• Youth

UNESCO ponders the destiny of education

“Our humanity and planet Earth are under threat,” opens Unesco’s 2021 global report entitled ‘Futures of Education: A New Social Contract’ in which the roadmap to a brighter, greener and more equitable dream for education, and eventually society at large, is envisioned.

However unattainable the fantasies of freely accessible and equitable education may seem, Unesco director-general Audrey Azoulay is adamant that stakeholders in education must dare to dream.

“This new social contract is our chance to repair past injustices and transform the future. Above all, it is based on the right to quality education throughout life, embracing teaching and learning as shared societal endeavours and therefore common goods. Realising this vision is not an impossible task,” she says.

Unesco’s new social contract for education takes into account the 1.6 billion learners nationwide who have been affected by the repeated closure of schools worldwide. According to Unesco their master plans for a more fruitful future took roughly two years to perfect.

“The title ‘Futures of Education’ means there are multiple different futures for education and we must work together to make it a good future for everyone,” Djaffar Moussa-Elkhadum, the Unesco representative to Namibia, said at the latest international education day celebrations.

Moussa-Elkhadum’s sentiments at this juncture included dreams of utilizing education in the fight against inequality and injustices in Namibia.

“We need to transform education... Education must build skills needed in 21st century workplaces, taking into account the changing nature of work and the way we organize teaching and learning throughout life,” said Moussa-Elkhadum.

Similarly, Unesco’s Futures of Education report sets its sights on a sustainable and just future.

“Unacceptable inequalities exist between different regions of the world. We are far from achieving gender equality for women and girls. Despite the promise of the ability of technology to connect us, vast digital divides remain, particularly in Africa. There are extensive power asymmetries in people’s ability to access and create knowledge,” says Sahle-Work Zewde, the president of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia and the chair of the International Commission on the Futures of Education.

Zewde calls on the globe to support their vision for education from their coffers.

“Global financing for education must be expanded to ensure that the universal right to education is protected,” she says.

She hopes that dignified and quality education will serve as a cure to the ailments of the world.

“Respect for human rights and concern for education as a common good must become the central threads that stitch together our shared world and interconnected future... With consistent commitment to human rights and the common good, we will be able to sustain and benefit from the rich tapestry of different way of knowing and being in the world.”

In the same vein, Audrey Azoulay expresses hopes that a premeditated approach will education provide solutions to the ecological and social troubles of the world.

“We need to repair past injustices and orient the digital transformation around inclusion and equity. And we need education to fully contribute to sustainable development – for instance, by integrating environmental education in all curricula and by training teachers in the field,” she says.

The Unesco Futures of Education report is built on 5 basic principles; pedagogy, curriculum development, revolutionizing teaching, creating safe schools and expanding educational opportunity.

The report calls for instruction that is centred around the philosophies of cooperation, collaboration and solidarity.

Curricula are to emphasise ecological, intercultural and interdisciplinary learning while allowing students to access and produce knowledge and simultaneously developing their abilities to apply and critique given knowledge.

Unesco calls on the restoration of dignity to the teaching field. “Teaching should be professionalised as a collaborative endeavour where teachers are recognised for their work as knowledge producers and key figures in educational and social transformation,” said Moussa-Elkhadum.