The Challenge of Complex Governance

OECD/Japan seminar ”Schooling for tomorrow”: “Futures Thinking for Education: Policy,

Leadership and the Teaching Profession”6-8 November 2006

Margrethe Vestager Member of Danish Parliament, former minister of Education

The conclusion

1. There is a challenge of complex governance2. The challenge should be meet with a policy mix

of central governance and self-governance in all levels of the educational system – from the individual pupils, teachers, school leaders, regional bodies ect.

3. Self-governance in a framework of central governance influences the teaching in schools, teacher training and leadership – it is in it self a challenge to get the competencies to handle the challenge of complex governance.

Content:

• Why governance is complex? The changing global conditions and the many, many things education should be good for and the change in youth culture

• The possibilities of government to govern• The role of Leaders of Education• The role of Teachers• And how about the pupils and their parents?• Concluding questions

Communication

Internet, Mobil communication – The Internet becomes mobile

Research and technology

ex. nanotechnology

The creation of new material on molecular scale

Transport/shipping

- unexpected possibilities when it comes to move good and services round the globe

Life of Earth

The Stern rapport, clima change, energy ect.

Changes – just a few of the characteristics of globalization:

• Communication• Technology and Research – ways and

scope • Transport/shipping• Environmental • The liberalization of finance, trade,

movement of people creates a new labour market and a global market for goods and services.

Education should…

Make sure that the needs of the labour market are met.

Contribute to social cohesion

Give pupils and students the basics of the role of a democratic citizen

…and make sure that these needs are met in a flexible way.

Enable each individual to keep learning in a structured way

And in the process of doing that (as a minimum) education should be cost-effective and efficient

Make sure the pupils now a lot of other tings - about traffic, sex, alcohol, drugs and how to chose further education

And that in a still more open international society and market for education

…to sum up:

• The conditions of the labourmarket, the market for goods and services, the terms of trade ect.

• Change seems to be continuing and the speed seems to be accelerating.

• Education is seem as one measure to many means, some may be conflicting

• High expectations of what education can achieve • The mix of competences in the individual are

changing, mostly in new generations.• Our attitude towards change is changing

Demands to be able to compete:The worker has

• to have knowledge

• to be able to work in a interdisciplinary way

• to be creative

• to be emphatic with co-workers and customers

• to be value based

This is from a book by Lars Kolind ”The Kolind Cure”. In his opinion these 5 ”competences” are what’s needed for a Danish worker to bee able to compete and

keep the company and the jobs in Denmark.

Change at all levels

• The pupils have to be taught in a way that promotes self-governance.

• Teacher education and –training have to continue trough working life and they have to have academic skills of reflection, analysis and problem solving – all to promote self-governance.

• Leaders – have to have charge and competence to handle the processes.

• The governing bodies have to learn how to set guidelines without going into detail, to allow for experiments and to create a “marketplace” for exchange of problems and solutions.

Fantasi

Salvadore Dali

1951

The conclusion

1. There is a challenge of complex governance2. The challenge should be meet with a policy mix

of central governance and self-governance in all levels of the educational system – from the individual pupils, teachers, school leaders, regional bodies ect.

3. Self-governance in a framework of central governance influences the teaching in schools, teacher training and leadership – it is in it self a challenge to get the competencies to handle the challenge of complex governance.

+ trust?

… mostly unanswered questions:

• Why is it important to govern education? Could it be more free or market based?

• Can education meet all goals?• Are we in control of some of the elements of

complexity or are we on the back of a tiger of uncontrolled change?

• Do teachers, leaders, pupils ect. want self-governance?

• Can the state find means of governance that will not ruin the possibility of self-governance?

• E ｔｃ .

STOP!