Mid-Decade Assessment Page 2 Highland Citizenship and Birth Registration Page 5 EFA Focus Page 6 Spotlight on Education for Natural Disaster Preparedness Page 7 Field Report: UNESCO HanoiPage 8 Lesson Learnt: ICT as a Tool for Educators Page 9 Q&A: Interview with Hameed A. HakeemPage 10

SPECIAL EVENT Page 16

IN THIS ISSUE

By Leotes Marie Lugo and Jon Kapp / AIMS

Thirteen-year old Noi (not her real name) lost her parents to AIDS and is herself HIV positive. She is now in Grade 6 in a small village in Lamphun Province in northern Thailand. Although she gets medical support from the government, she frequently gets sick and needs special attention and consideration in school. In her school alone, there are eight more students who are also affected and/or infected with HIV and AIDS and all need various kinds of support to finish their studies. Noi and the other HIV/AIDS affected children in her school are lucky to get support from the government. Yet many like them are left unaccounted for and left

out of the school system, although it is their right to be in school.

Such is the case of Pok (not her real name), who is hearing impaired and cannot talk. She was abandoned by her parents when she was very young and now lives in a rehabilitation centre in Nonthaburi Province. She is one of the hundreds of thousands of unidentified and unaccounted for children who are out of school in Thailand.

Unfortunately, millions of children around the world are in the same predicament as Pok. UNESCO Institute for Statistics’ (UIS) data show there are more than 115 million children out of school, with nearly 15 million living in East Asia and the Pacific, and more than 30 million in South and West Asia.

UNESCO Bangkok and the Office of the UIS Regional Advisor for Asia-Pacific, in close collaboration with UNICEF, have taken the initiative to strengthen cooperation in support of countries that are undertaking

UNESCO Takes Lead in Supporting Countries to Review Progress in Achieving EFA

UNESCO BangkokNewsletter

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Assessment to focus on getting disadvantaged groups into the system

ISSUE No. 8 September 2006

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Dakar EFA Goals Expanding and improving comprehensive early childhood care and education, especially for the most vulnerable and disadvantaged children.

Ensuring that by 2015 all children, particularly girls, children in difficult circumstances and those belonging to ethnic minorities, have access to complete, free and compulsory primary education of good quality.

Ensuring that the learning needs of all young people and adults are met through equitable access to appropriate learning and life-skills programmes.

Achieving a 50 percent improvement in levels of adult literacy by 2015, especially for women as well as equitable access to basic and continuing education for adults.

Eliminating gender disparities in primary and secondary education by 2005, and achieving gender equality in education by 2015, with a focus on ensuring girls’ full and equal access to and achievement in basic education of good quality.

Improving all aspects of the quality of education and ensuring excellence of all so that recognized and measurable learning outcomes are achieved by all, especially in literacy, numeracy and essential life skills.

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an assessment of their progress in delivering quality education for all and in identifying children who are left out of the system. It is the first region to initiate this collaboration at this time, generating much interest from other regions.

All children of primary education age should be in school whether they are boys or girls, with or without special needs, rich or poor, coming from an ethnic minority group or the majority, or living in a remote village or the city center. This right was outlined in the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights and again in 2000, at the World Education Conference in Dakar, Senegal, when over 160 countries and international organizations made a commitment to provide free, quality education for all. Signatories to the Dakar Framework of Action committed to meeting six goals under the Education for All (EFA) initiative by 2015.

Two of the EFA goals are reflected in the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), in particular MDG 2 on universal primary education and MDG 3 on eliminating gender disparities.

As the world inches closer to 2015, there is a need to assess how countries are progressing and to fine-tune existing policies, or formulate new ones if necessary, to ensure the attainment of the EFA goals and of specific national education targets.

The crucial point, however, is not to dwell on the success and achievements of the past, but to look closely at the quality of education, the gaps, the disparities within the system, and the groups that have been left behind. Ultimately, each country must consider how to deliver quality education to make Education for All a reality.

“Countries should focus not on the percentage increase, but whether they have identified gaps, and what they are doing to address these gaps,” said Ko-Chih Tung, the UIS Regional Advisor for Asia-Pacific and Head of the Assessment, Information Systems, Monitoring and Statistics (AIMS) Unit at UNESCO Bangkok.

The EFA MDAUNESCO Bangkok and the UIS, working with UNICEF and other international organizations, have taken the initiative to support countries in undertaking a Mid-Decade Assessment (MDA) of progress and gaps in achieving EFA. “The assessment should not focus on how high enrolment rates are, but how many children have not made it to school, who they are, why they are not in school, and how to ensure they will be in school. Even if a country has 95 percent enrolment, it still means 5 percent of the children are not in school,” Tung added.

The MDA is being undertaken in a two-year framework, from 2006 to 2007, using the most recent existing data. The outcome of the assessment and resulting analysis will be used to feed into a policy review in 2008 and to complement the annual EFA Global Monitoring Report.

“The outcomes of this process have direct implications for the monitoring and implementation of national development frameworks, the achievement of the

MDGs, the EFA goals, and as input into Poverty Reduction Strategy Programmes (PRSPs), UN Common Country Assessments (UNCCA), and UN Development Assistance Frameworks (UNDAF),” Sheldon Shaeffer, Director of UNESCO’s Asia and Pacific Regional Bureau for Education noted.

