Speech : Yollanda Mc Collister

The Goal of Education in the Future

Lisbon, 8 December 2003, at the EU-US-Canada Transatlantic Conference on Education and Training, Nikolaus van der Pas, Director General for Education and Culture, European Commission, in his speech entitled “Today’s Challenges of Education and Training Systems-Could Present and Future Cooperation Programmes Serve a Broader Education Policy Dialogue?” stated three things that caught my attention. They are: “increasing investment in human resources; access to lifelong learning for all, at any time in their lives; and adapting education and training to the needs of today’s people.”

Before I begin, I would like to share some statistics with you. They are:

“Increasing investment in human resources”

How much “investment in human resources” should there be is difficult to ascertain without pausing and reflecting on the origin of public education in the United States. The state of Massachusetts passed a law in 1642 requiring parents to educate their children. In 1647 this law was strengthened in New England; thereby setting the precedent, that if parents could not or would not educate their children, the government was obligated to take on that responsibility. The Colonial Origins of Elementary Education of the 1600s, focused primarily on the four Rs—reading, ‘riting, ‘rithmetic, and religion. Students were required to attend school at age six or seven and continue for three or four years until they learned their ABCs, numerals, and any other things the school-master deemed necessary. Whenever, a group of settlers reached fifty or more families, the town leaders were obligated to hire a school-master for the Town school, as they were commonly known, and educate the children. Thus began the evolution of public education

The American Education system is faced with the challenge of “doing more with less.”
1999 brought the realization of the increasing teacher shortage. Teacher compensation has discouraged many from seeking the teaching profession. These potential teachers have opted for other more lucrative and less demanding careers. According to Education Week in its article entitled Quality Counts 1998, it listed a table of comparisons of Per Pupil Expenditures where it states that the average nationwide teacher salary is approximately $40,000, compare that to the eight tech professions’ average salary of approximately $64,000. Local, state, and federal accountability requirements imposed by the Goals 2000, Educate America Act, and the No Child Left Behind (NCLB), have discouraged others. Labor disputes and reported corruption among union leaders has distracted teachers from the business of educating students. The increase of reported school violence has parents and teachers concerned about school safety. In addition, the competition from Charter-Schools and the Voucher system have further impacted School District’s financial resources, since funding is based on enrollment. These are just a few of the issues that local school boards must address as they conduct business as usual.

Currently, in the United States compulsory education is from age 6 to 16. During this period students are expected to attend school and master the necessary skills to become contributing members of society, and participate in a labor force during their adult ages 25 to 64. However, those who opt to drop out of school by age 16 due to various reasons, too many to address in this article, are faced with the realization that the level of academic education received is insufficient to find suitable employment.

Today, even participating in the entire American Educational Program; Elementary, Middle, High School, and Higher Education, does not guarantee personal and social fulfillment, dimensions of an individual reaching full potential.

“access to lifelong learning for all, at any time in their lives”

What makes a “lifelong learner”? Lifelong learners are those individuals who have an insatiable thirst for knowledge. Many people apply the words knowledge and information synonymously. One may possess information and lack knowledge, and vice versa. This is an area where adult learners have an advantage over other students in a Higher Education setting. Adult learners are able to discern the quality of education they are receiving and supplement it if necessary. Adult learners are also able to look beyond the messages the media promotes, and discern the difference between the truth and the story that stirs the public’s emotions. Adult learners are among those who make up the group of lifelong learners, for lifelong learners are those individuals who look beyond geographic, social, and political boundaries to satisfy their inquisitive minds in search for solutions to world problems.

Something I heard Ardene Bachoo, a Motivational Business Speaker say during a presentation I attended caught my attention. It went like this, When Boris Yelson of Russia was asked, where he got his inspiration, he said from Leck Walesa of Poland. When Leck Walesa was asked the same question, he said from Dr. Martin Luther King. When Dr. Martin Luther King was asked the same question, he said from Mahatma Ghandi. These individuals exemplify the level of commitment necessary to bring about remedies to global issues.

“adapting education and training to the needs of today’s people”

The opening sentence on the U.S. Department of Education’s webpage under Our Role in International Education states,

These are similar words to what Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson said to the American people after the War of 1812. (Ryan. 2000)

This is not the first time that the U.S. and EU share ideas. In 1873, Elizabeth Peaboy brought the ideas of Friedrich Froebel of Germany to the United States. In 1837, Friedrich Froebel developed the first Kindergarten (“children’s garden”). Johann Pestalozzi believed in educating “the heads, hearts, and hands” of students, something he had taken from Swiss researchers. German educator Johann Friedrich Herbart, influenced by Pestalozzi’s philosophies focused on the moral and cultural development of students, thus creating a methodology of teaching that influences American teachers today. (Ryan. 2000)

“The most basic function education must serve is to increase the survival chances of the group.” states Kevin Ryan in his book Those Who Can, Teach. (2000) One, must not stop at just survival. Our planet earth has many wonders yet for us to discover. Educators must use their unique power to mold students while in an impressionable stage and infuse a passion for learning. Those who can must educate students to meet the challenges of the future. The challenges brought about by a multicultural society, rich with diversity, in a progressively smaller world. Our world is changing so rapidly that we cannot afford to use our old, tried, and true methods of education. We must be visionary in our approach to educating students. There is sufficient research on multiple intelligences, students’ different learning styles, and emotional intelligence to improve the quality of education.

Let us not make the mistake of moving from a paper world to a virtual world too rapidly. We must be willing to adapt education and training to the meet the needs of today’s people.

The statistics mentioned above, may appear to be the statistics from a less developed country. Yet, these statistics were taken from the Children of Florida website. There is an urgent need to increase investment in human resources; to encourage lifelong learning for all, at any time; and to adapt education to meet the needs of today’s people. Today’s people must meet the challenges the World Wide Web has brought to the 21st Century. With the internet our furthest neighbor is just an email away. The media keeps us informed about happenings from near and far. As residents of the “global village”, let us use international education as the instrument to disseminate the characteristics and moral values of the “global citizen”.