RE EDUCATION

Staistics concerning the percentages of children worldwide who are actually enrolled in school are particularly shameful in light of the world's recent and continuing rapid advances in virtually every field of knowledge that man p[ossesses; and in light of the emergence as well of such an array of new developments requiring skill and training that can only be obtained academilcally. 

Especially neglected in addition are the school-age mentally retarded and mentally ill.  They are afforded the least amount of educational and vocational assistance in the most developed parts of the world--and generally none at all in the less developed regions. 

On a positive note, it is probable that in a unified world, without the expenses of arms, armies, and warfare, a great deal more funds will be available for application to more worthwhile purposes such as education.  Moreover, today's traditional methods for funding education can also continue to be resorted to--including parental funding, student loans, programs whereby educations are paid for by employers, work-study programs, and the like.  I also consider a program of "scholarships" awarded to students in return for obligations to perform within their professions for a period following graduation, at modest recompense, to be a sensible path to follow.

When and if worldwide unity should come to pass, conferences will be necessary, attended by experts in all fields of education, to plan and coordinate the conversion and expansion of the various educational systems and facilities into a worldwide program for the education of all appropriate recipients.  It is anticipated that all newly established institutions will need to shortly be of equal or higher qualitythan the majority of currently existing facilities of like nature. 

Laws would need to be enacted making it mandatory for all parents to permit their children to freely take part in these educational programs.  And additional schools of every level would obviously need to be established all over the world; so that universal educational opportunities would be available to all.

It is my opinion that ability begets desire; and that, consequently, we all perform best at what we love to do most.  Conversely, we most desire to do what we will likely be best at.  Therefore, I believe that every person should be interviewed, at several points during his of her childhood, about vocational goals and plans.  This would serve to alert every child that he or she should be thinking about and deciding upon what to learn and what to pursue in life; while at the same time exploring with each child the possible directions in which said child's learning and life ought be guided.

Furthermore, aptitude tests should be administered to all children, at two or more age levels, in order to determine what he or she seems best suited for.  Based upon these results, an individual educational plan would be composed for each child; and the means to effectuate said plan made available to him or her.

I am of course aware that all of my suggestions as to method and manner, re any subject, can and should be improved upon, as well as tempered in accordance with then-current reality, by the experts in the professions involved.

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Plato recommended that each citizen be assigned a lifetime vocation by the state; and that the state give him the training to thus perform in his designated function as well.  Today, the idea of people being "assigned" a type of employment would not be acceptable to most of us; but there is still a need to pursue this line of thinking, in a more liberal context, to a certain extent.  I believe that, one day, conferences should be convened to assess the resources on hand and/or necessary to provide all aspects of safety, security, comfort, and convenience for people the world over; and the deploymehnt of these resources in order to fulfill these goals promptly and efficiently.  One of the resources that would need to be considered at such deliberations is personnel.  Such determinations as to quantity and placement would thus at the same time constitute an estimate of the numbers and types of jobs and professions, in addition to facilities and equipment, that would be necessary worldwide.

A method of creating assurance that these personnel requirements would always be filled--especially as to positions and locations that may seem less desirable--might be the offer of free or affordable education, or "scholarships," to qualified youths who would voluntarily agree, in return, to perform such services, at such places, for a specific period of time.  On a similar note, college students might all be obligated to donate a small period of their lives to assigned tasks involving the provision of services needed by society, at a more or less modest wage.  These services should be related, where possible, to the individual student's course of study.  Thus, it would not only be helpful as regards the beneficiaries involved; but would also usually afford the serving student early experience in his or her chosen endeavor, as well as early familiarity with the processes involved in interacting with people and the atmosphere and procedures in their particular fields as well.

Another possibility might be to require graduating professional students--such as in the medical fields--to perform a period of service--perhaps two or three years--where they are most needed, but where the likelihood of receiving their voluntary presence is then slim.  Who wouldn't accept a scholarship to, or perhaps a degree of financial assistance concerning, e.g., medical school, or an engineering college, etc.,where the quid pro quo was merely such a two or three year stint following graduation?  The basic idea behind all of this comprises a simple concept:  free or affordable education in return for the giving of services needed by mankind--at least for a time.

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Education in the military arts should be limited to those subjects connected with the safeguarding of peace, lives, property, safety, and security.  Under the guidance of a single world government, national armies would not be necessary--and, in fact, could obviously not exist.  Nevertheless, there would be a need for a great number of personnel, trained, equipped, and armed as should be appropriate, whose function it would be to preserve the peace, save lives, safeguard and rescue property, apprehend wrongdoers, and do any and all other things necessary to enable the huiman race to live on in tranquility, harmony, safety, and security.

This would constitute, in effect, a kind of giant worldwide police, fire, rescue, and emergency medical, department, which would be deployed and utilized as necessary.  Education in the knowledge and skills related thereto would come to replace the arts of warfare as are currently taught in our military academies.

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Another concept pertaining to education in a single unified world is the internationalization of the educational process itself.  This is something that would need to be attended to as soon as possible, among the various colleges and other institutions of higher learning throughout our world.

For example, college credits would need to be valid and transferable among colleges all over the globe, more or less to the same extent, and in the same fashion, that they are accepted as valid and transferable among institutions of higher learning within the United States today.  That is to say, there should continue to be criteria as regards different schools, academic levels, and standards; but there ought be no barriers among institutions on the basis of what (former) countries they happen to be located within.  The Academic Cooperation Association, located in Brussels, does in fact perform this apparently inevitable educational aspect for the Europrean Union.  It represents at least twenty one European organizations that support internationalization of higher education; and its efforts have apparently been successful to date.

In 1999, ministers of education from twenty nine European nations met in Bologna, to deal with the current situation whereby today's graduates require increased mobility and international employability.  A European Higher Education Area was born, similar to other European unifications, such as those concerning trade and currency.  Known as the "Bologna Process," a plan for the development and adoption of a common framework of credits, quality controls, and graduate as well as postgraduate degrees, has been put int place.  Forty seven nations have presently become involved in this arrangement.  Parenthetically, it may be additionally significant to note that a growing number of European universities are said to be teaching in English--which has come to be referred to in such circles as "the accepted global lingua franca." 

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