EDUCATION AND SOCIETY A PANEL DISCUSSION ORGANIZED BY UNESCO

EDUCATION AND SOCIETY

A PANEL DISCUSSION ORGANIZED

BY UNESCO

"The satisfaction of basic learning needs empowers individuals in any society and confers upon them a responsibility to respect and build upon their collective cultural, linguistic and spiritual heritage, to promote the education of others, to further the cause of social justice, to achieve environmental protection, to be tolerant towards social, political and religious systems which differ from their own, ensuring that commonly accepted humanistic values and human rights are upheld, and to work for international peace and solidarity in an inter-dependent world. "

World Declaration on Education for all Article 1

Education is at the heart of development. It is education that gives societies the strength and sense of purpose they need to address the main problems confronting them today: widening economic disparities among and within countries, mounting debt burdens, rapid population growth, widespread environmental degradation, civil strife and armed conflicts, and - least tolerable of all - the preventable deaths of millions of children. It is again education that may pave the way for a genuine culture of peace, that will bring to the fore the essential rights and capacities of women, that will preserve and enrich mankind's cultural heritage, and will hold the keys to medical and scientific progress.

Is education thus the panacea? To claim this would be to ignore that education itself is, unfortunately, conditioned, and often distorted by the same social ills, economic obstacles and cultural inertia, which it is trying to overcome. It takes leadership, political commitment and strong alliance of society around the cause of education for all to actually mobilize the tremendous potential of education for social progress.

A panel discussing the interface between education and society at a Summit of' national leaders and at the threshold of a new millennium needs to look resolutely towards the future. On a planet of growing inter-dependency and shrinking distances, the vision we adopt must be global. As we explore the role of education in world society there can be no lasting certainties, no linear patterns, no likely scenarios. What we witness today in a world of growing complexity are contradictory currents rather than dominant trends. Between globalization and nationalistic retrenchment, inter-dependence versus polarization, individualism versus solidarity, rapid mutations versus the safeguarding of identity societies seem to labor, to grope for direction and balance - whether it be in the North or South, in the largest and most populous countries or in small, seemingly peripheral nations.

In the absence of certainties, this panel will endeavour to ask meaningful questions, to trace certain lines of enquiry. A suitable framework for this purpose may be found in the work of UNESCO's Commission on Education for the Twenty-First Century, chaired by Mr. Jacques Delors. The Commission has agreed to focus on the following 6 major areas of enquiry:

- education and culture

- education, the nation state and citizenship

- education and social fabric

- education and sustainable development

- education, economic growth and employment

- education, research and the progress of science.

None of these areas, of course, can be treated in isolation. The panelists will, in their presentations, refer to the numerous inter-dependencies between economic, social, cultural, and political currents in society - all of which, in turn, will depend on human development through education.

Education and Culture

The rapid and seemingly irresistible trend towards a global society affects today even the smallest and most remote villages in the developing world. It challenges established cultures, values and patterns of behaviour and poses a number of very important educational challenges. Panelists, in their statements, are expected to discuss amongst others the following issues.

* The most vital mission of education is, no doubt, that of building and strengthening peace. With the easing of global tensions, secure development will be threatened less by external aggression than by intolerance based on ignorance, tensions, between disparate values, or the over-assertiveness of certain group interests. Just as they tend to equip themselves to face war, societies will need to be equipped to face and preserve peace. The main defenses of this peace, as the UNESCO Constitution reminds us, will need to be constructed in the minds of men, women and children all over the world. Building this "culture of peace" is undoubtedly, the first and foremost challenge facing educational systems the world over.

* Much of the evidence available today suggests that future societies will be shaped less by reliable and predictable trends than by antagonistic forces acting in various domains. What matters is not that the antagonism between different beliefs, values, and cultures be stymied or suppressed, but that conflict be resolved in non-violent ways wherever it arises. For education, this ill emphasize more than ever the need to impart tolerance and international understanding; the skills of joint problem-solving, of rational conflict resolution and of group work will need to be part of curricular and pedagogic practice everywhere.

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* Given the ever-increasing role of the media as a source of information, communication and even education, there may be very real dangers of schools and universities becoming a marginal source of learning in society. Commercial interests behind major communications networks may involve a standardization Of Culture expressions of societies, Education will have to be alive to this challenge, seeking to assign to the media a complementary rather than competing role.

* The safeguarding of cultural identities will be increasingly critical in the emerging global society. Many specialists argue that the diversity of cultures may be as vital a -need for the future of humanity as, for instance, the useful to study and build upon the successful experiences with multi-cultural education found in a number of countries.

