Edgar Faure

Felipe Herrera
Abdul-Razzak Kaddoura
Henri Lopes
Arthur V. Petrovsky
Majid Rahnema
Frederick Champion Ward

Learning
to be
The world of education
today and tomorrow

UNESCO
Publishing
United Nations

 
 

Cultural Organization
 Learning to be
The world of education
today and tomorrow

Report of the International Commission

on the Development of Education,
UNESCO, Paris, 1972
First published in 1972 by the United Nations
Educational, Scientic and Cultural Organization
7, place de Fontenoy, 75352 Paris, 07 SP France
and George G. Harrap & Co. Ltd.
182-184 High Holborn, London WC1V7AX
First edition, August 1972
ISBN 978-92-3-101017-0
Second impression, November 1972
Third impression, January 1973
Printed by Arts Graphiques Coop Suisse, Basle
Fourth impression, September 1973
Fifth impression, September 1974
Sixth impression, December 1975
Seventh impression, August 1982
Printed by Offset Aubin
Second edition, October 2013
ISBN 978-92-3-104246-1
The ideas and opinions expressed in this publication are those of
theauthorsandare not necessarily those of UNESCO and do not commit
theOrganization.
The designations employed and the presentation of material throughout
thispublication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever
onthepartof UNESCO concerning the legal status of any country, territory,
cityor area or of its authorities or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers
orboundaries.

UNESCO 2013

Printed in France
Message from Ms Irina Bokova,
Director-General of UNESCO
for the new edition of the Faure report

September 2013

UNESCO published the Report Learning to Be: The World of

Education Today and Tomorrow in 1972. Forty years later, the
Faure Report, named after former Prime Minister and Minister of
Education of France, Edgar Faure, continues to inuence education
policy across the world. The Report proposed lifelong education as
the master concept for educational policies in the years to come for
both developed and developing countries. It set out a humanist vision
of education and learning as a continuously renewed and evolving
process throughout life.
The world has changed since 1972. Globalization has accelerated.
There has been tremendous growth, but also deepening inequalities.
New technologies are revolutionising the way we communicate and
share information, as well as how we teach and learn. The world
is getting younger every day, and the expectations of young people
are rising for quality education and decent jobs. Swept along with
these changes, education faces new challenges of equity, quality and
relevance.
The context has evolved, but the thrust of the Faure Report remains
valid today. This is why UNESCO has decided to re-issue the Report,
to inspire a new generation of educationalists with the wisdom of
past thinking. This is especially important today as we approach
the target year of 2015 for achieving the Education for All objectives
and the Millennium Development Goals, and as we dene the shape
of a new global sustainability agenda to follow 2015. We need
today a new big push in education and a new strategic vision of
educations central importance for human dignity and for sustainable
development in every society.
In this spirit, I am pleased to present this Report for all to read and
re-read.
 Learning to be
The world of education
today and tomorrow

Edgar Faure
Felipe Herrera
Abdul-Razzak Kaddoura
Henri Lopes
Arthur V. Petrovsky
Majid Rahnema
Frederick Champion Ward
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UNESCO is re-issuing the landmark Report of the International
Commission on the Development of Education released in 1972
to inspire a new generation of educationalists with the wisdom of
past thinking.
Though the world has changed since, the Reports main
arguments remain valid: To full the promises of democracy,
education must allow for a constant exchange of ideas, cultivate
the scientic spirit and make available the opportunities of the
learning society to everyone. This implies that education should
not be limited to one age group, or merely reect families beliefs
and traditions. Nor should it cater to the needs of a particular
social class, or be divided into separate levels and streams.
Equally importantly, education should not inhibit creativity or
serve to reproduce social inequalities.
The Commission, presided over by the former Prime Minister
and Minister of Education of France, Edgar Faure, ushered in a
new vision of education that sought to nurture the development of
well-rounded individuals equipped to learn at all stages of life and
committed to a profound aspiration for peace.

ISBN 978-92-3-104246-1

Education
Sector
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United Nations

 
 

Cultural Organization