The principles of democratic governance and of accountability must be reflected at every level of the education and training system. The education system must counter the legacy of violence by promoting the values underlying the democratic process and the charter of fundamental rights, the importance of due process of law and the exercise of civic responsibility. The curriculum in all forms of education should never be simply vocational but should always encourage critical and independent thought . Curriculum choice should be diversified in order to give increasing numbers the skills they will require in the world of work. The expansion of the education and training system must meet the test of sustainability .
Sustainability is to be understood in more than just a financial sense.
True sustainability occurs when those involved claim ownership of educational and training services and are involved continuously in the planning, governance and implementation of those policies. The efficiency and productivity of the education and training system must be improved to justify public expenditure, to improve the quality of the system and to improve the life chances of learners. All of these values and principles will have an impact on future government funding policies. The view of the task group was that some will clearly have to be given a greater emphasis than others. The values and principles contained in this working vision and in the White Paper are captured in the formal brief set by the NCHE for the task group.