Introduction
The subject of college reform has become a key topic of concern in the country. Over the past years, there are several changes have been made to accommodate the questions of social production in the sector. Currently, several contemporary issues prompt the need to review the existing educational practices in institutions to identify sensitive aspects worth improving. The context of reforms in education is majorly based on student policy, management, financing, curriculum, and pedagogy. Such transformations are essential in various ways and can impact the educational outcome. Similarly, other sensitive areas of focus include facilitating free and quality education, especially among the marginalized group in the country. Even though the idea of education reform sounds logical, it remains undoubtedly the most controversial and complex subject following the impact it is likely to generate in the country.
Discussion
Generally, education reform intends to ensure access, finance, quality, effectiveness, and competitiveness in higher learning. In the process of evaluating the transformations in the educational sector, the actors usually view the subject from economic, political, and social perspectives to ensure they capture all the effects of the societies. Furthermore, the changes are evaluated based on the complexity of implementing them into the system. The approach enables the stakeholders to generate potential barriers that are more likely to delay or prevent the attainment of the intended goals of the transformation.
Education reforms, especially in the policy, enhance the cost-effectiveness of a college undergraduate. In the community, education is an essential need that allows people to gain the necessary skills for job opportunities. Once the students have completed their secondary level, they are supposed to join the tertiary level to further their knowledge and gain relevant work-related skills. However, the financial requirement to support students in the universities is high and becomes a significant challenge, especially for marginalized communities. The socio-economic status of such students acts as a barrier preventing them from accessing education. Initiating undergraduate program policies, for instance, offering free accommodation and other common necessities for learners who have qualified to join the college, will save the majority of the students from the burden. The intervention ensures the cost of acquiring the skills is subsidized and the common people have the opportunity to access quality education as their counterparts have the required resources to fund their learning activities.
Similarly, most educational facilities, especially universities, charge students expensively. An education policy that hinders or sets a standard limit that the colleges should charge is an essential reform. The practice will ensure the students are not forced to pay more money to fund their education (Curaj et al., 2018). When standards are imposed, learners will have the ability to acquire knowledge from some of the best-renowned colleges and universities across the country. The policies will make the management formulate an affordable fee structure, including other basic needs that each student must have to facilitate their learning activities. The approach is important and would ensure the institutions attract a large number of students to pursue their studies.
Students in tertiary levels have different abilities and thus require unique approaches to enhance their skills and knowledge. Most of the learning institutions have developed specialized curricula to facilitate education practices in the country. For instance, gifted learners have been allowed to undertake different classes from normal students to ensure they effectively utilize their abilities. Similarly, co-curriculum activities have been introduced, such as games and music, to accommodate learners who have talent in such areas. The system provides a proper umbrella to the students making none of them feel isolated from academics. Furthermore, the transformations have made it easier for the young ones suffering from special disease conditions to access educational services as their counterparts. A transformed curriculum brings more choices for the respective students, thus allowing each learner to have an opportunity. The aspect improves the aspect of competitiveness, especially when the students graduate to join the working class.
In addition, the adjustment of the curriculum to accommodate online studies has proven vital in the education system. Currently, following the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the majority of students have adapted to online studies. The practice is useful, especially for students who find it difficult to attend school daily, either due to distance or other work-related issues. The system makes the learning process to be interesting for learners who are attracted to digital devices, thus increasing their participation in education activities (Matheos & Cleveland-Innes, 2018). In other words, the online-based curriculum promotes the academic engagement of people despite their location and even resources. It facilitates the learning process leading to effective educational outcomes.
Education reforms have impacted the aspect of student policy in schools. In the past years, issues such as student bullying and other evil acts among the students used to affect the involvement of targeted learners. For instance, students of color suffered critical discrimination from white students who perceived them as incompetent and less valuable beings. However, with changes in student regulations, most learning institutions have formulated effective guidelines with corresponding disciplinary action against any form of prejudice. The practice has significantly lowered the aspect of racism among the learners creating a more accommodative and interactive environment for learners from all races. Furthermore, the regulations have enabled educators and institution administrators to exercise enough authority over the students to manage them accordingly. In other words, teachers can suspend learners who misbehave and do not follow the set principles within the school environment.
The transformation of education has led to the development of better assessment criteria. Currently, learning institutions have formulated their respective evaluation standards to enable them to determine whether a given student has qualified for promotion to the next grade or should rather remain in the same class. The advancement makes it easier to produce qualified students with the required knowledge (Verger et al., 2019). In other words, education facilities such as universities have set high standards that each student must meet to graduate. Failure to attain the minimum requirement, the respective student is forced to retake the program. The reform enhances the commitment of learners to their studies because the majority do not prefer to undertake the whole program for the second time. Therefore, the changes in education are enhancing the quality of the outcome.
