Global Education Systems

There are several challenges faced by the global education system as schools have been long defined by the test scores of language arts, mathematics, and science. For students to compete in the global economy, schools however, will have to graduate students that are much more employable. Therefore, the basic education is going to have to include a curriculum that includes the global challenges we are presented with such as poverty, climate change, war, extinction of species, harnessing energy, and access to clean water. Schools are going to have to teach students to be problem solvers, system-changers, and critical thinkers to be contributing member of a workforce that is tasked with creating a sustainable world for all. In order to address this type of curriculum change, education systems will have to address the biggest challenge of all: resistance to change. We can no longer be comfortable with the status quo. Schools must address the needs of the technologically advanced world no matter how resistant educators are to the new information. Change will not come easy as the education systems worldwide have been focused on student attendance as a primary measurement. The time honored measure of how many students are enrolled, how many attend, and the number of years of schooling completed has to be left behind for mastery of certain primary skills comprised critical thinking, creativity, collaboration, and communication.

With the onset of the technological age, came the ability to share information across vast geographic areas instantly. This concept of sharing knowledge was basic to the philosophy of Aristotle. It was Aristotle that thought the greatest endeavor for human beings was the pursuit of knowledge. Both Aristotle and Plato believed in the concept of lifelong learning as well as, the idea the knowledge was to be shared. These ancient philosophies are still relevant in our world. Knowledge is shared on multiple levels and learning is enhanced through the use of technology. Plato defined his philosophy of lifelong learning by saying education cannot be easily done by ‘putting sight into blind eyes’. Education takes work and a lifetime of effort, giving credibility to the fact that education is constantly evolving.

That evolution, at a very rudimentary level, includes the ability to access global information through technology. Technology has changed the way curriculum is delivered as seen is libraries around the world. The stacks of books in libraries have been replaced by rows of computers. The access has also reduced the geographic boundaries once held and replaced them with global access. An education system that was once Nationalized with the ideology of a Nation, is now composed of different cultures, speaking a common language. The ideology of a Nation is no longer the basis for curricular choices in the era of connectedness. 

Until next time...