The MDA will also review and critically assess problems, issues, policies, strategies, actions and success stories of EFA in various countries and sub-regions in Asia and the Pacific, and disseminate these findings broadly. Through the MDA, countries that need the greatest support to achieve EFA will also be identified, and the types and levels of support determined.

The Unreached GroupsTo realize the objectives of EFA and correct the discrepancies in access and quality of education in countries, the MDA puts emphasis on “reaching the unreached” - identifying children such as Noi and Pok and making policies to ensure they have access to and participate in the education system. Preparatory and planning meetings for the EFA MDA were conducted in late 2005. During these meetings, disadvantaged or unreached groups – those who are traditionally left out of the education system – were identified: religious, linguistic, and ethnic minority groups; castes, socio-economic classes and other social stratifications; women and girls; persons with disabilities; residents of remote areas/border regions; undocumented people, non-citizens, non-registered residents; migrants, refugees, displaced persons and their children; and the extremely poor. With these groups in mind, national and sub-national data from countries will be analyzed for disparities using statistical methods and tools to identify gaps and inequalities in national education systems.

The assessment should also address concerns such as gender equality, HIV/AIDS and other issues which cut across all segments of society. Through the MDA, it is hoped that these groups will be identified so that policies can be made more responsive, thus ensuring their inclusion in the education system.

EFA Progress in CountriesFollowing the 2005 meetings, countries in the region have started preparations

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for the MDA. Workshops have been conducted to plan and launch the MDA, capacity-building trainings for statisticians have been held, national EFA task forces and committees have been formed, and consultative meetings with international partners have been organized as countries gear up for the MDA.

Outcomes of national assessments will also feed into sub-regional and regional reports. The national assessment will help countries evaluate where they stand vis-à-vis the EFA and MDG goals and their education sector plans. The regional reports will be useful for UN agencies and international partners in reviewing

progress in the region, reformulating policies and identifying synergies for cooperation in Asia and the Pacific. Shaeffer also stressed that it is important for countries to take the lead in the MDA process. “Learning from the past, we know it is clear that this assessment must be rooted in national processes and national institutions,” he said, emphasizing that this is a country-driven exercise. The aim is also to instill a culture of monitoring, evaluation and assessment in countries and to develop national structures to ensure the on-going process is sustainable.

“We have achieved a great deal, but we feel we have a long way to go in terms

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of quality and development of life skills for children, youth and adults. After all, EFA encompasses all children, youth and adults and also disadvantaged people,” said Muthu Sivagnanam, the then national EFA Coordinator of Sri Lanka. He was among the representatives of 21 countries who attended the October 2005 Bangkok meeting. Although Sri Lanka has high enrolment rates, a good gender parity index and quality indicators, Sivagnanam still sees the need to “identify strategies and examine areas that need improvement” for the country to realize its commitment to deliver EFA by 2015.

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EFA MDA Activities Country

Sub-Regional MDA Planning Meetings 7th EFA Coordinators Meeting (2005):

CARK Education Forum (2006):

Pacific EFA Coordinators Meeting (2005 & 2006):

2nd EFA Tehran Cluster Experts & Ministerial Meetings (2006):

Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, DPR Korea, Indonesia, India, Japan, Mongolia, Myanmar, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Viet Nam

Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan

Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Vanuatu

Afghanistan, Iran, Pakistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikstan, Iraq

National MDA Workshops (with UNESCO support) Bhutan, China, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Viet Nam

National MDA Plan of Action drafted India, Papua New Guinea, Maldives, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Viet Nam

National Groups Formed (Advisory Committee, etc.) Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Maldives, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Viet Nam

Partnerships with EFA Partners (re)established Cambodia, Indonesia, Myanmar, Nepal, Viet Nam

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UNESCO Bangkok is committed to continue helping countries undertake the MDA through technical and financial assistance, capacity-building in collection of education statistics, and advisory support. UNESCO is working closely with UNICEF Regional Offices which are involved in sub-regional fora and workshops, in setting guidelines for the conduct of the MDA, and in the use of the DevInfo database template. Anupa Rao Singh, Regional Director of the UNICEF East Asia and the Pacific Office, noted that the MDA is an excellent example of partnership in action and that UNICEF is committed to carrying it out.

“UNICEF will give its full support in the follow-up to this meeting, including technical resources and financial resources for the sub-regional workshops,” she said during the opening of the Regional EFA MDA Strategic Planning Meeting in Bangkok in March 2006. This collaborative spirit has also extended to other parts of the region, such as Central Asia and the Republic of Kazakhstan (CARK), where UNESCO and UNICEF have secured commitments from countries to undertake the national assessments. The March meeting where Singh spoke was organized under the auspices of the Regional Thematic Working Group (TWG) on EFA to ensure that UN agencies and partners coordinate their support for countries in the region. An internal global UNESCO meeting was also conducted in March to discuss a coordinated approach to a global assessment.

UNESCO Bangkok’s initiative in

spearheading the MDA along with UNICEF and other partners has also been recognized internationally for pioneering plans, themes and instruments for national assessment. Hegazi Idris, Programme Specialist at UNESCO Beirut, noted during the March meeting that the Arab States will try to follow the Asia and Pacific’s MDA process. He said other regions are looking at the example set by UNESCO Bangkok as they undertake an assessment and review of EFA.

Douglas Drew, Head of the UIS Statistical Capacity-Building Unit, also noted that the March Bangkok meeting showed how organized and prepared the AIMS Unit and UNESCO Bangkok are for the MDA, taking leadership not only in the region, but also globally as a role model. “The message from countries is clear, that there is a need for support to carry this on,” he added.

