by Dr. Martin Bangemann, Member of the European Commission

(This article is based on a speech held by Mr. Bangemann on 22 April 1997 on the occasion of the ICL Seminar in the European Parliament in Brussels on
"Promoting European cultural values in the information society")

An educational model inherited from the industrial age

Europe's present educational system, which can be best described as the "classroom model," is inherited from the 19th century and is therefore a product of the industrial age. Its aim is to transmit all pupils a common set of values and a common language, i.e. a common culture.
Successful in the past, the classroom model has reached its limits in a world where knowledge becomes rapidly obsolete. It is also increasingly challenged by new ways of learning, in particular new multimedia products and services based on the merger of text, sound, still pictures and video as well as virtual reality (CD-ROM, Internet, software, video games, etc.).
Furthermore, while studies indicate that learning takes place through communication, communication is in fact extremely poor in the classroom model. It is largely a "one-way teaching model" in which the teacher plays the acting part whereas pupils and students are merely reacting.
This all highlights the need to develop a new educational model suited to the needs of the 21st century's knowledge society. Central to this model must be the fact that more than knowledge, the capacity to learn on a life-long basis will be required to live and work in the knowledge society.

A new educational model for the 21st century

New information and communications technologies (ICTs) can be key contributors to the evolution of teaching and learning methods, and must therefore be fully integrating in the education system.
In the field of pedagogy, online communications offer an opportunity to have pupils who learn instead of listening passively by improving exchanges in the school environment amongst pupils, between pupils and teachers as well as amongst teachers. While the classroom so far worked "behind closed doors," electronic networks also open a window on the outside world and widen the pupils' horizon. ICTs also contribute to mending the gap between the classroom and the home by allowing pupils to pursue their interactions from home.
As regards pedagogic resources, ICTs offer teachers and pupils instant and easy access to a wealth of teaching and learning material whether from the classroom or from home. This is also of key importance for libraries and librarians.
New teaching and learning methods must of course contribute to improve learning performance and individual fulfilment. But they are also urgently needed to prepare the next generation for the jobs of tomorrow. A basic requirement is that all pupils learn to use ICTs and to navigate through the vast amount of information available on global networks. More elaborate skills that must be developed include intellectual and artistic creativity, polyvalence and multidisciplinarity, the capacity to communicate and collaborate, as well as the capacity to acquire new knowledge throughout life.
Yet there remain serious obstacles to the advent of this new educational model. A first difficulty concerns lack of awareness, as teachers and trainers are still largely unaware of the need to overhaul the existing system and of the opportunities offered by ICTs. Governments too lack a sense of urgency. They have in fact started launching online school experiments, but time is ripe to move from mere trials to fullscale deployment. A further impediment, however, is the lack of money due to present budgetary restrictions.
To overcome these obstacles, teachers must be trained to become aware of the potential offered by new technologies and to learn to use new learning facilities such as the World Wide Web, electronic mail, video-conferencing or virtual fora. On the financial front, greater involvement of the private sector is needed to foster the development of applications in the school environment. Companies also play a key role in more rapidly developing and shipping multimedia educational and edutainment content that is the vehicle of Europe's culture and values.