Becoming a global citizen

Standing together: Some members of the public expressing their anger towards the Israel regime by burning the Israel flag at a recent protest. However, this is not something that our students should do in school during the Palestine Solidarity Week. — Bernama

IN 2019, I was selected for a scholarship to attend an exchange programme in the United States. I recall my sponsors, namely the US Department of State, constantly reminding participants that we are to be “global citizens”.

Launched after the Sept 11 attacks, the programme aimed at building bridges between communities in the US and countries around the world, particularly those with significant Muslim populations.

As part of it, I had to conduct presentations on Malaysia and introduce my country to the local community. For many Americans, it was the first time they heard of Malaysia, and I was honoured to present the beauty of Malaysia to them.

My understanding of a global citizen is someone, who is aware of and understands the wider world, as well as their place in it.

A global citizen is also open to engaging positively with other identities and cultures and being able to recognise and challenge stereotypes. It is someone who actively embraces their social responsibility and acts towards making the world more inclusive, equitable and peaceful.

In a way, besides being an ambassador for Malaysia, I was also entrusted with the responsibility of being a global citizen. I helped the community understand more about a country miles away whilst at the same time learning from their culture. With discernment, of course.

Why am I chattering about global citizenship? Allow me to call back to a series of events that happened in Malaysia recently.

On Oct 27, the Education Ministry announced that all educational institutions under it will be holding a Palestine Solidarity Week until Nov 3, in response to the government’s stance on defending the rights of the Palestinian people.

Soon after, several viral videos surfaced on social media. One of them showed a school teacher setting an Israeli flag on fire, while another depicted an event where a school staff donned military gear and brandished a toy gun.

Based on the response from Putrajaya, which included putting in place additional guidelines, it is clear that things did not go as planned.

These displays have left me concerned that our schools are failing to equip students to be global citizens, which is essential for understanding international affairs, especially conflict.

In preparation for this article, I noticed a lack of data on Malaysian students’ knowledge of international affairs. However, if surveys conducted by news agencies in 2004, 2015 and 2018 are anything to go by, the consistent poor display of general knowledge and enthusiasm among Malaysian students for international affairs does not bode well.

A study conducted by think tank Iman Research also found that Malaysian youth under 25 years old are most susceptible to radicalisation.

Do Malaysian students have sufficient general knowledge of international affairs to make an informed judgement on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, or can teachers convey the topic with the appropriate pedagogy? I urge the Education Ministry to consider these questions.

An ideal solidarity week, for me, would aim to educate students about humane values, especially human rights and compassion.

It would also include instilling in students empathy and concern for the suffering borne by others regardless of race, religion or social status.

Unconventionally speaking, the premise of Palestine Solidarity Week does not promote critical thinking. If students were taught the values of empathy and human rights, it would not be difficult for them to decide what stance to adopt since there would be a clear villain.

As a product of the exchange program, I firmly believe that global citizenship cannot be achieved through textbooks. If we aspire to create more global citizens, we need to turn to project-based lessons and cultural experiences.

To quote a research paper produced by the Research Centre for Environment, Economic and Social Sustainability, the curriculum should “provide the platform for teachers and students to deeply explore local and global issues and thus generate their self-positive reflection.”

Students need to be provided with just the necessary amount of information and, combining that with moral values learned through the curriculum and developed through first-hand experiences, form an informed opinion on current affairs.

We must realise the development of global citizenship can be influenced by education, and the inclusion of both local and global cultures in the curriculum can shape an individual’s exposure to the concept of a global citizen.

I would also like to remind Malaysian politicians not to turn the display of Palestinian solidarity into a political spectacle, with each side of the political divide trying to outdo the other.

In all displays, let us not forget that the ongoing conflict is rooted in human rights, not religion or race. This is the best example politicians should set as the rakyat watches on.

It is worth pointing out the glaring hypocrisy that refugee children, Palestinian or otherwise, cannot attend public schools in Malaysia despite the Palestine Solidarity Week being a direct initiative of the Education Ministry.

If anything is to come out of the Palestine Solidarity Week, I hope that students will be able to recognise that as a planet, we share a common humanity and are of equal worth. Furthermore, there are no victors in war but only death and suffering.

For that, we must stand in solidarity with all victims.

Student Jonathan Lee traces his writing roots to The Star’s BRATs (young journalist) programme, which he has written for since 2016. He is now a Malaysian youth advocate. The views expressed here are solely his own.