UNESCO
REPORT
Mr Delors made his comments during a
press conference and a formal presentation of the report to UNESCO
Director-General Federico Mayor and permanent delegations representing Member
States at Headquarters. Entitled "Learning: the Treasure Within," the
report is the result of three years of research and debate by an international
panel of 14 specialists on how education should confront the complex challenges
of the next century. This 266-page report, published in English and French,
focuses on the relationship between education and six subject areas of
development, science, citizenship, culture, social cohesion and work.
"This report is extremely
important because we feel that this is one way to find the answers to poverty,
exclusion and over-population," Mr Mayor said. "Our everyday task is
to ensure that this treasure, within the report and ourselves, should be shared
with all," the Director-General added while promising wide distribution of
the report.
One of the commission's principal
concerns was to reduce academic failure and unemployment by alternating school
with work experience. This would enable individuals to not only correct early
errors of direction, but also to adjust to changing economic conditions. This
could be done by allocating education time credits that allow individuals to
use them at educational institutions when and how they choose. "Give
students time credits they could use at any time in any branch of
education," Mr Delors said.
Many of the commission's members
emphasised that education is still too restrictive and not sufficiently
accessible to all. About 900 million adults are illiterate and 130 million
children are shut out of schools, the report says.
"A large majority of the world
is left out, still excluded," said Roberto Carneiro, a commission member
and president of Televisao Independente in Portugal. Rodolfo Stavenhagen, a
researcher in political and social sciences from Mexico, agreed that too many
people are still barred from
learning institutions. "Exclusion, that's one of the most difficult issues
and formal education has not found the right answer," he said.
William Gorham, president of the
Urban Institute in the United States, also addressed the problem of unequal
educational opportunities. Education "may not solve the problems of
distribution inequity," he said. "What is needed is political
will."
The report suggests allocating 25
percent of development aid to education to combat educational disparities. Its
other recommendations include: strong encouragement for the education of girls
and women, introducing new "information society" technologies in all
countries, and taking advantage of the educational potential of
non-governmental organizations and community initiatives to supplement
international co-operation.
The commission proposes four
pillars: learning to live together, learning throughout life, learning to face
a variety of situations and learning to understand one's own personality. The
report adopts a broad view of education that brings forth all the human and
intellectual qualities of each individual to live in a fast-changing world.
"Some of the points and
recommendations of the report may be too idealistic to be implemented today in
many countries," said Isao Amagi, a special advisor to Japan's minister of
education, science and culture and a commission member. "The important
thing is that the ideals of the report should be put into practice, step by
step."
Mr Mayor created the commission in
early 1993 at the request of the UNESCO General Conference. Financed by the
Organization and with a secretariat provided by it, the commission was
nonetheless independent in preparing its recommendations. It held eight plenary
sessions in different parts of the world and as many working sessions with
teachers, researchers, students, government officials and non-governmental
organizations.
The report is sold for 140 FF in
French (published as "L'Education: un trésor est caché dedans" by
Odile Jacob and UNESCO Publishing) and for 150 FF or US$30 in English
(published by UNESCO Publishing). It is available in book shops and from UNESCO
Publishing, 1 rue Miollis, 75732 Paris Cedex 15, France. It should be
translated into several other languages in the near future.
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