GENEVA (ILO News) - The changing roles of educational personnel and school and workplace learning changes in the 21 st century will be examined at a Joint meeting on lifelong learning in the twenty-first century to be held at the ILO from 10-14 April 2000.
A background document * prepared for the meeting says that in the wake of constant political, economic, environmental and technological change in modern society "there is every indication that learning needs to become a lifelong function."
The report characterizes lifelong learning as "a survival issue" and predicts that "the importance for persons to continue learning throughout their active working life, and beyond, will increasingly move to the top of individual, national and international agendas in the future."
The delegates to the meeting will be advised that attempts to develop a culture committed to learning and to providing the necessary opportunities and infrastructure are still "in their infancy."
The report notes that at the all-important first step, the primary school, an estimated "130 million children of primary school age do not have access to basic education." Nearly two-thirds of these children are girls.
In addition to the large numbers of children who never get started in formal education millions more, in developing countries for the most part, do not reach grade 5, a standard benchmark of minimal learning achievement. Moreover, "close to one-sixth of the world's population is unable to read and write."
The gender imbalance in illiteracy levels according to the report means that "poor women are doubly marginalized in terms of literacy (and of course the whole formal educational experience) through being both poor and women."
The funding, organization and especially staffing options needed to attack these problems and gradually transform lifelong learning from "rhetoric" to "a reality for all in ILO member States" will be examined by delegates representing governments, private employers, teachers' unions and non-governmental observers from more than 50 countries. They are expected to examine the development of linkages and strategic partnerships between education and training institutes and enterprises and the role of trade unions and employers in fostering a culture of lifelong learning.
They will also look at options for financing education and lifelong learning. The background report says that a lack of investments in many developing countries below an international benchmark of 6% of GNP compromises access and quality. The lack of investment in adult education "has long been apparent" according to the report and only 1-2% of public sector funding for education is devoted to this component.
The report takes a long look at the changes needed in the education profession, taking the position that "the heart of redesigning systems for lifelong learning without doubt resides in clearly defining the profiles, roles and responsibilities and conditions of work of the people who will teach in, manage and support the system's operation."
According to the ILO analysis, the operative concept in redefining teachers' roles is "professionalization." The report says that "the implications for teachers' work include a greater sense of "managerial" (professional) responsibility for curricula development and change, teaching approaches, work organization and learning outcomes." Keys to a genuinely professional teaching corps are greater autonomy in classroom decisions while respecting high professional and educational standards, and strong preparation for their jobs. To back changes up, the report contends that a crucial component of new systems will be "a lifetime learning system for administrators, educators and support personnel in which they themselves are enthusiastic and active participants".
Other topics likely to be addressed include remuneration of teaching work and "redesigning schools", organization of the teaching and learning environment, paying special attention to such issues as hours, class sizes and flexible timetables as well as health and safety for teachers.
The role of social dialogue, including consultation mechanisms, collective bargaining and dispute settlement, will also be examined. The report notes the spread of "interest-based bargaining" in education which "opens up possibilities for third party stakeholders" other than administrators and teacher unions to make contributions to change. As part of this process, the report also looks at the roles of employers and workers in the promotion of workplace learning and the organization and structuring of lifelong learning.
* Lifelong learning in the twenty-first century: The changing roles of educational personnel , ILO, Geneva, 2000, ISBN 92-2111995-5. Price: 20 Swiss francs.