Curriculum Change and Social Inclusion - International Bureau of ...

Responding to social exclusion
through curriculum change
Sobhi Tawil
I. BACKGROUND
1. Exclusion and strains on social cohesion
Establishing stronger social cohesion within and among
communities and nations is a necessary precondition for
peace and stability, as well as for sustainable social and
economic development. The past decade has seen growing
international concern with social cohesion as the social
fabric in all regions of the world has increasingly been
under the strain of greater inequalities in income
distribution, unemployment, marginalization, xenophobia,
racial discrimination, school-based violence, organized
crime and armed conflict. These diverse manifestations
and causes of social exclusion point to the dissolution of
bonds of trust between individuals and social groups, as
well as to a weakening of respect for human life and
dignity. Furthermore, these societal strains constitute
important threats to social and political stability. The
concept of social cohesion therefore clearly stems from
deep concern about social exclusion and the way this is
reproduced and exacerbated within contexts of economic
transition, economic depression and political instability.
2. From exclusion to social inclusion
As a result, there has been increasing focus on social
inclusion in view, not only of mitigating the impact of
weakening social fabric and cohesion, but also of ensuring
greater respect for the basic rights of individuals and
groups. Emphasis on social exclusion therefore translates
into a desire to enhance the inclusion of all individuals and
groups into a pluralistic, just and cohesive society,
particularly through equitable access to social services
(health, education, housing, employment), security and
justice, as well as to other social benefits. This attempt to
enhance inclusion is directed particularly at those groups
that are most excluded from full social, cultural, economic
and political participation: they include a wide array of
groups ranging from national minorities, the unemployed,
youth, women, immigrants, refugees and internally
displaced populations, street children, remote rural
communities, people living with HIV/AIDS, asylum
seekers, people with disabilities, to traveler families and
to the elderly. It is important to note that, in many cases,
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it is a combination of multiple discriminations that leads
to social exclusion of individuals and groups.
3. The role of education
It is now widely established that education systems often
contribute to perpetuating social and economic disparities
and inequalities as is illustrated by patterns of inequitable
access to formal education based on a combination of
factors related to gender, income level, residence and
minority status. These inequities (as monitored by
disparities in net enrolment ratios, retention, completion
and literacy rates) are important sources of social exclusion
and may be viewed as ‘part of an intricate web of human
rights violations’ (World Education Forum, Dakar, 2000).
Moreover, beyond educational deprivation and inequitable
access to education and training, official curricular content
may also contribute to maintaining and reproducing
stereotypes and prejudice towards certain minority groups
through the languages of instruction used (or not used),
the teaching of history and geography, citizenship education
and so forth. Similarly, while the content and unintended
consequences of schooling may act as precipitating factors
in the breakdown of social cohesion, formal education also
has an important role to play in strengthening or rebuilding
social fabric through enhanced social inclusion
(International Conference on Education, Geneva,
September 2001).
4. Curricula reform and life skills
Educational reform to enhance social inclusion may include
a wide array of measures at the levels of policy,
management, curricula content and teacher training, ranging
from legislative measures of positive discrimination in
access to formal education, to inclusive education for
learners with special needs, as well as curricular reform.
Reform to update curricula by incorporating new
knowledge, skills and attitudes is one important way in
which the provision of education may be adapted to
encourage greater social inclusion. The increasing focus
on the generic curricula area of life skills is the expression
of an essentially preventative and proactive perspective.
At a minimal level, life skills include skills related to
communication, decision-making, critical thinking,