3.3 Globalization and education


The view to the knowledge has, much, changed in the age of globalization. Since the appearance of the globalization, their aspects have affected, strongly, the world and the education as well. There became international educational cadre and curriculum. The Muslim individual, should be aware of everything around him, so we are going to speak about it and its effects on education by talking about the following issues;

   a- Globalization Vs national education.
   b- Globalization advantages and disadvantages.
   c- The impact of globalization on educational objectives and strategies.
   d- Conclusion.

4.1 Globalization Vs national education

Knowledge, now, is no longer local or of a special culture or a specific society. It is, now, of an international quality. It has changed into global or international knowledge. It has shifted from preserving the identity of knowledge to the principal of broadcasting the knowledge and sharing it with the others. This is the idiom " shared knowledge " means" it is the belief that the real value of knowledge is to share it with the others through broadcasting the researches and the studies, locally and internationally as well as making it easy to reach the different knowledge sources by using the information technology."

3.3 Globalization and education


This is the feature that globalization gave to education which, then, became global and international.

The Islamic education was the first which called for that when Islamic mentioned in the Holy Quran " O mankind! We created you from a single (pair) of a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes, that ye may know each other (not that ye may despise each other). Verily the most honored of you in the sight of God is (he who is) the most righteous of you. And God has full knowledge and is well acquainted (with all things).(13)(HUJURAT)"

In order to clarify the meaning and the relation, we should introduce the meaning of globalization.

Globalization is one of the idioms that the thinkers have differed about its meaning. They went around the question; Is it a target or a result?
Although there is no specified definition to the globalization, but there is a general agreement that it is a phenomenon of multidimensional culturally, politically, socially, economically and technologically.

We can, also, define it as " It is the transfer of its multidimensional aspects from a place to another in the world that establishes a new international world that leads to create one world that unifies the global standards. " This means that globalization has founded a new direction against the privacy where the generalization became the main feature of this time and of all the life sides and the human activities. By that , knowledge is available for all the people, whatever their place is, without any " strain, boarders or conditions."


3.3 Globalization and education


In this cadre, globalization produced some challenges that attached by it and by its international concept which scientist used to classify under this label the globalization;

Some Advantage Some Disadvantage
  1. Increased free trade between nations
  2. Increased liquidity of capital allowing investors in developed nations to invest in developing nations
  3. Corporations have greater flexibility to operate across borders
  4. Global mass media ties the world together
  5. Increased flow of communications allows vital information to be shared between individuals and corporations around the world
  6. Greater ease and speed of transportation for goods and people
  7. Reduction of cultural barriers increases the global village effect
  8. Spread of democratic ideals to developed nations
  1. Increased flow of skilled and non-skilled jobs from developed to developing nations as corporations seek out the cheapest labor
  2. Increased flow of skilled and non-skilled jobs from developed to developing nations as corporations seek out the cheapest labor
  3. Corporate influence of nation-states far exceeds that of civil society organizations and average individuals
  4. Threat that control of world media by a handful of corporations will limit cultural expression
  5. Greater chance of reactions for globalization being violent in an attempt to preserve cultural heritage
  6. Greater risk of diseases being transported unintentionally between nations

3.3 Globalization and education


Some Advantage Some Disadvantage
  1. Greater interdependence of nation-states
  2. Reduction of likelihood of war between developed nations
  3. Increases in environmental protection in developed nations
  1. Spread of a materialistic lifestyle and attitude that sees consumption as the path to prosperity
  2. International bodies like the World Trade Organization infringe on national and individual sovereignty
  3. Increase in the chances of civil war within developing countries and open war between developing countries as they vie for resources
  4. Decreases in environmental integrity as polluting corporations take advantage of weak regulatory rules in developing countries

3.3 Globalization and education


4.3 Impact of Globalization on Education objectives and strategies

Education is undergoing constant changes under the effects of globalization. The effects of globalization on education and communications are foreseeing changes within school systems across the world as ideas, values and knowledge, changing the roles of students and teachers, and producing a shift in society from industrialization towards an information-based society. It reflects the effect on culture and brings about a new form of cultural imperialism. It brings rapid developments in technology and communications. The rise of a global society, driven by technology and communication developments are shaping children, the future citizens of the world into 'global citizens', intelligent people with a broad range of skills and knowledge to apply to a competitive, information based society. The future of countries often lies within their ability to compete in a global market where industrial based economies are giving way to knowledge based industries, realizing the importance of "knowledge, skills and the intellectual capacity to meet the challenges of accelerated change and uncertainty".

