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UNESCO
is being looked upon as the forum through which to promote and uphold the primary
and overriding responsibility of the State, to ensure the right to quality education
for all.
Koichiro
Matsuura, Director-General of UNESCO (1937-)
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Unless policymakers take
a more all-round view of education, they risk sending their countries down the wrong
path
 Over the past decade, educational
change in most countries has been driven by one imperative: survival in the global
economy. This process has been particularly salient in the Asia-Pacific region following
the drastic shock of the 1997 economic downturn. But in the current reform process,
marked by speeding commercialization and economic preoccupations, other educational
missions are being ignored, and countries risk paying a high price for their shortsightedness.
There’s no denying that economic considerations are critical in today’s world. Students
have to acquire the knowledge and skills to survive and compete in the global economy,
especially one which more than ever before prizes human capital. A high-quality labour
force gives nations a cutting edge in global competition. Understandably, stressing
economic returns in the current educational debate attracts private resources. But
education has other functions that are the indispensable corollary of more balanced,
equitable development. They deserve to be briefly explained.
The first is a social function: education has a role to play in facilitating social
mobility and bringing about integration in often very diverse constituencies. It
is at school that children learn how to form a broader set of relationships, to live
together and become aware of belonging to a community. Linked to this is education’s
political function: schools are there to teach us civic attitudes, to make us aware
of our rights and responsibilities —in essence, to become responsible citizens. The
task is fundamental in light of democracy’s advance in so many countries over the
past decade or so. Then there is education’s cultural function. Developing creativity
and aesthetic awareness, accepting other traditions and belief systems while valuing
our own are all part of the path towards fulfillment. Finally, education is a goal
in and of itself. Schools help children learn how to learn and play a pivotal role
in transferring knowledge from one generation to the next. I believe that all these
facets of learning are critical for the long-term prosperity of our societies. In
our globalized, interdependent world, these functions take on a more international
character. Everywhere, education has a role to play in eliminating racial and gender
biases, promoting global common interests, movements for peace, and greater international
understanding.
Rising
above short-term pressures to strike a harmonious balance
While education
is widely recognized as the spine of the learning society, the complexity lies in
striking a balance between these various functions. The commercialization of education
that we are witnessing the world over inevitably pushes schools, educators, parents
and policymakers to pursue short-term, market-driven outcomes. Lawyers, bankers and
businessmen have an increasingly high profile in educational debates. Following Southeast
Asia’s downturn in 1997, they were influential in changing the academic mindset.
In little time, emphasis has shifted from academic achievement to developing communication
skills, creativity, adaptability. In and of itself, this is not necessarily regrettable.
The problem is that these skills are all perceived to be at the service of a supreme
economic value.
Sounder research will be required to analyze and assess where the current trends
are leading us. It is increasingly recognized, however, that unless economic growth
is accompanied by good governance, a fair sharing of benefits, better social and
environmental protection and attention to culture, it will, sooner or later, lead
to unrest. It is through education that this broad spectrum of concerns can be nurtured.
Policymakers who have taken stock of this holistic mission unfortunately represent
a minority in today’s educational debates and reforms. Their foremost challenge is
to manage commercialization, to rise above short-term pressures and to take a more
ethical stance towards education, a long-term strategic view.
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