Education makes us citizens of the world – these days that matters more than ever

Last updated 11:11, Saturday, 22 November 2008

We live in changing and some would say challenging times. Like me, you may have been fascinated by the recent election in America.

It is truly amazing that in a country where arguably a version of apartheid was dominant in some parts of that country only 40 years ago, that the nation has elected the first black American to become President.

Whatever your politics, Barack Obama will remain a household name throughout many countries of the world for the next four years at least.

Our lives are all touched by that election; a changing American policy in Iraq and Afghanistan will affect UK policy in those countries and a new America which places greater emphasis on working with the international community in collaboration will have profound effects on the world order.

On a different but related note, it is also very true to say that all of us, as individual citizens, are affected by the financial crisis in America, the ripples of this around the world and the impact on our country and our communities.

Whether your concern or my concern is about fuel prices, food prices, job security, the security of our investments, or house prices, the reality is that actions taken thousands of miles away have direct and rapid action on us and our families. What has all of this do to with education? Well, the point is that education needs to help young people recognise that we live in world that is deeply interconnected.

A curriculum, at school, college or university which fails to acknowledge the deep connections between human activity across the world is, in my view, a failed curriculum.

There are two further points. Firstly, education needs to have a global dimension, a recognition that human beings do not live lives in isolation. To be educated means that there is an understanding of how individuals connect ultimately with human activity all over the world, that the actions of the self affect others.

The reality is that Obama’s election will affect our communities in Cumbria, just as the sub-prime mortgage crisis in America has impacted on the value of our homes and businesses. There are many ways in which this can be translated into educative activity.

In my community a group of children run a Fairtrade stall on a weekly basis, and as they do this, they are learning about how a choice to buy one brand of coffee over another has an impact on the life of a coffee grower working many miles from my community.

Secondly, education needs to go beyond a mere recognition of this global connectedness. There needs to be an understanding of how human relationships have far-reaching consequences at local, national and international levels.

If Obama develops a policy that respects other countries and if he takes action with their backing and agreement, will this lessen tension between America and Russia?

If I, as an educationalist, choose to respect and affirm the work of my students, encouraging and nurturing learning even when this does not come naturally to them, will this lead to an excitement for learning? Higher education has enormous potential to make a contribution to global education, in the sense that it has the potential to develop affirmative, respectful relationships on a global scale. The vast majority of universities have well-developed links with other universities throughout the world and there is a constant exchange of students, staff, ideas and business.

I have been privileged to work with a colleague who developed a university course for teachers in Eritrea. This course had a profound effect on the African participants, but it was, too, life-changing for those who developed the course, taught it and assessed it.

Whether it is Obama, Fairtrade or Eritrea, the outcome is the same; being educated means being part of a global community and our experiences within this community will affect us for ever.