In the 19th century, industrialization and colonization greatly increased production and material resources. Together with urbanization and population increase, there was strong demand for education. In America, Thomas Jefferson (1743 – 1826) saw education for advancement of the common man, thus common school. John Dewey (1859 – 1952) took education as living in modern democracy, stressing democratic citizenry and the liberal thinking of the individual. However most policy-makers today see education as training up the workforce and manpower supply for the knowledge economy. In the East, notably China, education is for serving social needs. China had a tradition of exam system which selected the literary scholars to become government officials and ruling elites. It was a system of meritocracy where exams supported social mobility and governance. Governments are not interested in what, i.e. the purpose of education; they are interested in how to do better. (Hannon, 2021). Generally, they worry about their countries’ competitiveness, concerning with STEM, PISA, jobs, not truth. However, public opinions can shape policies, such as Gardner (1983), Hirsch (1987), Fullan (2018), Mackay (2021). Education policies interact on a global scale. In China, policies are decided by elites in a hierarchical feedback system. From 1980 – 2010, China learned and modelled after the West. From 2010 onwards, China moves on its own, proposing One-Belt-One-Road Initiative (BRI) in 2014 and global human destiny in 2023 to embark on the Chinese Dream and Educating the Future, (Peters: 2020). Future education is directed by future governments and how they perceive the future world. Generally, they see competition alongside collaboration. Game theory may predict certain outcomes in mathematical equations.

There are four emerging trends:

• A world of four centers (East, West, India, Islam)
• Fierce competition and struggle
• Cultural exchange
• Co-existence and co-evolution

What Educators Can Do
Educators should nurture students to become:
• Collaborative
• Open-minded
• Positive
• Equitable-minded

Speaker: Rex Li

Published in: World Congress on Education (2024)

• Date of Conference: 26-28 August, 2024
• DOI: 10.20533/WCE.2024.0002
• Electronic ISBN: 978-1-913572-71-6
• Conference Location: Churchill College, Cambridge, UK