The performance of students in school is influenced by the relationship between the teachers, learners, and parents. Education reform is aimed at adopting sophisticated data systems that can be used to provide data about the progress of the respective child. When parents have access to the progress of their children in school, they are more likely to contribute effectively, especially in areas where the learners feel challenged. Similarly, the teachers will further have the proper insight into the performance of each student hence making it easier to address the possible challenges about the subject or curriculum-wise accordingly. The practice enhances efficiency and promotes quality education since the educators will be informed and thus know specific areas they need to give more attention to benefit the student. In addition, having such an advanced system, the schools will be able to keep records hence enhancing order in administrative processes within the institutions. The involvements will ensure key activities are undertaken accordingly to promote efficacy as well as efficiency in academics.
Furthermore, educators and school leaders require enough support from the government and parents to become more effective in their service provision. Generally, the education process requires the intervention of government agencies to provide the necessary support, such as learning materials and other necessities that can be used by teachers to facilitate learning (Klempin & Karp, 2018). Similarly, parents too, are required to give the necessary help, especially in managing the learners when they are off the school environment, to enable them to remain disciplined. These aspects make it easier for the administrators to handle different situations because they are guaranteed support from the involved stakeholders. When educators are empowered, they feel encouraged and thus commit themselves effectively to offering high standards.
To enhance college performance, resources must be provided by the government. By transforming the policy to favor the underperforming schools to receive adequate resources, the institutions will be able to rejuvenate and improve their academic engagement in the country (Klempin & Karp, 2018). For instance, by establishing libraries and other facilities within the schools, the students will have the ability to access necessary assets to promote their educational outcomes. Through the Department of Education, the authorities will be able to pinpoint institutions that are not effective and then allocate necessary funds, especially the public schools in marginalized areas to increase their involvement.
Since learners do not have the same abilities, the pedagogy approach should be formulated to adapt to the cases of special needs. In the country, a large number of learners have specific health concerns that require their tutors to handle them with extreme care. Therefore, the development of various teaching techniques in the country has enabled the school to handle different learners with varied special disabilities. It is through the initiated education reforms that have given school administrators the capacity to effectively implement programs that best suit the needs of such students. The engagement thus makes it easier for the group of learners to reactive quality education as their counterparts.
Generally, most undergraduates undertake courses that will guarantee them fewer job opportunities in the country. The college administration needs to educate freshmen effectively about the various faculties and their application in society. After secondary schooling, students are thrilled with the aspect of joining college, making them lose focus on the specific skills they want to acquire. When the institutions remind them accordingly, the learners will opt for effective and reliable programs that will benefit them in the long run.
Despite the significance of college reform, the transformation might be less productive, and its outcome might affect the general public. For instance, having student policies that force them to repeat a given course due to failure might prompt some students to drop out of school (Brooks, 2018). In most cases, learners do not want to spend time in school, and thus they prefer to complete the program and begin working. Therefore, if they are not allowed to continue with their studies, the only option is to quit. Such actions might affect their lives as well as their families who have invested in them. Instead of pushing them to meet the minimum requirement, there should be alternative measures to enable them to reach the expected quality.
In addition, the adjustment of the curriculum to accommodate online assessment might reduce the quality of students. In virtual education, learners are less engaged, and their concentration is diverted, thus majority are not able to learn accordingly. Similarly, using internet resources, some students might be tempted to cheat in their tests, thus presenting results that are not directly proportional to their abilities. Such cases are likely to make the institutions produce inexperienced graduates in society.
Conclusion
College reform is an essential aspect that should be embraced in the country. The transformation will guarantee easy access and quality education to most students across the country. For instance, by subsidizing the costs, learners from low-income families will be able to survive and pursue their courses without the impact of financial constraints. Similarly, when educators and school administrators are supported accordingly by the public and government, they are more likely to become effective and thus promote proper education. However, strict measures on the campus might prompt the students to quit schooling, which will affect their educational outcomes. Even though there are some limitations associated with college reform, the practice presents society with an added advantage that will impact the general outcome. Considering the quality of education associated with such changes, the productivity of the communities will increase effectively. Therefore, people, government, and the respective learning institutions need to embrace and facilitate the necessary reforms to improve the overall outcome of college education.
References
Brooks, R. (2018). The construction of higher education students in English policy documents. British Journal of Sociology of Education, 39(6), 745-761.
Curaj, A., Deca, L., & Pricopie, R. (2018). European higher education area: The impact of past and future policies (p. 721). Springer Nature.
Klempin, S., & Karp, M. M. (2018). Leadership for transformative change: Lessons from technology-mediated reform in broad-access colleges. The Journal of Higher education, 89(1), 81-105.
Matheos, K., & Cleveland-Innes, M. (2018). Blended learning: Enabling higher education reform. Revista Eletrônica de Educação, 12(1), 238-244.
Verger, A., Fontdevila, C., & Parcerisa, L. (2019). Reforming governance through policy instruments: How and to what extent standards, tests and accountability in education spread worldwide. Discourse: Studies in the Cultural Politics of Education, 40(2), 248-270.