According to the United States, success is defined almost entirely on hard work and perseverance. The US’s mantra is basically defined as “Persistence overcomes resistance.†And subsequently, 57 percent of Americans disagree with the statement that, “Success in life is pretty much determined by forces outside our control.†As well as that 73 percent of Americans say that working hard is the most important factor in success.
Outside of America, statistics are very different, with 67, 71, 85 and 94 percent of parents from India, Bangladesh, China and Vietnam, respectively, saying that their children would accomplish more than themselves. These countries pride their development on education and it’s only natural to think that these countries subsequently believe that education is the driving force behind their rapidly growing economies. Meanwhile in South America, 85, 85 and 86 percent of individuals from Colombia, Chile and Venezuela, respectively, have spoken out about how school is the most important factor to success.
America, and now the United Kingdom, have gone down a very different route. Through tuition fees, a corporate ‘might-makes-right’ attitude and a complete disregard to a completely-out-of-date education system, the countries now have a struggling schooling system which fails to get close to its competitors. For instance, America placed around 29th place on average and the UK placing around 23rd on average in PISA’s 2012 rankings tables for Maths, Science and Reading. Meanwhile, countries such as China, Singapore, Hong Kong and Japan shoot up the tables, being 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th respectively. To think that it was only a few decades ago that these countries were unable to cope with economic and social collapse is a testament to what education is capable of, making heavyweights out of all of them in nearly all aspects.
Many of these up-and-coming countries have numerous positions in international campuses all over the world, why not sign up with SeekTeachers today and check out our teaching jobs page for the opportunity of a lifetime?
[Source: Bustle – How to Get Ahead Study…]
[Source: Wikipedia - PISA 2012 Rankings]