ABOUT OUR RESEARCH
Introduction
When one is looking for a job but fails to get one, it is referred to as unemployment. Unemployment has affected nations throughout history, for example during the Great Depression, when economic recession had caused many to be in a jobless situation. While unemployment has been an issue since the dawn of time, it is still a global issue today, especially in Less Economically Developed Countries (LEDCs). According to Trading Economics, there is still approximately 200 million people around the world that are unable to find a job. The unemployment rate is at a total of 30% (Index Muli; 2014) combined in LEDCs, while only 4%-12% of people in More Economically Developed Countries, MEDC, is unemployed. At many times, the aim to improve education standards in a country is often, almost always, seen in strategic plans to alleviate unemployment and poverty, especially in countries with high unemployment rates.
Education has always been a common solution utilised by countries all over the world to solve the problem of a high rate of unemployment. Education is often linked with the global challenge of unemployment, since it plays a necessary role in preparing individuals to enter the labor force, as well as equipping them with the skills to engage in lifelong learning experiences. When there is quality education in a country, the unemployment rate in that country is significantly lower. Take Singapore for example, with a strong education system promoting meritocracy and bilingualism, the education system is flexible, diverse and broad-based (Ministry of Education, 2014), giving students an all-rounded holistic development which is essential when they come out into the working force. Due to such quality education, the overall unemployment rate in Singapore remains low at a 2% in 2014 (Ministry of Manpower, 2015). As seen, the type of education one receives can greatly determine how an individual can stand in the workforce.
An education system that allows students to be equipped with relevant knowledge and adequate skills will ensure that the students will be able to find a job upon graduation and confidently enter the workforce to be economically productive with the skills and knowledge they have instilled in them. Similarly, a poorly crafted education system that is not updated or in line to meet the market needs does not give students the skills sought for by employers even after they graduate, resulting in a high unemployment rate.
In the education system, curriculum determines the learning outcomes, core competencies and standards a student must demonstrate before going on to the next level of education. By comparing the curricula of different countries, we are able to better understand what information and knowledge is being given to the students. Even if a large amount of resources are spent on education, curriculum is extremely important as the standard, quality and content of knowledge being taught to the students would define what the students would eventually learn. Besides, the curriculum in schools also have to go hand in hand with the skills that are needed in the working industries. Therefore, curriculum in schools also plays an important part in determining the students’ job opportunities, as the knowledge taught to the students should be able to meet the market’s needs. Thus, if the curriculum is good, the students would have sufficient knowledge in their fields and will be more likely to find jobs for themselves.
In this research, we will be looking into the curriculum, teacher pedagogy and unemployment rates in South Africa and Ivory Coast to answer our research question - How far can unemployment be solved by education? To start with, South Africa is said to have both first-world and third-world societies due to apartheid. In areas which mainly consists of whites and the richer population, children receive better quality education unlike in areas which are black-dominated and poverty-stricken, where children receive education of poorer quality. To improve the quality of learning in poorer areas, the South African government have set up "fee-free schools" where parents do not have to pay to allow their children to receive education. (Our Africa, n.d.) The National Schools Nutrition Programme has also been set up with the purpose to provide about 7 million students with meals each day. (Our Africa, n.d.) South Africa has a high unemployment rate and almost 30% of the population are out of work. (Our Africa, n.d.)
As for Ivory Coast, while we do not know the exact rate of unemployment in Ivory Coast due to the post-conflict state, what we do know is the country‘s high poverty rate of 42.7% (World Bank, 2013). In Ivory Coast, primary education is free. The children in Ivory Coast are supposed to attend school for a total of six years. Unfortunately, due to the civil war of 2002 as well as the recent period of unrest, education has been disrupted for many. In addition, there is pressure for these children to withdraw from school and work instead, so as to generate income for their families, or to help out with agriculture and household activities.
Our Aims
Through this comparison of curriculum including academic programs and teacher pedagogy in both South Africa and Ivory Coast, our group hopes to be able to better understand how the teaching curriculum in general, as well as the teaching resources available, affect the education quality, and ultimately the unemployment rate in a country. South Africa and Ivory Coast provide some interesting comparison here with both countries being in Africa and are in post-conflict state from the Apartheid and Civil War respectively. In both cases of conflicts, there was unrest and no peace in both countries. The conflict had divided communities and brought more trouble to the already unsteady education systems. Now, both countries are recovering from the conflict they have faced, and one similar goal the two countries have is to improve their educational standards and quality. Hence, our group feels that it would be meaningful to research on the relationship between education and unemployment. In addition, we hope to find out how the curriculum affects the ability of the youth to find jobs in the labor market after they have completed their education. Lastly, we hope that through the study, we can widen our exposure to the educational experiences in less developed countries, outside the comfortable environment of Singapore. As students receiving education ourselves, we hope to be enlightened of the situations pertinent to education in other places, take away some learning points throughout the learning journey of this study and allow ourselves to better appreciate our opportunities to receive education for self-improvement and development.
