Sharing Web Resources

Week # 4 Blog Assignment: Sharing Web Resources

One of the exciting news/information that I need to share from the UNESCO  website is the Latest Education News that is coming from Bangkok; UNESCO dated March 25, 2013. I am particularly drawn to this news because it seems as if it is becoming universally known that while there is a need for students to keep abreast with what is happening in the world globally, and while there is also the need for students to be “literate, numerate and to be problem solvers, there is the world emphasis on being socially and culturally competent in order to work with others.

This resource made me think that we cannot view education in terms of how much profit or returns we can get back out of it but we have to view education, especially for our early childhood learners as something that they will enjoy and that someone they will become later on in their adult lives.

Therefore, for economists, neuroscientists or politicians to support the early childhood field effectively they need to be more aware of the skills that the children need to be successful and to become citizens of this universe.

As I explored the website, I recognize that the conversation of what should constitute true education will continue to be a worldwide topic to produce a “generation that cares” and as Gwang-Jo Kim, Director of UNESCO Asia and Pacific Regional Bureau for Education reiterated at the opening of the 16th UNESCO-APEID International Conference held from 21-23 November 2012 in Bangkok, Thailand and I quote:

 “There is no question that we have to produce generations of people who are highly capable,

skilled, innovative and resourceful. But we strongly believe that our fundamental

responsibility – as policy makers, leaders, educators, parents and community members

– is to produce people with hearts and people who care.”

At this point I wish to share the latest news on Vox Pop: What are the three most important skills a child should learn for your perusal.

Vox Pop: What are the three most important skills a child should learn?

25.03.2013 UNESCO Bangkok Director, Gwang-Jo Kim, said in his recent interview: “One of the greatest challenges for education systems today is keeping pace with a changing world of work and equipping youth with the skills they will need in an increasingly knowledge-based economy.
“[This] calls for creative and inventive thinking, entrepreneurial spirit, the ability to generate new ideas, adapt to new realities and maintain a sense of curiosity throughout learning,” he said.
UNESCO commissioned 2012 Education for All Global Monitoring Report, which focuses specifically on the issue, noting that the challenge of ensuring all young people have the opportunity to acquire the skills they need has sharpened acutely since the year 2000.
But what skills are the most important? What skills should we all be learning today?
Participants at a recent Asia-Pacific Regional Thematic Consultation on Education in the Post-2015 Development Agenda shared their views on what are the three most important skills young people should learn.

Urvashi Sahni, Study Hall Education Foundation, India “Children should be thinking critically about who they are and how they relate to their world around them, in a social and political perspective with a focus on peace, equity and sustainable development. They must be learning how to be literate and numerate, be problem solvers and be resilient.” Vutha Lay, NGO Education Partnership, Cambodia “They need soft skills to be good citizens, vocational skills for employment and basic education to equip them with knowledge.”

Sikander Sabeer, National Youth Movement for UN Post-2015 Development, Sri Lanka “Firstly, they need to learn about culture – culture is a kind of glue, it keeps us together. It’s like tea with sugar – it creates flavour and the colour we need. Secondly, values and respect. Do we respect our parents and elders enough? Are the gaps here increasing? We need to keep in mind that education comes from home – our families are the first “teachers” in our lives. They are crucial to us so respect and values are important. Thirdly, history – we should know our past so we can improve our future.” Govind Singh, Council of Pacific Education, Fiji “For a child to work across a huge spectrum of life, they will need life skills, core values and the opportunity to unlock the treasure within.”

By UNESCO Bangkok
 http://www.unescobkk.org/news/article/vox-pop-what-are-the-three-most-important-skills-a-child-should-learn/?utm_medium=&cHash=29

 

 

 

 

Getting to Know Your International Contacts-Part 1

For this blog assignment I must say that to date, I have not heard from my two contacts. However, I have gone on the website of the Childhood Poverty Research and Policy Center's page (http://www.childhoodpoverty.org/) and the country that I have chosen to share three insights or ideas about childhood poverty is China. The insights/ ideas come from the Poverty Research and Policy Center (CHIP) Report 3: Urban Poverty, Childhood Poverty and Social Protection in China: Critical Issues and is authored by Colette Solomon et al (2004).

 In the first insight, the report categorically states that poverty especially urban poverty is due largely to China’s socio-economic shift which has definitely impacted the children. The socio- economic shift has brought changes in “the social security system, the restructuring of state owned enterprises and increased rural-urban migration” (p.48, 2004)The effects of these changes on children have been far-reaching especially in the areas of education, housing, health and medical care.

In the second insight, the speed of poverty seems to escalate as the family expands and poverty tends to be worse among families that have more dependent relatives. The report goes on to show that the smaller the family the better the welfare will be properly distributed especially for the children and while there are few single parent families in China, the statistics show that the single parent families do have the highest poverty rate. The trend also shows that poverty and single parent families will continue to rise as economic changes, social pressures and population mobility increase.

