Young people are traditionally studying to become skilled and competent employees. This has been the objective for a long time and has been shown to be crucial for the advancement and expansion of contemporary society. The educational system has been producing more educated and trained people for many years, which benefits both the individual and society (Vintergaard, 2013). In order to make the educational curriculum system useful and relevant for the learners, this paper will explore the role of the market (companies acting as employers).
If the market is the employer, the South African education policy makers might want to think about how can the market directly support education curriculum reform. Public and private sector businesses, institutions, and organizations that work with the general public are referred to as the market. If the market can be actively involved in the transformation of the educational curriculum system, education will reintroduce itself and establish new meaning completely. This is because the market is a foundational component of the educational system, and the government serves as its custodian and guardian.
The UK Commission for Employment and Skills UKCES(2012) asserts that more businesses and schools should build partnerships at a local level to: enhance and enrich the delivery of education through a range of activities for example through businesses providing curriculum materials, arranging site visits, carrying out talks in schools. This assertion is pointing to the power the market has to determine the envisaged graduate coming into the workplace. The market would be able to help dictate the curriculum content that corresponds with the expectations of the workplace. If the market is effectively involved in critical decision making related to education, this would help structure the curriculum in accordance with what the employers are looking for in a graduate.
Any country that deems education curriculum system important would ensure that the market; accounting firms and other financial institutions (banks, etc.), law firms, political parties, entertainment industry, health institutions, agricultural sector, etc., should be in the curriculum development boardroom to ensure that learners curriculum is qualitatively relevant with modern workplace practices and principles these institutions face on a daily basis. With learners and parents feeling convinced that what is taught in school reflects daily workplace practices and concepts, this will help ensure relevant teaching and learning processes in schools. The market’s participation in the construction of the curriculum will aid in making teaching and learning relevant.
Stones (1991) indicates that in the United States of America, business participation with the public schools has been both a cause and a consequence of a positive shift in education, demonstrating that the market can play a significant role in influencing education. Business activities have expanded and deepened since beginning with modest, regional projects like adopt-a-school programs and teacher recognition prizes. Corporate initiatives include everything from schools within schools for young moms to leadership development for principals and superintendents of schools. In order to support school restructuring and academic improvements, businesspeople are also taking the initiative to develop statewide networks, such as the Texas Business and Education Coalition. The level of corporate activity and engagement as a whole is unmatched for this century. In the South African perspective and the curriculum approach, the ministry of education must be given a self-imposed mandate to collaborate with the market for Work Integrated Learning (WIL-Practicals) for all career tracks in accordance with the learners’ diverse preferences. The curriculum must firmly include practical learning (balancing theoretical learning in the classroom with practical learning on the job).
The education ministry should, in order to ensure this theoretical-practical learning process, first personalize education by enrolling students in accordance with their career goals and redesigning schools into different schools, such as those for engineering, hospitality and tourism, law and politics, media studies, and journalism, among others. This is consistent with Stones’ (1991) finding that in Germany, apprentices spend four days working and one day attending school each week. They study German, social studies, and specific scientific and math classes at school that are connected to their intended careers. Therefore, the ministry can announce its WIL initiative. The WIL program suggests that the market (employers, all firms, private institutions, government agencies, etc.) will have educational programs with designated personnel where they will control all of the learners’ practical learning. The program must place a priority on education progress and can be a part of their Corporate Social Investments (CSI). With appropriate scheduling and ongoing communication between the ministry (schools) and the market, this activity can be carried out during school holidays.
Restaurants can house students from the School of Hospitality and Tourism, Media (private and public local radio stations, newspaper companies, and television stations) can house students from the School of Media Studies and Journalism, Engineering firms can house students from the School of Engineering, Accounting firms can house students from the School of Commerce, Law firms can house students from the School of Law and Politics, and Agricultural factories can house students from the School of Agribusiness can house students from the School of Agribusiness. The market can ensure that schools develop workforces that are relevant in this way. The market will gain, which will significantly lower the jobless rate. The market’s ongoing complaints about the unskilled graduates would be history. The Personalized Education Curriculum System (PECS) works like this.
It is no secret that South African education, especially basic education, is predominantly theoretical and sadly neglects practical learning.Practical learning, also known as Work Integrated Learning (WIL), has long been undercut in South Africa, even in institutions of higher education. For most university courses, implementing an explicit and successful WIL program would be difficult, and it still is to some extent. The issue of whether or not the institutions of basic learning (schools) are struggling is automatically decided if the institutions of higher learning (universities) fail to implement successful WIL programs. This issue confirms the job market’s complaints about an underskilled workforce, which is a direct result of these educational institutions. This discovery denotes the reality that education ought to be more practical than theoretical and the market is the only solution in ensuring this reality.
It is for arguments such as these that prompted the concieving of the Personalised Education Curriculum System (PECS) as a curriculum system strictly rooted in humanistic approach, quality curriculum theory aspects, foundations of competency- oriented education, and focused on practically assessing students for relevant skills, aptitudes, and values to manoeuvre modern-day society successfully. PECS was developed to be at the forefront of curriculum relevance issues. Just like the birth of postmodernism, PECS is the product of dissatisfaction with the modernist curriculum system in South Africa. PECS is meant to rescue learners from the monstrous curriculum that fails to implement progressivism and provide differentiated learning that suits all learners. Just like progressivism in the past, PECS is a disruptive and qualitative curriculum system that aims to end the confusion around the inconsistencies of the curriculum. PECS seeks to restore the value and dignity of our education system by making it responsive to the needs of society through the liberal education-based curriculum system. PECS aims to give learners the opportunity to gain an insight into the world of work during their school years. This makes PECS unique and highly relevant in inspiring the education community of our country, South Africa, and Africa as a whole. And we believe that the education system can be improved in this way.
Know more about PECS: https://simnandisolutions.co.za/personalized-education/
– Click on PECS PowerPoint presentation.
Please answer these 3 questions and submit them: https://simnandisolutions.co.za/pecs – Questionnaires
Cite this publication: XABA, S.S. 2023. The overlooked market influence in shaping the relevant education curriculum system. https://simnandisolutions.co.za/post/.
Bibliography
Wrenn, J. & Wrenn, B. 2009. Enhancing Learning by Integrating Theory and Practice. International Journal of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education. Vol. 21, No. 2, pp, 258-265. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ899313.pdf.
Stones, N. 1991. Does business have any business in education?. https://hbr.org/1991/03/does-business-have-any-business-in-education. Date of Access:10 August 2023.
Vintergaard, C. 2013. Why should business get involved in education? https://blogs.microsoft.com/eupolicy/2013/04/30/why-should-business-get-involved-in-education/. Date of Access: 9 August 2023.
UKCES, 2012. Business and schools: Building the world of work together. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/306307/business-and-schools-building-the-world-of-work-together.pdf. Date of Access: 8 August and 2023.