The Challenge of Complex
Governance
OECD/Japan seminar ”Schooling for tomorrow”:
“Futures Thinking for Education: Policy,
Leadership and the Teaching Profession”
6-8 November 2006
Margrethe Vestager
Member of Danish Parliament, former minister of Education
The conclusion
1. There is a challenge of complex governance
2. The challenge should be meet with a policy mix
of central governance and self-governance in all
levels of the educational system – from the
individual pupils, teachers, school leaders,
regional bodies ect.
3. Self-governance in a framework of central
governance influences the teaching in schools,
teacher training and leadership – it is in it self a
challenge to get the competencies to handle the
challenge of complex governance.
Content:
• Why governance is complex? The changing
global conditions and the many, many things
education should be good for and the change in
youth culture
• The possibilities of government to govern
• The role of Leaders of Education
• The role of Teachers
• And how about the pupils and their parents?
• Concluding questions
Communication
Internet, Mobil communication –
The Internet becomes mobile
Research and
technology
ex. nanotechnology
The creation of new
material on molecular scale
Transport/shipping
- unexpected possibilities
when it comes to move good
and services round the globe
Life of Earth
The Stern rapport, clima
change, energy ect.
Changes – just a few of the
characteristics of globalization:
• Communication
• Technology and Research – ways and
scope
• Transport/shipping
• Environmental
• The liberalization of finance, trade,
movement of people creates a new labour
market and a global market for goods and
services.
Make sure that the needs of
the labour market are met.
…and make sure that these
needs are met in a flexible way.
Contribute to social cohesion
Education
should…
Give pupils and students the basics
of the role of a democratic citizen
Enable each individual to keep
learning in a structured way
Make sure the pupils now a lot of
other tings - about traffic, sex,
alcohol, drugs and how to chose
further education
And in the process of doing
that (as a minimum)
And that in a still more open
education should be costinternational society and market for
effective and efficient
education
…to sum up:
• The conditions of the labourmarket, the market for
goods and services, the terms of trade ect.
• Change seems to be continuing and the speed
seems to be accelerating.
• Education is seem as one measure to many means,
some may be conflicting
• High expectations of what education can achieve
• The mix of competences in the individual are
changing, mostly in new generations.
• Our attitude towards change is changing
Demands to be able to compete:
The worker has
• to have knowledge
• to be able to work in a interdisciplinary way
• to be creative
• to be emphatic with co-workers and
customers
• to be value based
This is from a book by Lars Kolind ”The Kolind Cure”.
In his opinion these 5 ”competences” are what’s
needed for a Danish worker to bee able to compete and
keep the company and the jobs in Denmark.
Change at all levels
• The pupils have to be taught in a way that
promotes self-governance.
• Teacher education and –training have to continue
trough working life and they have to have
academic skills of reflection, analysis and problem
solving – all to promote self-governance.
• Leaders – have to have charge and competence
to handle the processes.
• The governing bodies have to learn how to set
guidelines without going into detail, to allow for
experiments and to create a “marketplace” for
exchange of problems and solutions.
Fantasi
Salvadore Dali
1951
The conclusion
1. There is a challenge of complex governance
2. The challenge should be meet with a policy mix
of central governance and self-governance in all
levels of the educational system – from the
individual pupils, teachers, school leaders,
regional bodies ect.
3. Self-governance in a framework of central
governance influences the teaching in schools,
teacher training and leadership – it is in it self a
challenge to get the competencies to handle the
challenge of complex governance.
+ trust?
… mostly unanswered questions:
• Why is it important to govern education? Could it
be more free or market based?
• Can education meet all goals?
• Are we in control of some of the elements of
complexity or are we on the back of a tiger of
uncontrolled change?
• Do teachers, leaders, pupils ect. want selfgovernance?
• Can the state find means of governance that will
not ruin the possibility of self-governance?
• Eｔｃ.
STOP!