QUO VADIS? EDUCATION FOR WHAT PURPOSE?

In this article it is argued that in order to define the purposes of education we must begin by forging a shared vision of the kind of society we wish to create. Ultimately, the goals of education must stem from a set of values and beliefs about what constitutes a good society and good education. In this article, it is argued that in our global village there is indeed a set of values that unites us as human beings and that are shared by all major religions and cultures. The article sets out to elaborate the implications of the articles of a globally shared set of values (the Universal Declaration of Human Rights) as they relate to education. It is argued that we need to renew our commitment to respecting the right of all to education, to ensuring that education is directed to the full development of the human personality, and to ensuring education respects the rights of parents and other key stakeholders in ways that lay the foundations for peace and sustainable development.