This book explores the interrelationship between educational crisis, social, economic, political and cultural issues, placing it in a global context. Drawing upon scholarly studies on crisis in education, it aims to provide a comprehensive and critical approach to the major discourses in this field. Individual chapters assess thoroughly dominant education topics and offer to the reader an indispensable comparative interest. 1
Book Author |
Various |
---|---|
Publisher |
HM Studies |
Language |
English |
Pages |
493 |
Year Published |
2015 |
In particular, the first approach of dealing with the educational crises includes nine tasks that the critical scholar/activist should follow. For example, he/she should “bear witness to negativity”, engage in critical analyses, become “critical secretary” and researcher, when it comes to challenges of social movements, reconstruct the form of a truly counter-hegemonic education, so that it serves genuinely progressive social needs. Critical educators need to act as deeply committed mentors, showing, with their way of living, that they are both excellent in research but also invaluable members of the society, that is scarred by persistent inequalities. “Crisis in Education” is also referred as the approach and action towards an event, rather than the outcome of policies. This recognizes the hardships and social wrongs, named after “neoliberalism and structural adjustments”. Boundaries should be challenged, and principles should be explored, in relation to how judgments are made, conclusions are drawn, and rectification is proposed in those fields of interest.
In another study, the world of crisis in education is confronted through the “Mind” and the “Soul”, with the vision of a Neo-Humanistic Paideia and the Socratic Critical Humanist Pedagogy. As it is pointed out, “Liberal Humanistic Paideia” has lost its roots, due to the instability of the public domain, as well as the erosion of the democratic values in education and the de-professionalization-deskilling of the teacher. In order to create democratic citizens in the Cosmopolis of the 21st century, the following key ideas and human values need to be reshaped and appraised according to the author: character, community, inclusiveness, integrity, cosmopolitan identity, sympathy and democracy, justice, wisdom, friendship, and critical thinking.
Additionally, the harmonious symbiosis of human-nature-culture is praised, considering the natural resources, humanistic ecology, and sustainable development of human beings, in a way that integrates unique elements of nature and humanity into the tide of modernization. On another level, a meta-modern approach to education is adopted, transcending the crisis in education and the misfortunes of the modern and post-modern educational paradigms. According to the author, meta-modernity gives rise to self-obligations as well as to institutions’ obligations to its learners. Compassion to both students’ and teachers’ needs allows the reflective participation of everyone, in cases of change and development, through action research. Another interesting chapter of this volume deals with globalization in education. Globalization is considered to affect the world’s cultural view, the world’s system view and the view over culturalism. As it is indicated, changes in human capital and post-industrialism created a system where wealth is tied to the knowledge-worker. The knowledge-economy focuses on the necessity of educating students with skills for the global market-place, based on the neo-liberal ideology. The financial/pedagogical school autonomy, the privatization, together with the controlled parental choice - deregulation of higher education, accompanied by increasing standardization and external evaluation, are common globalization trends in education. A question is then raised: why does education shift its function from equity to competitiveness in the era of globalization? In the race between pursuing ideology or conforming reality, competitiveness supports self-empowerment and it emphasizes upon individual efforts and experiences. This further creates the mechanism of collectivism and enhances competence. Either or, the best way to implement power, as created by neo-liberalism, is not through imposition, but through schooling, something that enhances autonomous people. Improvement of international competitiveness is achieved through education, and individual competence appears to be the main concern in educational reforms.
Furthermore, in another chapter of this book, it is pointed out that the revolution in communication, transmission of information and technological advancements can make education approachable and accessible to the vast majority of the population. Prolonged survival and a world that changes in a very fast pace are both creating an imperative need for a lifelong education, which also respects the national identity of each educational system and shapes a more unified model.
Nevertheless, socioeconomic status and political views, still seem to affect the educational affairs, in a globalized-neoliberal model of societies (quoting the example of states in USA). Recession and social vulnerability, together with austerity measures (e.g. the Greek case of the financial crisis) seem also to play an important role in health promotion education, where “human dignity and moral status can be prevailed, only though human-centered policy makers”. Moreover, when it comes to education-cultural politics and multicultural societies, the battle between universalism and cultural pluralism still prevails. In that context, education seems to face many challenges, while protecting human rights and keeping global peace. Multicultural classroom can reconcile cultural pluralism, towards an education that supports ethnic minorities and includes traditional cultures in its daily curriculum.
