Rethinking Schooling for the 21st Century

The tendency in much
discussion of bullying has
been to ‘psychologise’
the problem, seeing it
as a matter of individual
deviance susceptible to
treatment by trained
counsellors or psychiatrists
exclusion, to be the most prevalent type of
bullying, with physical bullying being least
common (UNESCO, 2017a).
Nevertheless, as with shadow education,
so with bullying, more research is needed
to understand how the prevalence of
these phenomena is related not just to
the structures of schooling and public
examinations, but also to wider societal
factors. The tendency in much discussion of bullying — not just in Southeast
Asia, but elsewhere too (e.g. Japan) — has been to ‘psychologise’ the problem,
seeing it as a matter of individual deviance susceptible to treatment by
trained counsellors or psychiatrists. But an excessive focus on the correction
of individual maladjustment risks (perhaps intentionally) obscuring the role of
societal maladjustment in fuelling tension and antagonism within and beyond
the confines of the school. Similarly, in the case of shadow education, there is a
need to look beyond the microscopic analysis of familial decisions or ascriptions
of causality to ‘culture’, and examine how socio-economic institutions, as well as
educational practices, fuel competitive intensity. Without a better understanding
of the social causes of educational intensity,
and a determination to address them, much
talk of reorienting schooling towards the
fostering of ‘peace, global citizenship and
sustainable development’ is likely to remain
just talk.
CONCLUSION
The coding data generated in the process of
preparing this report appear to suggest some
grounds for optimism regarding the state
of ESD/GCED in Southeast Asia. These data
correspond with the findings of an earlier
review that shows widespread awareness of
important ESD/GCED-related concepts at
least at the state and policy levels, and to a lesser extent at the level of subject
curricula (Australian Council for Educational Research, 2016). Rhetoric calling
for greater recognition of the importance of social diversity or multiculturalism,
global interconnectedness and environmental sustainability feature to varying
degrees in official documents across. There also appears to have been a positive
trend towards greater awareness and utilisation of ESD/GCED concepts in
policymaking circles, partly driven by the efforts of agencies such as UNESCO
and UNICEF, often in cooperation with SEAMEO.
Without a better
understanding of
the social causes of
educational intensity,
and a determination
to address them, much
talk of reorienting
schooling towards the
fostering of ‘peace, global
citizenship and sustainable
development’ is likely to
remain just talk
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Chapter 4: Southeast Asia