A good quality education is inclusive, relevant and democratic. Of these three characteristics, the author contends that democratic is the most fundamental and underpins the other two. Education can only truly be inclusive and relevant if its goals are continuously the subject of open democratic debate, since education is a value-based, contextually and culturally contingent activity that fundamentally shapes the lives of individuals and the societies in which people live. As such, the goals of education should always be subject to review and debate, including by teachers and learners, who are most directly involved in educational activities on a day-to-day basis. It is only through open debate that dominant models of basic education can be challenged for marginalising the socio-cultural identities and pedagogic traditions of non-Western groups. It is only through open debate that the implications of sustainability, climate change, the preservation of biodiversity and linguistic diversity for educational goals and processes can be hammered out. It is only through open debate that resolving the impossible tension between creating education systems that are accessible to all children and at the same time meet their diverse learning needs can be started.