“In this region, coordinated support will come under the auspices of UNESCO, UNICEF and the TWG on EFA,” Shaeffer

noted. The working group, composed of UN agencies, NGOs, and both multilateral and bilateral organizations, agreed in January 2006 to be the lead coordinating and advisory body for the Mid-Decade Assessment in Asia-Pacific. UNESCO Bangkok’s AIMS Unit is coordinating regional partnerships in the conduct of the MDA, particularly with UNICEF Regional Offices and the TWG on EFA.

“Support for national assessments must come from a coordinated, collaborative effort. This is not a UNESCO project, nor a UNICEF one. For this to succeed, all partners must be brought to the table to support countries,” Shaeffer said, adding that the participation of other UN agencies, the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank and bilateral organizations is most crucial.

Contact: EFA Regional Coordination Team E-mail: efa@unescobkk.org and aims@unescobkk.orgWebsite: www.unescobkk.org/efamda

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By David A. Feingold / RACAP

In 1962, Dr. Hans Manndorff, International Consultant to the Thai Public Welfare Department for the socio-economic survey of hill tribes in Northern Thailand, warned that future problems of hill tribes in Thailand would stem from two issues: lack of citizenship and lack of land tenure. The same points could be made today.

Research by UNESCO has identified lack of citizenship or lack of legal status as the single greatest risk factor for young hill tribe people in northern Thailand to be trafficked or exploited. It also contributes to increased vulnerability to HIV/AIDS. Without legal status, ethnic minority people are considered “illegal aliens” in their own country. They are subject to arrest, deportation, extortion and other forms of abuse, and they are denied their basic human rights: the right to vote, the right to own land and the right to medical care.

UNESCO is determined to address issues of structural vulnerability as these relate to both human trafficking and HIV/AIDS. Consequently, UNESCO, in cooperation with the British Embassy in Bangkok, has initiated the Highland Birth and Citizenship Registration Promotion Project. The project is funded by the UK Sustainable Development Programme Fund. This project is an expansion of the successful pilot project, begun in 2001 with the support of UN Inter-Agency Project on Human Trafficking in the Greater Mekong Sub-region (UNIAP), which trained NGOs and Thai officials to register highland people for citizenship.

Without citizenship, people are unable to obtain certificates that recognize educational qualifications, to obtain titles to land, or to find legitimate employment outside of their immediate area. They are also denied the right to political participation. As a result, they are often employed in informal

labour arrangements that are highly exploitative. Because of residence and travel restrictions, the further they travel away from their communities, the more vulnerable they become.

While these social, economic, and political handicaps impinge on all segments of the minority communities, they are particularly detrimental to the well-being of girls and women. While highland girls constitute a small percentage of the total number of sex workers in Thailand, they are disproportionally represented at the lowest and most abusive end of the sex industry, receiving the lowest remuneration.

It is worth noting that in China, Lao PDR and Viet Nam, ethnic minority people are born citizens of the countries. In Thailand, however, citizenship for highland populations is an acquired status, which is obtained only through a highly scrutinized and complicated process. While there have been some effective attempts at registration, under a variety of regulations and governmental regimes, the situation today is still critical.

Following its research and the inception of the Highland Citizenship Registration Project, UNESCO has served as the primary source of information on citizenship registration activities for the Bangkok-based diplomatic and international NGO communities, independent researchers and journalists. UNESCO continues to follow national policy on citizenship registration and its implications on the ground. It also closely monitors development and progress of registration work in the field.

As the leading advocate for cultural diversity, UNESCO has regularly raised the issue of highland citizenship and the important linkages of legal status to cultural survival and to the protection of minority rights at various international fora, both in Thailand and abroad.The Highland Birth and Citizenship

UNESCO Promotes Highland Citizenship and Birth Registration to Prevent Human Trafficking

Registration Promotion Project has a number of components. In addition to advocacy at all levels, UNESCO is working with the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security to conduct a study of 12,813 highland households in Chiangmai, Chiangrai and Mae Hongson. The aim is to analyze the relationship of legal status – citizenship and birth registration – to access to social services: education, health care, agricultural credit, etc. This is the largest study of its type ever undertaken in Thailand. The Assessment, Information Systems, Monitoring and Statistics Unit (AIMS) is cooperating with the Culture Unit to analyze the data. Based on the results of this study, UNESCO will cooperate with Radio Thailand Chiangmai and Chiangrai to develop outreach materials in eight minority languages.

The future cultural and even physical survival of hill tribe communities in Thailand depends on recognition and enforcement of their right to belong to the country. In cooperation with the Royal Thai Government and Civil Society, UNESCO is working to achieve this aim.

Contact: David A. Feingold E-mail: d.feingold@unescobkk.org

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implemented in school education, as well.

In Sweden, for instance, school education is importing a holistic child development pedagogy of pre-school to schools. In schools, teachers take care of children, not only in their learning, but in their development, as well. This is what is happening in some of the developed countries.

This implies that early childhood has been recognized as the first frontier in education in terms of its care for children’s holistic development, including cognitive, social, psychological, and communicative development.

What difficulties does UNESCO face in promoting early childhood in Asia and the Pacific countries?

