Although universal schooling has been adopted as a goal by international organizations, bilateral aid agencies, national governments, and non-profit organizations, little sustained international attention has been devoted to the purposes or goals of universal education. What is universal primary and secondary education intended to accomplish?
The project on Universal Basic and Secondary Education (UBASE), based at the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, recognized a lack of consensus within and among countries and a lack of focused international discussion on the desired content and aims of basic and secondary education.
This book offers views from Asia, Africa, Europe, North America and South America on the purposes of universal education while considering diverse cultures, religions, and professions. It is the first book in which renowned authors from around the world have proposed, considered, and debated goals of basic and secondary education, engaging in a constructive dialogue on one of the most pressing issues facing education today. [1]
The purposes of the report are to stimulate attention to educational goals on the part of individuals, families, educational professionals, community leaders in business, religion, and politics, local governments, national governments, and international organizations, and to provide some starting points for future discussions among the different groups with different agendas that compose any society on the globe. The study is to explore the venues to come up with an Secondary Education model that can be applied in a global prospective in improve the education just in one courtly but internationally. [2]
In the study Joel Cohen have started the research by raising the following questions:
- What should be the goals of basic and secondary education of high quality?
- Which, if any, of these goals should be universal? What does universal mean? What happens when educational goals conflict? What are the meanings of high quality in basic and secondary education? Who decides these questions, and by what process do they decide? How should the quality of decisions about educational goals be evaluated?
The research suggests that achieving universal primary and secondary education is both urgently needed and feasible. Will the international community commit the necessary economic, human, and political resources? The challenge, say the editors, is “as inspiring and formidable … as any extraterrestrial adventures and far more likely to enrich and improve life on earth.”
Despite the findings, the study by the American Academy of Arts and Sciences said the goal of providing a high-quality education to all children could be achieved at a reasonable cost with more support and funding from governments worldwide. “There’s no question that it’s possible,” said David Bloom, one of the authors of the study. “It’s a question of financial resources and it’s a question of political will.” “We … need to pay much more attention to education access at the secondary level and we need to pay attention to educational quality,” Bloom said. “It’s not just a question of getting kids into schools, it’s also a question of what you do with them once they’re in school.” The study attempted to lay out a vision of what the world would look like, “how much better the world would be if instead of using our resources for military purposes we used them to get every kid in the world into school and provide them with quality education.” [4]
There is no question on the fact that, achieving universal primary and secondary education is both urgently needed and feasible. Will the international community commit the necessary economic, human, and political resources? The main challenge is not financially oriented but rather on the leadership side. It is to have people to dedicate themselves on this cause which is inspiring and formidable … as any extraterrestrial adventures and far more likely to enrich and improve life on earth.
And, this is what Fethullah Gulen achieved so far. Gulen emphasizes the significance of educating younger generations with the idea of peaceful coexistence and mutual understanding.
The educational perspective of Fethullah Gulen is the illumination of the mind to science and knowledge, and the lighting of the heart in faith and virtue. This can be accomplished though teachers who are committed to devoting their lives, time and knowledge to teach the younger generations in these educational institutions.
And, the recent findings are speaking about the extraordinary achievement Gulen-inspired schools demonstrated so far. There are currently more than 1000 Gulen-inspired schools in more than 110 countries around the world. In the European countries, there are at least a dozen Gulen-inspired schools, and more than 150 smaller educational and cultural centers. Generally, Gulen-inspired schools are low fee schools due to the limited wealth of supporters of these educational projects . [6].
To President Obama’s Muslim Advisor Mogahed, the Gulen Movement is a model and inspiration for all those working for the good of society, and is a highly admirable and impressive movement in the world.
[1 http://belfercenter.hks.harvard.edu/publication/19869/international_perspectives_on_the_goals_of_universal_basic_and_secondary_education.html?breadcrumb=%2Fexperts%2F210%2Fowen_r_cote
[2] Cohen, Joel E. and Martin B. Malin, eds. International Perspectives on the Goals of Universal Basic and Secondary Education. New York: Routledge USA, December 2009.
[3] Cohen, Joel E., David E. Bloom, Martin B. Malin, eds. Educating All Children: A Global Agenda. Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press, January 2007.
[4] Reuters, "World falling behind on 2015 education goal", Wed Jan 17, 2007 7:15 PM ET, By David Alexander
[5]Education Week, "Worldwide Education Achievable, Study Says", Published: January 19, 2007, Vol. 26, Issue 20, Page 16 By Kathleen Kennedy Manzo
[6] "The Key Factors behind the Success of Gulen-Inspired Schools", Ahmet Polat, Executive Officer of the Australian Intercultural Society.
Published on fethullah-gulen.net, 05 August 2012, Sunday
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