The Meaning of Educational Change in Post-Soviet Tajikistan: Educational E~Ncounters in Badakhshan How Educators in an In-Servic
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The meaning of educational change in post-Soviet Tajikistan: Educational E~ncounters in Badakhshan How educators in an in-service institution in rural Badakhshan understand and respond to educational change Anise Waljee A thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy University of London: Institute of Education 2010 Abstract This thesis examines educational change in the province of Badakhshan, Tajikistan, where the processes of change are framed in the post -Soviet transition from communism to incipient forms of democracy and from a command to market economy. It focuses on the encounter of an international development agency, the Aga Khan Foundation (AKF), and a government, in-service, teacher training institution, the Institute of Professional Development (IPD). That interaction is also contextualised in a very particular relationship: the head of AKF, the Aga Khan, is also the spiritual leader of the Badakhshani community. Hence, development and faith perspectives intersect in this change process (es). Using a qualitative approach and a case study design the research makes visible educational change as it impacts structures, institutions and individual educators in post-Soviet Badakhshan. It draws on the work of Birzea (1994), Venda 1991; 1999), Foucault (1972; 1980) and Gramsci (1971) to understand how institutional transformation processes are mediated and contested as the IPD changes from a government body to a 'public-private' one. The research finds that notwithstanding the faith connection, institutional transformation involves ideological, epistemological and hegemonic contestations as well as new learning. Responses include ambivalence, resistance, adaptation, appropriation and reclamation of educational and institutional change through a recasting of social and professional relationships and a mastery of international aid discourses. The study reveals that there is not 'a change process' but, instead, change(s) processes that are multiple, interlinked, iterative, simultaneous and sometimes chaotic. It argues that the change contexts, the macro and micro narratives that attend it and the processes of educational transformation are better understood through a re-conceptualisation of familiar notions of educational change(s), tradition and development. It concludes that the role of faith is central to how development is defined, responded to and appropriated in this little-studied context and contributes to the knowledge of international development across cultures. 2 Declaration and Word Count I hereby declare that, except where explicit attribution is made, the work presented in this thesis is entirely my own. Word count (exclusive of appendices and bibliography): 74,250 (words) 3 Acknowledgements There are many people to whom I will always be grateful for walking this road with me in different places and at different times. I cannot name you all but each one is remembered today. I would like to acknowledge the help of Hertfordshire's disabled students department for their support over the years. They had no idea what they were embarking on in helping a PhD student but they did it anyway. Their patience, trust and generosity are deeply appreciated. Deep gratitude is also owed to Professor Azim Nanji of the Institute of Ismaili Studies for helping with the costs of my first field visit. Your generosity and belief in my then fledging research was a source of hope and inspiration to me. At the Institute of Education, my thanks go to my supervisor Dr. Anil Khamis for his advice and support during this project. It has been a long journey but for me a fruitful one. My gratitude also to Moses Oketch and Tony Green for their support and encouragement during the upgrading and for Moses' time and care in reading an earlier draft of the thesis. Your inputs sharpened my insights considerably and the final work bears your mark on it. Its shortcomings, I claim for my own. My special thanks to everyone at the library, the helpdesk team, and the disability team the staff at the front desk and Yvette at SOAS. You all put yourselves out far more than duty demanded to offer support with friendship. owe you a particular debt of gratitude for easing my way around the library, the computer programmes, the premises and the special services that I needed. To the community in Badakhshan who gave so generously and warmly of their time their thoughts and their insights, go my heartfelt thanks. You welcomed me as a friend and a sister. I shall never forget the conversations, the evening walks, the emails, the continued support of all those at the AKF and IPD, the Oblano, 4 the schools and the community. I must protect your anonymity and so cannot name you. But I remember each one of you as I write this. The thesis belongs to you as much as to me. You were the inspiration that brought it into being. A deep debt of gratitude to my many friends at the IOE: in particular to Maria Assuncao Folque, Nanik Suvaryani, Patricia Smit, Sean Vertigan, for your support, humour, sensitivity, warmth, and resilience. Thank you for being there for me always. For the privilege of friendship, I have too many to thank. Here I mention those who were subjected to my thesis rants, drafts, and traumas. Thank you Lisa Bandari, Zeena Bhanjee, Fred Case, Shailaja Fennel, Arif Jamal, Jess Jessani, Ken Hanks, Boustan Hirji, Dilu Kassam, Rafique Keshavjee, Barbara Potrata, Tina Lopes, Aly Mawji, Montu Saxena, Alain and Yasmine Theabault for believing in me when I did not believe in myself, for your wisdom, your care, your sheer joy of living, for keeping me on track and for your endurance. Some friendships are simply life-saving and life-giving. You have done both and I know my luck. Then there are my families: my actual one, my extended one, and those who adopted me along the way: the Viranis, the Jamanis, the Gillanis and Pushpa. You held my hand when I didn't know I had hands that needed holding. You also convinced me I had wings and could fly when I didn't know what wings were. You have, each one of you, been pillars of courage, wisdom, love, strength and beauty that I could not have survived without. Not least, you taught me how to laugh. For those gifts I can never repay you. Only honour you. To my nieces, nephews, grand nieces and grand nephews, I give my thanks for the sunshine they bring to my life, for constant support and love and mischief. It lifted me in the dark times. Thanks too to Terry South, Yasmine Thebault and Fred Murphy for your thoughtful editing and proof reading as well as the very helpful comments, to Zahra Jabeen and Areez Charania for your hard work on the references and to 5 Zeena for the formatting, especially the circles. Your meticulousness in going through my messy drafts is much appreciated. Thank you for standing by me. There is one debt that goes beyond friendship, beyond family, beyond duty that I end this acknowledgement with. To Zainul Nathoo who educated me, who with patience, immense generosity of spirit sat next to me day after day from the age of 5 till we finished school at 16, dictating to me what was on the board, lending me her books, sharing her knowledge, her friendship, and her amazing capacity for giving. If not for you, I would have not have got an education. It is as simple and as awe-inspiring as that. In giving me that, you gave me life. That too is debt I can never repay. I can only honour you in wonder that such people are. 6 Table of Contents Abstract ................................................................................................................ 2 Declaration and Word Count .............................................................................. 3 Acknowledgements ............................................................................................. 4 Table of Contents ................................................................................................. 7 List of figures tables, and timelines ................................................................. 12 List of acronyms/abbreviations ........................................................................ 14 Chapter 1: Situating the study: A sense of place, time, and presence ......... 15 1.1 Introduction: A sense of time ...................................................................... 15 1.1.1 Locating the study: research focus ...................................................... 16 1.1.2 Why 'Encounter'? ................................................................................. 18 1.1.3 The researcher and research questions: a sense of presence ............ 19 1.1.4 Badakhshan: a sense of place ............................................................. 20 1.1.5 Locating the study: the field site .......................................................... 23 1.2 Methodology: challenges and opportunities ............................................... 24 1 .3 The structu re of the thesis .......................................................................... 26 1.4 Conclusion .................................................................................................. 30 Chapter 2: Education in pre-Soviet, Soviet and Independent Tajikistan Formation, challenges and transformation ..................................................... 31 2.1 Introduction ................................................................................................. 31 2.2 Education in pre-Soviet Central Asia .......................................................... 31 2.3 Education under the