Bridging Cultures: Tagore’s Educational Thoughts on Global Citizenship Education

Abstract

A pioneer in the field of holistic development education, Rabindranath Tagore advocated for a curriculum that stressed cultural diversity, a deep connection to nature, and the development of students’ intellectual, moral, and emotional capacities. His method stressed that one needed to be resilient, empathetic, self-reliant and open minded to be great as an individual and society. At schools like Shantiniketan and Visva-Bharati, Tagore emphasised teaching methods where practical experience, cross-cultural understanding and an integrated curriculum formed integral part of it. At a time when our world is facing so many complicated problems, Tagore’s ideals of international understanding and constructive dialogue are more important than ever. His call for people to rise beyond their cultural and societal differences and work together is more important than ever in today’s increasingly globalised society. The purpose of this research is to address a range of global challenges by investigating Tagore’s educational concepts, their relevance to modern education, and their impacts on global citizenship.