures. Nevertheless, the program has encountered challenges such as inadequate infrastructure arising from poor funding, low value accorded girl-child education by parents, inadequate competent teaching staff, etc. The study therefore recommends increased allocation of funds; employment of more qualified and competent teachers as well as their training and retraining; imposing stiff sanctions on parents withdrawing their female children from schools; and upward review of teachers’ welfare packages to boost their morale.