Curriculum Politics in Higher Education: What Educators Need to Do to Survive.

Higher education institutions are increasingly experiencing pressure regarding their expected role in addressing immediate and long-term sustainable development challenges. Decisions about what should be taught are heavily influenced by socio-political needs and aspirations. The push towards entrepreneurship education is, perhaps, one example where some governments expect higher education institutions to encourage entrepreneurial development and awareness among students of the institutions. Indeed, political action has become a well-known force in education systems throughout the world. Utilizing a conceptual approach, this paper examines the theory and practice of curriculum politics in the Trinidad and Tobago higher education sector. It also explores various ways in which educators can survive the perceived threat of political interference in curriculum decision making. Notwithstanding the role of politics in curriculum decision making, the paper supports the view that unrestrained political intervention from non-education sources may threaten the quality of higher education programmes. As such, educators must come to terms with the reality of curriculum politics and find ways to function optimally in any given political context.