What did I expect from the class INTL 399?

Well, I just came home, or back I guess, from a ten week stay in Uganda and spent a few days at my real home in Switzerland. I only had one more class to choose one day before registration started. I looked through many classes and came across INTL 399 Education and Development taught by Jessica Cavas. Huh, I thought that could be really interesting, especially after spending my summer in a school setting which opened many new questions to me, some of which I can’t find an answer until this day. Registering for the class was a good choice. I have to put forward that the material that we studied in class has been very helpful to sort out and understand some of the inquiries I had.   

Learning in a different classroom setting has been inspiring and helpful to comprehend material, which I might have pondered about for myself, but could not pigeonhole into useful categories. For me, the class has taken me on a journey, on which I was able to combine aspects of education, learning, and development to form a better conception of how to look and feel about various issues.    

First day in class, we had to say what education means to us, mmh interesting question. I said LIFE because for me life is a never ending learning process and I am very curious.

On the second day of class, I believe it was, we received the disposable cameras for the photovoice project, of which I have never heard before but like it a lot. How does education look like or what is the shape of education? These two questions I had in mind when my turn came. The pictures didn’t turn out all that great, but the task helped me to think about the lingering question of what education means to me. The images that I tried to capture with the first camera can be summed up in short as follows.

1. Education Is Understanding Nature

   The young fern grows with the assistance of the sun and water.  

    

2. Education Is a Journey — of a Lifetime       —-                                                               Walk the World, Meet, Exchange, Store, Reflect, Learn, and Share again  
3. Education Is Different All Around the World – accept different opinions, perspectives, outlooks, angles, standpoints, beliefs worldviews. Tolerance can be learned.       
4. Education Can Take You Anywhere –                                                                                 The Sky is the Limit, and nothing can stop you if you believe in yourself                                                           
5. Education is not linear  —                                                                                                       Each of us hears, sees, smells, tastes and feels differently.  
6. Education is Unique  —-  Acknowledge differences as beautiful.  
7. Education broadens our horizon         
8. Education opens doors.

Our teacher, Jessica, has definitely been different from all teachers and professors I have had so far at the University. I appreciate the alternative style of teaching. At the beginning of class I was impressed about the thorough method she uses to address all topics and matters without leaving anything open. I changed my mind a bit after a while by understanding that there were things that weren’t a hundred percent clear, which she admitted herself too. However, I really like the comprehensive way of her writing and the options she offers to each student, although it can be confusing at times. The midterm exam is a good example of her alternative thoroughness because it shows that she gave us options in order to be comfortable with answering the questions as well as ask the questions to the point by clearly spelling out the multiple points that needed to be answered. Moreover, for me it has been encouraging to hearing her talk candidly about herself, her future plans and fears. I thought it is very human to talk about it and to be honest about it. Thanks for sharing this with us Jessica.      

Throughout the term, I experienced a different classroom each Monday and Wednesday morning. I appreciate and like it. The seating was shifting in all directions, towards the blackboard, towards the whiteboard, down on the floor in the corner, moving to the floor in the middle. The assigned readings shifted as well, especially towards the end of the term. However, I liked them a lot and was every week curious to hear what other people thought about them. I thought the discussion basis was very open in this class. I believe it was nicely set up at the beginning of class when we talked about discourse and it seemed everyone felt quite comfortable with the setting of the somewhat different classroom.

The presentations from all the students were extremely interesting. It was nice to see the different approaches people took and the wide range of issues that were covered. Thanks!

Time is flying when you are having fun. Right?

One last thing I have to mention is the room temperature. Well on many occasions people like to point out to me when I am freezing that I am from Switzerland, so that I should be used to cold temperatures. This is a myth of course.  However, every time at the beginning of class I thought it would not be as cold, but every time by the second half of the class, I have been really cold. At times I felt the only thing I can focus on is to stay warm. Well, I made it, thus it can’t have been that bad and after all the tendency of the room being too cold is probably still better than too warm and everyone falls asleep. 

This morning I read a post that offered gleaming hope about the future prospect of our world. I’m following the World Bank Blog, Education for Global Development and yes there are interesting stories, but this one stood out to me.

The story is titled: Inspired by Malala, Raising Girls’ Voices, written by Carolyn Reynolds on October 16^th 2013. The author recounts the dialogue between Malala Yousafzai and the World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim at the annual World Bank meeting of the International Day of the Girl Child. The post is strongly, compellingly, and enthusiastically written, but what I liked most are Malala’s quotes in it. Malala is the sixteen year old girl from Pakistan, who was shot by the Taliban for speaking out for girls’ education. Now, she tours the world, spreading the word and raising awareness for education for all.

To see her talk about her cause, watch the video that shows the interview in full length. Click on the link at the bottom of the page.

Words of Inspiration…

The sentence that sparked my attention was in the fourth paragraph (or video -26min) when she said: “The best way to fight terrorism is not through guns…” That is correct. That is exactly what I think too

I understand that some will say what I am going to write about is totally unrealistic. Nevertheless, it should still be considered and reflected upon even though we seem to be far from it. Then again, there is Malala and there is a new generation of young people growing up. There are some signs, little glimpses, that point to a future with sanity and reason, a path that hopefully could lead us to apply more common sense for crucial decisions concerning our future. Maybe I’m fantasizing, dreaming, or too optimistic. However, I still believe that one day we will manage to deal with weapons reasonably and intelligently.

I like to think of a total global disarmament. Then, with a redistribution of those resources, aid and policies, such as Education For All, packed in a box, tightly tied, with a ribbon wrapped around it and delivered promptly would make much more sense.

