The Importance of Open Education

One topic I’m passionate about is the importance of providing quality education that is affordable, flexible, and accessible to all those seeking to pursue courses. I strongly believe that education is a fundamental human right, yet today there are still many people that are gated from education owing to social, economic and bureaucratic barriers.

Affordability is made possible through scholarships, sponsorships, reasonable fees and exemptions; any person who aspires to attain education should be encouraged to pursue it regardless of their economic status. Flexibility signifies that education should be suitable for different life situations by offering programmes that can successfully accommodate different lifestyles and working conditions. Accessibility tools should be made available to make the learning process an inclusive experience. Quality encompasses a series of aspects that range from relevant learning resources and infrastructures to qualified facilitators and student engagement.

It's worth noting that today's education isn’t bound anymore to a set time in an individual’s life, but instead it has shifted toward a more permanent resource, such as health care, that needs to be available throughout the whole life course. This is needed to remain productive as we are always asked for more and more advanced skills to keep up with new discoveries, technological advancements, and to drive change.

Alas, there are still many challenges that must be addressed to guarantee the right to education for everyone. It has been noted that there is an inverse relationship between gross national income and school dropout rates, meaning that the poorer a country is, the more people aren’t able to attend school due to personal and family struggles. Another factor is technological development, which today is an integral part of our daily lives and is also an excellent tool to disseminate good quality information, but it still doesn't cover all territories equally. This can be due to multiple factors, such as  lack of infrastructure or low digital literacy in educational institutions.

The challenge is now underway: we need to find ways to create opportunities to guarantee adequate learning possibilities to nurture and enrich people’s minds. Education is one of the most powerful tools to improve oneself, promoting personal fulfilment as well as bringing social elevation and freedom. This in turn allows for the evolution of better societies; better economic development; and an increased number of resources available.

Education is thus an investment for better communities on a local level, better countries on a national level and, given the globalisation that we’re experiencing in our times, education can truly be seen as a common worldwide good. As a result, local governments should not be solely responsible for providing education; instead, private and global institutions must collaborate to build knowledge networks that empower individuals to become active promoters of positive change.