NEEDED: Global Villagers
Must understand global interdependence, global economics,
global problems, and global conflicts. Must be multilingual.
Yong Zhao
As I write these words, the world is battling an unprecedented economic risis and the potentially deadly H1N1 virus. Both
battles serve as a jolting reminder that
the human race has entered a new era in
which geographical and political
boundaries no longer serve to isolate its
six billion members scattered around
the globe.
The globe has shrunk into an interconnected and interdependent village
through global movements of goods,
information, money, and people. But
this village is new, its residents have just
moved in, and they don’t know one
another very well. They come from
different tribes, speak different
languages, and have customs that may
appear strange to those outside their
group. They may be suspicious of one
another.
For their sake and the sake of the
whole village, they have to learn to live
together peacefully and productively. As
institutions charged with the responsibility for preparing future citizens,
schools must educate students to
become competent citizens of the global
village.
