It is often easy to judge an issue as black or white when a more accurate view of the situation is the hazy, gray area in between.  When analyzing the needs of less developed countries, the common view is that they need the help of western countries and they will not progress, prosper or be happy without the intervention of western society. In the film, Schooling the World: the White Man’s Last Burden, filmmaker Carol Black takes the opposite position by illustrating only the negative effects of a western style education on a small town in India and taking the position that western influence of education in less developed countries is detrimental to their society. I do not believe that the issue is so black and white. I believe that education provides opportunities to improve quality of life by relieving poverty, providing healthcare and opportunities for women. However, I feel that it is important that a country’s culture, identity and heritage are maintained in the educational process.

Since the time of the Romans, more developed societies have justified conquering others by stating that they are actually benefiting them by overpowering them. During the Colonial era, Western European societies felt that they had a duty to conquer and install western European practices in their colonies. “In the eyes of the European Colonial powers such as Britain, France and Belgium, the colonial relationship was mutually beneficial and natural: colonized societies benefited from supposedly superior European governance, while colonizing countries obtained access to low-cost raw materials and basic labour.”[1] During this era of colonization, western educational practices were pushed onto the colonies because they believed it was their duty, which they called, “the white man’s burden” to civilize what they deemed as backward societies.  Conquered countries such as India lost some of their cultural educational practices as they became more westernized. Although the days of western style countries colonizing other countries are over, they still promote the same view that western education is superior and should be implemented by all.

In contrast to this view, Black maintains in her film that western educational methods harm the countries that they are imposed on. Western educational practices ignore culture and tradition and teach children in a sterile, institutionalized environment. In the film, children leave their family at a young age; travel far away to school where they are a taught a western education that ignores their cultural heritage. After they finish their education, there are very few jobs for them. They have missed out participating and learning about their own culture, in order to be taught the ways and customs of a western culture that does not provide a successful future as was promised.  Helena Hodge, a global analyst states in the film, “modern education isn’t always the right step.” The film demonstrates that a western education does not always benefit a society.

Global education is important because it generally does improve less developed countries. Better educated and skilled workers increase the economic opportunities of a community. Educating healthcare workers reduces mortality rates. Educating females reduces discrimination and provides more opportunities for an underrepresented group. However, global education does not have to be universally applied.  Each community should include their culture and traditions in the educational process. Education is important for all societies, but they should have a say into what makes up their educational process.