n Part 1: National Education Systems Are No Longer Enough, we introduced the need for a global education vision to meet the goals identified at the 2022 Transforming Education Summit (TES). The two key components of this vision were identified as (1) common, shared curriculum elements that address global issues in localized contexts, and (2) global leadership to unite countries’ efforts and support local agency. With these pieces in place, education systems can support the world’s learners to solve the world’s problems in transformative ways.
Shared problems need shared solutions, and shared solutions will only emerge when we see ourselves as one humanity sharing one planet and thriving. To that end, we believe that national curriculums should include common, international elements integral to the success and well-being of people, nations, and the planet.
Five Elements of a Global Education Vision
First, all children should have a basic understanding of the climate crisis through education. The looming climate crisis and its interconnected impact on all of us has become abundantly clear. Decisions made in the US about continuing the use of fossil fuels is bound to impact the socio-economic growth numbers in India. The rising populations of countries like India, Indonesia, Bangladesh and China are beginning to have a direct impact on western economies and there is increasing pressure on the limited resources of our one planet.
Second, rising inequities within and between societies are to be understood as part of basic education as they threaten both stability and chances for growing equal prosperity. The crisis caused by the pandemic has cast a brighter light on the systemic inequities in our societies with the poor and marginalized being affected to a far greater extent than the average population. When an eighth grade student we heard from, who shares one smartphone between a family of four, makes a tough choice to buy an internet-pack versus groceries and is then not allowed into her online class for being five minutes late, are we not perpetuating the same systemic biases we held offline in the online world? When indigenous students are not supported to learn in their own culture and language, are we not widening the gaping inequities? Eye-opening data from New Zealand show that the wide achievement gap between Māori and non-Māori learners in English-medium, mainstream schools is effectively closed in environments where learning is designed and delivered by Māori, for Māori. Currently, only 7% of Māori learners have access to this type of schooling. Inequality is also at play in the climate crisis. According to Oxfam International’s Inequality Kills report, the world’s richest percentage emits more than twice as much CO2 as the poorest 50% of the world.
Third, technological advancements transform our societies fast and challenge conventional education systems. Technological developments have brought our world closer and given rise to an increasing number of digital natives but have also further exacerbated rising inequities. Today, technology is used to connect people across borders but also to divide people across race, caste, religion, and gender due to the rise of misinformation, fake news, biased AI solutions, and even cyber attacks. All this needs to be understood by young people and a shared educational approach would be required.
Fourth, common global content requirements relate to democracy and threats to open societies. Our national education systems are also challenged because of the developments in many of our democracies. Open societies and democracies have come under severe strain with the rise of fascism, nationalist fervor, authoritarian regimes and high levels of polarization both within and between countries. Acute and dramatic questions of war and peace, threat of nuclear weapons and geopolitical tensions are also more present than they have been for decades. Common elements in curricula, that allow young people across the world to learn about the contents of different societal approaches and their historical consequences, would provide alternative views and broaden horizons.
Fifth, the pandemic brought the tension between unsustainable economic growth and prioritizing well-being more to the front. For the first time in modern history, humankind was forced to slow down. The idea of economic growth being the only indicator of a nation’s success turned on its head in many societies as the death toll rose. Countries such as Finland, New Zealand, Iceland, and Slovakia that have focused on the health and well-being of their citizens have responded well to this crisis, while many others have struggled and bungled. Could this be the turning point that directs the purpose of education towards ideas of well-being and thriving, leading to a new way of being and living in the face of this new reality? This is supported by evidence from many countries which has shown that well-being, equality and sustainable economic growth can be simultaneous goals. We must prioritize well-being over unsustainable economic growth for ourselves and the planet, and recognise the importance of well-being for thriving in all parts of the globe.
Finally, common elements in curricula should help to foster solidarity among young people across the globe. Being forced to share the limited energy and other resources, the sense of solidarity may well become a key element for humankind to survive and flourish. Solidarity is required both locally and globally. As a solidarity-driven school model, we can refer to the example of the United World Colleges (UWC) movement, which since the 1960s has brought adolescents from different national and often unprivileged backgrounds together for two-year common pre-university education stressing the importance of the formative years in human development. One element of the UWC programme is regular and obligatory weekly social service which brings young people to look after the elderly, help refugees, work with people with disabilities and co-create & facilitate different sustainability projects with local communities. We believe that similar regular social service as a global-level curricula component could serve to develop both a sense of solidarity and a sense of local belonging and responsibility towards other people and the immediate environment.
Common and shared curricula would not mean the same content for all: common elements would be localized as is already done in many global/international education curricula applied mainly in international schools. The problem in our view is that while all listed issues would require global and shared work in the field of education, our current structures do not support such a joint, collaborative approach. National education systems were developed alongside nation states while our challenges are increasingly global in nature. As a result, our education systems appear increasingly irrelevant – “not fit for purpose,” in the words of António Guterres at the 2022 Transforming Education Summit (TES) – since they are not adapting fast enough to help us respond to the complex challenges of the present and future.
