Approved by the United Nations General Assembly in 2015, one of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) that is focused on Education (SDG-4) states that countries will “ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all”. Although important progress has been made in terms of access to education, many young people are still lagging behind in access, inclusion and especially in learning.

In addition, according to the recent World Development Report 2018 – Learning to Realise Education’s Promise, the proportion of children and adolescents in Primary and Secondary is growing, but they are not learning and are too often leaving schools to work. This is particularly true in the developing world.

Within this context, Professor Claudia Costin, Founder and Director of the Center for Excellence and Innovation in Education Policies (CEIPE), analysed the chances that developing countries have in delivering on the SDG-4, in a keynote speech. She addressed an audience of close to 120 participants who convened at the Singapore Management University (SMU) on 19 October 2018, for SMU’s Annual Wee Kim Wee Distinguished Lecture on Educational Leadership.

CEIPE is a think and do- tank within Getulio Vargas Foundation, a leading private University in Brazil where Prof Costin currently works. Prior to her role with the World Bank, Prof Costin was Secretary of Education of the municipality of Rio de Janeiro, where learning results rose by 22 percent in the city under her stewardship. She also implemented a strong Early Childhood programme, working seamlessly across sectors with the Health and Social Protection secretariats.

Prof Costin’s lecture was the fourth session out of five in the Distinguished Lecture series. Past speakers who had delivered keynote speeches included politician and human rights activist Lord David Alton, socio-political activist Datin Paduka Marina Mahathir and Kenyan novelist Ngugi wa Thiong’o.

A former Senior Director for Global Education in the World Bank, Prof Costin explored the challenges and opportunities for education and the future of work in the developing world during the session. Believing in the transformational power of education, Prof Costin has been instrumental in creating a civil society movement. She communicates with thousands of teachers using social media based on her conviction that that teacher motivation is critical for real learning. She is also a member of the Global Commission for The Future of Work at ILO – International Labor Organization, an agency at the United Nations.

Prof Costin highlighted specific targets of the SDG, to substantially increase the number of youth and adults who have relevant skills, especially technical and vocational skills, for employment, decent jobs and entrepreneurship. Stressing that lifelong learning is a journey that starts from early childhood, Prof Costin commented that it is key to teach children from young to “learn to learn….be able to delight from learners, learn to be comfortable with their own identities, learn to live together and learn to work.”

In regards to the point of “learn to live together”, she raised the example of nationalism in Europe after the ashes of the First World War, which inevitably led to the disastrous Second World War. It is important not to define a national identity in opposition to the identity of another country; instead, to build a healthy identity with pride in one’s origins and tolerance as an important key to building a global citizenship.   

In terms of the challenges that the future brings to the developing world, Prof Costin underscored how Industry 4.0 has brought automation and robotisation, which is reshaping work and sounding a death knell for certain jobs. According to her, there is no need for fear. She cited the example of analytics being increasingly embedded in the way news are reported. Fewer journalists would be needed but those who have the ability to analyse data, get their digital gear on and deploy a more objective view, would still have a job.

Prof Costin’s keynote speech was followed by an interactive panel discussion with Professor Elvin Lim, Director of Wee Kim Wee Centre, Mr David Kwee, CEO, Training Vision Institute and Dr Kirpal Singh, Chief Academic Officer, Training Vision Institute. They addressed questions from the audience, ranging from how spirituality could be integrated into education, to how education could liberate people instead of polarising them.

“Public schools should not be religious. But that does not exclude spirituality. What is the history of humanity, if not the development of the spirit?” said Prof Costin. “I believe in the human spirit and spirituality. This is what develops empathy, a sense of belonging and a sense of being ethical to one another. Each of us should be committed to becoming a better human being.”

Prof Costin also commented that education should not be about “depositing knowledge in your brain and then drawing it into tests to see if you know it by heart.” She believes that education is about emancipation, and can be achieved by teaching students to think independently and feel empowered to achieve their dreams and to be the protagonists of their own lives.

SMU’s Wee Kim Wee Centre is dedicated to promoting cross-cultural and inter-disciplinary dialogue within the SMU community and with the public about the major issues and challenges that impact contemporary life. The Centre is a key partner of SMU’s new Core Curriculum and stands shoulder-to-shoulder with its three pillars.

[Featured photo: (L-R) Professor Elvin Lim, Director of Wee Kim Wee Centre, SMU; Mr David Kwee, CEO, Training Vision Institute; Prof Claudia Costin; and Dr Kirpal Singh, Chief Academic Officer, Training Vision Institute at the Annual Wee Kim Wee Distinguished Lecture on Educational Leadership on 19 October 2018.]