* The issue of language in education reflects many of the simultaneous and conflicting demands made in the name of globalization, easier communication, but also preservation of cultural identity. Various models of bilingual education Should be objectively evaluated and the results be shared amongst educational systems.

* Many societies consider that, in a world increasingly shaped by materialism, a more significant place needs to be assigned to the teaching of ethics, values and Culture in school curricula. The Joint Declaration of Ministers of Education from Asia and the Pacific in Kuala Lumpur 1993, underlined the importance of this issue.

Education, the Nation State and Citizenship

Education needs to prepare individual for citizenship and participation in societies which are increasingly opening up to democratic practice. At the same time, there are signs that the role of the state in education is undergoing profound changes, while a plurality of social agents assume co-responsibility for the educational enterprise. Panelists are likely to refer in their statements to the following issues, inter alai :

* Decentralization of educational systems continues to be one of the most significant tendencies to be observed, particularly in the larger and most populous countries, Societies in which education has been decentralized for a long time point to the considerable advantages in terms of greater cost-effectiveness and improved accountability. Decentralization on the other hand, also involves the risk of growing disparities in content and quality, increasing strains on management capacity and loss of overall cohesion of the educational system.

* The Jomtien World Conference has made a strong plea for broader partnerships in education, which should span all forces and groups of society which have a stake in, and contribution towards education. Education for all, it was argued in Jomtien, needs to be education by all. The broadening of the economic resource base for education is but one important aspect of this important issue.

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* If the role of the state in education tends to diminish, based on the above arguments, there are equally strong reasons to advocate for a growing responsibility of the state in educational matters, given the dissolution of traditional family structures and the need to ensure equality of educational opportunities.

* Many sociologists and educationist predict that the dominant role of the state in education will give way to plurality of educational agents, channels, and messages, This scenario, already apparent in some of the industrialized societies, is both welcomed on the grounds of greater individual choice relevance and adaptability but equally rejected by those who fear that unity and sense of education purpose may be lost in a diversified field open to too many actors.

* Citizenship in a pluralistic society will require a thorough and continuous revision of educational contents at all levels. Both children and adults need to be made aware of their civil rights and learn to exercise them. Given the many centrifugal tendencies in pluralistic societies, the issue of common core curricula including the question of a common medium of instruction is likely to be of critical importance.

Education and Social Fabric

Marginalization must be seen as an increasingly dangerous phenomenon all societies and, in face, in the relationship between societies. Education has an extremely crucial role to play in strengthening the social fabric, promoting cohesion through equality and fighting against exclusion and social disruption. Panelists are likely to address the following specific issues amongst others:

* The education -for -all policies in both rich and poor, large and small societies will have to disprove those who attack school systems as being principally a mechanism of elite reproduction. This will require effective access to education for all, rather than only the nominal or legal absence of discrimination. Inside education systems themselves, established patterns of selectivity against economic, social or cultural minorities will have to be resolutely fought against. There is also increasing awareness, based particularly on the Jomtien Conference, that a certain parity of esteem between formal mainstream education and non-formal alternatives needs to be ensured; this also involves the need for open and permeable education systems which avoid blind alleys for the least fortunate.

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* The importance of fighting against marginalization and social exclusion, extends beyond the school itself and remains a challenge throughout life. There is growing realization, for instance, that education must indeed be lifelong if it is to counteract the marginalization of those millions of unqualified workers made redundant by industrialization and robotization. Governments are becoming aware, hesitantly, that millions of street children, who lead a life without a future in rapidly growing cities constitute an educational challenge par excellence. Similarly, the role of education as an antidote to social exclusion concerns ethnic and cultural minorities as well as the disabled, whose educational needs cannot appropriately be met by mainstream education.

* Education, at all levels, must also contribute to the fight against the growing and dangerously disruptive social problems of crime and drug abuse, and needs to play a major and active role in the prevention of AIDS.

* The family, essential to social cohesion in every society, is being threatened and disrupted on an ever-growing scale. It is particularly opportune, on the threshold of the International Year of the Family, to ask what education can do to strengthen and protect families as the basic tissue of the society.

* Last, but certainly not the least, the role of women and girls in education is a societal issue of paramount importance. The development of world society as a whole will in no small measure depend on the determination and sense of purpose with which each society will devote itself to the cause of equal educational opportunities for women and girls.