The third insight is the growing phenomenon of “street children.” These children have become the signs or icons of the economic and social changes that have been occurring in China.  A large majority of these children are not in school, “and they are living without family care and protection while engaging in exploitative work” (p.34, 2004). “Street children and other poor children face a range of social problems which include discrimination, exclusions, limited education and opportunities for development”(p.35,2004) One of the most outstanding fact that caught my eye was that by the year 2000,there was an official estimate of between  150,000 and 200,000 street children living in Chinese cities.

The report highlights too that “Save the Children (UK) China Program's work with street children, migrant children and trafficked children has also identified some cases of children being coerced into unpaid work situations. In the report too there are interesting facts which point out that paid and unpaid labor for children in urban areas includes work on the streets (begging, collecting garbage, cleaning shoes etc.) in factories, domestic and entertainment settings” (p.40, 2004).

As I continue to examine the effects of poverty on children in the Chinese society from this report, I realize that although there has been a nine-year compulsory education policy that has had some impact in keeping children in school and reducing to some extent the likelihood of child labor, much more needs to be done to help disadvantaged families who are unable to pay school fees. It is also clear that disadvantaged children should be provided with effective protection, which includes education and welfare and social welfare policies must be based on children’s rights which aim specifically at improving the well being of poor and dispossessed children (p.42, 2004),

Reference:

Solomon, C. et al., (2004). Urban poverty, childhood poverty and social protection in China: Critical issues CHIP report no 3. Retrieved from: http://www.childhoodpoverty.org

Sharing Web Resources

I have chosen to study and share this week about UNESCO’S Organization. I have even decided to become a donor to this organization as I am interested in the work that they are doing worldwide in all aspects of life but especially education.

The United Nations Organization for Education, Science and Culture (UNESCO) was founded on 16 November 1945 and “Education is one of UNESCO’s principal fields of activities. Since its formation, the organization continues to work to improve education worldwide because they “believe that it is the key to social and economic development.”

UNESCO is very much involved in Early Childhood Education and at this point I wish to share from their website their Mission for Early Childhood.

Mission

 

©UNESCO/Katy Anis

 

The foundations of human development are laid during the child's early years and thus early childhood requires an integrated approach to the child's care, development and learning.

Early childhood care and education (ECCE) is more than a preparatory stage assisting the child’s transition to formal schooling. Today, early childhood policies are placed within a broader context of social development, gender equity and poverty reduction.

UNESCO leads the international policy drive for an integrated early childhood care and education system that encompasses both the well-being and holistic development of the child. Our mission is to support early childhood policy development with the aim to build a solid foundation for a child’s lifelong learning.

UNESCO actively works with Member States in their efforts to develop and strengthen their national capacity to meet the first goal of the 2000 Dakar Framework for Action, which aims to expand and improve comprehensive early childhood care and education for all.

As we are focusing this week on changing demographics and diversity, I wish to post also the great work in which UNESCO is involved in at Mali to help them rebuild their Cultural Heritage. Please read and enjoy.

Monday for Mali, Monday for hope

 

©UNESCO/T. Joffroy/CRATerre-EAG-
Restoration of the coating on the Sankaré Mosque in 2003

 

Monday, 18 February, is an exceptional day of solidarity, dedicated to Mali. Decision-makers and experts from Mali, France and UNESCO will join forces at UNESCO Headquarters to set out an action plan, aimed at rebuilding Mali’s cultural heritage and safeguarding its historic manuscripts.

Along with UNESCO Director General Irina Bokova, Bruno Maïga and Aurélie Filippetti, the Culture Ministers of Mali & France respectively, will open the event. Experts and managers of Mali’s heritage sites, museums and libraries will offer an overview of the damage that cultural heritage suffered during the conflict. They will also examine how the crisis affects the future preservation of cultural objects, such as the project of creating a digital library for Timbuktu’s famous manuscripts. UNESCO and its partners’ strategic response to the crisis will then be discussed. By 5:30 pm, an action plan is expected to be ready, and will be presented at a press conference. The day will conclude with a star-studded concert featuring Mali’s most distinguished musicians, including Rokia Traoré, Bafing Kul & the Appolo Band, Mali Den, Cheick Tidiane Seck, Pedro Kouyaté, and Inna Modja. 

© Présidence de la République
UNESCO Director-General, Irina Bokova, made a visit to Mali on Saturday 2 February 2013 with French President François Hollande and the interim President of Mali Dioncounda Traoré

“Rebuilding cultural heritage will give the Malian people the strength and confidence to rebuild national unity and look to the future,” said Irina Bokova. Indeed, protecting heritage means protecting people. It is about protecting their way of life, values, and identities. It provides them with essential resources to rebuild when war ends. Destroying culture hurts societies for the long term. It deprives them of collective memory banks as well as precious social and economic assets.

The day-long event follows the Director-General’s visit to Mali on 2 February, together with French president François Hollande, and repeated appeals by UNESCO to protect the country’s heritage. Since the conflict first erupted, UNESCO has worked closely with Malian authorities to implement relevant and appropriate emergency measures.

Heritage maps with geographical coordinates were developed to help Malian forces identify, and avoid damaging, cultural heritage sites during turmoil. A “Heritage Passport” was created to raise awareness and protect cultural heritage in the north of Mali.