Belated Words: on Neo-liberalism, Educational Responsibility and External Assessment of Knowledge
Dr. Janez Krek

Summary:  The text brings attention to the conceptual link between neo-liberalism and certain models of educational responsibility. We promote the thesis that the concept of assuring the quality of school and kindergarten operation also in the points tied to the concept of responsibility should not be exclusively connected with neo-liberalism and neo-liberalistic ideology. We try to show on the basis of cases from the USA that in the contemporary democratic (post)industrial society the concept of educational responsibility as part of the system of assuring the quality of the work of school and kindergartens represents a serious challenge which cannot be rejected a priori, and that the reasons for the neo-liberalist solutions introduced in certain countries cannot only be searched for in neo-liberalism as the ideology of a certain period, outside the immanent principles of the operation of the school system. However, we also maintain the thesis that it is not recommendable to design the establishment of responsibility in the way that the assertion of quality closely links externally assessed results (the knowledge of pupils shown) to the system of awards and penalties that directly and radically influence the quality of school operation.

* Full text article is only available in Slovenian language.
Journal of Contemporary Educational Studies is
published with support of Slovenian Research Agency.