Governments, donor agencies and all supporters of higher education need to take this challenge seriously. The central challenge of the information age is to give billions of people the education and training that let them benefit from the global knowledge revolution. The young people of the developing world have the greatest needs, but the older citizens of industrialised countries face challenges of change too. Knowledge revolutions mean lifelong learning. Conventional education and training institutions cannot deliver what is required.
Capacity is too low and cost is too high.
The first essential quality is an idealistic commitment to educate people whoever and wherever they are. Second, methods must suit the aspirations of those who learn, rather than the convenience of those who teach. The techniques of distance learning are a notable advance because they allow education and training to be open to people and to places. Third, costs must be low. Developing countries will account for the growth in the world labour force for 20 years.