Globalisation and its impact on education

The effect of globalisation on the reform and reconstruction of education was an underlying theme of discussions at the World Conference on Education for All held in Jomtien, Thailand in 1990 and the more recent International Commission on Education for the Twenty-first Century, chaired by Jacques Delors. This chapter presents the conclusions and recommendations related to this that have emerged from these two gatherings. The first section of the chapter outlines the main features of globalisation and issues some warnings about predicting the effects of globalisation on education. The second section of the chapter discusses five areas of concern for education policymakers (the goals of education, the structure of the system, the educators, the assessment of outcomes, and the role of government and other stakeholders) and proposes some strategies for dealing with these issues.