Education at a critical moment

Education at a critical moment

Education at the end of this century is living a "crucial moment" as Jacques Maritain said at the end of the Second World War. The great problem, then as now, was to rebuild civilized and democratic life through education after the fall of great totalitarian empires. The two great defeated nations of yesteryear, Germany and Japan are today two world economic, scientific, technological and cultural powers. In contrast, a victorious nation such as the former Soviet Union has entered into a process of implosion and disintegration. The future of China is unknown, but if it moves towards an open society its contribution to culture could be immeasurable.

The only power in the modern world is in the new world, in America. Paradoxically the United States is today experiencing a severe educational crisis. A famous document published in 1983, A Nation at Risk, provides an implacable and desolate diagnosis that is still valid. Every day there is more poverty and more illiteracy in the world's most powerful nation. What then can be said of us Latin American countries! Figures are horrifying, even in Argentina which was always proud to be the richest and best educated country in the region. Thus the problem of education is a problem of civilization, transcending all frontiers and cultures.

The following reflections seek a way out of this labyrinth. We know that if we persist along the path that has already been trod we will remain for ever bogged down and will be placing the destiny of new generations at risk. We will restrict ourselves in this chapter to the contribution that could be made by technology already available to society, technology that will serve to improve our education. This new path will of necessity link up with all others.