Nelson Mandela's assessment of the importance of education for girls and young women is correct. Education is a necessary first step to reaching one's potential in any location. However, the United Nations Sustainable Development goals on Education (https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/education/) provides evidence that the effort to bring new learning and with it greater oppotunity to all children and young adults requires continued effort (United Nations, 2020, para. 1). It is estimated that more than one half of all children and adloiescents worldwide are deficient in reading and mathematiics. These worldwide data indicate that the achievement discrpancies are not restricted to any given society based on economic status.

The covid pandemic has further threatened student progress, and recent evidence indicates that students at risk prior to 2020 have been most adversely affected. The time for new learning is here. As educators we must plan to correct the descrepancies observed 2018 and we also must plan to reverse the 2020 losses. The abrupt change to remote learning certainly felt like new learning, at least for the faculty! It soon became apparent that all students needed a new way to approach their learning objectives. At the very least, students in the US needed increased accountability for thier own learning.

In countries with limited resources, the challenges are even greater. Nelson Mandela's sound advice may be the appropriate way to establish new learning pedagogy that will bring greater improvement in student success at all levels.