People like to talk up new technology in education, but there is a catch...

On Wednesday, the third plenary session of the DW Global Media Forum focused on education as the milestone for sustainable development. Denis Goldberg, a social activist from Cape Town, South Africa, argued, “The focus of education should shift to sustainability because we depend on it.” Doing so requires taking action on issues including overpopulation. One of his suggestions for limiting population growth was expanding social safety nets. By doing so, people move away from the idea that having children is the only way to ensure a stable future.

I thought to myself that he was right. However, the entire debate seems to be missing something. The other speakers at the plenary each discussed how to get young people – teenagers and children – more interested in education, in terms of everything from reading habits to new media and new technologies applied to education. That is all well and good, but from my point of view, we must not forget the basics of personal development. In a poverty-stricken region, if a child does not go to school and is not getting an education anywhere else, it is probably because he is also not well fed.

Aside from the basics, we need to consider what kinds of opportunities we are providing people. Professor Barbara Ischinger (Director, OECD Directorate for Education), presented three stages in maximizing the use of skills educators try to impart: in the short term, putting skills to use; in the mid-term, training in different skills; and in the long term, developing relevant skills according to each country’s economy. Her presentation was very relevant to the NGO where I work. We are developing a new online platform aimed at vocational education. The objective is to provide information on different career paths with a focus on science and the energy industry. One of the discussions we have is whether or not to include training programs for specific skills, since we want teenagers to feel encouraged to take the university path.

Traditional educational outlets, like libraries, got less attention at the conference

The truth is, though, young people these days often need to start working at an earlier age in light of their lacking economic stability (if they have any at all). Another presenter spoke about permeability –the idea that a person could start in a vocational training program and then later be given the chance to continue their studies in a university. Employing people, giving them skills, is the foundation of economic security, and these prospects must be in place for higher education to work.

We have a tendency to overlook some elementary problems when thinking about educational strategies. One of the conference speakers, Verashni Pillay (Online Deputy Editor, Mail & Guardian, South Africa) nailed the main problem in clear words: “Let us get the basics down before we bring in another futuristic view of education.”

People need the right environment in order to thrive

Emmy’s entry caught my attention because she talked about something I’ve faced myself – a lack of teachers combined with too many pupils in a class. It usually results in the following: Those who understand and are eager to learn do so, while those who have no intention to learn either sit quietly throughout the term or become obstacles to the teacher. Generally, these types of pupils just aim at getting a “satisfactory” mark. As one of my teachers used to say, it’s a mark that shows nothing – neither your skills in a particular sphere, nor your interests. But still, it’s over the level needed to pass an exam, so you are considered an educated person! There’s a danger when students graduate with most marks just at the satisfactory level. They are de jure qualified enough to work in the area they studied. But, de facto, they are almost incompetent. In reality, they seldom pursue a career in what they studied.
I remember talking to one of my teenage pupils who was surprised to find out that I was going to get a second college degree. He brought up an acquaintance who had two degrees but was working as a shop assistant. Cases like that are exceptions. But there is a real issue concerning the value of education and what it’s good for. I’d like to go into more detail on that.

There are university departments that impart the skills demanded in modern society – the IT sphere is a typical example. But the question of migration, which I touched on in my last entry, comes up here. High salaries are easier to get when working on big projects in big companies – in big cities, so many talented people leave their native cities as bigger places have many more opportunities.

There are also departments that offer majors that are well-known in Europe or America but still underestimated in my country. Medicine is one example. A good specialist in our region earns about $550 a month, but the skills they possess deserve more. That explains why some people I know who were offered a 2-3-year-contract abroad eventually agreed to do it. Many professionals have to find a part-time job to be a proper breadwinner.

There are professions that are vital for a country’s sustainable development but that seem to have been made into a fetish. For example, when I finished school, pursuing a major in economics or law was quite popular because it brought a person closer to finding a well-paid job. However, when I look around now, I have to wonder: Where are all of these qualified lawyers and economists? Have they all become shop assistants?

What I’m driving at is that human nature is a complicated system. Being “successful” is not equal to “having a lot of money.” The right preconditions also often need to be in place for success, like being in an environment that’s friendly and promotes happiness. A friendly atmosphere in schools involves building a community where discrimination against developing certain skills will not be tolerated.