Education

The article analyzes curriculum processes and products pertaining to the overall reconstruction of Afghanistan’s education system after 2002. With the support of several international agencies, including UNESCO’s International Bureau of Education (IBE), as well as non-governmental organizations (NGOs), Afghanistan’s Ministry of Education succeeded in making important progress with regard to quality education, curriculum planning and design. Based on a careful analysis of needs, new curriculum frameworks for primary and secondary education were developed over the period 2002–2006, and syllabuses and textbooks for primary and secondary education will be developed and disseminated in schools across the country. However, many challenges remain to be tackled, especially with regard to the dissemination of a new curriculum culture and the writing, printing and distribution of quality syllabuses and textbooks at all education levels. The article highlights both the achievements and the obstacles standing in the way of comprehensive curriculum reforms taking place in the difficult context of reconstructing a cohesive societal infrastructure in a country, such as Afghanistan, that is affected by conflict.

My initial encounter with whole-school curriculum development was as a teacher and head of the upper school in an inner London comprehensive in the early 1980s. It involved developing a school curriculum that would engage and motivate students, many of whom came from deprived backgrounds in areas such as Brixton and Lambeth. Much has changed in England since then, but the determination to produce a curriculum offering that is relevant to the needs of young people remains a driving force for me.

The paper explores the links between philosophy and learning with a view to highlight some of the today's most influential philosophical "paradigms" of education. The concepts of "paradigm" and "philosophical paradigm of education" are discussed -and nuanced -based on some explicit references to them in the current philosophical and pedagogical literature. While taking into account all the different ways in which philosophy may be inquired with regard to its influence on education, the paper focuses merely on philosophical contributions to the understanding of specific issues such as the human potential for learning; the concepts of cognition and learning; epistemological and value assumptions in teaching and learning; and psycho-social aspects exploring the relationships between the self and the "other" via communication and other forms of social interaction. While assuming that the relationships between philosophy and education are not unidirectional (in the sense that not only philosophy impacts on education, but also vice-versa, education issues may trigger philosophical reflection and debates), the paper analyses how different contemporary influential ４４ Philosophy of Education philosophical orientations (i.e. Pragmatism and Neo-pragmatism; The Critical Theory; Post-modern and Relativistic approaches; Constructivism) paved their way into educational thinking, policy making and teaching and learning practices. Whereas acknowledging that philosophy is not the only strong "foundation" for education, the paper stresses nevertheless the benefits of a reflective attitude in education with regard to its main (philosophical) assumptions. Choices in education are not always following a reflective pattern and changes are very often introduced because they are fashionable. Recurrent interrogations on important philosophical assumptions of educational theories, policies and practices may yet bring about a better balance between "innovation" and "tradition" and/or between "change" and "stability" while avoiding the many pitfalls of new and attractive, yet ephemeral, education fashions.

Our purpose as the Inter-Agency Network for Education in Emergencies (INEE) is to serve as an open global network of members working together within a humanitarian and development framework to ensure all people the right to quality and safe education in emergencies and post-crisis recovery.