3.3 Globalization and education


Education is becoming a lifelong learning and training process, developing transferable skills and knowledge that can be applied to competitive markets where knowledge and information is being traded as a commodity. The introduction of technology into the classroom is changing the nature of delivering education to students is gradually giving way to a new form of electronic literacy , more programs and education materials are made available in electronic form, teachers are preparing materials in electronic form; and students are generating papers, assignments and projects in electronic form". Video projection screens, books with storage device servers and CD ROMs as well as the emergence of on-line digital libraries are now replacing blackboards. Even exams and grades are gradually becoming available through electronic means and notebooks are starting to give way to laptops. Also, students can be examined through computer managed learning systems and do tutorial exercises on a computer rather than in a classroom. Such developments in education portray that there has been a shift from industrialization to information-based societies. Subsequently, technology is foreseeing a change in the education environment towards a reliance on electronic sources to deliver material. With such changes and the emergence of video conferencing and the Internet, the barriers of distance are being broken down at a rapid rate, due to the key aspect of globalization. Children and adults can now learn in a variety of ways and no longer have to be physically present in an education institution in order to learn, a definite advantage of flexible delivery systems. It allows for exploration of new areas of learning and thinking. The rapid growth of television services, with their immense influence as media of mass communication, has been very relevant in the technological shift. Other large contributions to this shift include the transistor and space satellites. Communication and information based technology over the years is the Internet, which is a massive network of computers located throughout the world.

3.3 Globalization and education


These computers maintain libraries of text, images, computer software, and other forms of data that can be accessed by anyone, anywhere, at any time. This implementation of technology and communication to be successful and to educate a society, both the students and teachers need to be technologically literate. Communication technology is offering new challenges for students of all abilities as they can discuss issues of concern with their fellow students from around the world, thus developing communication and interpersonal skills, fostering a mutual understanding across countries and cultures. Developments in the delivery of education is allowing for individuals to explore new areas of learning and thinking that could not be done with pen and paper. They are discovering knowledge through inquiry and experimentation rather than memorizing facts in a teacher dominated classroom setting. In fact, students no longer need to be physically present to learn as education material is becoming readily available over the Internet, through video conferencing, and tape recordings. Institutions are now turning towards the use of the Internet to deliver courses to students.

A shift in education is becoming evident where more responsibility is being placed on the individual for his or her learning, instead of solely on the teacher. Subsequently, the teachers themselves also need to be highly technologically literate, needing the competence and confidence to prepare students for a global information society.

3.3 Globalization and education


A global education should teach about issues that cross national boundaries, and interconnected systems on ecological, cultural, economical, political and technological grounds such as the Globalization program which draws upon expertise in many areas such as humanities, social science and environmental science. Globalization and technological advancements are delivering and increasing access to the world and subsequently subjects should reflect this global outlook. Just because of technology and communication seems to be creating in human life between the 'haves' and the 'have not's, resulting in a bifurcated society of those who can afford such information technology and those who can't, so too does globalization. While education institutions in western societies are embracing technology, developing countries are once again left behind, too weak and fragile to implement development programs for education, let alone introduce technology as well. While third world states encourage their citizens to seek more education, severe limitations in delivering basic services are a problem. A lack of infrastructure and funding makes it difficult to implement any technological and communication advancements.

However, despite differences in economy, political, culture and society, second and third worlds have adopted educational ideals from western thought and are anxious to appear modern and therefore promote education as a symbol of modernity and development to their own population and the foreign countries.

The spread of education internationally, as a result of globalization, has clearly had effects on cultures worldwide. The capitalist society is gradually becoming global with a strong emphasis on free trade emerging. Educational institutions have reacted accordingly, by becoming more market oriented, focusing their energy more on creating funds rather than providing sufficient education for students.

