An analysis of the Concept of Freedom and its Implications for Educational Theory and Practice in Egypt, 1805-2000

Abstract

The current study attempts to analyse the learners' right to freedom in education in order to determine the nature and content of their education. This analysis will be in relation to the philosophy of education in Egypt to improve the efficiency of the educational system. In this sense the aims of the study can be determined as follows: first to propose a theoretical framework of freedom in education in relation to its meaning, conditions, restrictions and value, secondly, to develop this theoretical framework of education based on freedom so that it suits Egyptian society, can improve the efficiency of the educational system through the idea of freedom, and thirdly, to identify the difficulties and challenges that might confront the claim to freedom in education in Egypt. To achieve these aims the study contains seven chapters, an introduction, a conclusion and appendix that are necessary to achieve its aims and answer its questions. The introduction discusses the general outline of the study and the major issues, questions, aims, methodology and plan of the study. The main aim of chapter one is to analyse the concept of freedom in western and Islamic thought to build a theoretical framework of the meaning of freedom, its conditions and value, which is necessary and important to construct a theoretical framework of the meaning, conditions and value of freedom in education for learners at school level. Chapter two aims to construct a theoretical framework of freedom in education that will depend on the analysis of the concept of freedom made in chapter one. This analysis will deal with the implications of freedom in education with respect to its conditions, restrictions and value in education. Through this analysis, chapter two aims also to analyse and examine the learners' rights to be free regarding their education. To have a complete theoretical framework of freedom in education, chapter three discusses other implications with respect to restrictions which might limit learners' freedom by being subject to state authority. Chapter four investigates and analyses freedom in educational theory and practice in the history of Egypt from 1805 to 1991, whereas chapter five focuses on the period from 1992 to 2000. Following the analysis of the concept of freedom and its implications in education that will be made in the first five chapters, it would be sensible to construct a framework of educational theory based on freedom that, on one hand, should suite the Egyptian context in chapter six, on the other hand, that guarantees a range of freedom that allows learners and society derive benefit from its value in education. Having proposed a framework of a theory of education based on freedom that suits the Egyptian context to improve the efficiency of its educational system chapter seven will discover and examine the conditions and difficulties which need to be considered for the successful implementation of freedom in education. Also, the study will attempt to give some suggestions that might help to reduce the gap between the educational situation, its circumstances and the conditions that must be satisfied for the successful implementation of freedom in education