Government’s Role In Public Education
Education is one of the most important social facilities that play a big role in transformation of society and improving the community’s living standards. In addition, education plays a key role in the economic growth and development in that, all the relevant legislations and economic projects and programs have to directly or indirectly depend on education. Just like it facilitates the success of other facilities, the state government has the responsibility to ensure that education system, and especially the public education is up and running for the benefit of its citizenly. In addition, the government not only influences the effectiveness of public education, it also sets regulations for the private education to ensure quality and consumer protection is assured. In the US, public education is managed at the state level with the state superintendent of school taking charge to ensure education policies are followed. In addition, primary and secondary schools are regulated by school boards elected publicly and operating within the state boundaries.
In the field of public education, it is the responsibility of the state government to establish learning institutions, develop curricula, employ and manage trainers, set regulatory framework and coordinate enrolment systems. In addition to direct involvement in education, the state government is responsible for ensuring the supporting social issues are being addressed in order to ensure that education system is successful; such issues are health, poverty (more specifically the household income) and other infrastructure. It is also the responsibility to ensure that there is equality in provision of education especially in public institutions. Education is said to be public when and only when the government is solely responsible for examining and setting stands, certification of teachers and enforcing mandatory education up to a certain age.
Through the Department of education, the state government has been actively facilitating the progress of education system through the history of education. Since the 1860s, the federal government has, through the department of education, been involved in administering educational support, the first one being the colleges and universities, while vocational training colleges and high schools came later. In the later years, the government has established civil rights for equal education access, while at the same taking the initiative to assist the poor to access elementary and secondary education. It has also enhanced access to postsecondary school through granting loans and work study facilities (US Department of Education, 2009). This paper will discuss the role of state government in provision of public education.
Funding
The state government has a direct financial obligation on public education through the department of education. According to Dennis (2000), section 14 of the constitution states that, “the government shall provide for the maintenance and support of a thorough and efficient system of public education to serve the needs of the commonwealth”. The education system in US, specifically the public primary and secondary education is financed through taxpayer’s money. The government takes the responsibility to finance the less privileged to access education through its policy of compulsory education for all up to a certain level of age. In the state of Texas, the commissioner of education and the Texas Education agency ensure that there is equitable funding of schools in all districts falling under Texas State. In addition, Texas State funding of public schools according to Equitable Funding in Public Education (n.d) is around 44%, with rest being financed by local entities. Although this is a drop in the level of funding, the role that these funds play especially when it comes to equality between the rich and the poor is important. In the recent years, local entities have increased their funding of public education leaving the government with ample time and convenience to establish other educational facilities such as curriculum and so on.
In addition the government provides financing in form of scholarships, grants, loans and work study to students in higher education. In understanding the role played by professionals that come from this system of education , the government commits itself to ensure that the higher education institution develop the best talents that will aid in economic development in the future.
Curriculum
For the education system to be effective there must be standardization of the learning process. In this regard, the government plays some key role in establishing standards of education that create uniformity throughout the state. In addition the government is responsible, through examination board, to ensure uniformity in exit examination to ensure equal treatment in enrolment into the next level of education. However although Molland (2007) claims that the government is not directly involved in curriculum development, but the task is normally left to the state and local school boards, Ganly (2007) indicates that the federal government plays a key influence on the outcome of the curriculum through enforcement of legislation of No Child Left Behind Act; providing resources, syllabus and guide for grade levels; and setting up of learning standards. In this case, no curriculum development can be effective without the direct input of the government. The less important classroom materials are left to the districts to manage.
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