The challenge every country faces is how to become a learning society and to
ensure that its citizens are equipped with the knowledge, skills and
qualifications they will need in the next century. Economies and societies are
increasingly knowledge-based. Education and skills are indispensable to
achieving economic success, civic responsibility and social cohesion.
The next century will be defined by flexibility and change; more than ever
there will be a demand for mobility. Today, a passport and a ticket allow people
to travel anywhere in the world. In the future the passport to mobility will be
education and lifelong learning. This passport to mobility must be offered to
everyone.
Meeting our social and economic goals will require a renewed commitment to
investment in lifelong learning:
by Governments, investing to enhance education and training at all levels;
by the private sector, training existing and future employees;
by individuals, developing their own abilities and careers.
The rewards for investing in people have never been greater, and the need for
it has never been more pressing. It is the key to employment, economic growth
and the reduction of social and regional inequality. As we move into the next
century, access to knowledge will be one of the most significant determinants of
income and the quality of life. Globalization means that developed and
developing countries alike stand to gain from higher standards of skills and
knowledge across the world.
A commitment to greater investment in people must be underpinned by three
principles:
first, that everyone should have access to learning and training, not just
those who are intellectually gifted or economically privileged, and basic
education should be free of charge. Special attention should be given to the
needs of the disadvantaged and the importance of combating illiteracy;?
second, that everyone should be encouraged and enabled to continue learning
throughout their lives, not just in the years of compulsory schooling; and?
third, that developing countries should be helped to establish
comprehensive, modern and efficient education systems.
The essential elements of a strategy for lifelong learning and training are:
high-quality early years education;
primary education that enables all children to achieve good competence in
reading, writing, arithmetic, and Information and Communications Technology (ICT)
and develop basic social skills;
secondary education that develops the aptitudes and abilities of all
students, not only those bound for higher education and professional careers,
provided by schools aware of the needs of labor markets;
vocational training that imparts skills attuned to the needs of the labor
market and the most up-to-date technology and which opens up pathways to higher
qualifications;
higher education that offers opportunities for everyone capable of
profiting from degree-level work, with financial support as necessary to ensure
access for everyone who can benefit;
adult skill acquisition that enjoys appropriate public or employer support,
accommodates family needs and affords ready opportunities for re-skilling
throughout life. This should include high-quality work-based learning systems
and equipping people with the skills needed for self-generated learning.
At all stages of learning emphasis should be given to the importance of
creativity, entrepreneurship and education for democratic citizenship, including
respect for the political, civil and human rights of all people, the value of
tolerance and pluralism, and an understanding and respect for the diversity of
different communities, views and traditions.
Education systems have strong national characteristics and they have a very
important role in fostering cultural diversity. But there are important areas where countries
share common priorities and approaches or have identified particularly effective
strategies for modernizing their education and training systems to raise
standards at all levels. The following are key building blocks:
teachers are the most vital resource in promoting modernization and higher
standards; their recruitment, training, deployment and appropriate incentives
are critical to any successful education system;
the mutually supportive roles of public and private finance and the need to
raise the overall level of investment in education and training;
modern and effective ICT networks to support traditional methods of
teaching and learning and to increase the quantity and range of education and
training, for example, through distance learning;
the continued development and improvement of internationally recognized
tests to benchmark student achievement;
the recognition of professional qualifications and work experience;
the promotion of the study of foreign languages to increase the
understanding of different cultures and enhance mobility in a globalized world;
increased attention to the establishment of clear targets in terms of
higher standards and levels of achievement;?
the need to develop a culture of entrepreneurship in education, not least
in developing the closest R&D links between universities and companies.
