Unesco report

                                    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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