Of Globalization

Post date: Apr 25, 2018 2:56:54 AM

By: Marey E. Cezar, BNHS

Sarah Elaine Eaton, Ph. D., a faculty member at University of Calgary at Australia, stated 10 global trends in this new millennium. One of the global trends she stated is borderless education, which, according to her, is the phenomena where the barrier of geography is being transcended by creativity, technology, and a desire to go global.

It is true, and it is almost visible everywhere. With the new technology, the world is undivided. Continental divisions mean nothing because of the availability of learning resources through the use of World Wide Web. You can be at a class in the Philippines, while your professor is at Canada. You can access online libraries in America. You can join international competitions. You can visit South Korea as an exchange student. Nothing seems impossible now.

But with our desire to ‘go global’, we have to be sure that we do not forget to ‘go local’ first. This message is not only about economy, but it can be also be about our educational system.

With all the fuzz and excitement going over students who want to study abroad, we also have to remember that we have to be equipped locally. We cannot compete globally if we do not know our root. We cannot know where to go if we do not know where we came from. We have to rediscover and internalize our local history and culture. Before we can begin traversing in the unknown world of foreign lands, we have to know Rizal and his works, Bonifacio and his ideologies, and Luna and his masterpieces. We have to know our histories from pre-ancient times to the horrors of Marcos regime, we have to know what happen to our agricultural sectors, what lands we rightfully own as a nation, and who our best human resources are. We have to know what present pressing issues affect us, what actions our local government is doing, and what kind of nation are we evolving.

Being local does not mean we will not follow global trends, it is just a reminder of who we really are before we take into the international spotlight. Sure, there is nothing wrong in wishing we could travel abroad for our personal development, but we have to make sure our identity is not forsaken.