Ever since Early Man crossed the river to see what was on the other side, the search for understanding and enlightenment has fuelled the human mind. Curiosity may have killed the cat, but without this inherent human trait, we would still be living in caves and sheltering under trees. The acquisition of knowledge is the life blood of our species - and education is the mainframe of our Civilisation.

Morality
Take the way we react to events, the way we behave towards each other, or how we solve the everyday problems confronting us. Our reactions stem from what we've been taught. The morals and principals we attempt to aspire to, or at least espouse, are all part of education. Moral codes are founded on the thoughts of Eastern mystics, Ancient Greek philosophers, Old Testament prophets or the New Testament gospels. The 'elders', the men and women who communicated these 'codes', who 'spread the word', were life's first teachers, and they needed to read and write in order to pass on the Bible's Ten Commandments, and the wisdom of the Koran. In time education became the medium through which we pass down knowledge and wisdom from one to another.  

Technology
Today the passage of knowledge and information has never been simpler - via modern technology. People can sit in front of a tiny window and view unfolding events from anywhere in the world. Ghastly wars, terrifying earthquakes, human tragedies of all kinds, can be seen as they happen - unfettered and raw. People can judge for themselves and make their own assessments. They can make up their own minds with the help of knowledge and understanding earned from education. Without education we remain by varying degree, in the dark, half mystified, and unenlightened.  

Leisure
The revolutions in information technology and communications, continue as never before. And while all this offers enormous creative potential to teachers and to students alike, it brings problems too. How will we handle it? How can we benefit? What will we do with the spare time that the forced leisure from 'hi-tec' bestows on us?  

Ignorance 
The advance in technology brings with it many new problems. As recently as 1985 just a quarter of Britain's sixteen-year-old achieved five 'O' Level passes, or the equivalent. This translated into a poor performing 40 per cent of young people with little job prospect and not much else to look forward too, and mostly unable to grasp events happening around them as portrayed via the all dominating media. A lack of understanding, the inability to separate need from greed, to discern good from bad, is dangerous. It leads to an inability to cope with life, to frustration, to pressure, and to the 21st Century's Number One personal concern - stress!