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Contents
(24 Septembre 2001)
Top
story
Key
decision-makers to participate in high-level group on EFA
International events
Second
meeting of Working Group made headway on EFA strategies
Beijing
Declaration proposes new strategies for EFA in nine high-population
countries
International
Conference on Education on how learning can fight social
tension
Almost
4 billion can now read and write (2001 International Literacy
Day)
Expert
meeting recommends new international forum on the impact
of globalization on higher education
Regional events
Countdown
to a strategy on lifelong learning in Europe
Meeting
of African national EFA co-ordinators in Paris
New
web forum to promote public debate on education in Latin
America and the Caribbean
Civil society on the move for EFA
UNESCO
Director-General advocates an expanded role for civil society
First
Collective Consultation of civil society in Latin America
and the Caribbean
National action for EFA
Chile:
First social dialogue on EFA
New publications and websites
Changing
attitudes in Africa through radio
EDucate
- a new magazine from a group in Pakistan
UNESCO
launches higher education e-forum
Upcoming EFA conferences
September-November
2001
Attachment:
Draft
proposal for mobilization by civil society organizations
in Latin America and the Caribbean (in Spanish only)
Key decision-makers to participate in high-level group
on EFA
Several
prominent leaders and eighteen ministers of education and
international co-operation from developing and developed countries
will attend the first meeting of the high-level group on Education
for All, 29-30 October at UNESCO's headquarters in Paris.
Convened by UNESCO Director-General, Koïchiro Matsuura, the
meeting will gather some thirty key decision-makers.
Participants
include the President of Senegal, Abdoulaye Wade, the head
of UNICEF, Carol Bellamy, the Secretary of State for International
Development Co-operation of the United Kingdom, Claire Short,
the President of the Japanese International Cooperation Agency,
Takao Kawakami, and the chair of OECD's Development Assistance
Committee, Jean-Claude Faure.
The civil society will be represented by the Director of Oxfam,
Barbara Stocking, the presidents of Education International,
Mary Hatwood Futrell, of Asociacion Brasileria de ONGs (ABONG),
Sergio Haddad, and of the Forum for African Women Educationalists
(FAWE), Bouli Ali Diallo, and the chairperson of the Global
March Against Child Labour, Kailash Satyarthi.
Based on a Monitoring Report on EFA progress and challenges
since the 2000 World Education Forum, participants will deliberate
on how to sustain political commitment, accelerate resource
mobilization and improve civil society participation and partnerships.
Second meeting of Working Group made headway on EFA strategies
The second meeting of the Working Group on EFA (Paris, 10-12
September) agreed on a series of recommendations concerning
the preparation of a comprehensive EFA strategy, and the assessment
and funding of national EFA plans of action, and discussed
the first Monitoring Report and the communiqué for the high-level
meeting. The Group also decided to launch two new flagship
programmes, one on teachers for quality education and one
on education and disabilities.
The meeting brought together some forty representatives of
countries, regional organizations, bilateral and multilateral
agencies, civil society organizations, the Organisation for
Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the European
Commission and the G8.
Daily up-dates on the meeting:
www.unesco.org/education/efa/global_co/working_group/index.shtml
International Conference on Education on how learning can
fight social tension
"Education for All: Learning to Live Together" was the banner
under which 80 education ministers and some 600 delegates
from 127 nations came together in Geneva (5 - 8 September)
at the 46th session of the International Conference on Education,
convened by the UNESCO International Bureau for Education
(IBE).
On the agenda were citizenship education, social exclusion
and violence, and the need to boost the quality of teaching
in the face of scientific and technological advances, multiculturalism
and globalization. During the four-day event, participants
put forward their views on the issues tabled, "not as hard
and fast solutions to problems but as inspiration to innovate,"
said Cecilia Braslavsky, IBE Director.
"Wars in the past century killed more than 180 million individuals
but during that period we enrolled a record number of children
in school," added Braslavsky "We must break the myth that
more education leads to more peace, but learning plays a key
role as a counter-culture to fight exclusion and the use of
force".
