Business partnership says we need to educate for Asia

Leading NZ business and employee organisations are urging schools to prepare young NZers for the future by teaching them more about Asia, says Asia NZ Foundation director Dr Richard Grant.

Dr Grant says the Business Education Partnership, a joint initiative between the Asia NZ Foundation and the business community, is an urgent call for the NZ public and educationalists to think deeply about how we all can prepare our young people for a future increasingly dominated by Asian economies.

“It is not a choice we have to offer these skills but an imperative,” Dr Grant said.

“It is encouraging that the companies and organisations that are signatories also see the critical strategic value of this initiative.”

The launch of the Business Education Partnership late last year is a declaration by 43 leading NZ companies and employee organisations to call greater attention to educating young NZers about Asia.

The declaration urges greater attention for the learning about Asia in our schools. It says building knowledge of Asia, its cultures, languages and peoples is a priority task for our education system, so that NZ has a workforce that is better informed about the region and better equipped to deal with it.

All the business signatories commit themselves to working with school communities to see that this partnership can help deliver greater Asia Awareness to fellow NZers.

Dr Grant says the NZ Curriculum acknowledges the importance of NZ students having opportunities to explore future focus issues such as globalisation and citizenship.

“Asia is central to this global understanding.

“It’s time for all NZers to begin to join the dots, to acknowledge our growing interdependence with a region that will have a huge impact on world affairs in the 21st century.

“Many NZers already have been affected by Asia in some way, whether by travel, trade or with people in their communities,” Dr Grant said.

“We need greater emphasis in education on the Asian region to prepare young NZers for a world that’s very different from the one we grew up in.”