Week # 7 Blog Assignment: Getting to Know Your International Contacts—Part 3
Three
new insights that I have gained about the Issues relating to international
early childhood education that relate to my professional goals from the UNESCO
website would include the following:
1. The promotion of quality education for all students all over the world.
Education
is extremely important to a country’s advancement, with Nepal being no exception
and for the first time an international education conference was hosted for
Nepal, the title of which was “Quality in the Classroom.”
It isn't access. It's quality. Kathmandu Conference looks at
quality in the classroom
This
four day conference was held on April 4-7, 2013.This was good news on the
international scene since Nepal is one of the poor nations that need to improve
the quality of education for its people. The following information gives
insight on who were the participants at this conference.
“The Rato
Bangala Foundation (RBF) in cooperation with the Department of Education (MoE,
GoN) is hosting Nepal’s first international education conference entitled ‘Quality in the Classroom’.
Other partners for this conference are: the Royal Norwegian Embassy, Asian
Development Bank, Unicef, UNESCO, Open Society Foundations and Rato Bangala
School. The overall objective of which is to bring together classroom
practitioners, education leaders, policymakers, researchers and other
stakeholders, including parents and students to share ideas and showcase best
practices in school education from Nepal and more broadly, regionally and
globally.
Education is
key to a country’s progress, with Nepal being no exception. Although, it has
been a prominent issue for discussion at the forefront of development dialogue
for a number of years, it is now pertinent to involve all stakeholders in
addressing imperative issues of concern such as the ‘quality of education’.
Quantitative issues of access have prioritized the focus of efforts, whilst
issues of quality have received little or no attention. Such issues can only be
tackled through a partnership of stakeholders at all levels, instigated and
inspired through an exchange of ideas, innovations and best practices. This conference
aims to redress this imbalance by focusing on ‘Quality in the Classroom’.”
http://ratobangalaconferences.edu.np/
2. The
second insight focuses on being highly qualified, dedicated, caring
professionals who are lifelong learners. There is a need for highly trained,
qualified teachers all over the world and the focus for Global Action on
Education for All (21-27 April) will be the vital role of teachers in reaching
educational goals. At this point I wish to include the exciting plans for
Global Action Education Week for your perusal.
Global Action Week: “We will not meet our education goals without teachers”.
© UNESCO/René Edde - A primary school class
of Bagmati.
“Every Child Needs a Teacher” is the slogan of the 2013 Global Action Week on Education for All (21-27 April) which focuses on the vital role of teachers in reaching education goals. In the words of the campaign: “Without teachers a school is just a building”.
Organized
annually by the Global Campaign for Education, a civil society movement, the
Week is an occasion to promote the right to quality education for all. Each
year UNESCO mobilizes its networks and organizes activities worldwide on a
given theme.
Teachers,
their training, recruitment, retention, status and working conditions are among
the Organization’s top priorities. “Teachers are the single most influential
and powerful force for equity, access and quality in education,” says Irina
Bokova, Director-General of UNESCO. “The fact is, we will not meet our
Education for All goals without teachers.”
Teachers are
also a key element in the United Nations Secretary General’s Global Education First Initiative, which is driven by UNESCO, and are thus an
indispensable part of the post-2015 global development agenda.
Massive
challenges
“Teachers
are essential to meet the aspirations of every girl and boy -- they hold the
keys to the sustainable development of every society,” says Ms Bokova.
However,
like the village teachers in rural
Thailand coping with overcrowded
classes and different languages; like Maiga Hadizatou Hamzatou in Mali, who kept teaching when her city was
invaded, Karima Yousufi in Afghanistan or Awa Sow in Senegal who had to resist gender
stereotyping, teachers everywhere face different challenges.
The overwhelming
challenge faced by the profession is one of numbers and quality. Some 6.8
million teachers are needed to achieve universal primary education by 2015.
Other issues affecting teachers at all levels of education systems and in
formal and non-formal education settings alike, include escalating violence, a
climate of austerity and cutbacks and the need to improve working conditions so
as to attract qualified people to the profession.
Legal
frameworks for teachers
A major part
of UNESCO’s work on teachers is actively upholding legal frameworks that promote teachers’ status and working
conditions. A committee of experts appointed by UNESCO and the International
Labour Organization meets every three years to monitor the application of these
recommendations and advise UNESCO and ILO accordingly. Civil societies
may also use the conventions to demand their right to quality teachers and
quality education for every child, youth and adult.
