Texte en français
TUAC Evaluation of the 2001 OECD MEETING
OF MINISTERS OF EDUCATION
Investing in "competencies" for All
(Paris, 2-4 April 2001)
In 1996, OECD Ministers for Education adopted the common goal of lifelong
learning for all. Five years later, in April 2001, they have met again
to review progress since 1996 in developing and implementing policies to
make lifelong learning a reality for all and to set new priorities for
further work.
A review of developments in Member countries since then shows that some
progress has been made in specific sectors. However, implementation of
the goal still leaves a lot to be desired: the evidence shows that lifelong
learning is far from being a reality for many citizens. Against this background
the discussion by Ministers focused on three interrelated themes considered
to be the areas where policy action is most critical, namely:
- how to secure the benefits of lifelong learning for all;
- how best to foster competencies for the knowledge society; and,
- how to manage teaching and learning to promote learning throughout life.
The discussion was preceded by a consultation with the Business and
Industry Advisory Committee and the Trade Union Advisory Committee and
a Forum on Information and Communication Technology and Education.
Ministers gave particular attention to the need to manage and facilitate
investment in competencies for all - competencies understood to cover knowledge,
skills, attitudes and values on which other learning depends, and the high-level
intellectual and social competencies on which full engagement in the knowledge
society depends. They considered the goal to foster the acquisition of
these competencies as key. However, it was clearly expressed that they
could not achieve it alone. Thus, they expressed their will to work closely
with others, for example government colleagues, non-government organisations,
trade unions, employers and others in the private sector to ensure greater
co-ordination among education, social, economic and other policies.
The need to collaborate more effectively was also underlined with regard
to reform teaching and learning. Ministers invited the OECD to explore
how governments, educational institutions, local communities and others
could collaborate more effectively in the creation, sharing and use of
knowledge and in innovation to improve professional practice in teaching
and management.
During the consultation with Ministers, TUAC delegates emphasised that
trade unions are prepared to contribute to and to support innovation in
teaching and learning. They brought to the mind of Ministers that unions
representing the providers of education and training - the education unions
- are engaged in major debates about the impact of change, of new technologies,
of increasing international trade in education services. They made clear
that partnership with the main actors, and especially with the teachers
and their unions is key to progress. The head of the TUAC delegation, Bob
Harris (ACTU), urged Ministers to signal, in particular through the communiqué
of the meeting, their readiness to collaborate also with teachers and their
unions in order to improve the practice of teaching and learning as well
as the management of educational institutions. In this regard, the TUAC
submission to the meeting called upon Education Ministers to design policies
in order to ensure that schools are equipped appropriately and teachers
are trained to prepare learners for the knowledge-based economy.
The submission of BIAC as well as the statements of their delegates
during the consultation focused mainly on issues related to "employability".
Particular attention was given to a "serious skill shortage" due to the
new demands of the current innovation-based business transformation. In
order to overcome this shortage, BIAC drew particular attention to “life-wide”
learning, which means that schools or formal training are no longer the
only places or ways to learn. Thus, new methods of acquiring skills, such
as web-based learning, school education or initial education delivered
at home by cable TV, specialised company-courses, distance learning with
support of multimedia are being perceived by BIAC as pre-cursors of an
increasing importance of informal learning. Moreover, BIAC delegates pointed
out that companies need employees with good generic skills, including the
ability to organise, to work in teams and to communicate effectively. Accordingly,
project work, self-activating learning and effective use of information
resources should be added to the toolbox of learning. With regard to the
transition towards a knowledge-based economy, BIAC emphasised that ICT
skills need to be given increasing weight in today's curricula, while other
basic skills, such as literacy and numeracy, must remain within the foundation
of the education system.
In providing a broader perspective, the TUAC statement presented to
Ministers called for policies to
 |
increase the level of investment in human resources and to ensure
that financial resources for lifelong learning are used more effectively; |
|
strengthen equal opportunities by closing gender gaps in education, training
and employment; |
|
ensure that financing lifelong learning remains the major responsibility
of governments and employers; |
|
maintain and strengthen the role of public educational institutions at
all levels and encourage all educational institutions to promote democracy,
good governance, participatory development and human rights; |
|
keep lifelong learning high on the agenda and ensure that education and
training go beyond a purely economic rationale; |
|
contribute to the realisation of a socially inclusive, high-skill and high-value-adding
economy by co-operating with other government actors as well as with employers
and unions; |
|
contribute to the expansion of workplace training of all workers, in particular
of women and adult workers; |
|
foster agreements between employers and trade unions that make participation
in lifelong learning feasible in practice; |
|
support policies aimed at bridging the digital divide by addressing IT-illiteracy,
ensuring affordable access and promoting the provision of content where
appropriate; |
|
strengthen the links between education and training systems, working life
and society at local, national and international levels |
|
ensure that public policy goals for education are not undermined by commercialisation
or international trade in educational services; |
According to the communiqué, Ministers discussed a number
of these proposals during their meeting. This applies in particular to
the need to strengthen human and social capital as well as social cohesion
within our societies. Ministers invited the OECD to explore further the
relationships between human and social capital and their contributions
to human well-being, sustainable development and economic growth. Moreover,
they urged the OECD to review how the capacity of education and training
systems can be increased to include all learners and to achieve equitable
outcomes for all, while meeting the increasing diversity of learners’ needs,
maintaining cultural diversity and improving quality. Several references
were made to the role of unions in this process.
Ministers also discussed need the to change some of the objectives of
education and training due to new technologies and changing skill requirements
in the workplace. They invited the OECD to clarify the competencies individuals
need in the knowledge society and investigate strategies for enhancing
their development and recognising their acquisition and to identify and
evaluate innovative policy options for financing lifelong learning.
In setting new priorities for further work Ministers agreed upon a future
agenda for research and analytical work to be conducted by the OECD. However,
the conclusions were short of clear commitments on action and finance to
back up their proposals. It is essential that the OECD engage in follow-up
involving BIAC and TUAC to manage change through partnership.