At the government level, early childhood is regarded as an area of consumption, not an area of production. Therefore, this area is not prioritized, and especially within the education sector. This area is not regarded as the starting point of education. Very few people within the ministries of education regard learning in the early years as their area of work within the sector. They still think that early childhood is a family concern. For a long time, early care and education have been the business of the family.

The education sector in most countries is very resistant to early childhood services for children under 3 years of age. However, there are exceptions, in the case in Indonesia, where the Ministry of Education (MoE) has promoted non formal family-based parenting education and health-based care services.

Sectoral coordination among different government actors is also a big issue. There should be cooperation among the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Social Welfare and the Health sector so that child development can be addressed in a holistic way.

Contact: Silje S. SkeieE-mail: ss.skeie@unescobkk.org

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Ms. Soo-Hyang Choi, Chief of Section for Early Childhood and Inclusive Education at UNESCO Head Quarters

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Learning Begins at BirthBy Silje S. Skeie / APPEAL and Anuje Sirikit / IKM

The importance of education during a child’s early years is often not fully recognized by governments, which put a much greater emphasis on primary and secondary education than on early childhood education. The holistic development of the child, however, is the foundation for all education that follows. Early childhood pedagogy focuses on this development by emphasizing play, exploration, and individual learning pace. Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) addresses childhood from the time of conception to the age of 8. Ms. Soo-Hyang Choi, Chief of Section for Early Childhood and Inclusive Education at UNESCO Head Quarters, talks about the challenges that Early Childhood Care and Education face.

Expanding and improving comprehensive ECCE is one of the Education for All (EFA) goals. To what extent are we achieving this goal?

Unlike the other goals of EFA, early childhood does not have a numeric target. Therefore it is difficult to measure early childhood quantitatively. I think the biggest change and progress is the government’s understanding of this area. Governments are gradually understanding that pre-primary is part of basic education. Early childhood is mentioned as the first stage of learning. In Pakistan, for example, pre-primary has returned as a result of Jomtien and Dakar Declarations.

What is your vision for ECCE in the near future?

This area is often seen as the last frontier to be included within the realm of education or the last frontier to be completed in the whole cycle of learning. My vision is different: it should be the first frontier to be implemented in an expanded vision of learning.

Learning is not only schooling or teaching. Learning involves human development, child welfare and child cognitive development. This holistic approach to child development is exactly what ECCE aims at. From this viewpoint, ECCE is already practicing the holistic child development that should be

“The Jomtien Declaration states that learning begins at birth. I think it is the biggest truth we have overlooked. Who I am now may have been determined much earlier than when I started school. Learning in the early years is the foundation of all learning and human development. This is a period when who you are is formulated.”

SPOTLIGHT

Education for Natural Disaster Preparedness in Asia-PacificBy Motoko Uda and Naoko Kimura / APEID

In the wake of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami disaster, UNESCO Bangkok is coordinating a sub-regional project to develop the preparedness of local stakeholder groups for disaster prevention through case studies in selected Asia and the Pacific countries. The project, funded by the Japanese Funds-in-Trust (JFIT) under the Japanese Government and the Swiss National Commission for UNESCO, focuses on gathering, developing and disseminating information from key stakeholders in these countries.

UNESCO Bangkok aims to employ Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) as a framework to facilitate holistic, critical thinking and problem-solving in local communities threatened or affected by disasters. The project approach will develop disaster prevention/preparedness education as an initiative under the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (2005-2014).

Four countries, namely India, Indonesia, Thailand, and the Maldives, and two aligned organizations, the Asia/Pacific Cultural Centre for UNESCO (ACCU) and the Bangladesh Red Crescent Society, have developed educational materials that are locally relevant and culturally appropriate in their respective countries as well as regional prototypes of educational materials that can be adapted to local contexts. Some of the materials created include a board game targeted at teenagers to learn about natural disasters, a video in order to raise awareness and preparedness against landslides in northern Thailand, and an educational curriculum in Tamil. Indonesia – Simulation Game of Natural Disaster andFolding Pictures Kit by UNESCO Jakarta

Despite the fact that Indonesia is geographically prone to natural hazards, public awareness of such disasters is remarkably low. This is due to the scarcity of educational materials on natural disaster preparedness available for communities. At present, no special attention has been given through school curriculum on natural disaster preparedness and mitigation.

As a result, project participants are currently developing two types of educational materials in English to educate teenagers about what to do when natural disasters occur:

Folding Pictures Kit Folding Pictures and booklets describing four different natural disasters which commonly occur in Indonesia: earthquakes, floods, landslides and volcanic eruptions.

Natural Disaster Simulation Game An educational board-game that will help students understand what natural disasters are and teach them about actions to take to reduce the impact of natural disasters.

Thailand – Understanding Landslide Hazards and Preparedness in Northern Thailand by the Thailand Environment Institute

In Thailand, landslides usually occur in mountainous areas and are triggered by heavy rains. The northern region of the country is a mountainous region, and generally susceptible to landslides and mud/debris flows. Video was selected as the best communication and media option to deliver landslide awareness and action messages, as well as to enhance disaster educational materials based on local culture and community learning styles. This video effectively caters to the delivery of awareness and action messages that are tailored to the needs and learning styles of the local people. The video delivers some lessons learned by local people about landslide hazards, and discusses ways to prepare for them to reduce the risk of victimization.

Lesson Learnt PublicationA publication that describes the process of developing the aforementioned educational materials is currently underway. The compiled reports produced by the four in-country teams, as well as ACCU and the Bangladesh Red Crescent Society, will be disseminated to targeted stakeholder groups in order to share experiences and enhance the outreach of education for disaster preparedness within the context of ESD. As history has shown time and again, knowledge about disaster preparedness really can be the difference between life and death.

