Education.

• Position: In developing countries

Education

Recent economic conditions affecting most countries, coupled with demographic, political and social factors, are modifying attitudes regarding the value and status of education. With the slow-down of economic growth and contraction of the job market, more education has not always led to a good job. Because of widespread youth employment in both developed and developing countries the link between schooling and work is questioned, as is the contribution to economic growth of formal education. The problem of "over-education," particularly the surplus of university graduates, has emerged in some countries of Eastern and Western Europe.

As a result of these trends, education as currently focused does not have the strong political backing it formerly enjoyed in many countries, and budgetary constraints have helped its slide down the national priority scale. At the same time, more parents than ever regard schooling, whether general or vocational, as desirable.

Relevance

The issue of relevance in education is attracting considerable attention. The debate covers cultural and social relevance as well as relevance to the world of work and future development needs. One major issue concerns school and work. Numerous efforts have been made recently in various societies to integrate work into the school curriculum. Such efforts are aimed at establishing closer bonds between the school, the surrounding community and the society at large, and at meeting labour market developments more directly, especially the need to direct young people towards expanding industries and occupations and away from sectors which cannot absorb more manpower.

There is a growing perception that vocational schools may soon be where the home was in the late nineteenth century: unable to provide children with the skills required for gainful empolyment in a changing economy. In all countries and regions, it appears that too often training is done for the rapidly receding mechanical age, not for the advancing technological one. It is no longer feasible for schools to prepare children specifically for any one of the vast number of jobs that are currently available; those skills will quickly become obsolete. Since the range of skills needed in future jobs is not currently perceivable, however, there is a need for a better general understanding of the relationship between education and work, and between the school and the workplace.

Two new approaches to the problem of...