What to do with school? Reform it? No, transform it

Mirjana Nastran Ule

Summary:  My contribution joins the debate on the contemporary challenges of education and the future of the school system in Slovenia, which started with the publication of some ideas on the basis of the school reform, which are being prepared by the Ministry of Education, and to which there have already been some critical reactions. Today, education is confronted with the hidden effects of neoliberal ideology, which, in the current socio-economic situation, favours a market mentality, private individualism and competition. These processes are occurring as a mixture of the increasing standardisation and quantification of educational processes and the de-standardisation (individualisation) of learning achievements, and aspirations. This is bad for the education system, as it does not encourage creativity, curiosity and critical thinking. It creates egoistic individualists. Schools are thus in danger of losing the fundamental values on which the educational process is supposed to be based, namely inclusiveness, fairness and the provision of equal educational opportunities. If young people are to be equipped with the necessary knowledge, skills and attributes to face the problems of the future world constructively, a comprehensive transformation of schools is needed. I am committed to emancipatory education, to transforming the school field into a social environment that fosters the simultaneous growth of students‘ cognitive and socio-emotional abilities, their social cohesion, solidarity and humanity.