Oct. 17: Live Online Chat on Educational...

OneWorld United States invites everyone to participate in an online discussion with Patrick C. Fine, Senior Vice President and Director of the Global Education Center at Academy for Educational Development on Tuesday, October 17, 2-3 pm (EDT).

Patrick will be talking about educational challenges for the 21st century.
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Post your questions and comments! On Oct. 17, Patrick will respond to some of the questions live from 2-3 pm EDT.

Have a question or comment for Patrick, but can't make the live event?
Just add your question by commenting below!

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Patrick recently returned from Afghanistan, Ghana and Liberia. In Afghanistan he looked at the conditions affecting schooling and at progress in higher education, in Ghana he visited schools where teachers are using active learning approaches and in Liberia he discussed efforts to rebuild the education system.

Here are some educational challenges he identified.

1.Consolidating gains in basic education in poor countries by ensuring access for all to post primary education.

2. Providing educational opportunities to children and youth living in societies in conflict.

3. Incorporating technology into all schools even those in poor, remote communities (recognizing technology is now a "basic skill" and also seeing schools as a span to bridge the digital divide.)

4. Recognizing the role of higher education in producing the talent needed to drive innovation and manage institutions. (Increasingly, the value a society can reap from basic education will be unlocked by post-primary education.)

5. Continued emphasis on girls education to ensure equity and to support the demographic transition (especially reduced number of children per family) that appears critical to poverty alleviation.

6. New attention to "civics education" in the curriculum as a way of promoting tolerance and understanding of others and developing skills needed to negotiate/reduce conflict (i.e.: including compromise in the repertoir of skills people develop).

7. More attention to youth development that includes vocational skills for livelihoods, and also emphasizes good citizenship through community service, volunteerism, etc.

8. More accountability for educational results. Trends in US education around testing and accounting for teachers' and administrators use of time are likely to influence things around the world.
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Patrick C. Fine
Senior Vice President and Director of the Global Education Center
Academy for Educational Development

Patrick leads the Global Education Center (GEC) at AED, which is responsible for AED's core business of assisting developing countries to increase access and improve the quality of their education systems. Currently, GEC is one of the world's leading providers of technical assistance and education management services with programs in
early childhood education, basic primary education, support to expand access to secondary and vocational education, and higher education. GEC is also active in helping youth make the school-to-work transition and in consulting with client governments on issues of education management and policy.
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OneWorld Perspectives Magazine: Learning the Future
http://us.oneworld.net/section/us/perspectives/10/education
From the slums of Calcutta to the outskirts of Kabul, more children than ever are getting the opportunity to go to school. But are they getting the education they need to thrive in today's globalized world? As many children around the globe are returning for a new school year this September, OneWorld's Perspectives Magazine examines the status of education worldwide, analyzing the challenges we all face while highlighting some of the most promising and innovative initiatives. Find out what governments can be doing, what civil society groups are doing, and what you can do to help children "learn the future"!

OneWorld is a global network of people and organizations that care about issues beyond their own borders. Subscribe to the free OneWorld Daily Headlines and Perspectives e-zine to Stay Informed and Get Involved.

Comments: 13

Elizabeth N. Oct 16, 2006, 2:09pm EDT

Hi Patrick,
Could you speak about the role , if any , media literacy and the promotion of critical thinking skills has in global education in the 21st century. Thank you.

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Sergio Ramirez Oct 16, 2006, 6:14pm EDT

From your recent visits, what do you see as the priority areas for improving teacher quality in poor rural classrooms often with 50 or more children per classroom?

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Jeffrey Allen Oct 17, 2006, 11:42am EDT

Hi Patrick - Through the U.S. Peace Corps, I taught high school and middle school in a small town in Madagascar for two years. So many of the other teachers in the region were tremendously unmotivated -- largely because teacher salaries were often not paid, but also because the schools were bare cement buildings, there were no materials to speak of, and most students had little to no hope of moving beyond high school no matter how intelligent and motivated they were.

Of course devoting more government resources to education would begin to change all this, but a country like Madagascar doesn't have any more resources to devote. Is there anything else that can be done? Perhaps by NGOs or by local community members?

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Jeffrey Allen Oct 17, 2006, 11:44am EDT

Can you talk a bit about the role that armed conflict (ongoing in Afghanistan and recently concluded in Liberia) plays in education?

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Jama Jama Musse Oct 17, 2006, 11:45am EDT

In Africa, for instance, what can be the role of the public education -normally run by the governments in free of charge- vs a privately run schools where quality may be secured and be accountable but few people can access these schools for the relatively high costs? In other words for the the overall society, is it preferable to give access as many individuals as possible to (a less qualified) education system; or we have to promote privately owned schools where some kind of quality is secured?

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Jeffrey Allen Oct 17, 2006, 11:54am EDT

In terms of development and conflict, Ghana is considered by many to be a relative success story in West Africa. Have you seen pay-offs in the education sector there? Can you compare educational opportunities for a kid there to those in another country that hasn't been so successful?

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Roshani Kothari Oct 17, 2006, 12:16pm EDT

Hi Patrick,

Here are a few questions.

1. Liberia and Afghanistan are both post-conflict societies. What kind of educational programs have been most successful there?

2. We face a lot of challenges here in DC in terms of the educational system. Are there some lessons we can learn from societies around the world for improving the schools in DC?

3. If people want to help improve educational opportunities in the US and abroad, do you have suggestions of how they can get involved?

4. Are there certain educational trends in different regions of the world for example in Latin America, Asia, Africa, etc.?

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Jorge Marrero Oct 17, 2006, 1:39pm EDT

Hello Patrick:
Here in Mexico where I live part of year I have observed severe needs and education deficiencies. Children and adolescents, forced by need, quit studying and never return to school. The opportunities for education are proportional to one's level of wealth.
What can you share that might serve as orientation to generate a nonprofit program of support to learning. Organizations, web sites, resources, etc., Thanks for your work...!

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Diana Raabe Oct 17, 2006, 2:23pm EDT

I'd like to know about Patrick's direct experiences with students in the countries he's visited with regard to their desire for education. Also, is there enough openness to the education of girls and young women?

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Patrick Fine Oct 17, 2006, 2:57pm EDT

Jorge - You are right that educational opportunities, like almost all other opportunities, are influenced by wealth. That is why providing quality education for all is so important; education is the principle means to social mobility. This is why so many organizations that care about social justice, NGOs like AED, CARE, Save The Children, World Vision, etc. as well as churches and communities focus on education. They see that it is the key and that opportunities are distributed unequally. I'd suggest you start with the Education For All website.

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Diana Raabe Oct 17, 2006, 2:58pm EDT

Many thanks for an interesting conversation about such an important issue.

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Patrick Fine Oct 17, 2006, 2:59pm EDT

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Dolphi D. Oct 18, 2006, 2:06am EDT

Emphasis on girls' education, attention to "civics education" and development of vocational skills is the right approach to educating the children in poor, remote areas.

Malnutrition, physical labor after school hours, long distances to schools, cramped and unventilated classrooms, and not adequately enlightened teachers are some of the problems that these children face.

Demographic transition may be critical to poverty alleviation, but poverty tends to perpetuate demographic imbalance. Perhaps girls' education is the key to break the vicious cycle.

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Oct. 17: Live Online Chat on Educational Challenges for the 21st Century - Submit Your Questions

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