Editor�s Letter

Mon., Sep. 11, 2006

Dear reader,

A future Nobel laureate?!

I�ve always had a dream of starting a foundation that gives support to educational projects worldwide. Why? Because I essentially believe�like a lot of the OneWorld partners contributing to this issue of Perspectives�that education is the fundamental building block of all other development.

Investing wisely in educating children is our future. It�s just too bad that a lot of governments, including my own, don�t get that. It�s truly shocking how little most countries invest in education as a percentage of their GNP (see �Education for All: A Report Card�). But the amount of money, or lack thereof, devoted to education vis-�-vis other �priorities� is not a new debate.

What is new; however, are the ways that education is being delivered today. Exciting new technologies offer remote communities �windows on the world�

Share your thoughts on global education issues in the Community Space!

and are encouraging more creative, child-centered learning. But, after doing research for this issue, I�m not convinced we are sufficiently examining the pros and cons of where new technologies are taking us. My work is mostly virtual, for example. Is that a good thing? I�m not sure. I miss the human connection. I think there�s something to be said for my �old-fashioned� education.

Governments and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) are also increasingly collaborating with IT companies to deliver educational products in schools. While resources are now getting to schools that may have never had them before, I have found very little critical thinking about the conflicts of interest involved. The #1 priority of IT companies is to expand their markets. Are governments�and NGOs�abdicating their responsibilities still further, therefore, by leaving education to the private sector? In a related vein, an article highlighted by OneWorld�s South Asia office cites seemingly rare opposition to the �commercialization of education.�

Special thanks to our expert reviewers for this issue, Cynthia Guttman, Communications Officer for the Education for All Global Monitoring Report, and Joan DeJaeghere, Ph.D., lecturer at the University of Minnesota's Department of Educational Policy and Administration.

The role of companies aside, I�m personally excited about new initiatives toward service learning, education for sustainable development, and more courses in topics like multicultural and character education�some of which are covered in this issue. I hope classes like these will better prepare our young people for the world they are inheriting, but they are still only offered in limited ways. And such classes are unrealistic for countries that are struggling to provide even a basic education to their citizens. As this e-zine details, however, local ownership of education can make a big difference�like when communities have to pull together to raise their own matching grants for educational programs.

And, that raises an important point. It�s tempting to come up with prescriptive formulas about what kind of education today�s young people need to prepare them for a globalized world. The other side of that argument though is that communities should develop curricula that help young people gain valuable skills to apply in local economies. In this field�as I�ve quickly discovered�there are no easy answers, or silver bullets. What is central though is that the right of education is still a dream for far too many. When that reality changes, I remain convinced that a lot of other development problems will also be resolved.

Zarrin T. Caldwell
Editor, OneWorld Perspectives

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