There was consensus that the school alone could not be expected
to take on discrimination and inequalities in society; the
family and community are equally involved. The role of teachers
in instilling the ideals of citizenship education was highlighted
throughout the conference. The final document, 'Conclusions
and Proposals for Action' calls for improving teacher education
to better develop solidarity and tolerance among pupils and
"to prepare them to prevent and resolve conflicts peacefully."
Participants also agreed that curricula should be reshaped
to reflect changes set in motion by globalization, migration
and cultural diversity.
Conclusions, speeches and documents are available on the ICE
website: www.ibe.unesco.org/International/ICE/46english/46onlinee.htm
Beijing Declaration proposes new strategies for EFA
Education Ministers of nine high-population countries (E9)
- Bangladesh, Brazil, China, Egypt, India, Indonesia Mexico,
Nigeria and Pakistan - reaffirmed their commitment to intensify
efforts and strengthen their policies for achieving education
for all at the three-day Ministerial Review Meeting (21-23
August, Beijing, China).
The Declaration takes stock of several challenges that the
countries face and spells out strategies to deal with them.
These include, among others, forming and executing national
action plans, increasing financial outlays for education,
and providing safe and caring school environments that allow
students to become healthy and alert.
The ministers specifically requested UNESCO to (1) create
a technology-based mechanism to help them communicate about
their EFA activities in general, and the use of distance education
and new information and communication technologies in particular
and (2) to launch 'a special initiative with the help of other
agencies for holistic early childhood development and education'.
The Beijing declaration and speeches are available on www.unesco.org/education/e9/events.shtml
Almost 4 billion can now read and write (2001 International
Literacy Day)
There are now almost four billion people on the planet who
can read and write, highlighting the significant progress
made in past decades. While lauding the “spectacular progress”
towards global literacy, the Director-General of UNESCO, Koïchiro
Matsuura, also stressed in a message for International Literacy
Day (8 September), that “literacy continues to be unevenly
distributed within and between societies." This situation
is all the more intolerable because the technologies, expertise,
experience and resources to build a literate world are available
today. The scale and complexity of the task of achieving literacy
for all are certainly daunting. "There is too much at stake,
however, to allow ourselves to become dispirited,” Matsuura
said.
More information: www.unesco.org/education/literacy_2001/
Expert meeting recommends new international forum to follow
the impact of globalization on higher education
The emerging international market in higher education makes
it increasingly important to promote education as a public
good and to ensure quality assurance beyond national borders.
To cope with this new situation, a recent expert meeting (UNESCO,
Paris, 10-11 September) recommended the establishment of an
international forum for dialogue on the impact of globalization
on higher education under the auspices of UNESCO.
Gathering some fifty experts from a wide range of stakeholder
groups, the meeting concluded with a draft outline of an Action
Plan for the establishment of this Forum, and recommended
the establishment of a Task Force to develop and monitor the
implementation of this Action Plan
John Daniel, UNESCO's Assistant Director-General for Education
underlined in his opening speech the link of the meeting to
the EFA agenda. "To the extent that the global community succeeds
in providing Education for All it will increase even further
the demand for higher education, which is already estimated
to reach some 150 million students by the year 2020. The basic
aim of this expert meeting is to help ensure that these people
can study within an institutional framework that gives due
recognition to their achievements and reduces to a minimum
the obstacles to study," he said.
More information: www.unesco.org/education/studyingabroad/highlights/results.shtml
Meeting of African national EFA co-ordinators in Paris
National co-ordinators from forty-five African countries and
key educational development partners gathered in Paris, 17-19
September, to discuss the preparation of national EFA action
plans, determine the needs for support, facilitate networking
among stakeholders and stimulate donors support.
The meeting made several recommendations concerning how to
ensure that national EFA action plans be ready by the end
of 2002. It also deliberated on the proposal for a regional
action plan as well as regional mechanisms for EFA follow-up.
