Policy Dialogue & Formulation 

Objectives 

Curriculum change may be conceptualized as a continuous process of adaptation of educational policy, goals, content, methods and structures to economic and social change. Resistance to change is part of this dynamic process of increasingly continuous curricular renewal. This module explores the:

• Formulation of change strategies for building on existing strengths and overcoming existing weaknesses;

• Identification of the range of possible stakeholder involvement in policy dialogue and formulation (who is responsible for policy dialogue? who is consulted? at what stage? in what capacity?);
• Mobilization of support during the process of policy formulation and implementation.
• Identification of major curriculum policy issues which are likely to be sensitive or challenging;

Focus

Curriculum policy change is increasingly shaped by broad processes of consultation of stakeholders on the nature and direction of change perceived to be necessary/desirable. Such dialogues foster more commitment from both educational and non-educational actors involved at all levels and gives all those involved a sense of ownership of the changes. Furthermore, this type of process fosters trust of stakeholders and contributes to the reinforcement of political will to support the policy changes. However, in undertaking broad-based consultation and policy dialogue, curriculum developers are sometimes confronted with contradictory views on education and the direction it should be taking.  

Resistance to new policies often appears at the source of the curriculum renewal process, i.e. at the level of policy formulation. The greater involvement of stakeholders brings in a broader range of opinions, views, interests and expectations, which may often be conflicting. Managing conflicting opinions (vested interests) and different interpretations about the desired direction of policy change can be a real challenge.  

Resistance may also be encountered during the various phases of implementation of new policy. Such resistance may arise from parents, teachers, and education administrators, and may be due to a range of issues often related to doubts about the sincerity of the consultation process, lack of participation in the process of consultation, or to a concern with the appropriateness of new learning content, or of the impact new contexts and methods may have on the quality of learning achievement. Participation and confidence in consultation processes may be limited in some rapidly changing contexts where several Ministries, or different parts of the Ministry of Education, are conducting simultaneous consultations without much coordination and collaboration.  

Communicating and marketing decisions about educational change to the general public is crucial for proper implementation of curriculum reforms. The consequence of a misinformed or insufficiently informed public can lead to a lack of understanding of the changes and eventually to resistance.

Issues of sensitivity vary between contexts. However, two issues language policy and the role of education in promoting social cohesion, have been selected for exploration in this module because they are common to many contexts; they are significant in defining national identity and may serve as a model for handling other sensitive issues.

Key words

Policy dialogue, policy formulation, policy implementation, resistance, consultation of stakeholders, decentralization, contextual scan; Analysis of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. Intersect oral policy analysis.