“Media must perceive themselves as providers of education” | Home | DW.DE | 25.06.2012

“Media must perceive themselves as providers of education” | Home | DW.DE | 25.06.2012:

“Upbringing, culture and education for all are key to peaceful interaction, to sustainable development and to intercultural dialog.”

This was the message of the Deputy Director General of Deutsche Welle, Reinhard Hartstein, on June 25 at the opening of the Deutsche Welle Global Media Forum in Bonn. Through June 27, more than 1,800 participants from around the world will be discussing the subject of “Culture. Education. Media - Shaping a Sustainable World.”

“Education for all is key to a country's economic progress and prosperity - which in turn drives the growth of the global economy,” Hartstein said. Conversely, educational emergency leads to poverty and social tension. Even many armed conflicts are rooted in lack of education or the poverty and social inequalities it causes. “So our goal must be to better distribute education opportunities around the world. This is a task of global importance,” Hartstein stressed.

He pointed to the importance of the media. Their task is “to get the public involved, create transparency about education shortfalls and raise awareness of the topic.” Moreover, they “must perceive themselves as providers of education and embrace education as their objective.”

Knowledge and education are “an important resource - for developed and less developed countries alike.”