Aiming for lifewide education

Professor Tan Sri Dato' Dzulkifli Abdul Razak
Learning Curve: Perspective
New Sunday Times - June 5, 2016

A GRADUATION event is always a joyous one and often too it is once-in-a-life-time episode that can lead to a significant change in one’s future outlook and experience. It is only natural therefore that expectations are buoyed high by optimism all round.

While this is mostly true at a more personal level, at a more general societal level this may not be quite so. Being part of the human community at large, we cannot but be affected somehow. This becomes even more relevant as we join the community of the educated and learned that places upon us the responsibility beyond just ourselves. We are also responsible for ensuring that our communities are taken care of, protected and advanced at the same time.

As we move into the 16th year in the 21st century, exercising this societal responsibility is becoming more and more challenging. Year after year, the new millennium seems to be descending deeper and deeper into chaos, be it economically, ecologically, geo-politically or socio-culturally. As an illustration, let us just look at the first two aspects of economics and ecology. As early as January this year, the world renowned charity, Oxfam, shocked the world when it reported that the 62 richest billionaires own as much wealth as the poorer half of the world’s population. In fact, the wealth of the poorest 50 per cent dropped by 41 per cent between 2010 and 2015, despite an increase in the global population. In the same period, the wealth of the richest 62 people increased by US$500 billion (RM2.06 trillion) to US$1.76 trillion. This vast and growing gap between rich and poor is setting a trend where one per cent of people own more wealth than the other 99 per cent combined.

According to Oxfam GB chief executive Mark Goldring: “It is simply unacceptable that the poorest half of the world population owns no more than a small group of the global super-rich — so few, you could fit them all on a single coach.”

World leaders are aware of this and have frequently talked about the need to tackle inequality, but so far they have not translated words into concrete action to ensure that those at the bottom get their fair share of global wealth. In terms of education, there are just that many more who are deprived of the basic human rights as the economic tides are unable to raise all boats. We have collectively failed to assert our responsibility to arrest the inequality crises by providing the much needed education to large sections of the global community. This, in turn, has wasted valuable potential talents and resources that could have easily nurtured them and eliminate poverty and inequality at the same time.

While this issue is yet to be settled, a research report on the geography of poverty, disasters and climate change in 2030 gave other unsettling scenarios.

First, extreme weather linked to climate change is increasing and will likely cause more disasters. And such disasters, especially those linked to drought, can be the most important cause of impoverishment, cancelling progress on poverty reduction.

Second, up to 325 million extremely poor people will be living in the 49 most hazard-prone countries in 2030, the majority in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa.

Third, 11 countries — Bangladesh, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Madagascar, Nepal, Nigeria, Pakistan, South Sudan, Sudan and Uganda — are said to be most at risk of disaster-induced poverty.

Lastly, the post-2015 development goals must include targets on disasters and climate change, recognising the threat they pose to the goal of eradicating extreme poverty by 2030. In other words, the disparities will continue to worsen when factoring in the issues of global warming and climate change to say the least.

Be that as it may, the Report of the High-level Panel of Eminent Persons on Post-2015 Development Agenda – Global Impact by 2030, which was commissioned by United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon, painted a starkly different picture, namely: A world where extreme poverty has been eradicated and where the building blocks for sustained prosperity are in place. A world where no one has been left behind, where economies are transformed, and where transparent and representative governments are in charge. A world of peace where sustainable development is the overarching goal. A world with a new spirit of cooperation and partnership. This is not wishful thinking.

While many desperately want to believe that the statement is indeed not wishful thinking, this can only be possible if the notion of “sustainable development” comes into the picture. And that it must be embedded in education as in “education for sustainable” advocated in 2005 for a decade until 2014 as the UN Decade on Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) that ended in Aichi-Nagoya in November that year. Despite this, however, there were still several unfinished agenda to be urgently completed especially in developing countries. This has led to the fostering of other approaches by attempting to integrate the various disciplines or subjects, notably that of the sciences and of social sciences and the humanities. Today, this approach is increasingly seen as an important part of the “new” learning, one that goes beyond the siloed or rigid disciplinary-type of approach that is commonly practised today. Instead what is encouraged is the “whole-institution” or “whole-community” approaches that will go a long way to enhance a holistic and global mindset in the context of the sustainable development post-2015 agenda.

Transdisciplinary approaches as well as holistic and global mindsets are vital in co-creating the “new” sustainable knowledge to secure a sustainable future.

Consequent to this is the notion of creating “lifewide (in contrast to lifelong) learning” opportunities for all, in all settings and at all levels of education. Lifewide learning advocates dealing with the “breath” (not just the “depth”) of knowledge, the “diversity” (instead of “silos”) and the “intangibles” (versus the “tangibles”) in the move to be and remain sustainable.

This includes recognising indigenous knowledge and wisdom that have been kept away from the formal education systems to the extent that they are marginalised and at risk of being forgotten as valid knowledge sources to deepen the understanding of ESD in a culturally-relevant context.

In this case too, knowledge, skills and competencies acquired through non-formal and informal education and the appropriate use of information must also be considered so that the concept of lifewide learning can be introduced and practised to achieve more balanced and peaceful outcomes. In other words, it “recognises that learning occurs in multiple contexts within a learner’s life: school, home, work, etc. It is a concept that is compared and contrasted to lifelong education, recognising that not only does learning occur continually throughout one’s life (from womb to tomb), it occurs broadly across every situation in one’s (social) life.”

In September last year, the UN revealed a new initiative called the Sustainable Development Goals (2016-2030) which was endorsed by virtually all world leaders, reinforcing the importance of “sustainable development” and the educational processes towards it is a holistic one to shape not just the issues of equity, access and success simultaneously but, equally important, those related to human dignity, justice and equitable prosperity in all communities globally. While safeguarding their well-being, it also protects cultural values and wisdom which for centuries have promoted lifestyles that were sustainable before they were supplanted and replaced by the “modern” (read: unsustainable) ways.

Taking all these developments into consideration, as you receive your scrolls and parchment, you have just stepped into another world that needs your dedication and commitment in bringing about a more just and equitable society. This is indeed what the “education” is intended for and those of us who are fortunate enough to receive it are expected to deliver by meaningfully contributing in making a difference globally.

This is an excerpt of the speech given by the writer, a special guest speaker, at the University of Southern Queensland, Australia graduation last week.