Kent South NO SHALE GAS Kent Sud

11  Discovering Enough:  Lifetime of Learning

Year round education opportunities and life long learning are essential to a vibrant democracy.  There is no perfect system or program to achieve the educational experience.  Each person learns in his or her own unique way and each teacher or mentor teaches in their own unique way.   

Traditional primary, secondary, and post secondary learning centers tend to be centrally organized through a top down process of standardization of administration, methods and goals. However, students and teachers can also come together to form learning communities through a bottom up process.

Primary school, secondary school, community college and university facilities are public centers of a community.  These facilities funded with tax dollars should be made accessible to the community for year round and life long learning and sharing of ideas. The information they develop and the courses they offer have been purchased by the citizenry, and should be made publicly available to all. 

Access to information in the digital age is unparalleled in human history requiring the reinvention of what learning means, where and when it occurs, and how it is achieved and valued. With knowledge increasing and changing on a hourly basis, relying on early learning is no longer sufficient for a person’s lifetime needs.  The internet can provide access to education to a much broader segment of the population beyond what brick and mortar institutions currently provide.  A vibrant and sustainable society should guarantee access to education at all ages.

While access to life long education should always remain a guaranteed right, when-how-and-where education is encouraged and achieved will define the successful communities of the 21^st century. Rather than continue with the 20^th century educational systems that prepared students for lifetime employment in industrial type settings, a new educational system needs to be wise enough to keep what works and not be afraid to move forward with what is needed in the future. 

The industries and businesses of the 21^st century and the work opportunities they will create will depend upon life long educational opportunities.  These industries and businesses will naturally place a high value on communities and provinces that encourage and support excellence in education.

Sweden and Germany both offer access to public education from early childhood through secondary education as is offered in Canada.  They also offer public funded community college and university education to those who have exhibited and achieved the necessary knowledge and skills. Their citizens recognize that this come with a price, but the returns far exceed the costs.

One of a series of personal opinion pieces as to where New Brunswick could head in the future. With the effects of global climate change becoming more obvious each day and the need to leave fossil fuels in the ground becoming more imperative, these opinion pieces will put forth alternate ideas for job creation within a sustainable economy.  

Richard Lachance
Cocagne NB