Some teachers think that a program of
international exchange visits would benefit all teenage school students. Do you
think the benefits of such a program would outweigh any disadvantages?
A prominent lobby of teaching fraternity extols achievements
of international exchange programs offered to teenage school students citing
several advantages, nonetheless, this does not prevent the critics from
pointing out at the weaknesses of such schemes.
Such programs, as per the supporters, renders unparalleled
opportunities to the adolescent students – the citizens of the future, who
would populate a globalized village that is fast evolving due to globalization
– to explore diversity and broaden their mindsets and perspectives. When the
teenaged pupils visit other countries as a part of such schemes, the mingle and
interact with their counterparts in host nations, which helps foster
understanding between young individuals of diverse nationalities, ethnicities,
and cultures, resulting in a pleasant bonhomie; thus raising hopes for a bright
future of humanity that emanates harmony.
Moreover, such once in a lifetime experience afford students
possibilities to explore, analyze, compare and appreciate disparate education
systems of countries they visit; and determine strengths and benefits. Students
can carry this knowledge back home, and make improvements in the their own learning.
They can also share this knowledge with their classmates, and thus bring
benefits for the society too.
However, the detractors openly deride these schemes as
expensive propositions that tax parents financially. Traveling to other countries needs huge investments to fund outward
and inward airfares, boarding and
lodging expense, and other sundry expenditure, which must be borne by
the families. Consequently, this puts an immense financial pressure on parents
who often find it hard to cope up.
In a nutshell, controversies apart, international student
exchange programs may carry certain drawbacks, having said that, humungous
benefits derived out of such schemes can hardly be ignored, considering that
the world is fast transforming a global village, such events could prove to be
worthy mediums of promoting homogeneity.