I think it´s time the United Nations, that so frequently criticized yet so very needed institution, did something concrete for education around the world. I propose this simple idea.
Children (those fortunate to go to school of course) spend around 10,000 hours at school from from ages 6 to 17. Now, if they do spend 10,000 hours at school studying different subjects around the globe, learning sometimes inflamatory educational content that makes them prejudiced later on in life, isn´t it time that at least 100 out of those 10,000 be the same for all children in this planet? No matter how local we think we are we all share planet earth. So what about 100 hours out of 10,000 in which students follow a United Nations curriculum that is the SAME for all kids in the planet. My proposal is that during this 100 hours students learn the basic principles of human rights, understanding and respecting others, and as importantly learning about our fragile environment and how to protect it. That´s it, 100 hours. If we implement this, any person in the planet who meets anyone else will in the future have at least 100 hours of a common background.
Follow Martin Varsavsky on Twitter: twitter.com/martinvars
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Susana on June 7, 2005 ·
Hi Martin,
Today I participated at your interactive interview in elmundo.es. They picked up my question for you( the one on new technologies and poverty) and you gave a short but quite right answer. So, thanks for this.
I like your idea on the 100 hours basic education on human rights, mutual undertanding, etc.. I suggest you move a step forward and, using your position, push this idea in varios potential fora. One place could be in the frame of the EFA initiative ( Education for All).
http://www1.worldbank.org/education/efa.asp
I´d be glad to help!
Susana