VOICES RISING
YEAR III - VOL 3. Nº156
October 7, 2005
CONTENT
1.- EDUCATION FOR ALL BY 2015 - MINISTERIAL ROUND TABLE ON EDUCATION FOR ALL OPENS TODAY
2.- FOCUS ON EDUCATION FOR ALL AT UNESCO GENERAL CONFERENCE- 33rd SESSION.
3.- INTERNATIONAL AWARD FOR LITERACY RESEARCH
4.- THE EAEA THEMATIC CONFERENCE “VALUING LEARNING” AND EAEA GENERAL ASSEMBLY
5.- WHERE POPULAR EDUCATORS WILL GATHER
6.- REFLECTIONS BY IALLA II GRADUATES
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1. EDUCATION FOR ALL BY 2015 - MINISTERIAL ROUND TABLE ON EDUCATION FOR ALL OPENS TODAY
Source: UNESCO Website, http://portal.unesco.org/en/ev.php-URL_ID=28354&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html
More than 76 education ministers and high-ranking officials responsible for education will meet during UNESCO’s General Conference in Paris (7-8 October) to explore practical ways to address Education for All challenges by building on positive examples from different parts of the world.
The Round Table will be opened by Koïchiro Matsuura, Director-General of UNESCO, and then followed by four sessions:
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The case for education as a human right, tool of personal empowerment and means for cultural development will also be reaffirmed.This Round Table offers a timely opportunity for dialogue among and with the world’s Ministers of Education to explore practical ways to address the EFA challenges, building on positive examples in different parts of the world.
As we move towards 2015, a review of progress has revealed that the world is not on track to achieve the EFA goals unless significant efforts are made to dramatically improve the current trends. UNESCO undertook in late 2004 a strategic review of its post-Dakar role in EFA and agreed on a set of measures to enable it to play a leading, pro-active and more effective role in accelerating progress towards the Dakar goals. These measures are complemented by ongoing consultations with key EFA partners to facilitate the preparation of a Joint Action Plan for achieving EFA by 2015.
Since the heart of EFA activity lies at the country level, this Round Table offers a timely opportunity for dialogue among and with the world’s Ministers of Education to explore practical ways to address the EFA challenges, building on positive examples in different parts of the world. Sessions will deal with an overview of progress and challenges; resource mobilization and aid effectiveness; strengthening partnerships at country level and UNESCO’s role and future strategy in EFA.
Objectives - To identify and assess policy reforms, strategies and innovations that have led to successes in EFA in specific contexts, and also to address the major challenges that still remain. These should serve as the basis for actions to accelerate progress towards EFA; - To exchange ideas and experiences on ways to enhance the mobilization of domestic resources for education, particularly basic education, and to explore ways of channelling new development aid commitments to EFA in line with the Monterrey Compact and the Paris Declaration; - To examine and learn from experience of EFA partnerships between State and non-State actors, with concrete recommendations for improved collaboration and coordination of international efforts, especially at country level; - To obtain critical input and advice on UNESCO’s EFA strategy and Joint Action Plan to achieve EFA by 2015 and on UNESCO’s Medium-Term Strategy for 2008-2013 (34 C/4); - To reach broad agreement on strategies to be adopted by governments, multilateral and bilateral agencies, civil society organizations and the private sector, to accelerate the process towards achieving EFA goals by 2015.
Each session will include short presentations by a lead commentator or keynote speaker, followed by interventions by a number of panellists. Adequate time will be left for debate among the Ministers.
The most recent assessment of where the world stands on its commitment to provide a basic education to all children, youth and adults by 2015. A new Report will be launched on 9 November
The meeting will be simultaneously broadcast on the web. To access this link visit the official website of the conference:
http://portal.unesco.org/education/en/ev.php-URL_ID=42731&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html
Contact: Khawla Shaheen, UNESCO Paris, k.shaheen@unesco.org
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2 - FOCUS ON EDUCATION FOR ALL AT UNESCO GENERAL CONFERENCE- 33rd SESSION.
Source: UNESCO website
http://portal.unesco.org/en/ev.php-URL_ID=28354&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html
The international drive to provide quality basic education to all children, youth and adults is at the heart of the 33rd session of the General Conference, UNESCO’s supreme governing body, which opened yesterday in Paris.
