VIEW FROM THE ACTING SECRETARY- GENERAL AND
DIRECTOR OF FINANCE
THE ROLE OF PRIMARY EDUCATION IN SUSTAINABLE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
The focus of the articles in this Issue of The Parliamentarian is on the progress made towards the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) that were outlined at the Millennium Summit of the United Nations in 2000. These include the goals to achieve universal primary education, ensure environmental sustainability, and the underlying need to invest in our young Commonwealth.
A great deal has been achieved in these last 15 years but there remains a long way to go. We are now looking at building upon these achievements with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Long before the
establishment of the MDGs, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on 10 December 1948. It provides for a fair and considered framework for a decent, democratic and just approach to society, especially Article 26 of the declaration which focuses on the right to education. Specifi cally, Article 26(2) states that “… Education shall be directed to the full development of the human personality and to the strengthening of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. It shall promote understanding, tolerance and friendship among all nations, racial or religious groups, and shall further the activities of
10 | The Parliamentarian | 2015: Issue One Kenya?
same period and had similar economic features at the time of independence? Why are some countries more politically and religiously stable than others?
Mr Joe Omorodion Acting Secretary-General of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association
the United Nations for the maintenance of peace.” Article 26 stressed the importance of education, especially at the fundamental and elementary stages, more than half a century before Millennium Summit of the UN in 2000. Education is the principal catalyst for human development. As the saying goes, the childhood shows the man or leader as the morning shows the day.
As I visit the many great countries throughout the Commonwealth, some of the key questions I often ask myself are: Why do some countries seem to be more dedicated towards the common good, than others? Why have some democra- cies evolved faster than others, especially when you compare countries that gained their independence in just about the
One possible answer to these questions is that successful countries in the Commonwealth, believe in, and genuinely implement, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, in particular Article 26.
Another possible answer is that such countries have supplemented Article 26 with their desired national economic development needs in mind. One major developing country, for example, has identifi ed some of the following as the major objectives of primary education. These are to: prepare the children for good citizenship; develop in them a love for their country, its tradition, its culture and national symbols; inspire in them a sense of service and loyalty; develop in the children the spirit of international under- standing and universal brother- hood; inculcate scientifi c attitude; and inculcate a sense of dignity of labour.
Another developing Commonwealth country’s national policy on primary education includes: character and moral training.
Realising the importance
and impact of primary education on a nation’s development capability, the national objectives of primary education have, therefore, continued to attract ongoing attention in developing and developed countries alike, in both Commonwealth and non-Commonwealth countries. In the Netherlands, for example, a major restructuring of primary education was undertaken in 1985. This stipulated that the main aim of primary education should be to cater for pupils’ emotional, social and cognitive needs. While in a survey of the aims and values of primary education in England, Germany, Scotland, New Zealand and Sweden in 2008 , it was found that citizenship education was vital if countries are to produce participative citizens for the future.
With a well-developed primary education curriculum, including the key objectives identifi ed in this article which have proved successful in some major developing countries, it is arguable that systemic corruption could be stemmed; terrorism rooted out; poverty alleviated and democracy embedded, while producing better informed leaders with their nation’s interests at heart, ready to take their nations forward.
With the implementation an effective primary education curriculum, I wonder who would ever wish to hurt their country and its image, or contemplate
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80