Civilization is in a race between education and catastrophe. Let us learn the truth and spread it as far and wide as our circumstances allow. For the truth is the greatest weapon we have.
— H.G. Wells
I heard the Wells quote from my father many years ago. Both he and my mother had been teachers, so education has been in my blood. I was a professor for twelve years, and for over thirty years I have worked at my own company, Object Innovations, developing courses to teach programmers computer software technologies, including programming languages.
i also like to learn new things! For a number of years I have enjoyed studying languages via the online learning platform Duolingo. Recently they shared with learners an overview of the company’s strategy. It is well worth reading. The document begins with a mission statement.
“Our mission is to develop the best education in the world and make it universally available. Duolingo was founded by Carnegie Mellon engineers Luis von Ahn and Severin Hacker, who shared a vision of building an intelligent learning system powered by massive user engagement data to drive better learning outcomes. As immigrants and non-native English speakers, they experienced firsthand how education creates opportunity and transforms lives. Yet, high-quality education remains out of reach for much of the world.
“Our mission is to change that. We believe everyone, regardless of socioeconomic status, should have access to high-quality education. Using technology, we’re making world-class learning available to anyone with a smartphone—from CEOs in Silicon Valley to students in Mexico and career-changers in Vietnam. It’s an ambitious, long-term vision. We started with language learning for its economic impact, but our goal is to build a 100-year company that transforms how the world learns everything.”
I found their vision hopeful and inspiring, and it encourages me to devote my own energy in my remaining years to education.