From 3 - 10 October, Commission II of the 33rd General Conference will discuss and adopt the Draft Programme and Budget for UNESCO's activities in education for 2006-2007.
The total budget is $107,802,100 and the main focus is on three key areas: teacher training, literacy and HIV/AIDS prevention education.
Other topics to be addressed by the Commission include:
Cooperation between UNESCO and OECD in drafting guidelines on “Quality Provision in Cross-Border Higher Education”
An assessment of Education for All and its future prospects
The implementation of a resolution concerning educational and cultural institutions in the occupied Arab territories
Exhibition for General Conference focused on Education for All - Education for All is the theme of the Exhibition that will accompany delegates throughout the 33rd session of the General Conference.
The Exhibition takes place in several locations in the Fontenoy building at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, to reflect the fact that the Education for All drive cuts across UNESCO’s programme.
The main focus of the Exhibition is the six Education for All goals, which are crucial not only to meet learning needs of all children, youth and adults but also for achieving the Millennium Development Goals by 2015. In the Meeting Place, special emphasis is given to the three key education challenges to which UNESCO will be devoting much of its programme in 2006-07: teacher training, literacy and HIV/AIDS prevention education. Ministers, NGO representatives and other delegates are invited to convey messages on what they will do to achieve Education for All to be featured on the big screen in Hall Ségur. In the Memory Lane, a selection of photos presents UNESCO’s work in education over the past 60 years, while the Global Village of Learning features the world through the surprising Buckminster Fuller world map encircled by images showing learning situations across the globe.
The Exhibition will be inaugurated by the Director-General in the presence of Her Royal Highness Princess Firyal, UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador for Education for All, on 5 October 2005 at 7.00 p.m. in Hall Ségur.
Panel debate on UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (6 October) - A Panel debate on how to promote sustainable development through education will take place on October 6, from 1-2 pm at UNESCO’s headquarters.
The meeting will also explore UNESCO’s mission in the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development.
As the leading agency for the Decade, UNESCO’s objective is to promote the integration of values inherent to sustainable development into all aspects of learning, in order to encourage changes in behaviour that allow for a more just society for all.
Panellists include:
· Vigdis Finnbogadóttir, former president of Iceland
· Alpha Oumar Konaré, Chairperson of the African Union Commission
· Peter Smith, Assistant Director General for Education
· Walter Erdelen, Assistant Director General for Natural Sciences
· Leif Pagrotsky, Swedish Minister of Education, Research and Culture
Kenneth Wiltshire, Chairman of the Australian National Commission for UNESCO, will be the moderator.
Interpretation will be available in English and French.
Contact: Bernard Combes, UNESCO Paris, b.combes@unesco.org
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3. INTERNATIONAL AWARD FOR LITERACY RESEARCH
Source: UIE Newsletter
Maren Elfert, m.elfert@unesco.org
The International Award for Literacy Research 2004-2006 will be given in an equal share to two authors: Prof. Harbans S.Bhola from the United States of America for his study Adult Literacy for Sustainable
Development: Knowledge-based Discourse for Course of Action and Ms. Sofia Valdivieso Gómez from Spain for her study Alforjas Para un Viaje: Desde la Alfabetización Funcional y el Desarrollo Económico a la Alfabetización Integral y el Desarollo Sostenible (Luggage for a Journey: From Functional Literacy and Development to Integral Literacy and Sustainable Development).
This cycle of the Award was thematically linked with two current international education agendas: The United Nations Literacy Decade and the United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development. Researchers were requested to submit studies on the question of “Adult Literacy for Sustainable Development”.
These two studies selected develop original insights which could help design new strategies for literacy as a tool for sustainable development.
Contact: Bettina Bochynek
(b.bochynek@unesco.org)
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4. THE EAEA THEMATIC CONFERENCE “VALUING LEARNING” AND EAEA GENERAL ASSEMBLY
Source: www.eaea.org
The European Association for the Education of Adults EAEA invites to the EAEA Thematic Conference “Valuing Learning”, the 3rd Grundtvig Award 2005, and the General Assembly 18th 20th November 2005, and The Baltic-Nordic Conference (BNC) “Valuing Learning”, 16th 18th November 2005, in Lillehammer, Norway.
Dear Colleagues,
May we kindly invite you to the European Conference “Valuing Learning” and the General Assembly of the EAEA with the celebration of the 3rd Grundtvig Award.
