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The most effective tool in the world is education. It is quite literally the basis of everything we do. From the gadgets we use every day, down to the ability to be able to think for ourselves, it is given to us due to education. Of course, not everyone in the world is in the same boat when it comes to learning, and we cannot control the quality of it. But, it is indisputable that it holds quite an important role in society. It dictates how you lead your life. Unfortunately, this also means that education is an extremely easy way to manipulate certain areas of society to fit certain boxes. One such issue that we are facing currently, is the homogenisation of education policies around the world.
Homogenisation of education around the world does not entail the entire population learning about the same thing. Rather, it is concerned with countries using their policies to implement rules that help to achieve an end. But first, we need to look at the problem that underlies all education policy in general, which is, an assumption at a certain level that all factions of society are equal. It is somewhat paradoxical because we need education to achieve this, in the first place. According to Andrew Robinson, “What our research has shown though is that students have different educational outcomes in mind, depending on where they come from and study.” This is the first issue when it comes to homogenising education.
When education systems become less diverse, it means one of two things. Either that equality is a reality, or that there is a serious need for representation. We know that our society’s problem is the latter. The most essential aspect of education is to cater to every student’s needs while also being good at providing basic skill development. Researchers have found links between poor education systems and workplaces that have little to no diversity. In the United States of America, we see cases like Mendez vs. Westminster, Brown vs. Board of Education, and Little Rock Nine that have reminded us of the constant discrepancy between attainability and our reality. These issues are further cemented in society when education is partially responsible for their propagation.
This homogenisation is currently happening in policies around the world, and it is not a new phenomenon at all. Holistic education has always been rare in the history of the world. For example, in the United Kingdom, colonial history is not talked about extensively. There are no mentions of the myriad atrocities caused by colonialism. There are hardly any examples that show an impartial education system, and even today, that reality is far from coming to fruition. One of the implications that we saw is an impact on diversity in the workplace, however, that comes from the more deep-rooted systemic exclusion of certain factions of society from education itself. The dangers are not only limited to students and the younger generation being ill-informed or simply uninformed, they also include the barrage of consequences that come with having these policies as the voice of reason in a country.
The Indian example illustrates this issue the best. The glaring problem in the education system in India is keeping up with the most extreme diversity in the country. However, this has not stopped past and present governments from trying to homogenise the system of education in the country. With some decisions in the recent past also being politically motivated, there is little point to this exercise. There is no real benefit in terms of trying to contain the entirety of this vast country and cram it into one common system, that will have sections that will be alien to most. One such example is the New Education Policy that came into effect recently. With so many promises of bridging the gap between universities, even in the same city, the policy has still not been able to completely make the system uniform. This half-baked measure is, instead, hurting students’ progress. According to Prabhat Patnaik, “The corporate element that is integrated with globalised capital is happy with the homogenisation of education that obliterates all reference to the impact of colonialism and colonial exploitation, and looks at capitalism as a more or less self-contained system […].” This is extremely detrimental to the system of education, overall, because it is seen solely as a means to an end.
Some research says that by 2030, most teaching will be more personalised and cater to the requirements and needs of each student. However, the trends in politically motivated educational policies suggest otherwise. These issues are not to be taken lightly. Multiple issues need to be tackled before one can even talk about the personalisation of education. This, however, cannot be talked about more in detail without first addressing the issue of the prevalence of education in the world. Once this issue is brought under scrutiny, we can begin to address the system itself. Although, one thing is very clear - homogenisation of education is not the answer.
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