Chairman of the CIS Interstate Committee for Knowledge Dissemination and Adult Education,
President of the International Association «Znanie»,
Academician, Professor Efim Mikhailovich Malitikov
at the IV Jubilee Congress of the Free Economic Society of Russia
(«The Free Economic Society of Russia — 240 years in the service of Fatherland»)
October 31, 2005.
Moscow, Column Hall of the House of Unions
Dear Gavriil Kharitonovich,
Dear participants of the congress,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Allow me to thank you at once, Mr. President of the Free Economic Society of Russia, for your excellent work and for the excellent speech you have just delivered. Also, let me thank your staff, the organizers of the Congress, for the level and solemnity of the organization of the event, which we are used to and are grateful for.
The presence of the authorities and officials is a high sign of support for the Society, adorned by the presence of the UN Representative, Ms. Michelle Fedoroff, a highly experienced curator of non-governmental organizations — the Deputy Head of the ECOSOC Section. I would like to echo the words of the President of the Society and thank her for her amazing professional work and assistance in New York to our Organizations. I am pleased and proud to be here as a Board Member.
The congress of the Free Economic Society of Russia, which is among the naming non-governmental organizations not only in Russia but also in the world, having General Consultative Status in the UN Economic and Social Council, is a special event that brings together, like no other forum, outstanding scientists, economists, educators of the world level.
In the context of the globalization of society, the classroom-lesson form of education, due to the shortage of qualified teachers, does not provide it with rapidly changing knowledge, leaving illiterate a billion people on Earth. Priorities of learning are being replaced by priorities of study, with an undoubtedly important role of teachers, but very highly qualified and up-to-date knowledge.
The debate about quality education does not stand still, it is dynamic and changing, it cannot and should not be separated from the real world and its problems. Many of society’s established institutions (especially educational institutions) are no longer satisfying it.
People living in a world of globalization have changing expectations, values, and lifestyles.
In an increasingly complex life, life experience is the mediator. However, it is increasingly difficult to anticipate and identify the skills needed to manage one’s own life, happiness and independence.
Society, and especially young people today, have a hitherto unprecedented and ever-increasing physical and virtual mobility. We are confronted with mutually dependent economies and WEB-communities, where crossing borders is an everyday occurrence.
In the light of the growing international mobility of a unifying world, the answers to the challenges of life are hidden in the universal provision of quality education.
Material resources (buildings, finances, exam results and diplomas, etc.) alone cannot solve this problem. Education must change according to changing conditions.
The classroom-task form of education and the current educational system will not be able to cope with this. The sustainability of development and the myriad current cultures, values and lifestyles do not allow for this.
Global action in education is needed, because the problems themselves are global in nature and origin. It is necessary to create fresh approaches to teacher training, to create national educational policies on a single basis of mobile interchange of knowledge, the best content, against the backdrop of a multiplication of the productivity of a talented modern teacher.
Here without remote super modern space communications and technology can not do without. Modern universities and other educational centers should build and possess their own space teleports to exchange mutually accepted best content for export-import of knowledge through a single distribution teleport.
It is necessary to free our consciousness from worldview stereotypes and standard arguments.
And here it is appropriate to recall the words of Harvard University President Derek Wok: «If you think education is too expensive, try ignorance.»
The newly established World University, put forward the slogan «Knowledge for export!» as a sign of benefit and goodwill to achieve the Millennium Development Goals, Sustainable Development and the defeat of poverty and poverty.
The experience of the association «Znanie» — a partner structure of the Free Economic Society in the prestigious and authoritative family of non-governmental organizations with general status in the Economic and Social Council of the UN, the experience of the Interstate Committee of the CIS on the dissemination of knowledge and adult education, their basic structure of the Modern Humanities Academy and finally began to form its planetary structures of the new World University allows us to believe that the Free Economic Society of Russia, International Union of Economists, scientists
Thank you for your attention.
