EF 611: Comparative

Education
Gilbert Arinaitwe, PhD
Comparative The subunit aims at broadening your
Education - understanding through examination of
Comparative and International issues
Course that have bearing on Education
Description: Systems.

This subunit will enable you to

critically analyse and evaluate
educational policies in different
systems of education.
 Reading journal 10% – You are to write one journal entry
Course work containing a reaction to the reading of the article by
Jacques Hallak titled: Educational policies in a

assignments comparative perspective: suggestions for a research

agenda. This reading journal is meant to help you reflect
to the reading and make connections to your own
experience. The journal should be no more than 2 pages
double-spaced.

Short paper (20%) - You will write a short paper on one

country other than your own and focus on one education
policy. This short paper will have two main parts: (i) a
description of the education context (education structure,
and the role of the State – comparing them to your own
country ); and (ii) an analysis of a recent education
program or policy that has been implemented in that
context. The paper will be approximately 10 pages double-
space. You must crosscheck with your coordinator to
ensure that the country chosen has not been selected by
another student!
 1. Identify five examples of inter-country comparisons of
Review educational policies which are difficult to simply draw
inferences from? What are the differences between
questions countries that make it difficult to make inter-country
comparisons?

2. Identify five common problems that countries grapple

with and for which inter-country comparisons of
educational policies might be useful to adapt and borrow
from? What are the similarities between countries that
make it plausible to make inter-country comparisons?

3. What are the examples of educational issues,

challenges and objectives that countries share? Show how
comparative analyse of one educational issue has
identified the trends and suggestions for dealing with the
issue.
Review • 4. The purpose of evaluation could be grouped into two broad
categories: (a) Administrative purposes which reflect
questions management and resource concerns as seen as including
accountability to (i) society, (ii) funding sources, (iii) parents,
and (iv) the schools as institutions, and (b) Educational
purposes are mostly concerned with quality control and
educational outcome in relation to the (i) teaching-learning
process, (ii) curriculum, and (iii) disparities in educational
achievement. 4. How do you relate the trends in Europe on the
role of the State regarding each of the categories of evaluation
listed above with your own country’s experience?