Policy Analysis Policy for Introducing Higher Secondary Education in the Government Atoll Schools ~ Republic of Maldives ~

By:

Ali Munavvaru
PGD 100037

E-Mail: munavvaru@live.com

PXGM6108, Strategic Policy Management in Education Lecturer: Datuk Professor Dr. Abdul Rahman Idris

Faculty of Education

UNIVERSITY OF MALAYA
Assignment submitted on partial fulfilment of M a s t e r s o f Educational Management, Faculty of Education (2011), University of Malaya (Malaysia)

Content

Content .................................................................................................................................................... 2 Introduction ............................................................................................................................................. 3 Background of the countrys education .................................................................................................. 4 About the Policy ..................................................................................................................................... 4 Rational for the Policy ............................................................................................................................ 4 Interest groups Involved ......................................................................................................................... 5 Policy formulation and Development Process ........................................................................................ 6 Policy Models used for analysis.............................................................................................................. 7 Alternative to the Policy ......................................................................................................................... 8 Weakness of the Policy ........................................................................................................................... 9 Conclusion ............................................................................................................................................ 10 References ............................................................................................................................................. 11

Assignment 1, PXGM6108.

Introduction
To make, implement and carryout our decisions, we develop conceptual models. No matter it is an arrangement, decisions to do a set of actions or a set of responses to a problem that has arisen, it can be seen as a policy (Howlett & Ramesh, 2003). These policies may only affect individuals or a particular group of interests. Policies that apply to the whole society in general, which results from the decisions made by the government are considered as public policy (Howlett & Ramesh, 2003). Dye (2002) also has briefly defined public policy as anything that government decides to do or not to do and describes that government is the agent for making public policy. More specifically, education policy can be referred to the procedures and practices set aside to administer the education system. However, it has been argued that educational policy is extremely complex. Bell & Stevenson (2006; p. 2) states that Policy must be seen as a dialectic process in which all those affected by the policy will be involved in shaping its development. Policy development is therefore both a

continuous and a contested process in which those with competing values and differential access to power seek to form and shape policy in their own interests. With this regard, policy making process needs to be collaborative with all those affected by the policy thus cannot be separated from any ones education. Moreover, policy development needs to be a continuing process to cater for the changing demands of the societal developments. The description and explanation of the causes and the consequences of the activities of the different government departments like, education can well be informed if, stake holders and those affected by any policy are involved or their voices are incorporated in the public policy. For the purpose of this assignment I have selected the Policy for introducing Higher Secondary grades in the government atoll schools, in the republic of Maldives. To make sure there is no intricacy in understanding the context, it is essential at this point to provide a briefing about the Maldivian context of education.

Assignment 1, PXGM6108.

Background of the countrys education

Till 1986 Maldives has a traditional system of education that has evolved for centuries and around 1984 a unified education system was opened for the whole nation with introduction of a national curriculum for primary and middle schools grades. The system gradually developed till mid 1990s and secondary grades (Grade 8 to 10) in the atoll schools were introduced in 1996. That means until this date, secondary education was only offered in the capital city hence due to the constraints of transportation and the lower socio economic status, only the few haves in the island community can afford to send their children to the capital city for educational purposes. At the same time introducing secondary education in the rural island schools was a greater challenge for the country due to lack of available physical and human resources.

About the Policy

The higher education policy developed by the ministry of education is a guideline which explains a minimum criterion to establish higher secondary grades in the atoll schools of the country. The policy describes three main areas, specifically the schools where higher education is already existed and the specification for the schools that higher education can be introduced along with the academic criteria that should be met by the students willing to join higher secondary education.

Rational for the Policy

With the improvement of socio economic status of the island community and their awareness for proper education eagerly demanded the government to look for the ways to introduce secondary grades in the rural island schools, number of graduates who complete grade 10 started to rise rapidly from the year 2000 onwards. It was a time that the perception of the public on to white-collar jobs for those who complete grade 10 and those who obtain London GCE O level passes. However, due to the automatic promotion procedure that island schools were forced to follow, the quality of school graduates from the rural island schools were not up to the mark that they cannot be offered with white-collar jobs which was once a practice. The rapid

Assignment 1, PXGM6108.

increase in the number of school leavers in one hand, struggled to get employed out of governments concentration to create enough employment opportunities for the young force, and on the other hand, lack of available opportunities in the islands for higher secondary education and the costs involved in migrating for the educational purpose was beyond the reach of ordinary income families. It is evident that those from the outer islands are greatly disadvantaged in enrolling in higher secondary education as they have to leave their residential islands. Living on the islands where higher secondary grades are introduced and travel between these and their home islands impose on them excessively high costs which most of them cannot bear. This created a huge gap between island community and the capital Male island and when introduction of higher secondary schooling in the atolls began initially in two most developed atolls, in 2001, the enormous pressure from the island communities forced the government plans to expand national capacity for secondary education and post- secondary education. However, the government did not have the financial potential to introduce and develop higher secondary education in all the 199 inhabited islands. Hence it is less feasible to provide infrastructure and human resources for more than 50% of the inhabited islands who schools do not have the strength of more than 250 students (MOE, 2004).