For me, the production and distribution of weapons is of no earthly use. We create so much harm, not only in the so-called developed world, but even more so in all the countries to which we sell them. Most developing countries wouldn’t have the capacity to produce weapons in their own countries, but the West seems rather eager to recklessly sell weapons, wherever they can make a profit. Thus, the developed world’s business model does not shy away from killing, right? I have always found this appalling.

Back to the article, Malala advocates for education for all, particularly girls. In my first blog, I uttered my doubts about EFA’s chances of success when continued as hitherto when I critiqued the exclusive economy model and the misinterpretation of most Westerners, who project All to the rest of the world, but take themselves out of the equation. I have asked if it is about economic growth or if we are simply selling the world and dreaming a lie. For me the answer is clear.

If we really want to level the playing field, we should stop riding the vehicle of development double-tracked with aid and exploitation side by side. We have a divided world, in which, on one side you get everything and more, while on the other side, (much bigger part too!) basic human needs are not met. Now again, if we are really to help, can’t we first get our own house in order? Let us globally reduce armaments. I would of course love total disarmament, but let us compromise to at least get rid of all the excessive weaponry that sits around. This decreasing trend of weapon possession and distribution, especially by the countries that have countless and more military machinery than any one world could ever use, would unquestionably serve as a first step to a more just world. At the same time, money that before was spent on arms could now actually be spent on true, honest, and sustainable development in both worlds. Malala makes a similar argument by pointing out that the same amount of money that is spent on weapons should be used for education. I hear her, but for me, I clearly want to see a drastic decrease of money allocated to the weapons industry.

The current dominant neoliberal model supports the notion of selling one’s own grandmother, for the sake of economic growth. In the year 2013, I would think that the educated developed world could restrict making business with arms proliferation if we are serious about a world, in which fundamental human rights are to be achieved.

Malala proclaims “education is the only solution.” I agree. Education For All is needed to reach the people who are in the weaponry business, as well as the weapon fanatics, to finally realize that we could do without them. All applies to all and not just one part of the world. Malala also emphasizes that “everyone should take part” in the change he or she wants to see.

Malala and her generation could live in a harmonious and progressed environment. A world, in which economic interests would not dominate and lead to such inequalities, but rather an inclusive world system with room for everyone. That is what the world needs now.

http://blogs.worldbank.org/education/inspired-malala-raising-girls-voices

Source Picture: Peace is the Way http://www.changingworld.com/catalog/there-peace-peace-quote-from-thich-nhat-hanh-vietnamese-monk-picasso-peace-dove-click-read-more-p-1570.html

Selling the world, dreaming a lie is the prevalent Western strategy, based on our speculation-driven economy, to draw as many new clients into the global consumer market as possible. For this, people have to be manipulated, formed, created, molded, simply put educated to fit into the cash-economy.

The documentary film Schooling the World critiques the emerging trend to use Western modern education as a panacea to tackle poverty worldwide. It challenges the goal of poverty reduction and rather suggests poverty creation with the current approach. The film elucidates the underlying assumption of UNESCO, UNDP, UNICEF, and the World Bank to bring development to non-industrialized countries by drawing children around the globe away from their homes, educating them, and then integrating them into the job market.

Education for All (EFA). This is the new catch-phrase in the international development sector. In 1990, at the World Conference on Education for All in Jomtien, Thailand, 155 countries and 150 organizations agreed to provide universal access for primary education. The shift of the education discourse from an economic driven approach to education as a fundamental human right was celebrated as a breakthrough, even though forty years earlier the Declaration of Human Rights had already proclaimed that “everyone has the right to education.”[1] Nevertheless, in 2000 Universal Primary Education became a goal of the MDG’s (Millennium Development Goals). This got the worldwide effort progressing and the wheels spinning. Governments, Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), as well as the private sector allocated money, which resulted in 82 million more children being enrolled in primary education during the first decade of its implementation.[2]

I believe that the policy, Education for All as it is carried out at the moment will diminish and eventually destroy the diversity of cultures and leave us with one homogenous culture, namely the Western high-consumption culture. The school settings oftentimes mimic the Western example and appear quite uniform globally. Wade Davis, an anthropologist, describes culture as “one model of reality.”[3] However, the modern education of the West has been expanded to remote rural villages on continents like Asia or Africa. Children, whose parents are still working the land, are now sitting in classrooms to receive universal primary education. The curriculum which is used has not much to do with the lives around them.

Interestingly, by hearing Education for All, most Westerners assume the so-called developing world should be on the receiving end. In my view, shifting the focus to truly Education for All is the only workable approach. We, educated Westerners, know that our Earth’s resources could not sustain the world population on our living standard. Therefore, since we know it is not possible, I think it is time to turn the table and we should realize that we are the ones who have to be educated in order to reduce poverty. If the goal is poverty reduction, it is on us to rethink our lives. If it is about economic growth we should be honest about selling the world and dreaming a lie.

Vandana Shiva explains in the documentary film Schooling the World that our education deliberately and systematically attempts to create what I would call robots. In her words she says, “I think the way Western Education has grown over the last few centuries, especially with the rise of industrialization, was basically not to create human beings fully equipped to deal with life and all its problems, independent citizens able to exercise their decisions and live their responsibilities in community, … but elements to feed into an industrial production system. They were products with partial knowledge. We move from wisdom to knowledge and now we are moving from knowledge to information and that information is so partial that we are creating incomplete human beings.”[4]

As the name says: Education for All. So why are we taking ourselves out of the equation, but project it to the rest of the world?

[1.Shields, R. (2013). Globalization and international education. p.26. Print.]

[2.Shields, R. (2013). Globalization and international education. p.26-27. Print.]

[3.Carol Black. (Director) Schooling the World: The White Man’s Last Burden. 2010. Web.]

[4.Carol Black. (Director) Schooling the World: The White Man’s Last Burden. 2010. Web.]