Additionally, as far as the academic institution is concerned, it is indicated that it should be more imaginative, integrating research institutes, art and community colleges, with an international caliber, in order to educate people, towards a more creative-critical way of thinking, reflecting on the roots of history and the needs of society, having a vision for a brighter future. In that pursuit for greatness, many European universities are considered to have lost their high caliber, in contrast to institutions in the United States, due to political-economic reasons, instructing radicalization and plenty of reforms.
Another paradigm is referred to East Africa, which has undergone many changes in terms of institutional diversification over the last couple of decades, and achievements have been made, although the massification has affected the curriculum and the precariousness of research. Inter-University Council for East Africa is of paramount importance in quality enhancement and strategic cooperation for management of better outcomes.
Equally in Asia, especially China, the academic profession has undergone great progress in the past 15 years. There is an increase in the number of full-time scholars working in universities and there is a great deal of international, scientific publications, ranking in a global scale. On the other hand, the brain-drain phenomenon prevails in countries that have undergone financial crisis and high unemployment rates. This term, refers to the migration of well-educated and talented people, such as researchers, academics, skilled professionals as well as students. Without the knowledge that those educated people have, improvement and progress of the country is difficult to be accomplished.
Overall, the pedagogical relationship between teachers and pupils could establish a real base for strengthening their social and cultural role, in the context of challenges and transitions, in and out of the school force, in the era of crisis. Hence, it is underlined that there is a great need for a holistic improvement of the educational environment in the primary and secondary educational systems. In this regard, the close relationship between principals and teachers is being emphasized. To avoid any conflict, there is a great need for initiation of constructive, internal regulations, in order to ensure efficiency and empowerment in the school environment. New global trends in educational systems highlight the importance of leadership for organization success as well as teacher quality, while they raise new challenges for the public policy complex and subsequently to the policy makers (at both supranational and national level) concerning education policy as well as social policy. Educational systems and schools need proactive, reflective professionals, with social responsibilities and leadership skills, able to make reasonable judgements and act upon an “educationally desirable way”. Finally, it is underlined that education should follow the technological advances and changes in the way of living and should reform and transform, in a way that applies to new challenges. Artificial intelligence seems to prevail compared to biological intelligence, hence education should follow the new rhythms of society, in a way that respects social equality, solidarity and cohesion.
All in all, this is a source book for researchers, educational practitioners, policymakers, university students, teachers and all those who care about education today.
Pella Calogiannakis, Nikos Papadakis, Amalia A. Ifanti
8 February 2018
1
The present book is partially based on the book entitled “Crisis in Education”, edited by P. Calogiannakis, K. G. Karras, C. C. Wolhuter, Tien-Hui Chiang and M. Tendo and published by HM Studies and Publishing (Nicosia, 2014). Even though the present book entitled “Crisis in Education: Socio- Economic, Political and Cultural challenges” includes the chapters of the abovementioned book, it is not a typical 2nd Edition. Many new contributions have been added, broadening the perspective and highlighting several other aspects and facets of the topic. In addition, for the already published papers copyrights’ permission has been given to the Editors for the present Edition.
PI1. Educational crises and the tasks of the critical scholar/activist - M. AppleI want to begin this chapter with a personal example of some recent international politics surrounding school reforms. I have just returned from spending a semester as a Visiting Professor at the University of Melbourne in Australia. During my time in Melbourne, I was asked to give a lecture to school principals and teachers in which I was to critically reflect on the policies that were being proposed in education and on how we could make schools more responsive to communities there and elsewhere. |
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PI2. New spaces of collective belonging, memory and its fears: fabricating the self and “others” - Thomas S. Popkewitz & Catarina Silva MartinsA while ago, an Eastern European in the Soviet Era visiting the University of Wisconsin-Madison made a comment that Westerners are always living in crisis as part of their democracies. The comment is mentioned here to draw attention to the need to think more historically about the present and the conditions that make its seem different and as possible to consider under siege, tension and conflict. |