Contact: Naoko KimuraE-mail: n.kimura@unescobkk.org

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8FIELD REPORT

UNESCO Hanoi encourages an integrated approach to heritage conservation in Viet Nam, in particular at UNESCO World Heritage sites. Ha Long Bay, inscribed on the World Heritage list in 1994, is an area of superlative natural beauty, but also a treasure house of unusual and unique geomorphic features, ecosystems and bio-diversity. There are many sites of historical significance and archaeological remains in and around the Bay, and many are strongly represented in the myths and legends of the Vietnamese people.

In order to provide a development framework for the Bay, UNESCO Hanoi initiated a feasibility study in the year 2000 to create an “eco-museum” for Ha Long Bay. Stakeholders were in general consensus that this would be the most appropriate approach to simultaneously conserve and sustainably develop the tangible and intangible heritage of the Bay and its hinterland.

The eco-museum approach received government support at the highest level, and on 21 October 2002 the Prime Minister approved the Master Plan on “Conservation and Promotion of the Values of the Ha Long Bay 2002-2010.” The Plan clearly states, “...the Ha Long Eco-museum project is an overall solution to the conservation, restoration and promotion of the [bay’s] heritage values.” The Ha Long Ecomuseum was subsequently approved as a national museum and the first eco-museum in Viet Nam.

Through consultations with stakeholders, the establishment of a Cua Van Floating Cultural Centre became one of the Eco-museum’s top priorities due to the fact that floating villages are increasingly at risk from over-fishing, pollution and tourism.

In the words of the technical advisor to the Centre, Professor Amareswar Galla, “The museum is the territory in which the community lives. The curators are the local people who need to know themselves and their environment first before they can develop such an eco-museum. It is a people-centred approach.”

UNESCO Hanoi, together with many partners in Viet Nam, thus began developing the Centre in 2003 with funding from Norway. The project has focused on building the capacity and the participation of fishing communities in the conservation of their natural environment and heritage, while fostering economic development of the Bay and its hinterland.

A major responsibility undertaken by UNESCO Hanoi and its partners has been the design of capacity-building programmes for project team members from the Ha Long Bay Management Department, as well as for Cua Van community members who will be the future “owners” of the Cultural Centre. The overall design of this training has been based on an unprecedented respect for and commitment to the participation of local community members as major role players. The Centre opened to the public on 19 May 2006, staffed by both the Cua Van community and by Ha Long Bay Management Department. It was a special day not only for UNESCO Hanoi and our partners in Viet Nam, but more importantly for the people of the Cua Van fishing village.

If all goes well with the Cua Van Floating Cultural Centre, it will provide a national and Asian role model of good practice and a training ground in holistic natural conservation, heritage

tourism development, and both culture- and environment-based economic growth that contributes to sustainable communities and poverty alleviation.

Contact: Chu Shiu-KeeE-mail: sk.chu@unesco.org.vn

Cua Van girls as tour guides inside the Cua Van Floating Cultural Centre.

Mr. Chu Shiu-Kee, Head of UNESCO Hanoi and UNESCO’s Representative to Viet Nam.

UNESCO HANOIMr. Chu Shiu-Kee has been the Head of UNESCO Hanoi and UNESCO’s Representative to Viet Nam since January 2003. He briefs us on the support UNESCO Hanoi is providing in the area of cultural heritage protection.

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July – 30 September 20062006 UNESCO Bangkok Photo Contest “Promoting Peace through Gender Equality in Education”This photo contest is in connection with celebrations for International Day for Tolerance on 16 November 2006. It is being held in countries that are a part of the Gender in Education Network in Asia (GENIA), and is open to the general public. All entries must be received at UNESCO by 30 September 2006. The 12 winning photos will be selected and featured in the 2007 Gender in Education Calendar.

Contact: m.gupta@unescobkk.org www.unescobkk.org/index.php?id=4356

August - 20 October 2006Bangkok, ThailandThe Youth Envisioning Contest entitled “Young Minds in Action” is an activity to enhance Education for Sustainable Development (ESD)Secondary school students of UNESCO’s Associate Schools Project Network (ASPnet) in the Asia and the Pacific region and teachers are invited to express their views on sustainable development through art, music and/or writing or submitting lesson plans. Prize winners are awarded a Certificate of Achievement in ESD and US $500.

Organized by the Asia Pacific Programme of Educational Innovation for Development/ESD Unit of UNESCO Bangkok. Contact: k.mossman@unescobkk.org. www.unescobkk.org/education/esd

27 August – 16 September 2006Hanoi, Viet NamMekong Performing Arts LaboratoryThe laboratory is a three-week intensive training course linked with UNESCO’s project for the expansion of innovative HIV prevention approaches using traditional forms of performing arts in Asia. It applies theater and performing arts for advocacy on gender, sexuality, and HIV/AIDS designed for the performing artists in the Greater Mekong Sub-Region.

Contact: p.alberth@unescobkk.org

5-7 September 2006 Vientiane, Lao PDRExchange and Learning Workshop for Field Workers in HIV Prevention Projects in the Greater Mekong Sub-region for Men Having Sex with Men.