The Council of Europe has proclaimed 2005 “The European Year of Citizenship through Education”. Active citizenship is one of the EAEA’s key priorities and the EAEA has joined the activities in this field cooperating with the Council of Europe and a large number of organisations Europe-wide. Our concrete contributions to this year are the invitation to all members that have organised an Adult Learners’ Week to focus on the theme of citizenship education; a training seminar on citizenship education and the decision to announce the competition for the 3rd Grundtvig Award in Adult Education with the theme: Active Citizenship in a Democratic Society.
Active citizenship can be defined as citizens taking opportunities to become actively and democratically involved in defining and tackling the problems of their communities and improving their quality of life.
The Award will be given to the organization that presents the best transnational project in this field.
The Award Ceremony will take place on Saturday, 19 November 2005, in the Kulturhuset Banken in the presence of the mayor of Lillehammer
One of the priority themes in European and national discussions and one of the key priorities in the EAEA’s work plan from 2003-2005 is the acknowledgement of prior experience and learning. How can non-formal or informal learning be recognized; what kind of learning should be certified? Who can value learning? These are some of the crucial questions.
We wish to invite you to the EAEA thematic conference on “Valuing Learning” on Friday and Saturday, 18 and 19 November; we wish equally to raise your attention to the Baltic-Nordic conference on the same theme two days earlier. Some of the results and the good practice examples of this conference will be integrated in the EAEA conference.
We want to invite you to bring your good practice examples, good projects and material in this field to the conference to share your experiences with your colleagues.
The event will be organised in close cooperation with the Norwegian Adult Education Association and will include the Celebration of the 3rd Grundtvig Award.
The second part of the event will be the General Assembly. We are planning to present the reports of the year in an attractive way and hope you will enjoy it.
We will be very happy to meet you in Norway.
May we kindly ask you to register at our website: www.eaea.org or at the EAEA main office in Brussels: eaea-main@eaea.org (Tel. 0032 2 513 5205; Fax 0032 2 513 57 34)
Kind regards,
János Sz. Tóth
President
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5 - WHERE POPULAR EDUCATORS WILL GATHER
Source: The Popular Education News
Larry Olds lolds@popednews.org
Oct 21-23, 2005 PRISONS, PUPILS, AND PRIORITIES - A COMMUNITY STRATEGIC RESEARCH TRAINING PROGRAM Highlander Center, the Data Center and Project South will hold a two-day workshop-training at Highlander for community organizers and community researchers working on issues of criminal justice, education, and youth. For more information, see www.highlandercenter.org .
October 27-30, 2005 The 10th AWID International Forum on Women's Rights and Development Shangri-La Hotel, Bangkok, Thailand. (Up to two thousand women's rights activists, academics, policy makers and students will converge upon Bangkok for the most highly anticipated international meeting for women's rights of the year. After Beijing +10, the G8 Summit and the UN World Summit, the AWID Forum is a chance for activists to finally gather together on OUR terms, to set our own agenda, and to be push forward on our global movement towards change.) www.awid.org/forum
Jan 24-29, 2006 An Invitation to Join Grassroots Global Justice Alliance for the 2006 Polycentric World Social Forum in Caracas, Venezuela. For info contact joann@ggjalliance.org . (The deadline for submission is October 14, 2006)
June 25-27, 2006 Peace Education Conference (part of the World Peace Forum June 23-28) The British Columbia Teachers' Federation For further info and a request for proposals www.bctf.ca
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6. REFLECTIONS BY IALLA II GRADUATES
We have started to receive some reflections, comments and inputs from the graduates of the second edition of ICAE Academy of Lifelong Learning Advocacy, held in Buskerud, Norway, August 2005, and we would like to share them with you.
By Summiya Yousaf, summiyayousaf@gmail.com
One can never imagine that three weeks can bond people so closely and tightly that all differences stay far behind. What made people to cling with each other; perhaps its love that binds people forever, it is love and its warmth that smiles regardless of sex, color and race.
This language of smile is understood through out the world and weaves everlasting fabric of friendship which enfolds humanity.
Can world map ever matter any one that it takes away sigh of a carefree person; yes it can matter a lot if some friends are living in the country prevailing in the world map. Draught headline of some region starts pinching your heart and the fear that my friends region will starve; could restless you on having your meals. When it could happen ???? This all happens only with ICAE course participants who met only for three weeks but affiliate for ever.