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PI3. Globalization, knowledge society and the sacrifice of humanistic paideia in the new cosmopolis - Andreas M. KazamiasA hegemonic discourse in today’s world--in what I would call the New Cosmopolis-- appears to A hegemonic discourse in today’s world--in what I would call the New Cosmopolis-- appears to be the global economic crisis, otherwise referred to as the crisis of “neoliberal capitalism” (SeeFinancial Times, 9,10,11/1/2012). Yet, according to certain social scientists, “the crisis is deeper,it is mainly a social and political crisis, a crisis of (social) structures, values and significations” which refer to “the representative polity/political system as it has become crystalized in theWest in the last two centuries”( Economou, 2009:11). To this, we would add that an intrinsic characteristic of the crisis of the “liberal representative democracy” is a “Paideia Crisis”, a crisis of education. |
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PI4. Crisis and response: education of humanities and symbiosis - Jieyuan SunThe symbiosis education of nature and humanity is based onAbstractThe symbiosis education of nature and humanity is based onharmonious symbiosis of human and nature, human and culture, as well asculture and culture, which fully considers the close relations among naturalresource, humanistic ecology, and sustainable development of human beings, |
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PI5. Re-conceptualizing the modern knowledge system new spaces - Mary KoutseliniIn this chapter the meta- modern approach to education is regarded as a means for transcending the crisis in education and the misfortunes of the modern and post-modern educational paradigms. It is argued that metamodernity gives rise to one’s obligations to self as well as to the institutions’ obligations to learners, as persons and moral citizens. |
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PI6. The impact of globalization upon education: universal or contextual - Haim GazielThe article critiques three dominant models of globalization with refer- ence to education and governance. The author argues that globalization is an expression of neo-liberal ideology, which defines and guides politi- cal, economic, educational and cultural organization. |
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PII1. PURSUING IDEOLOGY OR CONFORMING REALITY: WHY DOES EDUCATION SHIFT ITS FUNCTION FROM EQUITY TO COMPETITIVENESS IN THE ERA OF GLOBALIZATION? - Tien-Hui ChiangFacing the phenomenon of cultural reproduction, the state needs to adopt active policies to achieve the emancipative function of education – to free working class students from structural constraints. |
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PII2. THE INTERNATIONAL CRISIS IN SOCIETAL FORCES SHAPING EDUCATION - Charl WolhuterEducation systems do not fall in place just out of the air, and do not have an incidental structure or nature, but they are the outcome of contextual forces shaping education. Various schemes have been devised to analyse these forces (cf. Wolhuter, 2001), and the one that will be used in this chapter is the one used by Steyn (2014) |
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PII3. NEWCOMERS AND EDUCATION: THE CASE OF JAPAN - Toru OnaiThe number of foreigners in Japan has increased since the 1980s. This is primarily because of the influx of “newcomers,” immigrants who arrived in Japan from that period onward. On the other hand, “old comers” or “old residents” refers to descendants of foreigners who arrived from Japan’s former colonies of Korea and Taiwan. |
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PII4. LOW INCOME, HIGH STAKES: THE NEOLIBERAL STRONGHOLD ON SCHOOLS - Kait N. Smeraldo & Jennifer M. SilvaThis chapter examines the links between schools, civic engagement, and narratives of the self in the American neoliberal reform era. We build on previous studies analyzing declining trends in civic engagement among the working class in the wake of rising inequality and the implementation of neoliberal educational reform. |
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PII5. FINANCIAL CRISIS AND AUSTERITY MEASURES IN GREECE: THEIR IMPACT ON HEALTH PROMOTION POLICIES AND PUBLIC HEALTH CARE - Amalia A. Ifanti, Andreas A. Argyriou, Foteini H. Kalofonou, Haralabos P. KalofonosThis review study explores the available data relating to the impact of financial crisis and subsequently applied austerity measures on the health care, social services and health promotion policies in Greece. It is evident that Greece is affected more than any other European country by the financial crisis. Unemployment, job insecurity, income reduction, poverty and increase of mental disorders are among the most serious consequences of crisis in the socioeconomic life. |
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PII6. RECESSION AND SOCIAL VULNERABILITY AMONG YOUTH: SOCIO-DEMOGRAPHICS, FACETS OF THE CRISIS’ IMPACT AND THE REVIVAL OF THE INTERGENERATIONAL TRANSMISSION OF POVERTY IN YOUNG PEOPLE AND NEETS IN TODAY’S GREECE - Nikos Papadakis, Vassilis Dafermos, MariaThe Paper presents and analyses some of key findings of the recently completed EEA-funded large-scale research Project entitled ‘NEETs2’ (EEA Grants/GR07-3757), which was completed in 2016. The paper initially emphasizes on the relation between youth unemployment and NEET rates both in the EU and Greece. |
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PIII1. CHALLENGES TO EDUCATION IN THE TENSION BETWEEN UNIVERSALISM AND CULTURAL PLURALISM - Wolfgang MitteThe tension between universalism and cultural pluralism has a long history which, instinctively, makes us look back to the classical antiquity of the Mediterranean region and the history of Europe since the beginning of the middle ages. Articulating this observation, we take into consideration that retrospective views to other continents and regions of the world may lead to comparable insights. |