Requirement for Global Leadership
Over the years many progressive reformists in education have pushed for systemic changes that would better serve young people. All three of us have experience with this. Much less concentration and understanding has been given to the political process and leadership in charge: in order for reforms to really take root and be achieved in daily realities and critical structures such as curricula and funding, political support and leadership is fundamental.
Lack of leadership and responsibility at a global and in some cases also state level was underlined in the pandemic years. Not only illuminating huge differences in equity and access, the pandemic also increased those differences between countries and gaps have widened. According to OECD, school closures are more explained by the PISA results of given countries than their pandemic situations. In many cases, there has been no common guidance. In the US, for example, every state had its own school closure policies and the results are indeed very negative for children and young people. In India, children became invisible to the political leadership during the pandemic. There was no political leader who came forward to address young people’s concerns, confusions, and anxieties. With globally shared leadership we could and should have done better for the world’s youth. Now, if we are to tackle the consequences of the pandemic for children and young people and utilize the momentum that the pandemic and digitalisation together have created, we must have global leadership in education.
According to Andreas Schleicher from the OECD, “One perspective you could add to this is that if the world would get together to address the educational challenges where they are most pressing, rather than everyone looking at their own country, we would have a chance to address the world’s economic and social challenges. It’s like with the vaccines.”
As argued earlier, major questions and issues are globally common, including climate change, digitalisation and cyber security and the importance of socio-emotional well-being. At the moment, however, education systems are 100% national and no shared content exists even inside such structures as the European Union. The TES process has already set in motion a movement for transforming education including global political leadership elements. This is all very promising and must be kept at the center of focus, or otherwise the progressive commitments will not materialize.
The urgency of global issues and the current education crisis signal the need to act now to make the changes required. In Part 3, we will examine the emerging opportunities that lend themselves to a global education vision, and call the countries of the world to swift, concerted action.
Editors’ Note: This is the second of a 3-part series exploring how a new, global vision and curriculum for education systems is key to attaining the UN’s goals for education transformation. You can find Part 1 here, and Part 3 here.
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Part 2: Key Components of a Global Education Vision
Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash
February 1, 2023
We are at a unique point in time where not only do we have need for a global education vision, but there are also conditions in place which give us powerful opportunities to adopt such a vision. Pilvi Torsti, Vishal Talreja, and Joanne McEachen illustrate what some components ot that vision would be
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n Part 1: National Education Systems Are No Longer Enough, we introduced the need for a global education vision to meet the goals identified at the 2022 Transforming Education Summit (TES). The two key components of this vision were identified as (1) common, shared curriculum elements that address global issues in localized contexts, and (2) global leadership to unite countries’ efforts and support local agency. With these pieces in place, education systems can support the world’s learners to solve the world’s problems in transformative ways.
Shared problems need shared solutions, and shared solutions will only emerge when we see ourselves as one humanity sharing one planet and thriving. To that end, we believe that national curriculums should include common, international elements integral to the success and well-being of people, nations, and the planet.
Five Elements of a Global Education Vision
First, all children should have a basic understanding of the climate crisis through education. The looming climate crisis and its interconnected impact on all of us has become abundantly clear. Decisions made in the US about continuing the use of fossil fuels is bound to impact the socio-economic growth numbers in India. The rising populations of countries like India, Indonesia, Bangladesh and China are beginning to have a direct impact on western economies and there is increasing pressure on the limited resources of our one planet.
Second, rising inequities within and between societies are to be understood as part of basic education as they threaten both stability and chances for growing equal prosperity. The crisis caused by the pandemic has cast a brighter light on the systemic inequities in our societies with the poor and marginalized being affected to a far greater extent than the average population. When an eighth grade student we heard from, who shares one smartphone between a family of four, makes a tough choice to buy an internet-pack versus groceries and is then not allowed into her online class for being five minutes late, are we not perpetuating the same systemic biases we held offline in the online world? When indigenous students are not supported to learn in their own culture and language, are we not widening the gaping inequities? Eye-opening data from New Zealand show that the wide achievement gap between Māori and non-Māori learners in English-medium, mainstream schools is effectively closed in environments where learning is designed and delivered by Māori, for Māori. Currently, only 7% of Māori learners have access to this type of schooling. Inequality is also at play in the climate crisis. According to Oxfam International’s Inequality Kills report, the world’s richest percentage emits more than twice as much CO2 as the poorest 50% of the world.
Third, technological advancements transform our societies fast and challenge conventional education systems. Technological developments have brought our world closer and given rise to an increasing number of digital natives but have also further exacerbated rising inequities. Today, technology is used to connect people across borders but also to divide people across race, caste, religion, and gender due to the rise of misinformation, fake news, biased AI solutions, and even cyber attacks. All this needs to be understood by young people and a shared educational approach would be required.
