Whose context for what quality? Informing education strategies for the Caribbean

An enduring tenet of the comparative education tradition is the significance of cultural context, of the distinctive features that characterise a society or social group. The close link that has been established between culture and development has prompted Caribbean leaders to place more emphasis on an appreciation of the region's cultural assets, and to find ways of translating these into economic wealth in the international market place. This is particularly challenging in an increasingly globalised environment where knowledge is considered the primary resource. While the Caribbean's capacity for facing the dilemmas of difference is thought to give it some comparative advantage, one of the key challenges for its educational policy‐makers is how to provide a quality education that is sensitive to the ‘local’ context while remaining responsive to the demands of the ‘global’ market. To meet these challenges, the Caribbean is revisiting traditional concepts of ‘knowledge’ and initiating comprehensive reforms aimed at refashioning its education systems to prepare an internationally competitive labour force and to promote the region as a global partner in international policy‐making.     

Globalisation and Comparative Education: A Caribbean perspective

The phenomenon of globalisation argues for a broader view of the world than was hitherto necessary; one that takes into account the diversity of the human experience and consequently one that requires a deeper understanding of the particularities of each of the constituencies that make up that experience. Comparative education, which has always stressed the significance of context and circumstance, is ideally placed to foster awareness of these elements that differentiate us, thereby facilitating our 'reading of the global' and cultivating in us a deeper appreciation of the interdependence of today's global community. The small states of the Caribbean which risk being further marginalised by the processes of globalisation stand to benefit from comparative education initiatives which would give greater international exposure to their particular circumstances and their contribution to world culture and civilisation. The Caribbean region has had a history of learning to live and work with people from diverse backgrounds, and in this regard could make a contribution to the new perspective which increasing globalisation calls for. It is this experience that the region can offer through greater participation in, and closer engagement with, the field of comparative education.