‘Children today burdened like never before’
Children born in this generation carry the heaviest burden in history ever, because of the problems left behind by their parents, the chairman of the Varkey Foundation, Sunny Varkey, said.
Speaking at the welcome session of the Global Education and Skills Forum, Varkey spoke on what issues this generation face and what makes a “true” global citizen.
The forum includes the Global Teacher Prize, where one teacher will win $1 million.
Speaking at the welcome session of the Global Education and Skills Forum, Varkey spoke on what issues this generation face and how what makes a “true” global citizen.
He said: “As babies grow, they’ll realise that they have inherited a burden like no generation before. It’s the heaviest burden in history. It will forward them to find solutions to problems that their parents and grandparents have lacked the will to solve. We all know what they are - refugees have fled on massive scales, the growing curb between the rich and poor, climate change and too many children, especially girls, do not have access to quality education. Too many lives are shortened by poverty and diseases.
“But there is hope. This generation of young people growing up now are special. They are born at a special time. They are the first true global citizens. These young people are more likely to make friendships with people across borders and from a different religion. They are aware of each other’s views minute to minute and hour to hour because of social media,” he said.