Education And Global Citizenship Essays Example

According to Rip Van Winkle, almost everything except education has experienced a substantial change for a period of one year. For instance, technology has taken a significant effect on people, shopping malls are built everywhere, but the schools remain the way they were in 1906. Rip claims that they only thing that has changed in schools is the green blackboards. This indicates that the education is lagging behind other elements in terms of change and development. According to Spring (331), formal education is the common institution and shared experience used in the contemporary world. Studies suggest that currently used education has resulted in the educational inflation accompanied by reduced wages. As a result, there is a need to develop a global education system that can bring significant change to the world in the 21st century.
In order to achieve the goal of the globalized education, nongovernmental and intergovernmental organizations have provided substantial support. Such institutions include Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), World Bank, United Nations, UNESCO, and world trade organization. The nongovernmental organizations that have contributed to the globalization of the education are those that are related to the environment, human rights, and women’s education. In addition, various business groups such as U.S. organization archive, and government has raised concern for the global education that meets the requirements of the global economy (Bonal 7).
In order to achieve globalized education, various features must be addressed. It can be derived that some of the main reason for the globalizing education is to promote the economic growth and develop human capital. For this reason, various governments are formulating similar education agendas that address the need to invest in the global education. The globalized economy is therefore considered as educational discourse that improves human capital, job skills, and economic development across the globe. Intergovernmental organizations are also important features that promote education in order to raise human capital, multiculturalism, and economic development. However, according to the liberalism, the state is not responsible for educating, shaping the individual or thinking about them.
Another important feature is the advancement of information and communication technology. Consequently, education institutions have been able to create a library of world knowledge and have global information flow. According to Spring (337), knowledge and skills of all people rather than of few elites have been the driving force for the industrial development in 20th century. Therefore, enhancing the flow of information through globalized education is anticipated to improve the knowledge and skill of people from diverse regions and cultures.
While some people believe in the right to education, educability of people and the significance of education to improve democratic rights and maintain the economy, others have criticized this globalization. For instance, the post-colonialist power supports neoliberal school reforms, human capital education, and market economy for the betterment of the rich nations and the strong multinational corporation. The postcolonial analysis argues that the existing knowledge is as the result of the economic and political power. However, the culturists refutes this argument by suggesting that world knowledge are not subjugated by elites; elites develops the best school models from the world culture of education. The liberalism argues that globalization of education by the state will make people look alike in their thinking. They argue that people are different in a way that they have different ethical standards, different perception, and different customs among others (Kukathas, 323). In favor of liberal education, people show interest and hence the state responsibility is to serve the interest. The liberal education enhances the tolerance of the citizen with the various kinds of religious and cultural ideas.
In conclusion, in order to bring changes to the prevailing education system, the policy makers should integrate the globalization of education to the concept of liberal education and comparative education. In such way, the education can improve human capital, job skills, multiculturalism, economic development, and integrate various cultural and religious ideas across the globe.

Works Cited

Bonal, Xavier. "Plus ça change The World Bank global education policy and the Post-Washington Consensus." International Studies in Sociology of Education 12.1 (2002): 3-22.
Kukathas, Chandran. "Education and citizenship in diverse societies." International Journal of Educational Research 35.3 (2001): 319-330.
Spring, J. (2008). Research on globalization and education. Review of Educational Research, 78(2), 330-363.