Fourth, common global content requirements relate to democracy and threats to open societies. Our national education systems are also challenged because of the developments in many of our democracies. Open societies and democracies have come under severe strain with the rise of fascism, nationalist fervor, authoritarian regimes and high levels of polarization both within and between countries. Acute and dramatic questions of war and peace, threat of nuclear weapons and geopolitical tensions are also more present than they have been for decades. Common elements in curricula, that allow young people across the world to learn about the contents of different societal approaches and their historical consequences, would provide alternative views and broaden horizons.
Fifth, the pandemic brought the tension between unsustainable economic growth and prioritizing well-being more to the front. For the first time in modern history, humankind was forced to slow down. The idea of economic growth being the only indicator of a nation’s success turned on its head in many societies as the death toll rose. Countries such as Finland, New Zealand, Iceland, and Slovakia that have focused on the health and well-being of their citizens have responded well to this crisis, while many others have struggled and bungled. Could this be the turning point that directs the purpose of education towards ideas of well-being and thriving, leading to a new way of being and living in the face of this new reality? This is supported by evidence from many countries which has shown that well-being, equality and sustainable economic growth can be simultaneous goals. We must prioritize well-being over unsustainable economic growth for ourselves and the planet, and recognise the importance of well-being for thriving in all parts of the globe.
Finally, common elements in curricula should help to foster solidarity among young people across the globe. Being forced to share the limited energy and other resources, the sense of solidarity may well become a key element for humankind to survive and flourish. Solidarity is required both locally and globally. As a solidarity-driven school model, we can refer to the example of the United World Colleges (UWC) movement, which since the 1960s has brought adolescents from different national and often unprivileged backgrounds together for two-year common pre-university education stressing the importance of the formative years in human development. One element of the UWC programme is regular and obligatory weekly social service which brings young people to look after the elderly, help refugees, work with people with disabilities and co-create & facilitate different sustainability projects with local communities. We believe that similar regular social service as a global-level curricula component could serve to develop both a sense of solidarity and a sense of local belonging and responsibility towards other people and the immediate environment.
Common and shared curricula would not mean the same content for all: common elements would be localized as is already done in many global/international education curricula applied mainly in international schools. The problem in our view is that while all listed issues would require global and shared work in the field of education, our current structures do not support such a joint, collaborative approach. National education systems were developed alongside nation states while our challenges are increasingly global in nature. As a result, our education systems appear increasingly irrelevant – “not fit for purpose,” in the words of António Guterres at the 2022 Transforming Education Summit (TES) – since they are not adapting fast enough to help us respond to the complex challenges of the present and future.
Requirement for Global Leadership
Over the years many progressive reformists in education have pushed for systemic changes that would better serve young people. All three of us have experience with this. Much less concentration and understanding has been given to the political process and leadership in charge: in order for reforms to really take root and be achieved in daily realities and critical structures such as curricula and funding, political support and leadership is fundamental.
Lack of leadership and responsibility at a global and in some cases also state level was underlined in the pandemic years. Not only illuminating huge differences in equity and access, the pandemic also increased those differences between countries and gaps have widened. According to OECD, school closures are more explained by the PISA results of given countries than their pandemic situations. In many cases, there has been no common guidance. In the US, for example, every state had its own school closure policies and the results are indeed very negative for children and young people. In India, children became invisible to the political leadership during the pandemic. There was no political leader who came forward to address young people’s concerns, confusions, and anxieties. With globally shared leadership we could and should have done better for the world’s youth. Now, if we are to tackle the consequences of the pandemic for children and young people and utilize the momentum that the pandemic and digitalisation together have created, we must have global leadership in education.
According to Andreas Schleicher from the OECD, “One perspective you could add to this is that if the world would get together to address the educational challenges where they are most pressing, rather than everyone looking at their own country, we would have a chance to address the world’s economic and social challenges. It’s like with the vaccines.”
As argued earlier, major questions and issues are globally common, including climate change, digitalisation and cyber security and the importance of socio-emotional well-being. At the moment, however, education systems are 100% national and no shared content exists even inside such structures as the European Union. The TES process has already set in motion a movement for transforming education including global political leadership elements. This is all very promising and must be kept at the center of focus, or otherwise the progressive commitments will not materialize.
The urgency of global issues and the current education crisis signal the need to act now to make the changes required. In Part 3, we will examine the emerging opportunities that lend themselves to a global education vision, and call the countries of the world to swift, concerted action.
Editors’ Note: This is the second of a 3-part series exploring how a new, global vision and curriculum for education systems is key to attaining the UN’s goals for education transformation. You can find Part 1 here, and Part 3 here.
