Thomas Friedman, a long-time columnist for The New York Times, once said World is hot, flat and crowded. The World is hot and crowded because of global warming and population growth; the world is flat because of Globalization. Globalization has flattened the world into a level playing field in which all players have nearly the same opportunities. He has discussed the ten forces being flattened our world.[1]
Let me take a few examples to explain to you. When The Olympic Game Opening Ceremony was started in China in 2008, the whole world was watching. The death of Osama Bin Laden was quickly spread to the world. People living in everywhere in the world have many ways to watch both important events. They can view ones via Television, The Internet, satellites and so on.
So, the world has no lows and highs. The World is actually flat. I suggest you read “The World Is Flat” by Friedman for further explanations. Today, I want to talk about the globalization of education. People in developing world are becoming more and more educated. The World now has a global class.
One of my seniors in Canada recently praised I did a good job given the fact I just studied in a local University. Nope, I replied. I study with international students in a global class. I’m studying with a Harvard Professor. It’s the first time in history that Harvard University offers an online course free of charge.
Do you know about the “Justice Course” with Professor Michael Sandel? The course is by far the most popular course in Harvard. The course is on critical thinking and reasoning with a special focus on what’s the right thing to do. One can stream and download 12 episodes free via www.justiceharvard.org. The course is even popular beyond the United States. He is comparable to a star in China, Japan and so on, Japanese media reported.
IT revolution has made me accessible to a Harvard professor. Never before have students get such a good chance. Globalization makes the living location of a person less important. I get the same lessons as other students in United States, China, India, Japan and the rest of the world do.
I recently was told an interesting story. There is so-called The Central Provident Fund, a compulsory saving plan for all Singaporeans and permanent residents. The Singaporean Government takes about %20 of salaries from its people. The fund can’t be withdrawn until they attained the age of 55. However, they can take the fund for two reasons: Firstly, for buying house and education. Lastly, for hospitalization fees.
I have learnt a lot from Facebook. Living in Cambodia doesn’t necessarily put me at an disadvantage. All one need is a Computer, Internet connection and a good command of English. We enjoy more rooms than our predecessors did. So, we are supposed to do a better job.
There are E-books available on the Internet. And we could talk to well-known professors via Skype, Facebook, and Yahoo massager and so on. Education is widely available now. However, a good education is no guarantee but a precondition for success. We have to fight for it. All you need to do is to keep yourself ahead of the tide and know how to take advantage of Globalization. Final examinations are coming. Please pray for me. ^_^
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