Organized by UNESCO BangkokContact: s.srisuman@unescobkk.org

LESSON LEARNT

By Alexa Joyce / ICT

Lesson learnt: International collaboration between schools, using ICT, has a positive impact on teaching and learning. It increases student motivation and improves learning of the subject matter.

How this lesson was learnt:From 12 to 16 December 2005, a telecollaboration workshop was convened in Chiangmai, Thailand, as part of the UNESCO SchoolNet project. The workshop was convened with the goal of enhancing teachers’ understanding of telecollaboration and enabling them to coordinate online activities effectively.

The workshop brought together representatives from twenty-four schools in eight ASEAN (Association of South-East Asian Nations) countries – Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Thailand and Viet Nam – along with the SchoolNet managers from each country.

At the workshop the participating teachers learned about the “Learning Circles” model and how to take part, including how to work together in virtual teams.

On their return home, teachers signed up for online Learning Circles activities to be undertaken with their students. Each class was invited to choose a topic from one of three categories: “measure by measure”, “people and places”, and “the world we live in”. Then each class was assigned a Learning Circle, with between six and eight other classes.

Learning Together Across Borders: ICT as a Tool for Educators

During a Learning Circle activity, each class in the group sends a question via the Internet to the other classes (at a pre-determined time). All classes then prepare answers and email them, along with relevant materials, to the other members of their Learning Circle group.

The participating teachers were extremely enthusiastic about the results of the Learning Circle activity. They found that in this context, students were highly motivated to learn and, therefore, learned better about the topic than in a traditional pedagogical context. In addition, students acquired many associated soft skills such as intercultural understanding, improved verbal and written expression and team work.

In some cases, the student-teacher relationship was revolutionized, as students taught teachers about the ICT tools they were using to produce materials.

The SchoolNet project began in 2002 and is supported by Japanese Funds-in-Trust (JFIT). For more information about the project and the Learning Circles activities, please visit the project website: www.unescobkk.org/education/ict/schoolnet.

Contact: Miao Feng-ChunE-mail: fc.miao@unescobkk.org

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Being able to read is a very special gift, but one that is often taken for granted. Literacy is the bedrock of our journey through life and the foundation of UNESCO’s support for education. Yet hundreds of millions of people in Asia are unable to read and write. We asked Hameed A. Hakeem, Education Advisor and Coordinator to the Asia-Pacific Programme of Education for All Unit, why this should be.

The APPEAL website mentions 771 million adults are illiterate of whom 511 million are in the Asia and the Pacific region and more than 115 million children are out of school. Has UNESCO failed nearly one billion people?

I wouldn’t say UNESCO has failed. There are examples of countries where UNESCO’s support has helped to reduce illiteracy rates. But on the whole, progress has been slow. UNESCO’s contribution to help countries to speed up this progress needs more effective technical support and assistance to improve advocacy and

Interview with

Hameed A. HakeemBy Clive Wing / IKM

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11Q&A

to develop national capacity for countries to successfully handle issues of literacy. We must also remember that there aren’t many development agencies that have adult literacy within their main mandate. And yet literacy is at the core of education. In recent years, we have begun special initiatives to promote literacy in countries with large numbers or high percentages of illiterates. What is of special concern for APPEAL is that a large number of illiterates are in Asia. The persistent high illiteracy rates in the larger countries of South Asia – especially among women - requires special and urgent attention.

Since 1995 APPEAL has promoted community Learning Centres, CLCs. Looking back, have the CLCs had an impact on raising literacy levels?

We’ve had encouraging results from CLCs. Success comes from the use of a bottom-up approach in needs analysis and decision-making. Even in countries that traditionally are not accustomed to a bottom-up approach, CLCs are having an effect in mobilizing communities to work towards improving literacy and the quality of life. It is encouraging when we hear that CLCs no longer operate in isolation as separate projects, but are linked to educational policies and integrated into the education system of some countries.

Is the focus of the CLCs more towards adult literacy?

In countries with low literacy rates, adult literacy features high up in the CLC agenda. It is usually adult literacy linked to development issues of the community. But the work of the CLC goes well beyond literacy.

Does UNESCO emphasize the role of parents in teaching their children to read? When did you learn to read?

There is more that UNESCO can do to emphasize the role of parents in teaching their children to read. Currently, APPEAL is supporting selected CLCs in Laos to promote the teaching of reading by parents to their children through an ECCE project. It is likely to be expanded to cover more CLCs. I don’t remember how old I was when I first learnt to read. But I know that I had a lot of support from home. I come from a country, the Maldives,

where about 70 years ago there were schools that only admitted children who knew how to read! Over the years this task of teaching reading to children by parents has been increasingly taken over by the school.

APPEAL advocates becoming literate in the mother tongue followed by the national language. Isn’t there a chance that the child does not fully master the national language, more so if it uses different scripts?

For children from linguistic minorities, their first language comes first. But they will need to be helped to systematically bridge to the national language and subsequently to continue learning in the national language. A good bridge to learning the national language is absolutely essential. We shouldn’t talk only about the importance of first language of linguistic minorities. We should, at the same time, stress the importance of bridging to the national language as soon as possible. It is not a question of the mother tongue or the national language. It is about learning both languages - but learning the mother tongue first. My understanding is that learning one’s first language well helps prepare a child to learn other languages faster. In many countries, linguists help communities with minority languages that do not have writing systems to develop scripts based on the national language. In one of our projects in Northern Thailand, Thai scripts were used to develop a writing system for the Pwo Karen language.

