WEEK 8 (Topic 7)

Political Forces Influencing Education & The School

In this topic, I have learned some new information regarding political forces influencing education and the school. Education has been regarded as the main agent for the political socialization of the young into the national political culture. The interplay of politics and education is not new. Since the period of colonial administration, the planning, administration and management of education has been under the influence of political arrangements. Education can be used as a tool to control people. However, It can be used as a tool for ensuring nation harmony and stability. As we know, it is a fact that culture diversity occurs in most societies. This diversity involves all life aspect, including education. Moreover, multi-cultural and multi-racial societies can be good educational environment as people need to have high level of understanding, respect and appreciation to communicate with each other. For instance, the New Economic Policy was introduced in the Second Malaysia Plan by Prime Minister Tun Abdul Razak which is aim to restructure the socio-economic imbalances in the country, and to reduce and eradicate poverty regardless of ethnicity. As a result, it will lead to economic instability, which will affect the country development.