Interest groups Involved

Students and their parents are the main group of people who are most interested to quench the thirst of obtaining higher secondary education in their home islands. When a nearby island announces the introduction of higher secondary education, communities of the neighbouring islands and the competing island in other atolls fight to have the privilege of having secondary grades in their home islands as well. Those interests of the communities together with the NGOs formed in the islands struggle to fulfil the set criteria by the ministry of education in approaching the government to demand for the higher secondary grades. Some of the islands worked through the parliament members representing that area as well.

Assignment 1, PXGM6108.

Policy formulation and Development Process

Policy formulation is the development and synthesis of alternative solutions for policy problem (Dunn, 1994). Supporting to the statement Howlett & Ramesh, (2003; 143) says that policy formulation involves assessing possible solutions to policy problems or, to put it another way exploring the various options available for addressing a problem. With this regard, one main area in formulating and developing the policy for introducing Higher Secondary grades in the government atoll schools, in the republic of Maldives is the cost involved in providing secondary education in the islands. To address the need, the government studied the possibilities of providing placements for the students qualified for the higher secondary levels, in the Capital Male, hence which does not show any solution in a long run due to increasing number of students who complete grade 10. Another idea they have discussed and analysed was establishing high secondary centres in different regions of the country and providing on and off transportation to those islands, or building hostels to provide lodging for the migrating students. But none of these Options seems viable to the present government at that time. Another area they have focused is maintaining the quality of education provided in the island schools. As the island have less exposure to the social world and technology available in the islands are far behind than to the city centre. The quality of teachers willing to work in the rural island schools are also poor, at the same time there is no sufficient trained professionals as teachers and administrators in the country hence, need to be imported from neighbouring countries. There was also a need for bridging the gap between the island schools and the schools located in the capital city thus providing equal opportunities by catering the present demands of the community. The island communities, specially the parents and thousands of students who complete grade 10 each year looked for affordable and accessible opportunities to go for higher secondary education in the islands. That was where the problem became a public problem. According to Dunn (1994) a problem becomes a public problem when it affects a substantial number of people and having broader effects, including consequences for persons not directly involved. Therefore the need for higher secondary education has an indirect effect for those employers who looks for quality graduates from the schools and colleges.

Assignment 1, PXGM6108.

Policy Models used for analysis

From the various models put forward by the theorists, the Policy for introducing Higher Secondary grades in the government atoll schools is analysed by considering two broad models. Most appropriate model that I have identified in analysing this policy is rational model, which talks about the maximum social gains. As said earlier, the way Maldivian islands are scattered on the ocean has presented great constraints to the government in providing necessary services like education. With 199 inhabited islands where majority of the islands have less than 1500 people in number while more than 50% of schools population is less than 200 students, government with the present resources and also the resources that they could develop in a new future cannot afford to provide higher secondary grades in all the islands (MOE, 2004). In an economic perspective, education production function or the relationship of the inputs into the education process and the outcome of the process is not effective (Belfield, 2000). Ministry of education reports that since 2004, only 12% of the students who complete grade 10 is eligible in obtaining higher secondary education with the standard criteria and only 23% of the students were eligible with minimum criteria (MOE, 2004). This means costs over weigh the output produced in the educational investments in the island schools. However, by the year 2010, 24 islands schools have started higher secondary education under this policy. According to rational model, no policy should be adopted if its costs exceed its benefits though, the government might have chosen this as the gains to the society exceeds its costs by its greatest amount (Dye, 2002). The gains to the society in this context seems to be providing equal opportunity for education in the islands and bridging the development gap between the island communities and the capital city. When higher secondary is provided only in the capital city, around 85% of the school graduates face with fewer opportunities in developing their career, getting employed with a reasonable pay and contributing towards societal development and social harmony. Therefore, no matter how much to be spend on recruiting additional teachers and developing other necessary resources, government expenditure for introducing higher secondary education to not less than 15 students in any island has been considered as gains to the society. Review of the evolution of education system in the country especially in the island settings resemble another model to utilize in analyzing this policy. Since a unified national education system started in 1978 (UNESCO, 2006) until the end of last decade, most of the schools in

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the country remained as community schools where they have not higher than grade 5 level classes in almost all the schools. It is evident that universal primary education with a full fledge curriculum was introduced in the year 1984 (Azza, 2008), but the process took some time to spread the trend to the whole nation due to the criteria set by the concerned departments. There was also a trend of introducing secondary grades (Grade 8 to 10) in the island schools from 1996 onwards. Island communities were passionate to fulfil the requirements set by the ministry and worked hard together with the school staff to produce required results to introduce grade 8 next year (O'Shaughnessy, 2009). From this analysis it is evident that this policy can be analysed by using the incremental model which continues and modifies the existing policies. Incremental model views policy as a continuation of past activities of government with a modification (Dye, 2002). He further says that: Incrementalism is conservative in that existing programs, policies and expenditures are considered as a base, and attention is concentrated on new programs and policies and on increase, decrease or modifications of current programs. (Dye, 2002, p. 19) With this regard higher secondary education policy in the Maldives seems to be a modification of the previous programmes that they practiced in introducing primary and secondary grades in the island schools.

