What Is E4GI ?
Education For Global Interdependence (E4GI)
Interdependence describes the relationships of mutual dependence between all elements and life forms (including humans) within and across cultures, environments and social systems. It means that decisions taken in one place will affect what happens elsewhere. Today, more than ever before, the global is part of our everyday local lives. Interdependence has number of features as we are linked to others on every continent: socially through the media and telecommunications; culturally through movements of people; economically through trade; environmentally through sharing one planet; and politically through international relations and systems of regulation. That leads to an interdependent world in form of global political and economic networks- that is so called ‘globalization’.
Increasing global interdependence is placing new demands on education to prepare students for this new reality as members of an increasingly interconnected world as "global citizens". This raises debates and questions on the essentiality to add a multicultural dimension to the teaching and learning methods of education in the global era. The importance of Education For Global Interdependence (E4GI) lies in not only providing students opportunities to have better understanding of the current global issues and its impact at both local and global levels, but also in equipping them with knowledge, skills, values and attitudes needed to be active and reflective global citizens with a common future vision to maintain a sustainable world of peace, justice and equality for all.
Therefore, E4GI should help learners:
- To develop attitudes of respect, openness, and curiosity;
- To have the ability to observe, analyze and interpret, evaluate and relate;
- To have appreciation of difference; to see the world from other opinions;
- To understand how life in their cultural communities and nations influences
- other nations and the powerful influence that international events have on their daily lives; and
- To construct knowledge and have self-awareness.
To Learn More
As the world changes around us, one thing remains constant – the need for education to provide children and young people with the understanding, skills and values that they will need to face the challenges and seize the opportunities of an uncertain world of accelerating global change.
Read more: http://www.oxfam.org.uk/education/policy/ageofinterdependence/ CiCe working groups have examined related questions in global/world issues in citizenship and identities. Seven guidelines on citizensip education are available online. Read more: http://cice.londonmet.ac.uk/publications/$-search-results.cfm?orderby=title&conference=6 The large worldwide population flows that are a characteristic feature of the modern world mean that schools cater for children from different cultural backgrounds. This cultural heterogeneity should be regarded as an opportunity for citizenship education. Read more: http://www.unesco.org/education/tlsf/TLSF/the me_b/mod07/mod07task03/appendix.htm The rapid pace of globalization is causing countries everywhere to recognize that their young people need to be more globally minded and to ask: What should all education systems teach their young people about other cultures, languages, and global challenges? How can education bring the world to students and students to the world? Read more: http://asiasociety.org/education/learning-world/global-education-summit-reveal-shared-goals The 1996 report, Learning: The Treasure Within of UNESCO’s International Commission on Education for the Twenty-first Century (under the leadership of Jacques Delors, the former president of the European Commission) 1996 report, Learning: The Treasure Within, emphasized that education throughout life is based on four pillars: learning to live together, learning to know, learning to do and learning to be, and that each individual must be equipped to seize learning opportunities throughout life, both to broaden her or his knowledge, skills and attitudes, and to adapt to a changing, complex and interdependent world.
Read more: http://www.unesco.org/delors/fourpil.htm Article 26, United Nations, General Conference, San Francisco, 10 December 1948
Educating shall be directed to the full development of the human personality and to the strengthening of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. It shall promote understanding, tolerance and friendship among all nations, racial or religious groups, and shall further the activities of the United Nations for the maintenance of peace. Read more: http://www.un.org/en/documents/udhr/index.shtml#a26 Agenda 21, Chapter 36: Promoting Education, Public Awareness and Training
Education, including formal education, public awareness and training should be recognized as a process by which human beings and societies can reach their fullest potential. Education is critical for promoting sustainable development and improving the capacity of the people to address environment and development issues. Read more: http://www.un.org/esa/dsd/agenda21/res_agenda21_36.shtml |
The Global Education Week encourages pupils and teachers as well as youth groups to explore educational activities for global citizenship. It is a matter of addressing issues of diversity and inequality at the local as well as at the global level with an understanding of the core issues of global citizenship: awareness of the wider world and of our own role as a world citizens; attitudes of respect for diversity and intercultural communication skills; ability to take action to make the world a more equitable and sustainable place; and responsibility for our own actions.
Read more: http://www.coe.int/t/dg4/nscentre/GE_en.asp We want a fair, inclusive and cohesive society. We want a democracy in which people have the knowledge, skills, and confidence to take part and drive change as effective citizens, both as individuals and as communities.
Read more: http://www.citizenshipfoundation.org.uk/ The key task of any citizenship education should be to give students a disposition to participate in politics – not only by voting but through actions to improve local or global communities. A global citizenship education has four interrelated components: knowledge, analysis, skills, and action (KASA). By Lynn Davies, Ph.D. - University of Birmingham, UK Read more: http://www.tc.columbia.edu/centers/epe/PDF%20articles/Davis_ch13_22feb08.pdf Recommendation concerning Education for International Understanding, Co-operation and Peace and Education relating to Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms
Combining learning, training, information and action, international education should further the appropriate intellectual and emotional development of the individual. It should develop a sense of social responsibility and of solidarity with less privileged groups and should lead to observance of the principles of equality in everyday conduct. Read more: http://portal.unesco.org/en/ev.php-URL_ID=13088&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html United Nations Millennium Declaration
We believe that the central challenge we face today is to ensure that globalization becomes a positive force for all the world’s people. For while globalization offers great opportunities, at present its benefits are very unevenly shared, while its costs are unevenly distributed. We recognize that developing countries and countries with economies in transition face special difficulties in responding to this central challenge. Thus, only through broad and sustained efforts to create a shared future, based upon our common humanity in all its diversity, can globalization be made fully inclusive and equitable. Read more: http://www.un.org/millennium/declaration/ares552e.pdf UNESCO - Declaration and Integrated Framework of Action on Education for Peace, Human Rights and Democracy
Education must develop the ability to value freedom and the skills to meet its challenges. This means preparing citizens to cope with difficult and uncertain situations and fitting them for personal autonomy and responsibility. Awareness of personal responsibility must be linked to recognition of the value of civic commitment, of joining together with others to solve problems and to work for a just, peaceful and democratic community. Read more: http://www.unesco.org/education/nfsunesco/pdf/REV_74_E.PDF |