Dr. Larson: “STEM is for everyone”
“Hopefully, together, we can co-create new and exciting STEM-focused learning opportunities for our young people, leading them to select more STEM courses and maybe pursuing STEM careers” writes Dr. Richard C. Larson in this week’s guest article. Geeky boys excitedly huddled together, figuring out the latest glitch in their robot design — this is a […]
Dr. Patrinos: “School Vouchers Can Help Improve Education Systems”
As the demand for education increases, resources remain scarce. In most countries, the government is both the major financier as well as the provider of education. However, schooling still does not reach all members of society equally. The public sector, unlike the government does not necessarily need to promote and finance education. Therefore, in some […]
Dr. Flowers: “STEM: An Economic Essential for this Generation”
Emerging STEM industries hold great rewards for those who are well-educated and properly socialized to take advantage of related opportunities. However, large segments of the population, remain ill-equipped, un-empowered, under-prepared, and are underexposed to STEM opportunities. STEM education is an economic imperative for all of us going forward because it rests at the center of […]
Nikhil Goyal: “Out of the Mouths of Babes”
In this guest article, Nikhil Goyal, a 17-year-old author and speaker, calls for a learning revolution and says it is time for “students to become captains of their education” Twenty years ago at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Severn Cullis-Suzuki, a twelve-year-old girl from Canada, “silenced the world for six minutes,” with her […]
Preserving Access and Quality in an Era of Rising University Tuition Fees
State financing of higher education is under stress as countries all over the world struggle with fiscal pressures. This week’s guest contributors Charles A.Goldman, Megan Clifford and Lindsay Daugherty, from Rand Corporation, review a number of cost-sharing policies that can be adopted and how they may affect access to and the quality of education. In the first decade of the […]
Valerie Hannon: “New skills and capabilities are needed to thrive in this new world of work”
According to the International Labor Organization (ILO) nearly 75 million young people are unemployed around the world, an increase of more than 4 million since 2007 (they do not expect this to have changed significantly by 2016). At the same time increasing numbers of young people are entering the labor market, meaning that 80 million […]
TVET in Sub-Saharan Africa: Things that Work
The primary objective of technical and vocational education and training is the acquisition of employable skills for the world of work. Without job-related skills, young people and adults cannot benefit from employment opportunities that offer a decent income. Youth unemployment in Africa has become a major development issue. An estimated 95 million young men and […]
Collaborating for Change – Monkey Say, Monkey Do?
Every global or domestic summit on education and learning that I have attended this century mentions the word “collaboration” as an essential 21st century skill. Policy maker after policy maker takes the stage and eventually, like a game of buzzword bingo, uses the word along with its bedfellows “transformation”, “reformation”, “change” and sometimes, if they’re […]
Prof. Noam Chomsky: “Independent Thinking Comes through Discovery”
Watch the interview with Professor Noam Chomsky on the importance of interaction and participation in the classroom, the urgent need to address funding, the role of modern technology to improve access to education and what more needs to be done to build the future of education.
Martha Nussbaum: “You can’t Get Innovation Without Cultivating the Imagination”
This exclusive interview with Prof. Martha Nussbaum from the University of Chicago Law School takes a look at the essential elements of education for the 21st century. It examines how capabilities relate to a country’s development and the importance of educating people in order to help them become active responsible citizens.