Education in Context

Concerns were expressed that education for all not be pursued in a narrow sectoral way. Such determination should be built on the recognition that educational strategies can only be usefully developed, and goals attained, when education planning is centred firmly within its broader social, cultural, political and economic context. This leads naturally to a discussion of the nature and content of basic education.

Delegates generally agreed on the need to broaden the definition of basic education beyond simple literacy and numeracy to a wider range of skills and knowledge for living essential for everyone, but several delegates cautioned against the danger of defining functionality only in terms of economic productivity: in the view of one delegate, it is most important to emphasize the humanist, cultural and international dimensions of basic education.