3) Intercultural training, education
Why is it important?
As we have seen above, our society is characterised by diversity, and with this recognition must come the recognition that all people have equal rights and deserve respect and acceptance.
According to Micheline Ray, education needs to develop a certain ‘stereocultural’ view that facilitates the movement of cultural values between different cultures. In her view, this contributes to the recognition and awareness of cultures and facilitates the description of culturally unfamiliar stimuli and the acceptance of cultural differences. To create a more liveable world for ourselves, we need to move from “mono” culturalism to “inter” culturalism. Acceptance of difference, interdependence, giving the other the same rights as oneself, is a Copernican shift in thinking as much as in governance.
The Netherlands and Sweden follow the Canadian model, where the state provides support to minorities to preserve their culture and religion. The government maintains a separate ministry to oversee compliance with the legislation. There are currently one million Muslims in the Netherlands, and the measures taken to help them focus mainly on improving their economic and social situation. The state also places great emphasis on multicultural education. Minority groups can also study in their mother tongue outside Dutch in municipalities with a large minority population.
Since the 1960s, some countries have introduced special education for the children of minorities living there and for the children of immigrants who are constantly arriving:
- to ensure that the children of immigrants could later return to their country of origin
- facilitate their integration into the education system of the host country
- assimilate minority children into the majority society, also known as assimilation, with the aim of depriving them of their cultural identity
- helping minority children to integrate into the majority society while retaining their own cultural identity, known as integration.
Many educational methods have been used in this context, but the majority of them have been based on the assumption that the majority culture is superior and not influenced by contact with other cultures.
Intercultural education, on the other hand, allows for the recognition of interrelationships and the breaking down of barriers. It is closely linked to other educational approaches, such as human rights education, anti-racist education and international development education.
Intercultural education is also closely linked to global education and explores how relations are established with other cultures, societies and social groups. All societies in the world are characterised by cultural diversity, and conflicts arise in countries that are not involved in immigration, where the different ways of life of the peoples living together cause problems. For this reason, interculturalism appears to be a good practice in overcoming racism, racial discrimination and exclusion.
Anti-racist education is based on the premise that all human beings have the right to justice and fairness, yet racism and racial discrimination are increasingly present in modern society, and schools are no exception. The more we allow this attitude to become rampant, the less chance these students have of social integration. The aim of education against racism is to prepare pupils to combat racist behaviour, to make them aware of its harmful effects on society and to create a world of peaceful coexistence and mutual respect for human rights.
Intercultural education is also closely linked to the third generation of human rights, which include the right to sustainable development, a healthy environment and peace.
The main aim of education and training for sustainable development is to put the protection of the world’s natural resources in the spotlight. This implies the protection of human rights, since the survival of human life depends to a large extent on the health and sustainability of our environment.
Another human rights dilemma is the right to peace. The central issue of education and training for peace is how to use natural resources in a more balanced and rational way, which is a frequent cause of conflict. Peace is not simply a state without war, peace is a stand for rights, an end to exploitation, an end to injustice. The mutual understanding of cultures is essential in our lives.