Education and Sustainable Development

Sustainable development requires above all human development through education. Through education, societies will be able to bring about the behavioural changes, the new values and the knowledge they need to cope with such problems as excessive population growth or the depletion of environmental resources. The Issues which panelists may discuss under this heading include the following:

* Though demographic growth has slowed down in man countries, the population factor will continue to be a major impediment to the achievement of EFA goals. Reaching universal primary education and literacy will continue to be an uphill struggle against sheer numbers. Furthermore rapid population growth involves an unfavorable age structures with costly dependency ratios which especially the poorer countries can ill afford.

* The lack of educational opportunities in rural areas is also liable to accelerate the patterns of migration and urbanization; this in turn involves growing risks of social conflict and marginalization of people in already over-crowded urban centers. A Third World capital like Lagos already has a population density 13 times that of New city.

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* Education on the other hand will be a main factor in the process of demographic transition, which is a crucial aspect of sustainable development. Basis education for women and girls, both in school and adult literacy programmes, must be an absolute priority (Panel No. 3 will discuss these problems in much greater detail).

* Education will also have to give greater scope to health and population education -concerns which need to be woven into the curriculum with an emphasis on practical skills.

* On a global scale and in every single society, preventive action will have to be taken against the over exploitation of environmental resources. Already, the lit-nits to a further expansion of arable land are in sight; developments in biotechnology, while promising and indeed vital for global food production, involve considerable risks of widening North-South disparities, and environmental damage. Continued industrialization, needs to be oriented so as to take account of environmental concerns.

* The problems of environmental depletion and degradation involve very important challenges for education, training and the raising of public awareness. The largest and the most populous countries with their active industrial development will need to be at the very forefront in introducing environmental education into basic education programmes, strengthening science and technology education and promoting the necessary co-operation and training amongst universities.

* The complexity of environmental issues will require much greater emphasis on interdisciplinarity in both education and research. The Current subject structure of most school curricula may need to be rethought; also, greater scope will need to be given to practical projects as an interdisciplinary organizing principle of most educational programmes.

Education, Economic Growth Employment

In the domain of economic growth, work and employment, the role of education will increasingly be to help individuals and entire societies to cope with even more rapid change and to come Lip with a new distribution between learning, work and leisure throughout life. Panelists are expected to focus their discussion on the following issues:

* The achievement of education for all will be a requisite, in developing nations, for the necessary broadening of the manufacturing base.

* An important challenge will be the improved articulation between education and work. Costly, rigid models of technical and vocational education will need to be reconsidered in favour of more effective and affordable partnerships between the state and private industry.

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* Technological change affecting even the most traditional occupational fields, will require greater emphasis on "Learning to learn"; the basic learning tools of literacy and numeracy will have to be effectively mastered by all and education will have to make a reality of constant retraining and livelong learning.

* The strategies of economic growth in developing countries should in the future be increasingly based on human resource development, in particular, on education for all. If preference were to be given to growth based on capital investments in certain key sectors only, economic disparities within societies and between regions risk becoming more pronounced. Increasing poverty coinciding with illiteracy and high fertility might them contrast with the technological achievements and wealth generated by a small, privileged sector of society. It is this scenario which educational policies should try and avoid at all costs.

* In the more developed nations, employment is already becoming a scarce commodity, especially as regards low-skilled work. Educational policies will have to anticipate a further aggravation of this trend. As employment becomes scarcer, changes in nature, and alternates with periods of retraining and leisure, education will increasingly be expected to offer people other modes of self- realization, group communication and creativity. This should indeed be seen as a very major challenge for education in the 21st century.

* The problem of child labor involving hundreds of millions of children all over the world, is today still deeply rooted in the economic and socio-cultural traditions of many countries. Education for all will have an important part to play in meeting this challenge. Already, educational experience are under way which give working children opportunities to learn and obtain qualifications without necessarily cutting off their livelihood.

Education, Research and the Progress of Science

For the developing world, learning and mastery of science and technology are seen as pre-conditions for emerging from economic dependency. Educational policies have an extremely important role to play in making societies understand and control this necessary transformation and in linking the research and development sector, the economy and the educational institutions. The issues which panelists may wish to raise in this discussion include the following:

* The research and development gap between the North and South constitutes an enormous challenge for education in developing countries: today, the share of their work force in the R & D sector is only one-tenth of what it is in the industrialized North; higher education enrollment ratios tend to be four times less; and while developing countries house 80% of the world's Population they provide only 4% of the world's R & D budget.