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Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal – Vol. 10, No. 5
Publication Date: May 25, 2023
DOI:10.14738/assrj.105.14753.
Tome, J. M. S. (2023) Issues and Trends in Contemporary Education. Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal, 10(5).253-263.
Services for Science and Education – United Kingdom
Issues and Trends in Contemporary Education
Jose Manuel Salum Tome
Catholic University of Chile
ABSTRACT
Innovation management; as well as organizations in general, public and private,
deserve a continuous analysis and follow-up of the variables of the external context
that impact them. In this sense, it should be noted that educational agents are the
ones who do the innovation and hence their management and direction play a key
role. Education professionals, more than ever, need to know how to come to
understand and comprehend the complexity of what external variables mean and
their impact on educational work. Next, a model and method for its follow-up is
presented. It is an invitation to know and to take possession as agents of change in
the practice of creativity and innovation, without neglecting at any time, the impact
of the external context of the school, as it occurs in the Dual Modality (school- company relationship). The school as a quality school organization and educational
innovation represent two areas called to be properly related, carefully analyzed,
strategically planned and encouraged for their joint development. The relationship
between the school as a quality school organization and educational innovation has
to be seen and justified both at the level of theoretical argumentation and in the
functioning and institutional life of schools as educational spaces both in it and in
the company when applying Dual mode. It has to be projected, in time, in the
articulation of the educational policy of a country and in the school practices that
occur in the classrooms. I believe that in our country this double task is yet to be
accomplished. So far, we have not managed to develop a solid tradition of
pedagogical thought that has adequately explored the mutual implications between
school quality and innovation as an educational process.
INTRODUCTION
It is important to begin by highlighting that the right to education, as a basic human right, was
established in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948) 1, and was reaffirmed in the
Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989) 2, which has been ratified almost universally.
However, there are still millions of people in the world for whom this right has not been made
effective. The Right to education, according to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, must
ensure access to education for all boys and girls, without any type of discrimination and
inspired by equal opportunities, that Primary Education is compulsory, free and quality, and
ensure that school discipline is consistent with the rights and dignity of the child.
The World Conference on Education for All (Jomtien 1990) had the objective of confronting this
situation. For the first time, world leaders faced the challenge of fighting against exclusion and
1Article 26.1
2Articles 28 and 29 refer to the right to education.
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Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal (ASSRJ) Vol. 10, Issue 5, May-2023
Services for Science and Education – United Kingdom
inequalities in education. One of the recommendations of this Conference was to universalize
Primary Education and promote equity, taking systematic measures to reduce inequalities and
suppress discrimination regarding the learning possibilities of disadvantaged groups.
Ten years later, the evaluation of Education for All revealed that, despite the efforts made, the
objectives defined in Jomtien were still far from being achieved. For this reason, at the World
Forum on Education for All (Dakar 2000), the countries reaffirmed their commitment that
every child, youth or adult has the human right to receive the benefit of an education that
satisfies their basic learning needs in the best possible way. and a more complete sense of the
term, that is, an education that promotes “learning to know, to do, to live together and to be”.
On this occasion, it was concluded that, despite the powerful equalization of opportunities
agenda of the Education for All movement, high rates of exclusion and educational disparities
still persisted. For this reason, it was declared that the needs of the poor and disadvantaged
must be taken into account, including working children, living in remote rural areas and
nomads, children, youth and adults affected by conflict, hunger and ill health; and those with
special learning needs.
The Education for All action frameworks of Jontiem (1990) and Dakar (2000) consider that the
quality of education is essential to achieve these goals. Within the framework of the Dakar
Action, the 6th objective refers specifically to the quality of education and is also present
transversally in the objectives related to the universalization of primary education and the
increase in the expansion of early childhood education. .
Achieving a higher quality education for all is not only an international agreement, but it is one
of the main goals and aspirations of the educational reforms of the countries, however, the
objective of universal access to education is usually faced first and then think about the quality
of it, since they are two closely related aspects. Indeed, a quality education makes a difference
in the learning results of students and in the levels of attendance and completion of studies, so
that finally the quality of education influences its expansion.
What Is a Quality Education?
The question that many researchers, decision-makers, teachers, and families ask is the
following; What is a quality education? Is it a universal concept or is it mediated by culture? Can
we talk about quality education if it is not for everyone? Answering these questions is not easy
since there are different approaches and interpretations regarding the quality of education
depending on factors of an innovative, ideological and economic nature, the meanings assigned
to it at a given moment, the different conceptions on human development and learning, the
demands and changes in society, to name a few aspects. The quality and innovation of
education, therefore, is not a neutral or unequivocal concept. The aforementioned dimensions
vary over time and from one context to another, so it can be said that we are dealing with a
living and changing concept. As Inés Aguerrondo points out, quality and innovation are socially
determined concepts, that is, they are read according to historical and cultural patterns that
have to do with a specific reality, with a specific social formation, in a specific country and at a
specific time.
Quite often, as in the industry, the concept of quality is reduced to efficiency and effectiveness,
which is why indicators related to coverage, repetition, and academic performance are used.
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Tome, J. M. S. (2023) Issues and Trends in Contemporary Education. Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal, 10(5).253-263.
URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.14738/assrj.105.14753
There is increasing agreement that the results achieved by students in certain learning areas,
especially in language and mathematics, are not sufficient to define the quality of education,
although this is what is usually measured in most of the countries.
Determining whether an education is of quality implies, ultimately, making a value judgment
based on certain criteria and values. Despite the fact that there are different approaches and
approaches to the concept of quality, UNESCO, in the latest Education for All monitoring report,
establishes three elements to define quality education: 3respect for people's rights; equity in
access, processes and results; and the relevance of education, to which the relevance
component should be added. These dimensions are closely related to each other and it is the
set of all of them that defines a quality education.
DEVELOPMENT
Frequently, technical-professional high schools are faced with the task of designing and
implementing educational projects. These projects aim, in general, to improve the quality of the
educational offer, making it relevant to the requirements of the business world, in order to
achieve adequate job placement for young people.
Dual Training appears as a different concept of innovation and quality by introducing a second
place of learning: the company, which qualitatively distinguishes it from traditional technical
training in terms of facilitating the overcoming of the gap between education and work life,
through a cooperative action based on a close and continuous relationship between the high
school and the company.
Dual Vocational Training in Chile has been implemented in the line of formal education, at the
level of professional technical high schools, with the advice of the FOPROD Project (Dual
Vocational Training), an organization established through an agreement between the Chilean
and German governments (MINEDUC-GTZ).
To date, it has achieved curricular innovations in Technical-Professional Education, which arise
in response to the demands for qualified human resources, complementing school teaching
with learning in the company.
To start this action, it is essential to have two prerequisites:
1. Careers that have an occupational field
2. A sufficient number of companies available, suitable according to teaching plans to
provide the corresponding instruction.
For this reason, the Dual Modality is not defined as the only modernization alternative, but
rather as an adequate response for high schools that meet the aforementioned prerequisites
and aspire to quality curricular innovation.
The model developed by FOPROD (MINEDUC) provides that, upon completion of the training
process, the young person not only receives the classic accreditations (secondary education
license and intermediate level technical degree), but also a professional aptitude certification
3 Education for All Global Monitoring Report. The quality imperative. UNESCO/Paris 2005