Rethinking Schooling for the 21st Century

One lesson learnt is that we cannot necessarily interpret the prevalence of a
certain concept (or sub-category) as indicating a more ‘advanced’ or ‘ideal’
treatment of the issue in question. What does a proliferation of references to ‘civil
liberties’, for example, indicate? Does it indicate strong official commitment to
promoting this ideal (and thus a high level of civil liberties), or acknowledgement
that it requires urgent attention (and thus continuing problems in this area), or an
effort to deflect domestic or international criticism by signifying determination
to address the issue (while in practice continuing to ignore it)? The presence of a
concept does not necessarily signify real commitment to the ideals it represents.
Likewise, the absence of a concept may not reflect ignorance or a denial of its
importance — and could even indicate quite the opposite (i.e. that the relevant
idea is so embedded in that society that it is taken for granted).
Key insight 2: The coding data underscore the limitations of monitoring efforts
based on administrative self-reporting in relation to international
standard-setting instruments (such as the 1974 International
Recommendation concerning Education for International
Understanding, Co-operation and Peace and Education relating
to Human Rights and Fundamental Freedom), due to the often
symbolic function performed by policy and curricular documents.
Key insight 3: The coding data also highlight the limitations of monitoring
efforts based on tracking ‘presence’ or ‘absence’ of key terms
relating to global citizenship and sustainable development (see,
for example, UNESCO, 2016a), due to problems in interpreting
such patterns in isolation from an analysis of the relevant
context. Statements included in education policy or school
curricula may reflect genuine official commitment, or may serve a
largely symbolic purpose. Only analysis of the context can reliably
indicate how official statements should be interpreted.
Part II of this report therefore analyses trends across different Asian regions,
interrogating the political and social context so as to shed light on why certain
concepts are prevalent and others are rare or absent in policy and curricular
documents.
Rethinking Schooling for the 21 st Century:
The State of Education for Peace, Sustainable Development and Global Citizenship in Asia
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