Positive and Negative Effects of Globalization on Education - Essay Example

Positive and Negative Effects of Globalization on Education Introduction Globalization is said to be unavoidable in several nations and nations have made various moves to adapt with globalization with the objective of exploiting the opportunities it has to offer. Globalization has increased the concerns of several nations as it poses a threat to the initiatives that are taken on the local level and these initiatives are indigenous in nature. Developing countries have already been burdened by the negative side of globalization and they have started protesting against it. One of the major disadvantages experienced by developing nations due to globalization is the colonization of the developed nation on developing nations (Cheng 74). The colonization conducted by developed nations is cultural, political and economical in nature. The major concern experienced by developing nations due to globalization is how to minimize the threats and take advantage of the opportunities it has to offer. Globalization has offered various opportunities in the field of technology, knowledge and society and has promoted the development of individuals and organizations existing in a particular nation. Globalization has even impacted the field of education in both positive and negative manner, the positive effects are experienced by those who have been able to take advantages of the opportunities and the negative effects are experienced by those who have failed to survive the threats of globalization (Prempeh 77). Body Increased Educational Inequality It is commonly believed that with the assistance of education nations can save themselves from the harmful impacts of globalization and can take advantage of the opportunities and can translate the negative effects of this process to positive effects. One of the major concerns of those who create reforms for educational purposes at the local level is how to take maximum benefits of the positive impacts of globalization and how to minimize the negative impacts of this process. Due to adoption of globalization, nations have been able to achieve growth of economy but they have even experienced the challenge of increase in inequality between the people of its nation (IMF 32). The inequalities caused due to economic success have even caused inequality in access to education and knowledge. Those nations that have been able to integrate themselves in international trade have been able to enhance and polish their skills and occupy new skills required to operate in a society that is knowledgeable. It is quite clear that sharing of technological tools that are used for sharing information and communication have further widened the gap between the rich and the poor. Inequality in education is not only experienced by developing nations, it is even a part of developed nations. In several nations that are industrialized, the problem of low rate of literacy exist and these nations even experience the issue of lower level of skills due to this those who are illiterate and do not have ample amount of skills are experiencing social exclusion. The unequal access to education among people of developed nations is even increasing the differences in wage level. It is quite clear that those who do not have access to education are experiencing difficulties in competing in the global arena. During the 90s the educational sector experienced a growth in the education of primary and secondary stages but this growth did not take into account the differences of primary and secondary education between different nations. The countries that were well developed and fell in the category of OECD nations were spending more than developing nations on students of the primary and secondary educational side (Narasimh 358). This inequality would not have been created if the political section of both the developed and developing nations had taken the same initiative and resources diverted towards education would have been of similar level. Nations that have experienced the beneficial impacts of globalization have heavily invested in the arena of training and development. Males and females of the 21st century require specific skills to tackle different issues at work place and broad skills to obtain benefits from technological advancements. Education is undoubtedly one of the main reasons of rising inequality between different nations and international community has benefited by making financial investments in the educational sector of the developing nations. Increased Opportunities For Learning In the 21st century knowledge and education are key elements to operate in the economy that operates on the global level and helps in increasing productivity and helps individuals and organization in connecting with the global competition. The world has become very unequal and only those nations have been able to become a part of the global economy who has obtained education and those who have failed to exploit this arena have been left out to suffer. It is essential for all nations to be technologically equipped and involve in the process of adapting to up to date technology. Nations require tools and proper infrastructure for conducting communication and they need systems of production that can assist them in using knowledge for developmental purposes. Individuals should gain access to proper knowledge and should have the ability to use knowledge and participate in creative decision making. Due to this the global world has accepted that education and ability are central for the success of an individual and organization. One of the fruitful advancements of globalization is e-learning and distance learning that is conducted through the tool of internet. This way of learning can be very helpful for people living in developing nations as this way of learning eliminates the requirement of physical infrastructure for education. The money that can be saved from not investing in educational infrastructure can be invested in developing the communicational infrastructure of a nation. This communicational infrastructure will assist institution in providing education on regional level. One such institution that is providing distance learning at the regional level is the GDLN (The Global Distance Learning Network) (Shaw ix). This network is operating with the purpose of [providing education and distance learning in developing nation in order to reduce poverty and to increase the developmental ability of developing nations. It is very hard to believe that in the era when education and knowledge is freely available, the rate of poverty is so high. This is because there are several huge groups which have failed to benefit from increase in free education and knowledge. One of the biggest challenges that the society is experiencing is the inequality in the sector of education and knowledge. Now the greatest concern is not the depleting resources and extension of non-renewable energy, instead the attention has been shifted towards how other ways of producing energy can be used. This shift has been caused to due to the birth of knowledge workers. If nations have such workers then they can take advantage of resources that are available to them to produce other forms of energy and this will result in success of the economy. Brown states that the more the population of a nation is trained and educated, the higher is their probability of exploiting opportunities and decreasing their social cost caused due to technological advancements (Brown et al. 2008). Impact on Human Rights Brown states that education is a very essential portion of the rights of individuals and it should be available for free and should be made mandatory at the basic level of teaching (Brown, 1999). He even states that education that is vocational and technological in nature should be available on a wide basis and individuals should have equal access to education at the higher level and should be provided on merit basis. Education is regarded as a key element for the development of culture as well as economy. The policies that are created by the government and the policy makers regarding basic level of education clearly show the importance of education on the people of a society and its impact on the development of a society. The society has experienced advancement in various walks of life due to education, these walks of life include: better quality of health care, decrease in population growth, deduction in the rate of mortality of child and elevation in the rate of expectancy of life. Due to availability of education people are able to realize their rights and the obligations that are levied on them as citizens of a nation. Education has enabled them to be participative in managing the life of their societies. Certain surveys and researches conducted by UNESCO revealed that limitations caused due to globalization on the economic level was the main cause of the economic crisis that were experienced during the period of 1980s (UNESCO, 2000). Conclusion Globalization have said to be favorable for those who have been able to exploit its opportunities and have worked against those who have failed to decreased the threats caused by globalization. Globalization has even positively and negatively impacted the field of education. It has increased the inequality among nations and even increased the inequality among people of the same nations. On the other hand globalization has enabled individuals to gain education through the means of distance learning and those who previously were not able to obtain education have now been able to gain education due to globalization and this has helped in economic development. Works Cited Brown, Phillip, Hugh Lauder, and David Ashton. "Education, Globalisation and the Future of the Knowledge Economy." European Educational Research Journal. 7.2 (2008): 131-156. Print. Brown, Tony. "Challenging Globalization As Discourse and Phenomenon." International Journal of Lifelong Education. 18.1 (1999): 3-17. Print. Cheng, Yin C. New Paradigm for Reengeneering Education: Globalization, Localization and Individualization. Dordrecht: Springer, 2005. Print. Narasimha, Rao C. Globalisation, Justice, and Development. New Delhi: Serials Publications, 2007. Print. Prempeh, E O. K, Joseph Mensah, and Senyo B.-S. K. Adjibolosoo. Globalization and the Human Factor: Critical Insights. Aldershot, Hampshire, England: Ashgate, 2004. Print. Shaw, Rod. Information design and distance learning for international development. Loughborough: Water, Engineering and Development Centre, 2001. Print. World economic outlook: globalizatiion and inequality.. Washington, DC: International Monetary Fund, 2007. Print. World Education Report 2000." United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. N.p., n.d. Web. 8 Jan. 2013. . Read More