Once achieved, how do you keep a newly literate person literate? Is UNESCO involved with this?

Yes. UNESCO has helped to draw the attention of countries to this need. To avoid relapsing into illiteracy, it is important to ensure that the initial literacy programme is strong and motivates learners to continue learning. Creating a literate environment for the newly literate, can of course, help to sustain or improve literacy skills.

ICT is a tool that can be used at any age, but is it not going to take over from other tools?

Exactly. It’s not a question of ditching what is available. What needs to be

recognized is that ICT has unique potential. A CLC project in Madurai, India, offers the learner an opportunity to make content that is unique to each one.

With a digital camera learners take pictures of their families or household items and then the facilitator helps with the words and sounds for the photos which become the content. Back at the CLC the facilitator will help learners make their own CD-ROM and at the same time produce a little booklet which they can also keep. The results are quite amazing. They learned very quickly. ICT offers the potential to address diversity, something which the primer doesn’t do. A book can’t be produced for every person’s individual needs. Whereas ICT can do this relatively easily.

ICT is gender-neutral, but is it used to produce materials specifically for women which other women will find attractive?

This is very important. We find that women are the target group, but they are often not involved in deciding what is taught to them. Even in the CLCs, women are poorly represented on management committees. So we have special programmes on gender mainstreaming and involving women in decision-making. If they are involved, they’ll be able to address the concerns of women when deciding the content. This is a message that APPEAL wants to send to countries that have the persistent problem of low literacy for women.

Cambodian students respecting the national flag before going to school in Srah Srang village.

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Currently the aim of the Asia-Pacific Programme of Education for All Unit (APPEAL) at the Asia and Pacific Regional Bureau for Education is to promote literacy, Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE), primary education and continuing education as integrated components of basic education and lifelong learning. APPEAL’s strategies stress gender mainstreaming, community participation, inclusion, networking, utilization of appropriate ICTs, innovations in both formal and non-formal approaches to offer good quality education, especially to disadvantaged and vulnerable groups

In implementing its programmes special attention and priority is given to reaching out to excluded, underserved or disadvantaged groups: women and girls, the poor, minorities and the disabled.

The creation of APPEAL in 1987 was a response by UNESCO to the needs of Member States in the Asia and Pacific region. The following features characterized the education scene in this region:

Continuing increase in the number of illiterates despite efforts made by countriesA great concern for the achievement of universal primary education (UPE), which appeared to be an elusive target for many countriesThe hope provided by non-formal education as a viable, alternative/supplementary mode, andThe acceptance of the need for continuing education (CE)

The conceptual framework within which APPEAL launched its successful strategies to address issues of literacy and CE was developed with the help of regional expertise. Within this framework viable and effective modalities have been devised for co-operative work among Member States.

APPEAL has identified centres of good practice in literacy and continuing education in Member States and formed them into

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an APPEAL Resource and Training Consortium (ARTC). These centres undertake not only materials production and training of personnel, but also other activities including research.

Member States have also been motivated to undertake pilot studies and innovative activities aimed especially at reaching out to the excluded and disadvantaged groups. The mechanism of regional and sub-regional meetings has been used for sharing experiences and lessons learnt. Member States are no longer addressing their issues in literacy and CE in isolation.

Through the conceptual framework developed with the help of regional experts, a significant contribution made by APPEAL has been to assist Member States to avoid segmented and disparate efforts to tackling issues of literacy and CE and to embark on a comprehensive and systematic approach to literacy and CE. Through this assistance, APPEAL has had concrete policy influence on the design of literacy and CE programmes in the region.

The work of this regional programme has undergone renewal and transformation in recent years. In aligning its work more closely with the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), the Dakar Framework of Action and UNESCO’s global strategy, APPEAL’s focus has expanded to include early childhood education and formal primary education, gender, and the promotion of the right to education and inclusive education. This transformation has taken place while APPEAL maintained its emphasis on literacy and continuing education aimed at meeting EFA and United Nations Literacy Decade (UNLD) goals.

Hameed A. HakeemEducation Advisor and Coordinator, APPEAL

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13APPEAL

and wisdom about practical life and vocational skills in the local community. Facilitators need to help learners link literacy and numeracy skills with their knowledge from daily life and find solutions and directions.

In view of this, facilitators are often recruited from the local community because they know better about community life. In some cases, understanding local languages is also an important factor in selecting the facilitator when the community uses a different language from the national language. However, facilitators recruited locally often have a low educational background and little training experience, so many of them face difficulties facilitating the learning process effectively.

According to the EFA Global Monitoring Report 2006, it is estimated that 100 million children are not in school and 771 million adults can not read and write. It is not realistic to assume that all of them will go to formal schools in the near future. Achieving the EFA goals of universal primary education and a 50%

Teachers of Non-formal Education

Teachers of non-formal education (NFE) are usually called ‘facilitators’ since their main role is to facilitate learning processes based on the learners’ existing knowledge and skills. The tasks of NFE facilitators are wide and complex, but their social and economic status is not always high or stable in many countries, compared with formal school teachers.

The reason for this could be because many governments consider that NFE should be economical to provide learners with minimum literacy and numeracy skills for survival, even sacrificing the quality of classroom facilities, teaching-learning materials and staff. NFE programmes are often considered alternative or supplementary activities for disadvantaged population groups such as out-of-school children, youth and illiterate adults who missed formal schooling.

