They need to establish programs to improve their education systems. Of course, there are many theories and many answers from education experts but I believe that the building of the knowledge society is inseparable from lifelong learning, just as the knowledge economy cannot be developed without continuous learning. The rigid traditional education systems based on a set of academic knowledge must be reformed to provide people with lifelong learning opportunities that connect the education system with the needs of society and the economy. In order to do that we must review the goals of education, its content, its methods of knowledge transmission, as well as the mission of the school and the role of the teacher.
We are living in a world of rapidly evolving knowledge so education system has to be organized, structured and transferred to every citizen so they could apply it intelligently. I use the word “Citizen” and not “student” because the new education system should not only design for people of school age (5 to 25) but also for adult who want to learn. School should not be a place where teacher teach and students listen passively but must be a place where learning happens, where teacher facilitate the learning by coaching students with the necessary skills so they can apply in their career. To promote this kind of education, schools must establish relationship with industry by making their programs in alignment with the demand of industry and adopting flexible forms of learning. Current economic development requires the interface of education, economy and the labor market. Education should be ready to react to the changing needs of economy, just like modern economy should be open to learning and scientific innovation. To ensure lifelong learning government needs to create a new education system that would cover the formal education system, the non-formal learning and the informal learning in order to develop different knowledge and skills in a variety of school, industry, and the community. Modern life requires a new approach to education of its citizen. In a rapidly changing society, education is an ongoing process and should be continuously updated and upgraded. Working people should be given a possibility to choose different plans of learning for improving their knowledge and skills.
To enable the working people to improve their knowledge and to adapt them to the changing market, several conditions must be met. First, continuous education requires funding, therefore, government must have policies and direction to encourage continuous education and invest in adult education. Second, a closer partnership of the education system and the industry would help to fund resources necessary for improving the knowledge and skills of workers. To provide people with lifelong learning opportunities, government will need to provide more access to the vast educational knowledge with proper guidance and counseling services.
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Prof. John Vu, Carnegie Mellon University
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Source: SEGVN