Global Education

Every country around the world has a unique education system. However, this also comes with unique problems for each. Looking at education worldwide can help us better understand education within our own country!

We will be looking at:

• Global education concepts, including formal and informal education.
• Globalization in education and how Japan has dealt with this.
• Global education issues faced around the world.
• Global education statistics that shows where the problems lie.
• And finally, global education solutions that look at how we can solve these issues.

So let's get started by exploring global education concepts!

Global Education Concepts

Education varies significantly around the globe. Global education simply refers to education worldwide, from a local to a global scale. The purpose of education is to teach basic knowledge, values, skills, and culture to the children in society.

In addition to this, education has the purpose of teaching children not just academic information but practical information for everyday life. These two types of education are referred to as formal and informal education.

Formal and Informal Education

Formal education refers to the academic information that is taught through the curriculum.

Historically, formal education was only accessible to the very wealthy as they could afford to pay scholars and had free time to learn. After the Industrial Revolution, many social changes occurred, including making education far more accessible to everyday people. The education system in the United States shows this progression as today, education is considered a fundamental right for all.

Informal education teaches each society's norms, values, cultures, and expected behaviors.

This is not necessarily taught through the formal curriculum, but it is what we grasp from being surrounded by other members of society. It is also taught by parents, authorities, and the community as a whole.

Fig. 1- Formal and informal education both occur in the classroom environment.

Furthermore, cultural transmission is how individuals learn the specific beliefs, norms, and values associated with their culture. This is included in both formal and informal education.

Globalization in Education

Globalization in education has dramatically changed how we are educated.

The main impact of globalization on education is the increase in the freedom that students and teachers have to engage in their activities. In a globalized world, it's far easier and more accessible to study or teach in different countries. This leads to more skills being shared in a broader context and new cross-cultural skill sets being created.

Not only this, but the globalization of education has helped reduce discrimination, spread technologies over a wider area, raise awareness of other cultures and languages, and allowed us to collaborate easily.

However, one of the problems with the globalization of education is that it can increase inequalities between developed and less developed nations. Developed countries with sound education systems, particularly colleges and universities, will attract many international students due to global mobility. At the same time, less-developed nations lose educated and skilled citizens through brain drain.

Many global education issues are experienced across the world. Perhaps you have seen some in the news, or can identify them in your own schooling?

The main issues are discrimination, skewed educational content, and lack of universal access. Let's look at a few examples that present different issues with global education. First up, the United States!

Discrimination in Education

In the United States, education used to be much harder to access due to predjudice based on gender, class, or race. However, this has now changed and there is now fairer access to education.

Although the system is fairer, there is still a large amount of debate regarding educational access for children with disabilities. Educating a child with disabilities can often cost a lot more for the local district and this leads to debates about how best to educate these children without losing out on money.

This can be combatted by two methods, inclusion and mainstreaming:

• Inclusion within the classroom involves total integration into a standard classroom.

• Mainstreaming balances being in special-needs catered rooms and standard classrooms.

But unfortunately, across the world, education is still not accessible to all. In particular, some countries are particularly poor at educating girls and disadvantaged children.

Issues with Educational Content

When the Soviets took over Russia and formed the USSR, after the 1917 revolution, they made education more accessible to children. Prior to this, education had only really been available to those in the upper classes of society.

In opening up education to all, the government also chose what the children would learn. As USSR society was based on a version of communism, the school curriculum reflected these values; children were taught the evils of capitalism and how communism was the solution.

Classrooms were even required to have pictures of Stalin and Lenin on their walls. The focus of teaching was on maths and science and discouraged critical thinking in social sciences. Teachers taught children to pass exams by memorizing facts and figures, rather than understanding concepts for deeper analysis.

Fig. 2- The shift from communism to capitalism in Russia caused problems for the education system.

Consequently, the education system also changed when Russia shifted back to capitalism. There were plenty of new ideas introduced regarding freedom, profit, and owning private property. Teachers were allowed to encourage children to do critical thinking and form their own opinions on topics.

However, there was a huge issue faced with the format of how things were being taught. Under communism, teachers had learned to help children memorize answers for exams, yet now they had to retrain with new methods of actually teaching this content.

There was also a lack of finance for teachers, leaving many unpaid for months as Russia transitioned to capitalism.

Universal Access to Education

Possibly the most significant issue being faced globally is universal access to education.

Egypt has historically been the birthplace of famed scholars like Archimedes. In fact, Egypt was renowned for its excellent centers of learning in the centuries prior to Christ. However, once the Romans invaded, there was a considerable decline in education; and even in modern times, Egypt has struggled to get back on track with its teaching. The largest issue is universal access.

In Egypt, the constitution states that each child can receive five years of free education at a grade school, but this is not consistently kept to. Many children from poorer families receive no education, and the ones that do, find poorly qualified teachers and crowded classes. Consequently, a third of men and over half of women in Egypt cannot read.

Unequal Access to Education in the US

Unfortunately, the US also has the issue of inequality in education. Sociologists argue that inequitable distribution of educational resources, such as funding and good teachers, exists in the US and, along with low-income backgrounds, contributes to weak academic performance.

Varying Time Spent in Education

International variations in educational systems are not just a matter of money. These inequalities are also influenced by the importance put on education, the amount of time spent on it, and how education is distributed across a nation. For instance, South Korean children attend school for 220 days a year as opposed to their American counterparts for 180 days (Pellissier, 2010).

In terms of participation in college, the United States ranked 5th among 27 nations as of 2006, however it came in 16th place for the percentage of students who graduated from college (National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education, 2006). These numbers might be connected to the amount of time Americans devote to education.

What other statistics can we look at to see different issues in education around the world? Let's find out.

Global Education Statistics

Statistics are handy in immediately identifying problems in our society. Global education statistics can help us spot problems within education. Let's take some of the examples explored above and look at some education statistics from each country - the United States, Russia, and Egypt.

Fig. 3- Statistics about education can be important to identify where there are issues.

Statistically, education around the world has improved in the past century. For example, in 1950 in the United States the average years that an adult over the age of 25 spent in formal education was 8.13. In 2017, however, that increased to 13.4.

Comparatively, in 1950 the average years of schooling in Russia were 3.16 years but in 2017 it was 12. In Egypt, in 1950 it was 0.49 years and in 2017 it increased to 7.2. These changes over the past half-century show how education has become much more of a priority in many societies.

However, not all countries have been able to progress in their levels of education. Lack of education is a large global issue, as it means some countries struggle to produce competent workers. When looking at student achievement in low-income countries:

This is even more prevalent when compared to higher-income countries. In 2015, wealthier countries such as Japan, Canada, and Northern Ireland all excelled in academic achievement. This almost doubled the achievements of lower-income countries like Togo, Chad, and Yemen.

These statistics show how education around the world varies greatly. Some countries regularly produce outstanding students whilst others struggle to do this. Often, resources and wealth play a huge part in the educational standards of a country.

Global Education Solutions

Let's take a look at a case study of how a country improved its education system in just a matter of decades.

Now, in Finland, 91% of adults between 25-64 have completed upper secondary education (OECD, 2015). Although Finland found a fantastic solution and now remains one of the countries with the highest satisfaction rate in education, they were fortunate to be a developed country with enough funds and resources to make these changes.

Many countries which struggle with establishing high-quality, accessible education do not have the ability to make such major changes. Global education can improve if countries like these are given the funding and resources required to provide a good education system.