In the 1990s, the role and significance of basic education were different from those in the past, and basic education was widely and highly valued. The main reason is that a series of increasingly serious social problems, such as population expansion, environmental deterioration, increasing poverty and ethnic conflicts, have become the main obstacles restricting global social development. However, the long-term development model pursued by countries all over the world has been questioned, and it is considered that social development and progress promoted solely by economic development are fundamentally fragile. If we continue this development policy, the gap between countries, regions and even individuals will be further aggravated. Starting from the longer-term needs and interests, it has become an inevitable choice to change the concept of development, put human development at the center of all development actions, and expand the foundation of economic development and social development.
The new concept of development makes the role of education more prominent. 1990 In March, the most important topic of the World Conference on Education for All held in Jomtien, Thailand was to put forward a new concept of "education for all" on a global scale. Under this new concept, this conference put forward new requirements for the world's basic education reform in the 1990s, that is, to meet the basic learning needs of the whole people, it is not enough to strengthen the existing basic education, it needs an "expanded concept". This "expanded vision" requires all countries in the world not only to strengthen formal school education channels within the scope of current basic education services, but also to promote the effective use of various informal education channels to protect everyone's basic rights. At the same time, it also emphasizes that all countries in the world must attach importance to the quality of basic education, that is, the actual learning results obtained by learners and their correlation. Since 1990s, basic education has been put on the agenda of all countries, whether in developed or developing countries. Popularization and improvement have become two arduous tasks of basic education in various countries.
The popularity of basic education is increasing.
In the statistical yearbook 1998, UNESCO summarized the new progress of basic education in the world in recent years, including: remarkable progress has been made in preschool education in developing countries, the gross enrollment rate of primary and secondary education has continued to rise, and educational opportunities have been further expanded. However, there are still obvious differences in educational opportunities between countries, regions and men and women, and there are considerable differences between developed and developing countries, especially the least developed countries, in the second level of education. Taking 1996 as an example, the average gross enrollment rate of secondary education in the three countries is 100.3%, 50.4% and 18.8% respectively. Fundamentally speaking, the difference in education reflects the gap in knowledge and the overall quality of the population between developed and developing countries.
The number of years of compulsory education has been gradually extended.
The gradual extension of compulsory education years has become a universal fact of basic education in the world. According to UNESCO's World Education Report 199 1, the median duration of compulsory education in 169 countries with available data is 7-8 years, generally from 6 years in Africa to 10 years in North America, Europe and the former Soviet Union, in which compulsory education is extended to the first stage of the second level education. 1998 World Education Report shows that in 17 1 countries for which data are available, the average length of compulsory education is 8 years, in Africa it is 7.2 years, and in major developed countries in North America and Europe it is10-0/2 years.
The book "Overview of Education-OECD Indicators" published by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development in 1998 points out that in most OECD countries, all young people have actually enjoyed at least 1 1 year of basic education, but the mode of participation is different. The starting age of compulsory education in most countries is 5-6 years old, and the completion age is 14- 18 years old. Due to the increase of unemployment crisis and the difficulty for young people who are not fully prepared for education to find jobs, countries that have completed compulsory education at the age of 16 are increasingly inclined to let students stay in school until they complete high school education, that is, the school-leaving age is gradually inclined to 17 or 18.
Adjust the curriculum structure to meet the needs of society
At the turn of the century, the world is in the midst of fierce social, political, economic, cultural and technological changes and development trends, and education is facing great challenges. The adjustment of curriculum structure will directly affect whether education can adapt to the requirements of the new era. Developed countries take the lead and actively carry out curriculum reform and enrichment from the perspective of safeguarding their own and far-reaching interests.
Strengthening science education is the top priority. A typical example is the "Popularizing Science-America 206 1 Plan" put forward by the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 1989. The title page of the plan states the importance of science education: "In the next stage of the development of human history, the living environment and living conditions of human beings will change rapidly. Science, mathematics and technology are the center of change. They initiate, shape and respond to change. Therefore, science, mathematics and technology will be the basis for educating today's children to face tomorrow's world. "
Strengthening humanities and social sciences courses is also a major trend. Since 1990s, many countries have realized that while pursuing scientific and technological civilization, it is equally important to inherit and carry forward the traditional virtues and excellent values of human beings. Therefore, in the reform of curriculum structure adjustment, many countries pay attention to the cultivation of future citizens' morality, sentiment and conduct, emphasize understanding and absorbing the essence of national traditional culture through ethics, philosophy, literature, history and other disciplines, enrich modern school curriculum with national, healthy and progressive literature, music and traditional culture, cultivate sentiment and carry forward the spirit of patriotism.
Another trend is to offer practical and informative courses around the social problems faced by countries all over the world. With the increasing penetration of information technology into people's daily lives, developed countries in Europe and America have taken the lead in setting up relevant courses with the theme of science, technology and society. They not only integrate computer technology into education and teaching activities as an auxiliary means, but also teach students to understand the newer and broader knowledge world through computer networks. At the same time, many countries have set up courses such as environmental education and ecological protection to cope with the increasingly serious global environmental deterioration.
Attach importance to improving the quality of primary and secondary school teachers
The central content of UNESCO's World Education Report 1998 is "Teachers and Teaching in a Changing World", which calls for paying attention to teacher training and improving teachers' socio-economic status in the face of the social reality that the new technological revolution is constantly infiltrating into all fields of social life. In the preface of the report, Mr. Mayor, Director-General of UNESCO, spoke highly of the social role of teachers. He pointed out: "when we are about to cross the threshold of 2 1 century, the education of the younger generation has never needed our input and resources more than now;" Our teachers have never been so important to our common future. " In fact, since 1980s, many countries have taken many practical measures to improve the quality of primary and secondary school teachers. These include: teachers are required not only to impart knowledge, but also to have innovative consciousness, master modern teaching technology, and teach students the ability to discover knowledge and learn to learn while imparting knowledge; Formulate the examination and approval system for the qualification of basic education teachers; Strengthen the on-the-job training of primary and secondary school teachers; Raise the salaries of basic education teachers.
The reform of normal education takes the form of directional training, non-directional training and joint training in the training system; The curriculum structure has gradually changed the disadvantages of being too specialized and not adaptable for a long time, from sub-discipline teaching to comprehensive teaching, and multi-discipline and cross-discipline teaching has expanded the knowledge and information of graduates in normal universities.