When one is looking for a job but fails to get one, it is referred to as unemployment. Unemployment has affected nations throughout history, for example during the Great Depression, when economic recession had caused many to be in a jobless situation. While unemployment has been an issue since the dawn of time, it is still a global issue today, especially in Less Economically Developed Countries (LEDCs). According to Trading Economics, there is still approximately 200 million people around the world that are unable to find a job. The unemployment rate is at a total of 30% (Index Muli; 2014) combined in LEDCs, while only 4%-12% of people in More Economically Developed Countries, MEDC, is unemployed. At many times, the aim to improve education standards in a country is often, almost always, seen in strategic plans to alleviate unemployment and poverty, especially in countries with high unemployment rates.
Education has always been a common solution utilised by countries all over the world to solve the problem of a high rate of unemployment. Education is often linked with the global challenge of unemployment, since it plays a necessary role in preparing individuals to enter the labor force, as well as equipping them with the skills to engage in lifelong learning experiences. When there is quality education in a country, the unemployment rate in that country is significantly lower. Take Singapore for example, with a strong education system promoting meritocracy and bilingualism, the education system is flexible, diverse and broad-based (Ministry of Education, 2014), giving students an all-rounded holistic development which is essential when they come out into the working force. Due to such quality education, the overall unemployment rate in Singapore remains low at a 2% in 2014 (Ministry of Manpower, 2015). As seen, the type of education one receives can greatly determine how an individual can stand in the workforce.
An education system that allows students to be equipped with relevant knowledge and adequate skills will ensure that the students will be able to find a job upon graduation and confidently enter the workforce to be economically productive with the skills and knowledge they have instilled in them. Similarly, a poorly crafted education system that is not updated or in line to meet the market needs does not give students the skills sought for by employers even after they graduate, resulting in a high unemployment rate.
In the education system, curriculum determines the learning outcomes, core competencies and standards a student must demonstrate before going on to the next level of education. By comparing the curricula of different countries, we are able to better understand what information and knowledge is being given to the students. Even if a large amount of resources are spent on education, curriculum is extremely important as the standard, quality and content of knowledge being taught to the students would define what the students would eventually learn. Besides, the curriculum in schools also have to go hand in hand with the skills that are needed in the working industries. Therefore, curriculum in schools also plays an important part in determining the students’ job opportunities, as the knowledge taught to the students should be able to meet the market’s needs. Thus, if the curriculum is good, the students would have sufficient knowledge in their fields and will be more likely to find jobs for themselves.
In this research, we will be looking into the curriculum, teacher pedagogy and unemployment rates in South Africa and Ivory Coast to answer our research question - How far can unemployment be solved by education? To start with, South Africa is said to have both first-world and third-world societies due to apartheid. In areas which mainly consists of whites and the richer population, children receive better quality education unlike in areas which are black-dominated and poverty-stricken, where children receive education of poorer quality. To improve the quality of learning in poorer areas, the South African government have set up "fee-free schools" where parents do not have to pay to allow their children to receive education. (Our Africa, n.d.) The National Schools Nutrition Programme has also been set up with the purpose to provide about 7 million students with meals each day. (Our Africa, n.d.) South Africa has a high unemployment rate and almost 30% of the population are out of work. (Our Africa, n.d.)
As for Ivory Coast, while we do not know the exact rate of unemployment in Ivory Coast due to the post-conflict state, what we do know is the country‘s high poverty rate of 42.7% (World Bank, 2013). In Ivory Coast, primary education is free. The children in Ivory Coast are supposed to attend school for a total of six years. Unfortunately, due to the civil war of 2002 as well as the recent period of unrest, education has been disrupted for many. In addition, there is pressure for these children to withdraw from school and work instead, so as to generate income for their families, or to help out with agriculture and household activities.
Our Aims
Through this comparison of curriculum including academic programs and teacher pedagogy in both South Africa and Ivory Coast, our group hopes to be able to better understand how the teaching curriculum in general, as well as the teaching resources available, affect the education quality, and ultimately the unemployment rate in a country. South Africa and Ivory Coast provide some interesting comparison here with both countries being in Africa and are in post-conflict state from the Apartheid and Civil War respectively. In both cases of conflicts, there was unrest and no peace in both countries. The conflict had divided communities and brought more trouble to the already unsteady education systems. Now, both countries are recovering from the conflict they have faced, and one similar goal the two countries have is to improve their educational standards and quality. Hence, our group feels that it would be meaningful to research on the relationship between education and unemployment. In addition, we hope to find out how the curriculum affects the ability of the youth to find jobs in the labor market after they have completed their education. Lastly, we hope that through the study, we can widen our exposure to the educational experiences in less developed countries, outside the comfortable environment of Singapore. As students receiving education ourselves, we hope to be enlightened of the situations pertinent to education in other places, take away some learning points throughout the learning journey of this study and allow ourselves to better appreciate our opportunities to receive education for self-improvement and development.