| Summary, etc |
"Since its inception 24 years ago, the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) has organized training courses in all areas relevant to fellows from 71 countries have undergone training at IRRI. Training programs leading to university degrees have been undertaken jointly with the University of the Philippines at Los Baños (UPLB) and with several other leading agricultural universities in different parts of the world.<br/>In 1983 the Institute, in collaboration with the Committee on Science and Technology in Developing Countries (COSTED) and the Asian Association of Agricultural Colleges and Universities (AAACU), planned a symposium to review the present state of agricultural education in the context of the opportunities now existing for a learning revolution. Also, it was felt that a thorough review of the emerging human resource needs and requirements of the government sector, agricultural universities, agribusiness, and farmers in the coming decade would be useful. It was also at this time that the Technical Advisory Committee of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research initiated a comprehensive review of the training activities of the International Agricultural Research Centers.<br/>With the endorsement of IRRI's Academic Council the plans for the holding of the symposium were prepared by an organizing committee composed of representatives of UPLB, the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture, AAACU, and consultants and senior staff of IRRI concerned with training programs. The participants in the seminar, whose names and addresses are included at the back of this book, came from leading agricultural universities in Asia, Africa, North America, and Europe as well as from ministries of agriculture and education, international and national research centers, funding agencies, agribusiness entities, and farmers' organizations.<br/>IRRI was privileged to host the symposium on November 12-16, 1984. The primary objective was not only to assess the present needs of agricultural education and training but also to suggest methods for bringing together the resources and capabilities of all sectors involved in this great endeavor.<br/>I am especially grateful to the members of the organizing committee for their efforts in handling the myriad details of the symposium: M. D. Pathak, chairman, T. R. Hargrove, D. R. Minnick, F. T. Rivera, and B. R. Tripathi, all of IRRI; F. A. Bernardo, AAACU; R. Radhakrishna, COSTED; D. L. Umali, FAO/IRRI; Suraphol Sanguansri, SEARCA, and C. B. Perez, Jr. and O. F. Sison, UPLB.<br/>It is hoped that the recommendations formulated during the symposium will be helpful to institutions and individuals engaged in the task of creating a cadre of well trained agriculturists responsive to the needs of practical farming. research, education, extension, public administration, and private and public sector industry.<br/>A primary message of the participants was the need for continuously updating the knowledge and skills of teachers and agriculture graduates so that they can extend effective assistance to the farmers and fishermen whose guests we all are on this planet. In this context, it was stressed that the wisdom contained in the following poem of Rabindranath Tagore should always be kept in mind by educational institutions -<br/>"A lamp cannot light another lamp unless it itself is also lit<br/>A teacher cannot truly teach unless he himself is also learning"<br/><br/>- M. S. Swaminathan<br/>Director General |