The meeting was organized by UNESCO Dakar. A more extensive
report will be available shortly.
More information: www.unesco.org/education/efa/news_en/010827_reunion_sep.shtml
Countdown to a strategy on lifelong learning in Europe
An unprecedented gathering of European civil society organisations
was organized in Brussels, Belgium, on 10 September to discuss
a Europe-wide lifelong learning strategy. In collaboration
with a specially formed platform of seven key NGOs, the European
Commission had invited 200 representatives of some 35 non-governmental
organizations, large and small businesses, education and training
providers, trade unions, human resource specialists and trainers,
and researchers.
The meeting was part of a Europe-wide consultation based on
the Memorandum of lifelong learning published by the European
Commission in October 2000. The huge response to this initiative
has confirmed a clear and urgent requirement for action at
all levels, including the need for Member States to work together
and build on successful projects on education, training and
youth programmes within the European Union.
The conclusions of the conference will serve as valuable input
to the Commission's action plan on lifelong learning planned
for later this year.
More information: www.europa.eu.int/comm/education/life/index.html
New web forum to promote public debate on education in
Latin America and the Caribbean
UNESCO's Regional Bureau for Education in Latin America and
the Caribbean (Santiago de Chile) has launched a new internet-based
consultative forum on the Regional Education Project, 2001-2015.
The forum will be available from 17 September to 31 October
2001 and the results will be presented at the meeting of Vice-Ministers
of Education in November 2001 and in March 2002 at a conference
of Education Ministers in the region.
Visit the new forum: http://foro.unesco.cl/en/01.php
UNESCO Director-General advocates an expanded role for
civil society
The special session on the involvement of civil society in
EFA on 8 September in Geneva was both a symbolic and a substantive
event. The 80 ministers and 10 vice ministers of education
and 400 governmental and non-governmental representatives
met on a single platform to discuss real examples of how their
collaboration is conducted in practice. Education Ministers
from Ghana, Mozambique, Nepal and Yemen were joined by a civil
society organization from three of these countries to present
experiences of State/NGO partnership for EFA. A lively debate
identified four areas in particular where the role of civil
society is especially valuable in the context of EFA: as alternative
service providers, as innovators, as critics and advocates,
and as policy partners.
The question facing countries is how they can move from a
clear recognition of civil society’s policy role to genuine
participation and partnership at the country level. “National
policy dialogue may at times be a cumbersome process,” said
UNESCO Director-General Koïchiro Matsuura, “but it is essential
for moving the EFA agenda forward.”
The General Secretary of Education International, Fred van
Leeuwen, recalled the need for political will in achieving
the Dakar goals, which requires a strong global campaign for
education, deeply rooted in civil society.
The session also emphasized the importance of government leadership
in co-ordinating civil society efforts for EFA.
The session was organized within the framework of the 46th
Session of the International Conference on Education.
More information:
www.ibe.unesco.org/International/ICE/46english/46onlinee.htm#meeting
First Collective Consultation of civil society in Latin
America and the Caribbean
Representatives of 31 leading international, regional an national
non-governmental organizations active in EFA in Latin America
and the Caribbean met in Santiago, Chile, at the first Collective
Consultation of civil society in this region (23-24 August).
The discussions focused on three key areas: (1) exchange on
lessons learned -- from successful or unsuccessful experiences;
(2) identification of co-operation strategies among civil
society, governments and intergovernmental organizations toward
the goals of the Dakar and Santo Domingo action frameworks;
and (3) development of concrete strategies to strengthen the
participation of organizations of civil society in the preparation
of national plans of action. The participants drafted and
presented at the end of the meeting the short-term proposal
for mobilization by civil society organizations (2001-2002),
which outlines the strategies needed to strengthen civil society
participation in the preparation of national EFA plans of
action and lists a series of recommendations for international
organizations. A draft version is attached (in Spanish only).
