ABSTRACT
In the seventies, Ivan Illich wrote a visionary book called Deschooling society. This book evokes images of a learning shop, situated between the bakery and the grocery. Behind the counter an elderly lady passes her wisdom on to her customers. If necessary, she helps them find and interpret additional sources of information. Illich’s visions highlight the importance of an integrated kind of knowledge and the accessibility of such knowledge to the person in the street. These two elements are also essential in the current debate on education. Society needs citizens who have cognitive and social skills. While knowledge of facts is less important, the capacity to find and cope with information now has high value. Information is everywhere. Each self-respecting city square has electronic information pillars. Service centres and Internet cafés are daily increasing in number. Finding one’s way in the information society is a precious skill.
