PERSPECTIVES OF SCHOOL PEDAGOGUES ON NATIONAL EDUCATION POLICY

Abstract

This paper presents the results of a study aimed at examining school pedagogues’ perspectives on national education policy and their perception of their role in its development and implementation. The study employed a qualitative methodology, using semi-structured interviews with a total of eight school pedagogues from primary and secondary schools. The findings indicate that pedagogues recognize the importance of educational reforms but highlight a range of challenges that hinder their effective implementation. The main challenges include inadequate communication with relevant institutions (ministries and agencies), unclear objectives and expected outcomes of reforms, uncritical adoption of educational practices from other countries, ad hoc policy changes related to shifts in government, and staff overload. Regarding their professional role, pedagogues report that they achieve the most impact within their own schools (micro-level policy), while they have limited opportunities for participation or influence on decisions made at higher levels of education policy (macro-level). The results underscore the need for more systematic involvement of the pedagogues’ profession in the development and implementation of educational reforms, with the aim of strengthening their professional role and promoting policies based on the real needs of practitioners.