RCF: Hello Francois! On the occasion of the forum organized by the CCIC with UNESCO which you spoke about last week on this antenna (on RCF), you extend your reflection today on the future of education?
François Prouteau: Education occupies an important place in society. We see during these long months of pandemic how much education is a precious good that cannot be put in the background. Because, through it, the world of tomorrow is being prepared. Without education there is no future. Learning to become is the very subject of the progress report on the Futures of Education that UNESCO published last March.
By launching a reflection and leading a global debate on the future of education by 2050, UNESCO takes note of the need to reinvent the way of thinking about "education, learning and knowledge", “in an increasingly complex, uncertain and fragile world”.
We see this with the climate and environmental crisis, and also with the digital, biotechnology and neuroscience revolution, as this UNESCO report points out. This revolution, its object and its impact, were at the heart of the first session of the forum, last Thursday, in webinar, organized by the CCIC with UNESCO. We can continue to follow these debates online on the internet with this webinar organized by the CCIC.
RCF: So what can we say at this stage of the reflection on the “futures of education” initiated by UNESCO by 2050?
Basically, the urgency of a change of direction is affirmed. A first step is to take note of the current deep crises that are shaking the whole world, “health, governance, economic and environmental crises”. At the same time, we must "redefine humanism for shared futures", that is to say "rethink the way we see our interdependencies with each other, but also with the planet and with technology". This requires new lifelong learning and the “regenerative power of education”. Admittedly, education cannot do everything, but embarking on such an ambition with the nations of the world is already a great contribution; it is a source of hope.
In terms of form, the document released last month by UNESCO is a progress report, which means that in the months to come, other work will continue to feed this reflection which aims to encourage new contributions in cultural diversity, and different ways of conceiving access to knowledge and education, today and tomorrow.
UNESCO calls on everyone to contribute to this challenge: "We must think together to act together and create the futures we want!"
Contributions can be submitted via the online platform or by email to futuresofeducation@unesco.org (in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Spanish or Russian.
“The global consultation process is now open! All contributions will be carefully considered and will feed into the preparation of the next Global Report on the Futures of Education (to be launched in November this year on the occasion of UNESCO's 41st General Conference)” assures UNESCO.
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