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Thesis Chapters by Anjali Saran

This paper will now look at three theories to apply to the idea of identity within education and... more This paper will now look at three theories to apply to the idea of identity within education and within plural societies, and how this can be applied to the context of Syrian refugee children within Lebanon. These theories are the Constructivist Theory, Social Identity Theory, and National Identity Theory Each theory will be explained and then applied to the research question. Within the conclusion, this will be further explored, in comparison to the evidence presented from further research.

Mongolia is commonly referred to as a land consisting predominantly of nomads. With its harsh wea... more Mongolia is commonly referred to as a land consisting predominantly of nomads. With its harsh weather, vast open spaces and lack of urban development, Mongolians prefer a non-sedentary lifestyle, to the extent of using housing that is easy to pack up and move; traditional felt tents or ‘yurts’ known as the Ger (Oxford Business Group, 2014). Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia’s capital, is home to 60% of the urban population, 45% of that population within the capital reside in gers, with 29% living in detached housing (Oxford Business Group, 2014). This means that roughly 75% of the population is non-stationary, or nomadic.

To reach the majority population, the Mongolian government introduced the idea of distance education. One big issue in Mongolia, according to the Oxford Business Group Mongolia report (2014), is that distance education is impacted by a deficit in electricity supply. According to the World Bank, 60-70% of the nomadic population has access to electricity (Schellhase, 2015), which leaves approximately 30-40% of the population, not including a newly formed group living around the capital, without electricity. They occasionally use solar panels to charge their phones, radios, televisions and lights; making their technology adaptive through their access to a means of viewing educational tools is sporadic at best (Schellhase, 2015). While solar panels seem useful in providing an educational outlet, systems for updating technology need to be addressed. This means that there is poor access to education even within the nomadic population already permanently living around the capital.

Mongolia also has a growing economy that is heavily reliant on exports to China, which is their largest export partner, receiving up to 80% of the their goods, followed by Switzerland and the United Kingdom at 7.3% and 6.7% respectively (OEC, 2014). So that when China’s growth slows it affects Mongolia (ADB, 2016). China is consequently also their largest import trade partner at 32% followed by Russia and Japan at 28% and 7.3% (OEC, 2014). This clearly indicates a heavy reliance on China for goods and markets. Mongolia desires the benefits of modernity without changing their lifestyle. Large parts of the population are nomadic and live in rural areas that are defined by their less educated population; with the lack of equal access to quality education it exasperates the divide in educational performance. The need to keep up with a growing economy and ever-increasing globalization is connected to a need to improve access to quality education.

China, along with the majority of the world, is a modernizing economy, which means that it is gaining increasingly efficient means of producing agricultural products. If the production of agriculture in Mongolia does not advance, with new technology, methods, better economics and better business, it will become less competitive on the international market. If Mongolian goods are less profitable, and Mongolia is dependent on foreign goods to maintain quality of life, subsequently quality of life will reduce. By improving educational opportunities in Mongolia, it becomes possible to adopt newer agricultural techniques and technologies; which would help keep Mongolia competitive in a globalized market. As more avenues of education become available, more industries can start to flourish within the country, which could reduce dependency on foreign goods and services. Investing in human capital should then be seen as helping to solve the issues of the Mongolian economy in one step. I will outline the importance of access and quality of education for this nomadic population of Mongolia, and whether it would benefit the Mongolian economy, by dissecting the issue with both the Human Capital Theory and the Dependency Theory.

Syrian refugee youth are currently facing a challenging situation in accessing educational opport... more Syrian refugee youth are currently facing a challenging situation in accessing educational opportunities and its availability in Greek refugee camps. Because their stays at the refugee camps are now longer, and less transient than previously, the situation has long-term implications. If the youth are not provided with an education, their ability to transition as productive members in their ultimate host country will be impacted. Notably, in Syria, the normal level of education was quite high, with a literacy rate of over 90%. This study seeks to identify how this challenge can most effectively be solved by discussing: 1) the language in which instruction should/could be taught; and 2) whether there are technological tools available to help address the situation, acknowledging that there are limited resources available in the host country and in refugee camps. In order to consider and address these issues in a real-life scenario, this study focuses on refugee camps on Lesvos.

