ABSTRACT
The education system is increasingly and fundamentally influenced by political perspectives, to the extent that many major developments in educational provision and school curricula are determined more by central government than by sound research or local individual needs. The agents of the education system, including schools, teachers, children and parents, operate and exert reciprocal influence within a total social system, which is largely determined by the prevailing educational policy and ideology of the time. For example the introduction of a national curriculum and the publication of a League table of examination performance results will undoubtedly influence the activities and focus of teachers.
