FOUR PILLARS OF EDUCATION IN THE TWENTY FIRST CENTURY

FOUR PILLARS OF EDUCATION: EDUCATION FOR THE TWENTY FIRST CENTURY

Present Tensions: The International Commission on Education (IEC) for the twenty-first century (1993-96) appointed by UNESCO that considered various aspects of education needed for the 21st century, listed the following tensions that should be taken note of.

1. Global vs. Local tension.

2. Universal vs. Individual

3. Tradition vs. Modernity

4. Long-term consideration vs. Short-term consideration

5. Need for competition vs. The concern for equality

6. Spiritual vs. Material

Four Pillars of Education: The Commission proposed the following four pillars of education to meet the changes.

Learning to Know: This means 'learning to learn' so as to benefit from the opportunities education provides throughout life. It also implies to acquire education by combining a sufficiently broad general knowledge with the opportunity to work in depth on a small number of subjects.

Learning to Do.This means to acquire not only an occupational skill but also competence to deal with many situations and work in teams. It also implies learning to do in the context of young people's various social and work experiences. These social and work experiences may be formal or informal.

Learning to Live Together:This means (i) Developing an understanding of other people, (ii) Carrying on joint projects, (iii) Managing conflicts, (iv) Developing a spirit of respect for the values of others' culture.

Learning to be: This means developing one's personality and to be able to act with full sense of responsibility. In the connection education to pay due regard to all aspects of individual's potential: aesthetic sense, communication skills, memory, reasoning and physical capacities.