3.3 Globalization and education


Due to this increasing free trade around the globe - to end protection in many sectors so that there is more competition and privatization, education is increasingly being drawn into this global capitalist competition. The Internationalization of education has become one of the key themes of educational policy and planning in the 1990s and the integration of worldwide capital and labor markets; educators are being forced to respond to a new set of challenges.

The internationalization of education, particularly higher education, is a growing phenomenon. Universities and colleges around the world are increasingly becoming forced to compete in the global capitalist market and engage in entrepreneurial activity to sustain themselves in an increasingly 'uncertain world'.

The internationalization of higher education can be linked to various internal and external changes in the international system. Externally, there have been changes in the labor market, which have resulted in calls for more knowledge and skilled workers, and workers with deeper understandings of languages, cultures and business methods from all over the world. "Modern education...is almost exclusively focused on preparing children for an urban future; the role of education has become more linked to globally competitive positions. Subsequent changes in university functions have lead universities toward "direct entrepreneurial activity to sustain themselves." This in turn produces a change in institutional approaches to the development of overseas education. University courses must now be cross-cultural in content, which is in association with the growing number of students, particularly in the 1990's, searching for higher education outside of their own country.

3.3 Globalization and education


Education is becoming more invaluable to individuals. In today's environment, education provides individuals with a better chance of employment, which in turn leads to a better lifestyle, power and status.

Under the prevailing global forces, higher education institutions everywhere are subject to global trends. Universities now facing more challenges than ever before, the rise of a globalised knowledge based economy has brought universities in many countries under closer scrutiny for the economic contributions they make. Governments have been particularly concerned that universities serve national interests in the global marketplace. There is an international tendency to emphasize the practical, technical value of higher education. The commoditization of knowledge as intellectual property has occurred particularly with regard to connecting the intellectual work of universities with community, business, and government interests and priorities. While such a tendency is often welcomed by so-called applied disciplines, it causes tensions between the more profitable applied subjects of science and technology, and those of basic theoretical enquiry, particularly arts and humanities subjects. It also creates institutional winners and losers.

Under the impact of globalizing market forces, there has been a general trend towards the reduction of per capita public funding to higher education, at a time when the system is still expanding at both the initial and the 'life-long learning' levels. The burden of funding higher education is being shifted more and more to the shoulders of the individual on a 'users-pay' basis. Even public universities are increasingly funded by non-governmental sources, especially via student tuition and other fees, donations raised from alumni and others, and direct payment from business for services provided by the universities.

3.3 Globalization and education


The linkage of performance to allocation of operation funds leads to intense competition among universities. Associated with that is the move to privatization of higher education. Tensions between academic and commercial based subject are increasing. Substantial decline in levels of public funding, the current globalization of higher education is mainly motivated by profits. Its goal is to meet market demand and to create a market for a variety of educational products. With substantial growth in the international student market, the issue of regulation of providers arises. It is extremely difficult to regulate the trade in academic institutions, programs, degrees or products across international borders.

Lack of regulation is a major issue with the globalization of higher education.

The current globalization of higher education creates both challenges and opportunities. The relationship between universities education and globalization gives special attention. Education will be the answer to many problems raised by globalization. Educational goals are seen to be an area of great concern in the era of globalization. It is here that universities play a crucially important role, for create better society. It is impossible to ignore the global; universities need to reflect on the impact of globalization. They must engage with the issues of globalization, both theoretically as analysts and researchers, and practically as academic workers involved in an increasingly globalised enterprise.

3.3 Globalization and education


Universities providing a high quality education for the globalised world, despite its focus on internationalism and cross-cultural communication, are still based on an individualistic model of teaching. Education should not become a means of westernizing the world. On the contrary, it should treat each unique culture and society with due respect, realizing that global education is not only learning about the West, but also studying different cultures of the world, using different approaches, ways of teaching and different media.

It is very surprise that today's global schooling system, supported by numerous international institutions (UNESCO being one of them), which has already achieved so much in the internationalization of pre-University and University education, is suffering a global crisis in the area of primary education.