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PIII2. REVIEW OF THE HOT ISSUES OF THE RESEARCHES ON CHINA’S ETHNIC MINORITY EDUCATION - Jian WangThe research on China’s ethnic minority education focuses on the hot issues of the studies about the policies and the scientific theories of ethnic minority education, including the study on the policy of ethnic minority education , the study on the relationship between the inheriting of the traditional culture of ethnic minority and school education, the study on the curriculum reform of basic education in ethnic minority areas, the study on bilingual education in ethnic minority areas, etc. |
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PIII3. ON THE NORMALIZED BUT STILL PATHOGENIC SOCIALIZATION PATHWAYS TOWARDS HOSTILITY AGAINST MUSLIMS - Wassilis KassisQuestionnaire data from a cross-sectional study collected in 2014 of 7.464 undergraduate students from ten countries (Austria, Canada, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Russia, Switzerland, and Ukraine) in 16 universities were used to explore the prediction of hostility against Muslims following Sidanius’ & Pratto’s dominance theory (2003; 2009) |
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PIV1. UNIVERSITIES AND TINA – THERE IS NO ALTERNATIVE? - Robert CowenThe trouble with comparative educationists is that they are biased towards investigating the exotic. For example, ‘Learn from the workers, soldiers and peasants’ is a succinct statement that redefined universities in China, as well as shaping a number of personal disasters for those whose lives the mantra interrupted (or indeed destroyed). Comparative educationists did a great deal of work on that eastern exoticism - Mao’s China - which admittedly seemed at that time slightly more interesting culturally and politically than the dull and murderous totalitarianism of Stalin’s Russia. |
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PIV2. WHY SOME UNIVERSITY SYSTEMS ARE COLLAPSING: REALITIES FROM EUROPE - George PsaharopoulosThe paper takes stock of the state of universities in Europe relative to the rest of the world. It presents objective indicators showing that the quality of European universities lags considerably behind those in other countries, especially relative to the United States. The reasons European universities are laggards in the world league are identified. An example of the collapse of a European university system is given, along with the reasons for the collapse. |
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PIV3. HIGHER EDUCATION IN EAST AFRICA – ACHIEVEMENTS AND CHALLENGES - Hermenegilde RwantabaguHigher education in East Africa has been changing fast over the last 30 years both in terms of enrolments and institutional diversification. The present paper intends to outline the achievements that have been registered while highlighting the crisis facing the region’s Universities such as the decline of quality due to massification, the relevance of curricula and the precariousness of research. |
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PIV4. THE CRISIS OF THE ACADEMIC PROFESSION IN CHINA - Binxian Zhang, Chen Wang, Pu ChenHigher education in East Africa has been changing fast over the last 30 years both in terms of enrolments and institutional diversification. The present paper intends to outline the achievements that have been registered while highlighting the crisis facing the region’s Universities such as the decline of quality due to massification, the relevance of curricula and the precariousness of research. |
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PIV5. SCIENTIFIC IMMIGRATION. THE BRAIN DRAIN PHENOMENON IN GREECE DURING THE CRISIS ERA. THE VIEWS OF THE STUDENTS OF THE PEDAGOGICAL SCHOOL OF THE ARISTOTLE UNIVERSITY OF THESSALONIKI - Maria Myriagkou, Argyris Kyridis, Christos Tourtouras, Christos ZagAn issue that has concerned Greece for the last few years is the emigration of its scientific human resources abroad. It is about a phenomenon that had begun before the elation of economic crisis and everything points to the fact that it will culminate during the next period of time. The brain drain phenomenon mainly refers to the migration of well-educated and talented people such as researchers, academics, skilled professionals as well as students. |
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PV1. EDUCATION AND TEACHER EDUCATION WORLDWIDE. WHAT ABOUT CRISIS? - Pella Calogiannakis & Kostas G. KarrasThe present study deals with the role of modern education today in relation to teacher education worldwide. This relation is strongly connected with influences between education/school and the State as well as with modern political , cultural, social and economical crisis which is considered as educational crisis too. |
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PV2. SCHOOL CRISIS AND IN-SCHOOL VIOLENCE - Yiannis PanousisSchool has always been an area where different kinds of crises converged: adolescent and youth crisis and frustration, teachers’ fatigue obsolescence and devaluation of parental role and ambivalent State responses. At this area, where multiple crises coexist, the recent Greek government-debt crisis was added as well. Although it started as a financial crisis, the Greek debt crisis has already affected the whole social structure, value system, as well as the daily lives of ordinary people. Since any kind of "crisis" is connected directly or indirectly with the feeling of insecurity, it’s easily understood that the size and depth of the crisis of the wider environment has also crucially affected any kind of certainty and constant. |
