Document Type : Research Paper
Author
Associate Prof. Institute of social and Cultural Studies. Iran. Tehran.
Abstract
Educational neo-liberalism gradually alternated the university patterns in recent seven decades, especially, final two decades of 21th century, and emerged as a powerful hegemony in education and research; A hegemony that serves the liberal capital market and supports the economic development programs with liberal education and research. Nowadays, by a tiny, but powerful, pandemic of coronavirus, it seems this academic system has lost its credibility. This paper intends to explore the history of dominant academic systems in two recent century - as of German Humboldtian University, British education-based university, and French technical and national-oriented university. While trying to explain the neo-liberalism education thought, it also analyzes the question that “Does the recent pattern can endure before radical critics of oppositions?” If not, what would be the alternative to this dominant global system? The author believes that the explained independency in Kant's pattern of the university, capacities that critical realism provides for educational neo-liberalism, and accuracy of this system in applying the critics of oppositions for the reconstruction of itself could help to its survival and reconstruction of self in a flexible manner. However, we have to wait for the next world climate changes in response to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Highlights
Introduction
Besides the science orientations, dose Covid-19 pandemic can free the scientific activities from the current inflexible construction that, historically, has been set in the economic and political power constructions of neo-liberalism in the second part of 20th century and two recent decades? Does this freedom direct us to a more complicated situation as of controlling management? Does it directs us to a free situation in which science and thinkers demand the knowledge for the sake of truth itself, and the truth for the excellence of human in material and moral aspect?
German truth-seeker university
The idea of science unity, the distinguished attribute of philosophical idealism in 19th and first decades of 20th century, played a pivotal role in the whole construction of the German model of universities. Either in the first generations of new German universities – following Berlin university - or in modern generations in 20th century – following the KWG then renamed to Max Planck Society, the nature of German university idea created by accompanying 4 pillars of “national identity”, “unity of science”, “science advancement” and “academic freedom”.
British education-based university
Freedom of this kind of education that emphasizes on education rather than science development, means that human in a lived educational experience, either general or elementary or professional academic education and even civil educations can manifest his excellence self. This model not only imposes any kind of ideologic thought to students but also does not educated them according to the specific professions; Instead, tries to educate free, expert, and excellence humans.
French university; from Napoleonic to national model
In this bureaucratic system, various categories and concours administrated a complicated discipline. This situation included even those fields that do not require concours. Regulation and equalization of educational curriculum and granting the monopoly of the educational degree to the government is the main characteristics of this model. Moreover, this system emphasizes on faculties’ division of labor and specializing the education.
American Research-based and market-based universities; New scientific hegemony
This king of universities have a correlation to the development programs. After World War II, countries considered the economic development proposal and free economic and commercial market in their agenda, and the United Nations-supported this program. In proportion to this international policy, in the first phase, states began with the reconstruction of the educational system, science and technology, and designed programs to reach economic developments.
COVID-19 and changes in the world system of science and higher education
Dose Covid-19 carrying many critics and provides a historical opportunity for neo-liberalism opponents, is the final hit to end the system that its inefficiencies have been mentioned in various ways? Perhaps it may be the only reason for the system abolition, or in an optimistic view, results in changes in neo-liberalism administration of policies and approaches.
Conclusion
Perhaps in the world of post-COVID-19, Neo-liberalism abuses science and technology in its current approach, but in the other forms and in order to reconstruct itself in crisis management, the behaving environment and controlling the penetration of economy and the free market. Perhaps this system, apply science and technology to serve the cyber world development in general and Specialty education and opens a way of communication for the world. In other words, COVID-19 is merely adequate and necessary reason for all critics and making neo-liberalism to reconstruct basically, not to abolish.
Keywords
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