Minister of Education, Research and Church Affairs Jon Lilletun

Address to the ADEA-conference in Johannesburg

6 December 1999

Your Excellency President of South Africa, Minister of Education Kader Asmal, fellow Ministers, Ladies and Gentlemen

I have already been in South Africa for a week and had open and interesting talks with South African leaders. I have learned about education and research of the highest international standard, and I have been told about challenges that may seem overwhelming.

A short poem of a Norwegian writer Alfred Hauge comes to my mind, and I would like to share it with you – in English translation:

It’s the Dream It’s the dream we carry in secret that something miraculous will happen that it must happen – that time will open that heart will open that doors will open that the rockface will open that springs will gush – that the dream will open that one morning we will glide into some harbor we didn’t know was there.

I know that other African countries are facing problems and challenges as demanding as those of this country. I am pleased to see that this conference has chosen a positive approach to those challenges. The background material has given us insight into the encouraging experiences that many African countries report – positive examples of ‘what works’.

To share our experience of what works and what does not work, is probably one of the best ways of stimulating development. In the Nordic countries there is a long tradition of close, cross-border networks among politicians and experts. Indeed, for the last 25 years Nordic co-operation in education has been a formal part of the Nordic Cultural Agreement.

There is no doubt that this exchange of views and experiences, through networks on various levels, has been very valuable. It has played an important role in the development of the educational systems of the Nordic countries. The network among education ministers within ADEA seems to me similar in many ways to the network among Nordic neighbours that we find so useful.

Co-operation between neighbours is necessary. We live in an era of globalisation: globalisation of communications, globalisation of economies and globalisation of education. Borders between countries mean less than before. Our education systems must provide knowledge and skills for industries that themselves are becoming more international and knowledge-based.

The rapid development of communication technologies has contributed to the globalisation of economies, of culture, and of many other spheres of life. However, communication technologies also offer new opportunities for long-distance co-operation between education authorities. We can co-operate on quality in education and on values in education. We can exploit these possibilities for co-operating and creating networks on a more global basis.

ADEA is an organisation that has grown from being a forum between development agencies to becoming a network between those agencies and the education authorities in countries in Africa south of Sahara. This is an important development where the key word is ‘partnership’.

Partnership could involve education authorities in the North. Co-operation over long distances costs time and money. No country can afford to have extensive contacts with many distant partners. Through co-operation with development agencies, education ministries in the North could, however, establish relations with sister ministries in the South – and vice versa.

My ministry is in the process of developing a policy of co-operation through our national development agency. As part of this policy, we also hope to build up direct co-operation with sister ministries in countries in the South.

I believe in the power of networks and partnerships. I believe that the Western education system, will benefit from North-South networks. I believe that we have experiences to share with each other, particularly in the area of sector programmes – which in reality are reforms in educational systems.

It is a privilege for me to be with you today. We are now on the doorstep to at new millenium. Education is in this connection the key word!

Ministers, Ladies and Gentlemen, dear friends, with our joint efforts:

Let us make Africa a better place to live!
Let us make Africa a better place to bring up children!
Let us make Africa the millenium continent!
God bless Africa!

This page was last updated January 14, 2000 by the editors