Major Comparisons in Key Culture Areas between Australia and Pakistan - Assignment Example

Major comparisons in key culture areas between Australia and (a country of your choice) for a exchange program The country chosen for this paper is Pakistan which will be compared with Australia for the relevance on student exchange program as per the cultural discussions. Pakistan is a society that is mixed with people hailing from conservative as well as liberal backgrounds. They believe in being helpful to one another while remaining staunchly dedicated towards their social and cultural dimensions. Their religious beliefs are very strongly and they believe in doing things which are correct from the religious standpoint. This paper discusses the basis of comparisons in the cultural areas between Australia and Pakistan, and most specifically within the domains of a student exchange program. Students within Pakistan receive education at either very subsidized rates or it is very expensive. The massive divide is due to the manner in which education is basically imparted within the country. There are the government schools as well as the upscale private ones. The former are not so developed, where the most basic of education is difficult to attain for the students, while on the other hand, private schools are fully equipped, charging high fees and offering facilities that are at par with the global standards. There is no middle ground as such which is a very unfortunate aspect of Pakistan. On the other hand, Australian education is on the right footing. This is because Australia pays a great amount of respect to the field of education and what it does towards its own people in meticulous. This is a good omen for the coming times of the Australia because an educated society brings out so much goodness for the sake of the nation in essence. States and territories within Australia are responsible for imparting education where the funding is done through them towards the public and private schools. The three tier model is followed within the country – the primary education model dedicated specifically for the primary schools, the secondary education system for secondary and high schools, and lastly the tertiary education which is for universities as well as TAFE colleges. The culture within these two nations with regards to the field of education is such that one can notice a vast difference. Whereas Pakistani society does not pay much heed to the educational processes, Australian one is adamant that education is indeed the way forward. Since the Australian educational ranks believe in training, seminars and the like, there is more acceptability towards student exchange transfers. This is a facilitating step as it empowers the people to understand what backgrounds they are coming from and how they can exchange ideas and relations with one another (Laubscher 1994). These student exchange programs are relevant as they bring the best out of these students and their combined skills and abilities are shared amongst one and all for their mutual benefit. The manner in which the relevant society is profited is something that helps the entire process of education as it makes the students realize that they are being given the best possible amenities so it is their duty to commit themselves whole-heartedly with their study domains and achieve success for their long term meeting of goals and objectives. Such discussions center on the premise of bringing out the best within the students, and Pakistani students can be given the much needed guidance that they richly deserve, which the Australian students are already having within their folds. The key verbal communication elements of Australia are that the teaching is done through instructional media, where the students get in touch through speech and practical experience. The same is the case within Pakistan, though the differences are in terms of the weak teaching processes that are rampant within this nation. The nonverbal communication elements of Australian system of education as well as that of Pakistan include the gestures, the hand and body postures, movements, the usage of tone and pitch in voice and so on and so forth. Both these countries believe in strong usage of verbal as well as nonverbal forms of communication and it is therefore in the best interest of their own people to employ the verbal and nonverbal communication forms (Houston 1994). There are inter-cultural misunderstandings which crop up every now and then. These misunderstandings emanate when there are foreign students studying within the Australian universities and colleges. Same is the case with Pakistan when international students come in and seek their respective mode of education. These are important pointers which make up for an interesting debate as with the passage of time, inter-cultural misunderstandings do arise (Norgaard 2004). This is because people are different and distinct in their own righteous way, and thus assistance shall be given for their differences rather than forming allies and foes all at the same time. Misunderstandings should be avoided as much as possible because these embody the basis of creating problems between the students who hail from different backgrounds and areas of the world. Their cultural and social issues might just interfere with one another which is something that must be avoided under all circumstances. For student exchange programs, it is of paramount importance to have inter-cultural communication so that more and more students from different countries come in within Australia and Pakistan. This helps in foreign exchange as well as development of the students in the long run, both from a personal point of view as well as in their grooming nonetheless. Inter-cultural communication is essential as it harnesses growth and development amongst the students and gives them the platform to showcase what they have learned to one another (Warren 1998). It makes them feel contented with what is right for them and how they must adapt to the changing global dynamics of education and so on. Inter-cultural communication helps establish the basis of further development amongst the students and their teachers as well because it puts them in the same stead since nearly all of them are related with the field of education in entirety. Students must talk amongst themselves so as to feel a part of the global dynamics of education, and to achieve success within the world of business, trade and finance when they grow up and live a professional life. Therefore student exchange programs are not only difficult to comprehend at times but also very important within the global dynamics of education. Australian and Pakistani educational quarters have to do a lot more than they are doing at the present. These steps would mean more success in the coming times as it is being achieved presently. Inter-cultural programs pave the way for achieving the short term as well as the long term goals and objectives, which remain supreme for any country when it comes to their educational quarters (Long 2006). For Pakistan, this seems to be a long journey though as much has yet to be achieved in the coming times. Australia has been fortunate in this department as its basics are right and important decisions have already been taken as far as the educational regimes are concerned. All said and done, both Australia and Pakistan are doing many things right and have quite a few areas which are pretty much similar. However it is the comparative aspect that one seems to focus upon in a great deal. These comparative regimes discuss the basis of acrimony that the students have with their respective educational hierarchies, and which must be avoided to take away quite a few positives in the long run. Bibliography Houston, Franklin S. (1994). Marketing Exchange Relationships, Transactions, and Their Media. Quorum Books Laubscher, Michael R. (1994). Encounters with Difference: Student Perceptions of the Role of Out-of-Class Experiences in Education Abroad. Greenwood Press Long, Cindy. (2006). Student Exchange. NEA Today, Vol. 24, February Norgaard, Charlotte. (2004). Exchange Student Program Broadens Understanding. Daily Herald (Arlington Heights, IL), December 12 Warren, Scott S. (1998). Making Connections. World and I, Vol. 13, July Read More