Why should multicultural education be included in the school curriculum?
The famous saying by
C.S. Lewis (British poet and novelist) highlights the need for multi-cultural
education in an impressive manner:
“Education without
values, as useful as it is, seems rather make a man a cleverer devil.”
Educational
psychologists stress the importance of active involvement of the teachers and
parents to instil the learners with full cultural values and social norms.
It is essential because
youngsters should have an understanding of their social responsibilities. The
learning starts at home, but schools play an imperative role to strengthen
cultural and moral values.
Role of School to Ensure Cultural Harmony
Technological
advancement has turned the world into a global village. While the people are
coming close to each other, cultural education has become more critical.
Many educational
institutions have realised the significance of culturally-diverse education
especially in the regions of cultural disparity. For instance, British curriculum schools in Dubai pay adequate attention to incorporate and
harmonise cultural aspects.
According to an eminent
psychologist, Albert Bandura,
people learn their social values by observation. So, when it comes to cultural
diversity, it is imperative to teach the students everything positive and
peaceful. There should be a mechanism to ensure intercultural harmony.
What should be done?
Therefore, the role of
teachers is highly significant because they are the role model for everyone
surrounding them. They must establish a positive relationship with all
students, colleagues without any discrimination of race, religion or
gender.
In this way,
educational institutions become a bridge between the pupils and the outside
world.
Nevertheless, focusing
only on the academics and ignoring multi-cultural knowledge not only narrow
down the acceptance level among the people but also create congested minds.
Such people lack the vision of cohesive communities and progressive societies.
Let's consider the case
study of UAE which is a highly diverse country regarding population and social
spectrum. So, how a balance among all the cultural diversity can accommodate in
such a situation? Of course, it becomes the responsibility of the society and
schools to create an active inter-cultural environment.
The reason is that
learned values are transferred to the other generations through behaviors and
activities. Therefore,
British schools Dubai achieve the objective by organizing
folk educational galas to expose the students with history, traditions, and
social values.
Therefore, the
responsibility of the educational institutions is not just limited to course
teaching, but they should ensure comprehensive education.
So, how multi-cultural
education fosters within a society. One way is to integrate it this element in
the teaching material of the school – yes in the syllabus.
The other way is to
encourage inter-cultural activities through art and fun within the school
environment. Modern schools systems introduce a rigorous plan of educational
trips to historical places, museums, related places to expand thinking and
broaden their vision.
The Benefits of Cultural Education
There are various
benefits of integrating cultural education into the curriculum of the schools.
A few are given below:
1.
It prepares the students for a better future
It goes without doubt
that cultural education is an essential need of the 21st century because people
across the world are connecting each other via technology. Therefore, students must learn about
different cultures to understand and respect diverse viewpoints.
It is essential to make
them prepare for their future because they will have to meet people across the
world. The reason is that jobs, business, and other opportunities are
globalized now. So, students need to grasp the future in a full scenario.
2.
It ensures comprehensive personal growth
Personality development
is an essential aspect of the education. It means that after getting knowledge
and training from the school, the individuals should be able to live a composed
and positive life. They must be able to share their rights and responsibilities
towards their families, society and the world at large.
Therefore, it is
essential to encourage the students to learn about other cultures besides their
own to get a better idea of how different proceeded with their lives and
communities.
Final thought
To sum up, cultural
diversity is increasing with every passing day owing to natural or forced
immigration and digitization. It is not only necessary on the part of single
culture countries but states having diverse population must take adequate
initiatives. British
curriculum schools in Dubai besides other institutions admit the need
and have made sufficient initiatives to strengthen multi-cultural education.
Comments
Post a Comment