To start, this study explores how the current civil war in Syria has displaced millions of its citizens, forcing them to migrate. Many Syrians, including the youth, land on the Aegean island of Lesvos as their first point of entry into Greece from Turkey. This poses many research questions, to hopefully be answered through the process of this study.

After addressing the camps’ terrible conditions and the language barriers that these Syrian refugee youth face in the camps on Lesvos, which prevents educational access, the study moves on to discuss and propose educational technology-based interventions used around the world. These are specifically targeted to refugees, and might be leveraged to improve the situation for these refugees. This study discusses the benefits and obstacles posed by using smartphones, and other technologies that may offer an effective platform to deliver education, as well as the positive effect it has on one’s psychosocial well-being.

This study further explores, with the concepts of the Human Rights Theory and Technological Determinism, the question of whose responsibility it is to provide such educational access, and why refugees are being denied their right to an education. In addition, this study looks at the benefits of independence that comes from using technology, and whether using technology is merely a thin veneer covering the multitude of issues already there, or whether it provides an actual solution to the challenges present.

The author collected data through six interviews with experts in this field, which demonstrated that there are multiple barriers to education in Greek camps. Language is the most frequently mentioned barrier, but each expert shared their view that, if the barriers can be overcome, technology has more benefits than adverse consequences. The study shares the experts’ views on the differences between classrooms and technological education platforms. Overall, technology would be a more sustainable resource in the long term, and is the way of the future even if face-to-face learning would be more beneficial (without regard to resource restrictions). Overall, a blended approach would be more advantageous.

Based on observations made in the field and a literature review, many of the research questions posed are answered. There appear to be more education provisions on Lesvos than is reported, although the barriers found in the literature review are the same as the ones that respondents reported, with more to be included.

There was no time to pilot an intervention and test it. As a result, the conclusions are based purely on comparative subjective opinion, which is often affected by individuals’ previous experiences, affecting the validity and reliability of responses.

Overall, this study led to an increase in knowledge about what is currently happening on Lesvos, as well as the need for improvement for Syrian refugee youth education on the island. This study suggests a number of means to create and implement a tech-based intervention, and suggests a number of additional questions for future research.

Drafts by Anjali Saran

This report is written for the Namibian government and interested stakeholders to assist them to ... more This report is written for the Namibian government and interested stakeholders to assist them to consider investing in the improvement and development of a language policy within the Namibian education system. The report focuses on the failures of the previous policies, what caused them, the context of the country, and how to improve the policies effectively and efficiently. The problem issue the report identifies is the oppression of Namibians through colonial language and the importance of re-establishing the mother tongue of all Namibian people, to decolonise their minds, and improve learning in their early years, and to incorporate English alongside their native tongue.
The planning theory used to evaluate this language policy is OECD-DAC, as a macro-proven framework used by multilateral companies to evaluate national projects. This analysis reveals that many of the goals were not reached by the intended date, and have yet to be achieved. A large contributing factor was the lack of resources, such as books in the multitude of mother tongues, and, significantly, teacher training. Many students are still being held back a year, and fail to receive diplomas or, at best, achieve poor grades. The cost of the policy appears to be efficient and beneficial in the long run, however, there has been a problem of procuring sufficient funding. There also shows to be some improvement in test results in both English and mother tongue over the years, indicating that the policy is going in the right direction, and supports the benefits predicted. The policy had good intentions and is a good baseline for future policies, if the government is able to find enough funding to see it through. The policy was not implemented correctly and has not worked to the degree it was intended.
Recommendations to potential funders would be to ensure there are improved teacher training, accessible resource centres, and updated and relevant teaching resources for all dialects. The government of Namibia is recommended to thoroughly monitor the language policy implementation and certify teachers are adequately proficient in both English and native dialects. With these improvements, the policy would likely achieve its intended goals, instead of settling for a generation of Namibians with inadequate education.