● The first element is contained in the term civilisation, which can be defined as ?a society in an advanced state of social development (e.g., with complex legal, socio-cultural, economic, political and religious organizations?. Seen differently, human history may be viewed as people slowly progressed from barbarism to civilization. A more refined definition covers the quality of excellence in thought and manners and taste- ?a man of intellectual refinement?; ?he is remembered for his generosity and civilization?

● The second element has to do with self-acquisition. The fundamental question here is this: can knowledge or skill be anything but self-acquired which I firmly believe to be true. In which case the true nature of the teacher is that of the ?guru?, the guide (remembering that the best way to guide is by personal, living example), the challenger, the facilitator. The best teachers in the world have long ago rejected the notion of teacher = source or fount of all knowledge and wisdom to be poured into the empty glass of grateful students. In any case students today are not passive, grateful disciples, but are (rightly so) inquisitive and demanding, impatient for results and progress. In any case today, the internet tool is a far superior source of data and information than any single teacher. As a simple example, when searching for a?definition of civilisation? on Google, I was confronted with 1,050,000 entries (many repetitive) in less than one second!

● The third element appears in red in the above definition (which comes from the UNESCO/EOLSS Encyclopaedia ?The living world?). Thus the true measure of education is not the number of A?s obtained by the learner at CPE, SC or HSC. It is rather the less easily measurable quality of excellence in thought, manners and action,? of generosity and civilisation?. Good schools can achieve that! Thus the proper evaluation of any given school or of any given schooling system is the opportunity it gives to the learner to grow and develop his or her talents and abilities, to the extent that the Upper Sixth student has been positively transformed from the raw Form One ?child? who joined 7 years earlier. To what development are we referring to here? Of course it?s about personal development: meaning to spring up, to mature, to get larger, it implies moving toward one?s best; not necessarily more of any trait or skill, but better than before. Such growth does require good guidance, self-discovery and above all persistent hard work. A new concept (PDP) is indeed a new way for students (and adult professionals!) to look at their education.

● Personal Development Planning has been defined as ?a structured and supported process undertaken by an individual to reflect upon their own learning, performance and achievements and to plan for their personal, educational and career development?. It is intended to help students become more effective, self-directed learners; understand how they are learning and relate their learning to a wider context; improve their general skills for study and career management; and encourage an attitude for life-long learning. Please retain as being vital to PDP the element of persistent hard-work, which may be lacking in the cadre who has jumped through 4 jobs over the last 2 years, the student who has changed 3 schools dissatisfied with all of them, the politician purporting to serve the country who regularly crosses the floor or even the journalist who has done the rounds of many if not most of the papers. Perseverance and mobility may not be exclusive of each other!

<B>Dr. Michael ATCHIA</B> (President Commission or Education of IUBS, 1991-1995)

( IUBS : International Union of Biological Sciences)