OECD Education Policy Forum - Investing in Skills for the 21st Century, Paris, 4 November 2010

Investing in Human and Social Capital: New Challenges

Opening Statement by Federal Minister Dr. Claudia Schmied, Chair of the OECD Education Ministerial Meeting

(Es gilt das gesprochene Wort!)

Mr. Secretary-General,
Mr. Deputy Secretary-General,
Distinguished colleagues,
Dear delegates and friends,

It is a pleasure and an honour for me to welcome you to this high level event, the OECD Meeting of Education Ministers on “Investing in Human and Social Capital: New Challenges”.

I want to thank you, Secretary-General Gurria, for your words of welcome and the OECD for organizing and hosting this meeting here in Paris. I am very grateful that the OECD is providing this forum for the exchange of views about the challenges in education which we are facing today.

A very special thank you and welcome also goes to Minister Anne Tolley from New Zealand and to Minister Alonso Lujambio from Mexico. I am confident that with you as Co-Chairs to this conference we have the best conditions to make this a get-together which will be fruitful for all of us.

Welcome to Ministers from OECD-countries from all over the world, and a special welcome to colleagues who have travelled so far to be here today with us in Paris.

I also welcome the representatives of the European Union and of the observer organizations of the committee – UNESCO and the Council of Europe. There is a tradition of good cooperation between you and the OECD in the field of education, so it is good to have you among us also today.

At last, a very special welcome also to our colleagues from non-OECD countries who participate in the meeting. The fact that so many Ministers are here today shows that the world has changed a lot and that the OECD as an organisation is able to understand these changes – and is willing to find new channels of cooperation on a global scale.

Many of us do have the opportunity to meet with colleagues from other countries on a more or less regular basis – bilaterally, at regional conferences or, as in my case, at EU Council meetings. But very rarely do we have the chance to meet in this setting.

Since the last ministerial meeting the OECD has grown; it has more member states, which means it has become more diverse, more interesting, more global.

And in addition to the growing number of member states, there is an ongoing close cooperation with a number of countries in the enhanced engagement process.

I think the OECD has demonstrated very clearly that it is a learning organization, that it is a dynamic organization which understands that it has to change when the world around it is changing. This is also an occasion to thank the OECD for its continuing valuable work, for many useful insights and excellent policy advice.
And this is certainly a very good occasion to celebrate the 50 year anniversary of this organisation.
If the OECD continues on its path, it will also master the challenges of the future, am confident about that.

As the number of countries and regions represented here is greater than ever before, we can say it reflects a more global community.

When we talk about a global community, we focus on the positive sides of globalization. Even if we don’t like all of its aspects, especially in the economy, globalization is a reality. As such it certainly does challenge the education systems. In research and on the tertiary level it has reached the education sector. And in schools, teachers should be prepared to help our students to learn how to contribute to a global community in a positive, constructive way.

It is my deepest conviction that we must improve the possibilities of communication and dialogue, strive for a better understanding and look for ways of solving conflicts in a non-violent way.

In Austria we have developed a curriculum for what we call “global education”. Global education is not just about knowledge, it also has to do with attitudes and values.

Only when we see the global picture, we will also see the fascinating differences in our cultures, in our languages, in the daily matters and in our philosophies.

I regard it as extremely important that our young people know about and appreciate this diversity instead of being afraid of it. If we learn to understand what is different, it can play an important part in building our identity. When we know about the rich diversity of cultures in our world, we can come to a better judgement and we will learn to act accordingly.

This meeting is our chance to discuss issues of great importance to us, and we have the privilege and the advantage to do this among peers and from a more global perspective.

You, the ministers of education from around the world, bring with you a very broad experience and knowledge about how educational systems work – or where they need to improve!

The issues on the agenda before us are up-to-date and touch burning questions.

One of them is the challenge that in all of our countries we are developing towards knowledge-based societies. Consequently, investing in human and social capital becomes crucial for the competitiveness of our economies; for all educational systems this poses a major challenge.

We will discuss the crucial question of how to equip the key players in our schools – the teachers – for the 21st century and look at the role of education as the driver for social progress.
So many things to discuss, so many different and equally interesting points of views – all in very little time!

I would like to conclude with an illuminative picture that I was told some time ago:
in a globalised world we must learn to see with 3 different eyes:
with the eye of an eagle which can see the bigger picture from a distance high above;
with the eye of a bee which can see the aspects and facets oft he world with its facet-eye;
and with the eye of a frog which can dive into the water and see the world from inside.

All these views seem important today, and maybe we sometimes can look at the topics of our conference with a different eye, or change our perspective from time to time.

Thank you! I wish you and us a very interesting dialogue today and tomorrow.

Geändert am 08.11.2010