Page 29 - Šolsko polje, XXIX, 2018, no. 1-2: The Language of Neoliberal Education, ed. Mitja Sardoč
P. 29
v. d’agnese ■ concealment and advertising: unraveling ...
of the message and people’s awareness, does not work as a deceit; rath-
er, it is an explicit rule of the commercial game. However, this is not the
case when listening to institutions claiming scientific authority –as in the
case of OECD. When playing the game of research, as it were, we have
to abide by quite a different rule. Here, one would expect a kind of in-
clusive approach, and the possibility to fairly take into account different
and even opposite opinions, gestures and options – a gesture that in ad-
vertisement would be senseless and, as it were, masochistic. So, OECD,
through such a twofold gesture and language, one that speaks at the very
same time and with respect to the same contents through scientific publi-
cations and brochures, enacts a politic that is, in my opinion, highly am-
biguous. If one would stress the question, one could say that OECD mis-
uses its reputation as a scientific authority, thus making claims that hardly
may be found in a scientific publication, but that, due to their captivating
nature, aim to convince people about the goodness of its own products—
PISA, in this case.
This is clearly expressed in third video I analyse, namely, Pisa for
School. What and Why?
PISA, the world’s premier students’ assessment has evaluated and com-
pared school systems all around the world. The modern world no longer
pays people for just what they know [...] but for what they do with what
they know [...]. Even the best performing High School in the United
States have room for emprovement in order to reach the performance
level of the highest performing systems internationally [...] They [teach-
ers and policy makers] know how important it is for their students to be
prepared to enter a global economy where they will be competing for
the best jobs with young people from all over the world. And in a global
economy the benchmark for education success is no longer improve-
ment by national standards alone, but the best performing education
systems internationally. (Schleicher, 2018a)
A first thing to be noted is that, once again, Schleicher expresses
the same questionable concepts: PISA is the “world’s premier students’
assessment”, PISA-based Test for School is necessary for students to suc-
ceed, a “global economy” as an all-encompassing concept which comes
to erase the complexity and diversity of world and societies. Once again,
these questionable concepts are taken for granted without further argu-
ment or reasoning. However, this is not the only thing worth analysing
in this passage. While Schleicher’s discourse is focused on schooling at
large, the attention is just on competing “for the best jobs”. The “educa-
tion success” and “the best performing education systems internationally”
27
of the message and people’s awareness, does not work as a deceit; rath-
er, it is an explicit rule of the commercial game. However, this is not the
case when listening to institutions claiming scientific authority –as in the
case of OECD. When playing the game of research, as it were, we have
to abide by quite a different rule. Here, one would expect a kind of in-
clusive approach, and the possibility to fairly take into account different
and even opposite opinions, gestures and options – a gesture that in ad-
vertisement would be senseless and, as it were, masochistic. So, OECD,
through such a twofold gesture and language, one that speaks at the very
same time and with respect to the same contents through scientific publi-
cations and brochures, enacts a politic that is, in my opinion, highly am-
biguous. If one would stress the question, one could say that OECD mis-
uses its reputation as a scientific authority, thus making claims that hardly
may be found in a scientific publication, but that, due to their captivating
nature, aim to convince people about the goodness of its own products—
PISA, in this case.
This is clearly expressed in third video I analyse, namely, Pisa for
School. What and Why?
PISA, the world’s premier students’ assessment has evaluated and com-
pared school systems all around the world. The modern world no longer
pays people for just what they know [...] but for what they do with what
they know [...]. Even the best performing High School in the United
States have room for emprovement in order to reach the performance
level of the highest performing systems internationally [...] They [teach-
ers and policy makers] know how important it is for their students to be
prepared to enter a global economy where they will be competing for
the best jobs with young people from all over the world. And in a global
economy the benchmark for education success is no longer improve-
ment by national standards alone, but the best performing education
systems internationally. (Schleicher, 2018a)
A first thing to be noted is that, once again, Schleicher expresses
the same questionable concepts: PISA is the “world’s premier students’
assessment”, PISA-based Test for School is necessary for students to suc-
ceed, a “global economy” as an all-encompassing concept which comes
to erase the complexity and diversity of world and societies. Once again,
these questionable concepts are taken for granted without further argu-
ment or reasoning. However, this is not the only thing worth analysing
in this passage. While Schleicher’s discourse is focused on schooling at
large, the attention is just on competing “for the best jobs”. The “educa-
tion success” and “the best performing education systems internationally”
27
