Globalization and Social Welfare Education in Asian Countries
During the turning point of the 21st century, the word of globalization has been widely used all over the countries. Although the issue has been discussed in social welfare education field of western countries, the issue has not gotten much attention in that of Asian countries. Particularly in eastern Asian countries, the concept of globalization has not been adequately discussed and incorporated with social welfare education. That is unfortunate because the need for the integration and development of social welfare education has been highly raised for Asian countries, such as Korea, Japan, Singapore and China.
The Asian countries have been rapidly changed due to financial crisis, the increased number of the aged, status change of women, and expanded needs of people. Social changes have brought dwindling resource commitment in service field and increased job insecurity of social workers.
This presentation will discuss firstly the reasons why social welfare educators should take much more active part in debates about globalization. And then it shows that globalization poses many challenges for developing standardized curriculum and new field. There is a discernable shift of the training market toward advanced practice and managerial skills. With rising interpenetration between different professions, there is a need for social work to extend their knowledge boundaries and enhance collaborations in the face of growing competition.
The Asian countries strive to the acceptance and institutionalization of common identity, and are actively looking more international collaborations in teaching and research both for students and teachers. By discussing the challenges of globalization, they will be better able to contribute to the creation of a reciprocal and collaborative system of international exchange.
Facing the rapid social changes both locally and globally, the presentation shows the issues of social welfare education have to be adaptive to these changes. To understand the change and to implement appropriate responses will lead to the increase of our professional credibility and the capacity to take the lead in promoting social change and social justice, as well as empowering our service users.