A broader
definition
“Advocacy
events like Global Action Week are a good opportunity to consider a broader
definition of teachers,” says Carolyn Medel-Anonuevo of the UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning, which recently held an international
workshop on improving the status of literacy facilitators. “Teachers of
literacy possibly have the lowest status of all, with low remuneration,
and very little in-service training.”
"Global
Action Week is also an opportunity to highlight the importance
of improving the status of Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) teachers,
if we are really serious about building the foundation of learning throughout
life," adds Maki Hayashikawa, from UNESCO’s Section for Basic
Education
Whatever the
level or specialization, UNESCO is on standby to help governments prioritize
teacher training, support and retention in national education policies.
1.
The final insight places emphasis on being an
advocate or voice for the children who has no voice. This is also an important
aspect of my professional goal. I am aiming like Mrs.Bokova, Director General
of UNESCO, to be a strong advocate for all children to have access to quality
education in whatever area that I am asked to serve in the field of early
childhood.
The following is an excerpt of the address
that was made by Mrs. Irina Bokova.
19.04.2013 - ODG
UNESCO puts spotlight on equity and teachers during Learning for All meetings in DC
In her
remarks, the Director-General issued a strong call for more concerted action to
reach marginalized groups, highlighting the need for special efforts to
reinforce teacher training and professional development as the single most
powerful force for driving improvements in equity, access and quality.
Ministers of
Education and Finance from seven countries joined multilateral and bilateral
development agencies to discuss the main obstacles to education progress and
effective strategies to overcome them. A wide-range of issues were discussed,
but several common themes emerged, with strong emphasis on the need for
integrated approaches that address the overlapping causes of exclusion, and for
bolder action to tackle barrier to learning, in particular the shortage of
trained teachers.
In
discussions with the Ministers of Finance and Education of Nigeria, where only
60% of educators working in primary schools are qualified to teach, Mrs. Bokova
put the spotlight on the importance of strengthening school leadership as a
lever for improving teaching professionalism and reinforcing support to teachers
in the classroom. She also urged the need to reinforce governance at national,
state and local levels to ensure resources reach the most vulnerable
populations. Support to strengthen system-wide capacity and develop robust,
data-driven national education plans was also an important theme in meetings
the Director-General attended with political leaders from Haiti and Yemen.
During the exchange with Ministers of Finance and Education from Bangladesh,
attention focused on effective measures to bring learning opportunities to
underprivileged groups. Mrs. Bokova highlighted the potential of community
learning centers to expand access, foster intergenerational learning, and
strengthen the link between education and the workplace.
Following
the series of individual country meetings, participants came together in a
high-level round table to share views on common bottlenecks to progress and
identify priorities for action for governments and their development partners.
“We must prove that we can pool our resources and muster our will in the sure
knowledge that educating children now will pay dividends to whole societies for
generations to come,” the Secretary-General affirmed in his remarks.
UNESCO’s
Director-General highlighted the importance of strengthening national capacity
to deliver good quality education and of sound data to inform smart policy
making. She also underscored the role of non-formal delivery mechanisms in
reaching marginalized groups, and called for greater attention to the needs of
children in conflict situations.
“Addressing
the global learning crisis is essential to ending poverty and boosting shared
prosperity,” President Jim Yong Kim of the World Bank stated in his remarks at
the event.
The day’s
events closed with a strong call for collective action to promote girls’
education and end gender disparities at all levels. The UN Secretary-General
highlighted UNESCO’s efforts to provide literacy to girls and women in
Afghanistan as a strong example of what could be achieved through concerted
international engagement.
Reference
Hello Sharon-
ReplyDeleteI have enjoyed learning more about UNESCO over the past few weeks through your blog postings. The quotes, especially the one about a school just being a building if it weren't for teachers, really captured my attention about the importance an educator has on children. I am glad that with the continued advocacy through UNESCO that changes are being made to the educational systems, especially in Nepal. A former professor of mine travels each year to Nepal and now has recently adopted two children. She would explain to us what education looked like for children and the gender inequalities that would exist. I am very thankful that changes are being made. :)
Thank you Rebecca. Like you, I am so happy that I have learned so much about what is happening on the international scene especially in the early childhood field. I am positive that as we continue to forge together as professionals we will gain the voice and status that we are actually worth as we continue to make a difference in the lives of children all over the world.
ReplyDeleteSharon.