Organization for economic cooperation and development; Partnership for progress, part 2

The end AB radio network presents partnership for progress the first in a series of reports on the recently concluded international conference on education and economic development. This conference was sponsored by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. O c d is a policy development and coordinating agency of 18 countries of Western Europe plus the United States and Canada and is the modern outgrowth of the Marshall Plans organization for European Economic Cooperation. Here now is the moderator for partnership for progress John F. Lewis. In the clear hall atmosphere of Washington this October the representatives of 20 nations generally regarded as advanced and enterprising in the matter of education and economic uplift met to consider two primary considerations. One the furtherance of education as an investment in Western society and the impact of Education's future growth on our economy and to how best our educational

advantages and economic strength may be brought to bear on the developing or emerging nations of the world. The participating countries examined a series of impressive papers by some of the world's leading economists and educators and offered in Florida discussions held at the Brookings Institution in Washington methods for implementing the most rapid advancement possible in so-called underdeveloped areas of the globe. They also had some things to say about their own societies of Western Europe and North America. In the opening session held at the State Department on Washington's 21st Street Secretary of State Dean Rusk set the tone for the meeting when he said the United States the American people have had from the beginning. What some people have called and ordered an interest in education from the very beginning we emphasized on the shores strong attachment to the educational process.

First it was to educate ministers and other professional manpower. But something very important happened in the middle of the 19th century which is directly related to our topic today because we then were a rapidly developing country. We had great potential of resources great shortages of trained manpower. We had a continent to open up and develop. Next year we should be celebrating the 100th anniversary of what we call our land grant college system. Those Lang grant colleges and universities were invented in essence to abscessed in the process of development. They did not phrase it that way at the time but that in fact was the purpose which underlay our interest in agricultural mechanical colleges. And that indeed has been the role played

by these great institutions alongside of them have been hundreds of private institutions and indeed the tax supported classical type universities which I played the more traditional roles. But for us in this country education is not something which is a luxury which can be afforded after development has occurred. But it is an integral part and inescapable and essential part of the developmental process itself. I would suggest that. That the bottleneck in development today right around the world is not money. It's not really capital resources the bottleneck the crucial bottleneck continues to be people. And I think if we look at the problems of development in a country after country outside the West we should find that people are the bottleneck. And this means that education has a crucial role to play. And this I suspect is the great difference between the possibilities of a program like the Marshall

Plan and the problems of the development developmental programs in the non-Western parts of the world which we see at the present time. And education makes possible the economic democracy that rests on social mobility afforded education that ensures that classes are not frozen and that an elite of whatever kind does not perpetuate itself. And in the underdeveloped economy is education itself stimulates development by dramatically demonstrating that tomorrow need not be the same as yesterday. That change can take place. That the outlook is hopeful. Even in developed economies education is a key to more rapid more meaningful economic growth. The old adage has never been more true than today that there is plenty of room at the top. Advanced Education is the basis on which research and development rest and is the foundation of technological progress. But it is through mass education that the discoveries of the laboratory are applied in the production process and sharing more

rapid growth and Carmella through increases in the acres of land or the number of machines and the total man hours worked. Knowledge can be found by the few but it must be applied and distributed by the many. This conference will speak of education as an investment rather than as an expenditure for at rather than it is expended for education is an investment and a good one it yields a high rate of return. It is no secret that this administration believes in education in this country and in our aid programs we shall devote increasing proportions to educational development not merely because education is a vitally important social service as it is but because education is a good investment as it is. This administration believes that educational systems and institutions make possible such increases in productivity that they merit support through loans and credits as a form of envy. ASMAN not only through grants as a form of expanded yet we see clearly that a country has the richest assets are not its

factories it's roads it's bridges but it's people we will do our share in aiding the development of this human capital. Well this is the richest natural resource of all and it is indeed fortunate that education desirable in and of itself makes sense in economic terms as well. With Secretary Rusk's message the conference came to order with a kind of keynote address of explanation from the secretary general of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development Dr. Thorkild Christensen of Denmark. This conference on education and economic growth is sponsored by the OEC. The new Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development which after a period of preparation was finally established at the end of last month. It comprises the United States and Canada and 18 European countries. So is this an expression of the

Western world in the widest sense in this organization called NATO countries and also in Europe. We have a certain zone the countries like Finland and Europe. It is important to have this wide organization of the Western industrialized countries. It is not an instrument of the Cold War. It is because of the rapidly growing dependence of economical highly developed countries who because of this into dependence we must work closely together regarding our own economic policy and regarding our aid to countries in the process of development especially relations with us. It is

important that this organization covers both European new country and to come to and because Europe and North America both the lost markets of the less developed countries and largest suppliers of capital. It could be said that the organization but with wide responsibilities. Why then are we organizing these kind of problems connecting education closely with economic growth not only in our member countries but also in less developed countries. The conference was prepared by the Office for scientific and technical person in B.C. the organization that preceded

their large organization the governing body of that office has prepared this conference because we believe because we live in the age of science and experience seems to indicate that a very considerable part of economic growth is not simply to an increase in the amount of physical capital and indeed at large and probably increasing due to increased knowledge in due to better techniques better administration and so on. War education bringing knowledge to more people is one of the most powerful instruments of economic growth. At the same time education is one

of the finest fruits of growth. Because when we can afford to live I can think of no better sources than giving to every body more knowledge and more understanding of the world in which we live. So when we develop knowledge as an instrument of economic growth one of us else will be more knowledge. In opening this conference May I express the hope that when it finishes we will have gained more knowledge on how to write and the knowledge we have and the knowledge we took out in the years to come.

And the opening session heard these guiding comments from Assistant Secretary of State Phillip Coombes who presided at all sessions of the OEC policy conference. We are joined this week guided by learned papers instead of the headlines to look beyond today's great unresolved conflict to a brighter set of goals for mankind. A decade or more ahead our business briefly stated is to seek ways to pursue these goals rapidly and effectively. Our primary focus is on education as a potent means available to society for promoting economic growth and social development in both highly and less developed countries already is not simply to have stimulating talk but to clarify ideas which can shape policy and action ideas with the power to make a beneficial difference in the course of human events. A meeting on the subject would not have

been held a generation ago. Only lately have significant numbers of able economists and educators turned their attention to probing the vital link between the nation's educational effort and its economic and social advancement. Such relationships have long been assumed to exist but often the assumption was insufficiently compelling to override more practical considerations such as money. It is perhaps not unfair to say that in all our countries we have tended to be schizo frantic about education. We praise its virtues and count on it to help the new generation solve great problems which the older generation has failed to solve. But when it comes to spending more money for education our deeds often fail to match our words. As a result our rapidly expanding educational needs quantitatively and qualitatively

have outstripped our national educational efforts leaving a serious educational gap which now urgently requires closing. This then was the opening of this important conference of the largest international organization of the free world of Europe and North America. In subsequent broadcasts in this series you will hear much more of the real meat of discussion of what concerns the men who are offering hope through a partnership for progress among the countries of Western civilization and between them and the new underdeveloped nations of the world. From Washington this is John F. Lewis reporting. You've been listening to the partnership for progress the first in a series of reports on the recently concluded conference on education and economic development conducted in Washington by the OEC de the International Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. Your moderator was John F. Lewis. This series is a presentation of the National Association of educational broadcasters

and is being distributed by the end E.B. Radio Network.