The meeting was jointly organized by UNESCO and UNICEF regional
offices.
More information:
www.unesco.cl or contact: Mami Umayahara, UNESCO Santiago
(m.umayahara@unesco.cl)
National action for EFA (Chile)
Chile: First social dialogue on EFA
The First "Social Dialogue" on Education for All in Chile
was held in Santiago, 20-21 August. Co-organized by the Ministry
of Education and the United Nations Inter-agency Theme Group
on EFA, the meeting gathered 160 education specialists from
a wide range of public and private sectors. They discussed
the objectives, priorities and strategies for the preparation
of the National EFA Plan of Action.
UNESCOs regional office in Santiago co-ordinates this national
EFA initiative in Chile, which is considered an “EFA laboratory”
for the Latin America. The office will try to apply the same
approach of social dialogue in the other 12 regions of Chile
as well as to other countries in the region. The final report
will be published shortly and widely distributed. A follow-up
planning meeting is scheduled on 5 October to prepare a follow-up
proposal to be presented to the Minister of Education.
More information: http://www.unesco.cl
or contact Mami Umayahara. UNESCO Santiago / E-mail m.umayahara@unesco.cl
New publications and websites
Changing attitudes in Africa through radio
Under its project, Promoting Girls' and Women's Education,
UNESCO, with the financial assistance of DANIDA, has been
running and supporting training workshops for the production
of radio programmes and reading materials over the past four
years. A new book, "Changing Times, Changing Attitudes", provides
a compilation of radio scripts selected from those produced
during the workshops and cover a broad selection of themes:
HIV/AIDS, domestic violence, exploitation of girls domestic
servants, child marriage and unequal distribution of housework,
etc. Copies can be obtained from Namtip Aksornhool (n.aksornkool@unesco.org)
EDucate - a new magazine from a group in Pakistan
The Sindh Education Foundation in Pakistan has launched a
new magazine on education for social change (EDucate). The
magazine is available in English on www.sef.org.pk
or can be obtained from sef@cyber.net.pk
UNESCO launches higher education e-forum
UNESCO has set up a new e-forum as part of the follow-up to
the 1998 World Conference on Higher Education to continue
the reflection and debate on the roles and missions of higher
education in the twenty-first century, to take stock of the
main policy issues and to chart the advancement of the renovation
process.
More: http://www.unesco.org/education/wche/events.shtml
Upcoming EFA conferences (September-November 2001)
(This list is not exhaustive -- contributions are welcome!)
24-25 September
The Second Meeting of American Ministers of Education (Punta
del Este, Uruguay), organized by Organization of American
States (OAS). UNESCO is represented by John Daniel, Assistant
Director-General for Education, and Ana-Luiza Machado, Director
of UNESCO Santiago.
Contact: Ana María Corvalan (a.corvalan@unesco.cl)
or
www.mec.gub.uy/reunionministros/ingles.htm
1-5 October
Arab regional seminar on HIV/AIDS within the school system
organized by UNESCO (Brumana, Lebanon).
Contact: Noha Bawazir (n.bawazir@unesco.org)
5 October
First conference on Education for All organized by the United
Kingdom National Commission for UNESCO (Birmingham, United
Kingdom) (this is the first of a series of six events on the
six EFA goals.
Contact: Sally Gear (sally.gear@britishcouncil.org)
7-11 October
Biennial Meeting of the Association for the Development of
Education in Africa (ADEA) (Arusha, United Republic of Tanzania)
Contact: www.adeanet.org/biennial
15 October - 3 November
UNESCO General Conference (Paris) Contact: www.unesco.org/confgen/index.shtml
24-27 October
World Education Forum "Education in a Globalized World" (Porto
Alegre, Brazil) Contact: http://www.forummundialdeeducacao.com.br/
26-28 October
Sommet de la francophonie (Beirut)
Contact: www.sommet2001.org/
Contact:
Anne Muller (a.muller@unesco.org)
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