The Transformation of the European Educational Discourse in the Balkans

Abstract

The transfer of the European educational discourse to particular nation‐states is a complex process. The outcomes following this transfer are unclear. This article examines the transfer of the European educational discourse in the Balkans and proposes its richer description through the consideration of the processes of educational democratisation and modernisation over the last 40 years in this area. These processes have facilitated the transfer of the European discourse to each of the Balkan countries, which today is achieved largely through participation in European Union programmes, the voluntary signing of common declarations, and financial backing through European funding. At the same time, there seems to be the general impression that the spread of the European discourse has similar effects on the reform of all the Balkan educational systems. As research interest now focuses almost exclusively on the transfer of the European educational discourse to the Balkans, one can easily surmise from this that the reform of the educational systems of the various countries in the region has a common ideological foundation. However, taking into account the concept of discourse transformation, it is argued here that the European educational discourse is influenced by the implementation of the various national policies. In one way or another, the European standards and brand names have to be filtered through the existing economic, sociological, political and cultural structures of each of the Balkan countries.

Elementary Teacher’s Perceptions of Education Reforms in Albania

“…The broad principles for recommended education policy in transition states are drawn from the general Pan-European social and economic recommendations relating to labour training and employment (Sahlberg and Boce, 2010;West, 2013). Therefore, Albania, like most of the other transition states in Central and Eastern Europe, has been strongly encouraged to align its education policy with those of the member states of the EU (Cerych, 2002;Hinţea et al, 2004;Lama et al, 2011;Marga, 2002;Satchkova, 2003;Silova, 2004;Zmas, 2012). The same can be said of the ensemble of its administrative reforms (Elbasani, 2004).…”

“…This approach to reform, designed entirely around the need to completely erase a rejected legacy without taking proper account of what was working with the old system, was arguably just as driven by ideology as the previous regime was. The desire to remove communism at any cost prevailed over a rational evaluation of the relative strengths and weaknesses of the education policy that it had developed (Cerych, 1995;Marga, 2002;Zmas, 2012). Education occupies a central place in state structures "because of its role in the dissemination of knowledge, encouraging progress and the values of national cohesion" (Van Zanten, 2013, p.2), a fact which justified implementation of the reforms.…”

Financial crisis and higher education policies in Greece: between intra- and supranational pressures

“…This has been the case since the 1990's, when the EU emerged as a visible player in terms of influencing Greek education policies. Wellknown postulates of the European education discourse, such as evaluation, accountability, quality and efficiency, gradually permeated Greek affairs, as well as those in neighboring countries (Zmas 2012). It should be noted that there are various definitions of 'Europeanization.…”

Avant-Propos

“…On sait à quel point les entrepreneurs de la « philanthropie scientifique » ont depuis longtemps pesé sur les priorités de la recherche en sciences sociales et médicales, notamment dans l'entre-deux-guerres (Tournès, 2011). Le concours des experts en provenance d'institutions internationales, comme la Banque Mondiale, l'OCDE, l'Union européenne ou l'UNESCO, ou de fondations philanthropiques, comme l'Open Society Institute de George Soros, n'a été que peu étudié, en dépit de leur implication forte dans la région (Wimberley, 1999 ;Guilhot, 2004 ;Zmas, 2012 ;Barrows, 2013). Dans une démarche centrée sur les usages sociaux et politiques de l'expertise et des références internationales, il devient désormais indispensable d'analyser les programmes et stratégies que ces organisations ont mis en oeuvre et les relations que les responsables administratifs et scientifiques des pays étudiés ont pu entretenir avec elles au fil du temps.…”