Why do educators think global education is important?

I believe GCE is important because it gives opportunities for students to broaden their views and develop their self identities in positive ways. The experiences of cooperation, rational thinking, or making changes may provide them the chance to develop this sense of tolerance to others and high self-confidence. Also, I think GCE is necessary for the multicultural society. GCE makes students develop their abilities to understand and respect other values from diverse communities. Moreover, GCE offers equal opportunities for them to raise their voice and feel this sense of ownership and belonging in the same way. So I believe GCE is essential to break the barriers and fill the civic empowerment gap for social justice.

I think it’s really crucial to harness nuanced and complex debates about issues that affect all of us. I think too often, the world is oversimplified into a Twitter comment or a Facebook feed. And I think that we need to probe, critique, think carefully about what’s happening to us at the moment and where we want to be as a society and a world, how we’re going to close the gap between the richest and the poorest, how we’re going to make pupils aware of inequality and promote social justice. I think it’s really important that even if we don’t necessarily work out all the solutions that we’re at least having debates and raising awareness of the problems.

I think sometimes it’s OK not to know all the answers as long as you accept that there’s a problem. In my culture, we say manners can get you the world. Basically, we have the idea that a good demeanour, respectful living, is universal. And it is received well wherever we are in the world. So I think of global citizenship education in these terms. There is a certain universality in what I believe are idealistic interpretations, conceptualizations of global citizenship education. It’s that acquisition and demonstration of good manners.

It’s developing the sets of skills and attitudes that communicates an appreciation for humans and their belongings for the Earth and what we believe are ours and what we would want to pass on to our children. So if global citizenship education then is considered in these terms as manners that can get you the world– that’s my Jamaican Patois– then it’s important then for teachers to have it and for teachers as educators to foster that in our students and then for the society overall to support teachers and students in doing this, for policymakers to invest where there needs to be investment, for researchers like me to explore this, and for all of us to enforce this as social justice to ensure that each of us have a respectful experience as we sojourn through the world.

If children are allowed to explore these pertinent issues from an early age on, they become very passionate about these topics. By allowing them to explore global issues and determine some of the outcomes, they are able to experience the immediate impact of their actions for the better. It is a powerful moment for a six-year-old when their ideas are listened to by everyone in their community and an even bigger moment to witness their plans being put into action and then having an impact. It seems far easier to find your own voice when passion is involved and you can relate to your own experiences.

The skills and the qualities acquired through this process - developing their thinking skills, holding a space in the midst of adults and children alike, developing an argument - will serve children in all areas of their lives. As a society, we need responsible citizens of tomorrow who have had ample opportunity to practise making real changes to their local and global communities.