Education, Culture and the Development of Global Citizens

A child can know a great deal about the world without necessarily knowing how to live thoughtfully in it. They can memorise countries, study international events and learn about different cultures while still struggling to interpret a perspective different from their own. Global education becomes meaningful when knowledge is combined with the ability to examine unfamiliar ideas, communicate across difference and make responsible decisions.

The OECD's PISA 2018 framework defines global competence as a multidimensional capacity involving the examination of local, global and intercultural issues; understanding and appreciating different perspectives; interacting appropriately across cultures; and taking action for collective well-being. It is therefore broader than international exposure or travel. It is an educational capability.

Global citizenship begins with perspective

One of the most useful things education can do is make students aware that their own interpretation of an issue is not the only possible interpretation. This does not mean teaching students that every perspective is equally valid. It means giving them the intellectual tools to understand why reasonable people may begin from different histories, experiences, values or assumptions.

Consider a discussion about migration, climate policy or language. A student may initially approach the issue from a personal or national perspective. A globally competent learner is encouraged to ask what the issue looks like to another community, what historical circumstances shaped that position, what evidence supports competing claims and where genuine disagreement remains.

Culture should be studied as knowledge, not decoration

Schools sometimes treat culture as a collection of festivals, food, clothing and celebrations. These can be valuable entry points, but they are not the same as cultural understanding. Culture also shapes how communities interpret family, authority, time, knowledge, identity, language and responsibility.

This is particularly important in India, where students may move between multiple languages, communities and cultural contexts within the same school. A meaningful education can help students recognise those differences without turning them into stereotypes.

Global competence is developed through practice

The OECD notes that schools can develop global competence through learning activities that involve other cultures, global issues, different perspectives and conflict resolution. It also cautions against treating this as an occasional activity: consistent curriculum and learning experiences matter more than isolated international days or one-off events.

In practice, this can mean asking students to compare how the same issue is understood in two communities; examining primary sources from different perspectives; interviewing someone whose experience differs from their own; debating a global issue; reading literature from different linguistic traditions; or designing a response to a local problem with global dimensions.

The role of communication

Global competence is inseparable from communication. Students need to learn how to ask questions without assuming, disagree without dismissing, explain an idea for a particular audience and listen closely enough to identify what another person actually means.

This is one reason discussion, debate, storytelling, collaborative inquiry and reflective writing matter. They create situations in which knowledge has to be used in interaction with other people rather than simply reproduced in an examination.

From global awareness to responsible action

The final step is agency. Students should not merely understand that a global issue exists. They should learn to identify what can realistically be done, evaluate competing options and recognise the consequences of different choices. Action can be small: a research project, a school initiative, a community conversation, a campaign or a redesigned local practice.

The purpose is not to turn every classroom into an activism programme. It is to help young people understand that knowledge has consequences and that responsible participation requires both judgement and action.

What schools can do now

Move beyond cultural celebrations to sustained study of perspectives, histories and lived experiences.

Use global issues as opportunities to practise evidence evaluation and structured reasoning.

Give students repeated opportunities to interact with people whose experiences differ from their own.

Teach students to identify stereotypes and question their own assumptions.

Assess not only what students know, but how they use knowledge in unfamiliar and intercultural situations.

A broader purpose for education

Global citizenship is not a personality type and it is not created by sending students abroad. It is a set of capabilities and dispositions that can be developed through the everyday work of education.

Students need substantial knowledge. They also need perspective, curiosity, communication, critical thinking and the ability to act responsibly. The challenge for schools is to bring these elements together so that learning becomes preparation not merely for examinations, but for participation in a complex and interconnected world.

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This article is part of Anhaya Educational Foundation's work on education, youth development and globally connected learning.

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