This paper will examine two sociological perspectives which are structural-functionalism and social power or conflict theory. Since both theories have their own strengths and weaknesses in explaining schooling in developing countries, a short discussion of how they explain it is included below. This essay will also portray the stand of the [student] author in supporting a theory among the two that is thought best describes the actual contemporary context of schooling in developing countries.
In sociology studies, it is important to take sociological perspectives to explain social issues we are facing and make projections. Sociological theories are usually considered useful for discussion, explanation and prediction of the social world. In an educational context, a variety of explanations have been extracted from structural-functionalism and social power or conflict theory. These two theories have tried to explain the purposes of schooling and how schooling has progressed from colonial to contemporary eras. Structural functionalists look at society as interconnected, in which the function of a society depends on all parts of the society to work together. Many institutions perform different tasks in society, one of which is an educational institution. Schooling, therefore, serves as an important agent/institution to sustain the function of society. For example, education offers a way to transfer knowledge and skills and a set of cultures to the citizens of the society. People within a society can use knowledge and skills to perform occupational tasks that are required or demanded for survival and growth. Schooling becomes one of the most important tasks that all nation-states have been implementing and it has become very relevant, especially in the contemporary context of the globalized world. Globalization has forced many countries to adopt new ways to survive. For example, a flow of FDIs has encouraged governments in many countries to focus on producing more human resources so that they can benefit from investments, job creation and exportations. Another example includes when a country is trying to industrialize, and it needs educated and skilled people to work in the industries. This best explains how schooling has helped societies to function toward development and prosperity. However, a counterargument is made by conflict theory. According to the conflict theory, schooling itself is in the interests of elites or the powerful group. For example, the powerful have the authority to design and implement educational policies to serve their interests or power. At a macro level, education serves the interests of the western countries and multinational corporations. At this point, conflict theory explains that multinational corporations go and invest in the Third World countries because of cheap labor, which is a form of exploitation. In short, the two perspectives have raised relevant arguments in describing schooling, yet both are still imperfect.
Schooling has been practiced for thousands of years albeit in different pictures, for example, dating back to the teaching and learning of philosophy in Ancient Greece. Although education was not widely available for everyone, the subjects learned many things including philosophies, logic, and linguistics to name a few. During the colonialism period, a broader and more formal range of schooling emerged, yet again only selective students had a chance to get an education. Colonizers introduced schooling to their loyalists and elites whom they thought could serve their interests and power. After the colonial period, mass schooling was seen in many newly independent countries from Africa to Asia to South America. The initial form of the education system in these countries seemed to be the same as that of the colonizers. This early phase of education in postcolonialism was known as the colonial legacy. Education then continued to go to different paths depending on political and social orientations. However, it is worth mentioning that although schooling becomes a universal practice, enrollments in schools and its purposes are divided. Many developing countries find it very hard to define, promote and sustain education. For example, many countries in Sub-Sahara and South Asia still have low enrollment and school completion rates. Governments in developing countries do not have enough funding for education. Lack of teachers, teacher quality and school facilities is another problem among many that developing countries have been facing. International agencies like the World Bank have been working with developing countries to provide aid and loans to develop their education system. The World Bank is the biggest player in assisting less developed countries to achieve a better education environment. However, it is important to note that international agencies like the World Bank have their agenda to be achieved. For instance, the World Bank will convince or force, in a more extreme term, aid or loan receiving countries to adapt to its recommendations of reforming or implementation. Therefore, it is more common to see similar policies on education in developing countries. Conflict theory may see that the recommendations from the World Bank, for example, are an influence or another way of colonialism from western countries or interests of multinational corporations. However, before we jump to that conclusion, it is recommended that we look at the issue more analytically.
Conflict theory is more relevant to describe schooling in the pre and during colonialism. As a matter of fact, education was very limited and only those from wealthy families or selective persons had the ability to study. This was especially true during the colonialism when only elite groups were allowed to study, and the colonizers allowed schooling because it served their colonial purposes. However, in the contemporary world, the purposes of education might have changed. Most countries regard education as an instrument to achieve growth. Although it is still limited in many developing countries, it is usually not because of the discouragement or ban to access, but rather because of social, political and environmental barriers. More importantly, many newly industrialized countries have prioritized their education as a key to achieving a high growth and supporting and sustaining industrialization. Many developing countries also prioritize education as a key sector to achieve economic growth. Therefore, it is safe to say all countries identify the importance of education as a part of the development of the society, which is closely relevant to what structural-functionalists explain about the theory. As mentioned above, the fact that developing countries have no choice but to accept policy recommendations from international donors or agencies like the World Bank might give an implication that education becomes a new indirect way of colonizing developing countries. However, the fact that developing countries lack expertise in designing and implementing a policy on their own should also be taken into a consideration. Aids or loans might go wasted if there are weak or irrelevant policies and implementations in education. The World Bank consists of highly trained researchers and well-documented research and data about the development and experiences in developing and improving education in developing countries. Although no “one fit all” might be true, it is necessary to understand that those agencies try to improve education systems so that aid and loan receiving countries can benefit from them. Moreover, many developing countries accept the aid, make loans and allow non-governmental organizations to operate in order to maintain education in their countries. This shows how relevant schooling is as an institution to function in its roles in society.
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