Alternative to the Policy

With geographically dispersed groups of islands in the country it is a challenging task for providing necessary services in the island communities. It is difficult for the government and other service providers to establish their services in each and every island with the average population of less than 1500 in more than 72 percent of the total of 199 islands (DNP, 2010). As the awareness of the people raises day by day and their readiness to sacrifice for the education of their children, the government could look for ways that economically viable and concentrate on quality of the education rather than focusing on increasing the number of school graduates.

Assignment 1, PXGM6108.

Rather than having a minimum criterion of 14 students which is inadequate for secondary grades to start in any island, the government could establish higher secondary centres in each atoll which comprise of 8 to 15 island communities and provide free transportation to encourage the students and parents to these centres. This possibly could distribute the wealth and development vested in the capital city. Another alternative could be introducing preuniversity courses in the college campuses already located in different regions of the country and training them as job ready graduates. This could incur fewer costs to the government. The concerned ministry can also revise the promotion criteria and remove the automatic promotion system which is implementing in the island schools and should focus on the quality of education provided. This could reduce the present strength and demand for higher secondary education in the islands and could cater the demands with minimum government expenditure.

Weakness of the Policy

Higher secondary education policy for the islands require a lower criteria than which is practicing in the capital city leading to increase the demand for such centres in the islands while their standard largely differs. One of the aims of the policy is to reduce the quality gap between the island schools and capital City. However, with this lower criterion the quality gap graduates from these schools seem widening. Policy also overlooked the island population school strength and the number of students enrolled in the secondary grades that will be ready for the higher secondary in the upcoming years. As a result, some schools which have started higher secondary failed to continue after two or three years due less number of students who pass in grade 10. Another major weakness of the policy is that it does not consider physical and human resources of the school demanding for higher secondary grades resulting lack of available teachers and other essential facilities like science laboratories. Some schools who have introduced higher secondary grades had hard time in looking for GCE A Level standard teachers and sometimes teachers with inappropriate qualification for the grade level leaving all the disadvantages to the innocent children enrolled in those schools. Lastly, the policy has been developed by the think tanks and senior officials in the ministry of education where they ignored the collaborative process with the stake holders and the interest groups. As a result, voices of parents and the NGOs established in the island have not

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been considered in the policy making process. Moreover, there is no evidence showing the identification and analysis of the problem to be solved, in the policy making process yet it poses ill affect of the policy.

Conclusion
Policy is governments decision towards addressing a particular problem in the society, in which they decide what to and what not to do. It is not a one stop process. Policy making process needs to a collaborative and a continues process. Those who are affected by the policy should be involved in formulating and developing a particular policy. Ministry of education and the other concerned authorities of the Maldivian government should consider the needs and problems exist in the society before formulating and developing a policy to address those issues. Policies are developed to address for the existing problems hence, a clearly defined problem should be identified and possible alternatives should be considered for developing and implementing public policies.

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References

Azza, F. (2008). EDUCATION FOR ALL: Mid-decade Assessment. Male', Republic of Maldives: Ministry of Education. Belfield, C. R. (2000). Economic Principles for Education. UK: Edward Elgar Publishing Limited. Bell, L., & Stevenson, H. (2006). Education Policy: Process, Themes and Impact. Madison Ave, New York: Taylor & Franci. DNP, D. o. (2010). Statistical year Book. Male', Maldives: Department of National Planning. Dunn, W. N. (1994). Public Policy Analysis: An Introduction. New Jersy: Prentice Hall. Dye, T. R. (2002). Understanding Public Policy. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Prentic Hall. Howlett, M., & Ramesh, M. (2003). Studying Public Policy: Policy cycles and Policy Subsystems. Canada: Oxford University Press. MOE, M. o. (2004). School Statistics 2004. Male', Maldives: Ministry of Educatio. O'Shaughnessy, S. (2009). Valuing School Leaders; An Investigation in to the Constraints Facing School Leaders in Thier Efforts to Improve the Quality of Education in the Maldives. Carlton House, London SW15 2BS, United Kingdom.: VSO International. UNESCO. (2006). World Data on Education. Retrieved November 5, 2010, from http://www.ibe.unesco.org/.

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