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PV3. NEW PARENTAL STRATEGIES IN THE LOW FERTILITY SOCIETY - Mutsuko TendoCrisis in education must necessarily include the crisis of childhood and childrearing. Education varies according to the ages and regions, but it is premised on the existence of children. In almost all societies, parents and families take on the responsibility of nurturing, nursing, and socializing children, and education also encompasses the process of cultural transmission from one generation to the next. |
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PV4. PRIMARY TEACHERS’ AND PRINCIPALS’ ATTITUDES TOWARDS CONFLICT PHENOMENON IN SCHOOLS IN GREECE - Georgios D. Iordanides, Thomas Bakas, Anna Ch. Saiti, Amalia A. IfantiThis paper attempts to examine the perceptions of primary school teachers and principals in Greece. Based on the research findings and on the school educators and leaders’ suggestions, it recommends strategies for handling conflicts in their work environment. In particular, the study was conducted during the school year 2010-2011 using anonymous questionnaires, which were administrated to school teachers and school principals in primary education throughout the thirteen (13) educational regions in Greece. |
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PV5. GLOBAL TRENDS AND CHALLENGES FOR SCHOOL LEADERS: KEEPING THE FOCUS ON LEARNING - Peter EarleyThis paper gives consideration to global trends and recent developments in education systems, particularly as they relate to schools and school leaders operating in high stakes accountability cultures. The importance of leadership for organisation success is noted alongside a number of other key within-school factors such as teacher quality. Successful leaders are differentiated from highperforming leaders and the notion of «leadership for learning» is outlined. This leads to a discussion of the nature of learning – leading learning for what? – and the accountability pressures that make its enactment increasingly problem- atic whilst, in some cases, leading to undesirable practices. |
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PV6. A TEACHER-DESIGNED FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT TOOL IN TEACHER PREPARATION: DEVELOPING TEACHER CANDIDATES’ KNOWLEDGE, PEDAGOGICAL PRACTICE AND SENSIBILITIES IN URBAN TEACHING - Eleni KatsarouThis paper gives consideration to global trends and recent developments in education systems, particularly as they relate to schools and school leaders operating in high stakes accountability cultures. The importance of leadership for organisation success is noted alongside a number of other key within-school factors such as teacher quality. Successful leaders are differentiated from highperforming leaders and the notion of «leadership for learning» is outlined. This leads to a discussion of the nature of learning – leading learning for what? – and the accountability pressures that make its enactment increasingly problem- atic whilst, in some cases, leading to undesirable practices. |
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PVI1. VET IN THE 21ST CENTURY - NEW PRESSURES AND CHANGING EXPECTATIONS - Loukas ZahilasRay Kurzweil is an American author, computer scientist, inventor and futurist and Bill Gates, Microsoft, calls Ray, “the best person I know at predicting the future of artificial intelligence.” Ray is amazing at predicting a lot more beyond just artificial intelligence. Some of his predictions for the next 25+ years are92: By the 2020s, most diseases will go away as nanobots will become smarter than current medical technology, normal human eating will be replaced by nanosystems, self-driving cars will begin to take over the roads, and people won’t be allowed to drive on highways. |
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PVI2. TVET AND ACADEMIC EDUCATION: A BLURRING DISTINCTION - NEW OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE FUTURE - Shyamal Majumdar & Volker ReinThis paper attempts to study the blurring distinction between TVET and academic Higher Education (HE) and the prerequisites to create stronger ties between these sectors by improving the chances of permeability and facilitating learning pathways. |
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PVI3. VET AND EMPLOYMENT IN MODERN GREECE. SEARCHING AND RETHINKING THE NEW ROLE OF VET IN TIME OF CRISIS - Nikos FotopoulosUndoubtedly, the issue of youth unemployment constitutes one of the most urgent and crucial issues in Modern Greece. At the same time, the establishment of the memorandums, the aggravated phenomena such as financial recession, “brain drain”, the educational and social inequalities depicting both the depth and the width of crisis in current Greece are issues which currently prevail. |
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PVI4. MOVING FORWARD APPLYING MULTILEVEL GOVERNANCE APPROACH IN VOCATIONAL EDUCATION AND TRAINING (VET) IN THE EUROPEAN NEIGHBOURHOOD: THREE COUNTRY EXAMPLES IN THE ENPI SOUTH REGIONNew modes of governance have increased both the importance and the activity of education and training in the lifelong learning perspective in EU Member States. The Open Method of Coordination: (OMC) is a model of multilevel governance which contributes as a policy making process in the transnational coordination at the EU supranational governance level and influences national policy priorities and agendas in the education and training policy area. |
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