Education for the twenty-first century: issues and prospects
ISBN 92-3-103447-2
Paris, UNESCO Publishing, 1998Contributions to the work of the International Commission on Education for the Twenty-first Century, chaired by Jacques Delors
Prepared during the work of the Commission (whose report, Learning: the Treasure Within, was published in 1996), the papers that make up this volume were intended to complement existing literature, to respond to questions that arose in the course of the Commission’s work, and to illuminate specific issues that cross disciplines. They are a sampling, a series of insights into issues and problems as seen by some outstanding contemporary thinkers on education.
The texts show that there is a great deal of hopefulness in the capacity of individual institutions and entire systems to meet the challenges of the future. The desire on the part of educators to respond to the challenges that they face, both old and new, is one of the most encouraging messages that emerges from them.
Education, like society, is full of contradictions and paradoxes. It is called upon to reconcile divergent aims and trends, to embody both continuity and renewal, to encourage conformity and innovation at the same time. Furthermore, like much human endeavour, the practice of education is always a blend between a long-range vision and the urgency of day-to-day practice. Neither can be sacrificed, neither can be entirely satisfied, at any time. This volume bears witness to some of these paradoxes.
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