Consequently, NFE programmes are often organized under time and budget-bound projects by government or NGOs, rather than in permanent learning institutions. These project personnel often work under a short-term contract or temporary employment. Accordingly, little investment has been made in most countries for long-term career development and training mechanisms for NFE personnel.

The work of NFE facilitators is not as easy as one might think. They have to design and conduct the activities to meet the needs of learners, since most learners come to learning centres to improve their skills or solve problems in their daily lives. If the learning programmes do not accommodate such immediate needs, learners, in particular adults, may lose their interest in continuing their learning.

Facilitators do not just transmit information, but also assist learners in identifying issues and finding solutions by themselves. In fact, some adult learners have more experience

improvement in adult literacy by 2015 will not be possible without alternative learning mechanisms through NFE. Since out-of-school children and illiterate adults are disadvantaged socially and economically with little power or voice, EFA partners should further encourage governments to strengthen the programmes, particularly, the capacity-building of facilitators.

At the same time, it is not easy to create new institutions that focus on NFE. Synergizing available educational resources in the country would be an effective and feasible strategy. This includes involvement of school teachers, retired teachers and university/college students so that NFE programmes can benefit from their expertise and experiences. Cooperation with existing research and training institutions, especially teacher training colleges, and linkages with NGOs should be explored and developed.

Contact: Kiichi Oyasu E-mail: k.oyasu@unescobkk.org

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The Impact of Women Teachers on Girls’ Education

The issue of recruiting women teachers has become increasingly important to Ministries of Education and those supporting educational development, particularly given the positive impact women teachers can have on girls’ enrolment.

In some conservative communities, parents will not allow their daughters to be taught by male teachers or may feel more comfortable with women teachers. In these cases, the presence of a female teacher can have an immediate effect on girls’ access to education. Women can also serve as role models for girls, encouraging them to complete their studies and perhaps even inspiring them to study further to become teachers themselves. They play a key role in challenging gender stereotype and, in this way, are crucial agents for change.

Women teachers can also be effective advocates for girls, particularly during their adolescence, because they have a closer understanding of girls’ needs at this stage. In advocating for access to separate toilet, and in providing girls with accurate information about menstruation, puberty, sex and reproductive health, women teachers have an important role to play. However, there is often a lack of women teachers. This is partly due to the fact that there are fewer educated women qualified to become teachers, which is especially the case in rural communities and amongst indigenous and minority populations. Even where there are qualified women to become teachers, they face numerous barriers based on traditional, gender-stereotyped notions of the division of labour in families, schools and communities. Moreover, security concerns often become an added obstacle to assigning women teachers to positions in rural and remote areas. On the other hand, some countries face

the issue of the feminization of the teaching profession. This trend may be accompanied by the lowering of the status of teachers, with men turning to other, more highly-paid jobs; low resources allocated to pre- and in-service professional development; and less emphasis on the creative aspects of teachers’ work. Even when women constitute the majority of teachers, they often lack opportunities to advance their careers. They are not in positions of power and authority, with few female head teachers, principals, education officers and managers at district, regional and national levels.

While there are positive roles that women teachers can play, it is important to remember that they are not necessarily aware of gender equality issues and concepts. They may reinforce gender stereotypes based on their own unconscious attitudes and perceptions of gender roles. Therefore, it is important that there is an awareness raised among men and women teachers with regard to gender equality. This should be incorporated in teacher training. In order to recruit more women teachers, many strategies have been identified by ministries of education and others supporting work in education, including establishing quotas for women teachers, providing scholarships and incentives for women to be trained as teachers and to work in rural areas, and developing creative recruitment campaigns targeting women. Once hired, it is important that women teachers be ensured equal access to teacher training and

professional development opportunities, with innovative strategies employed to reach them in their communities. Their development can be further supported through mentors, networks of women teachers and women education leaders. Gender-aware teacher training should be provided to empower male and female teachers with gender equality content that will allow them to more effectively encourage girls’ active participation and achievement in school and promote gender equality. It is also essential that women teachers are fully involved in decision-making processes and not just relegated to subordinate roles.

In order to inform future policy development, more formal evaluations of the impacts of such strategies are needed. Furthermore, these strategies must be carried out within a gender equality framework, that challenges attitudes in families and communities about women’s and men’s roles and activities, and ensures that teachers – both male and female – are granted the status and respect they deserve.

Contact: Gender in Education Team E-mail: gender@unescobkk.org

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This article is based on the UNESCO Bangkok advocacy brief, “The Impact of Women Teachers on Girls’ Education”, Bangkok: UNESCO (2006) 7 pp. ISBN 92-9223-080-8

15APPEAL

Discussion on Language and Education in the Context of Linguistic Minorities

APPEAL Coordinator Hameed A. Hakeem recently represented the Director, UNESCO Bangkok, in an audience with Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador for the Empowerment of Minority Children through Education and through the Preservation of their Intangible Cultural Heritage. Joining the audience were the Minister of Education, Mr. Chaturon Chaisaeng; the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Education, Khunying Kasama Varavarn; the Director-General and two directors of the Office for the Non-Formal Education Commission (ONFEC); and the President and linguists from SIL International and Mahidol University. At this audience lessons from pilot experiences in initial learning in the mother tongue in Thailand and other countries in the region were discussed. Linguists at the audience spoke about their practical experiences in supporting such initial

learning in the mother tongue and in building a successful bridge to learning the dominant language through which further education was pursued.

Special focus was given to the Omkoi pilot project in Chiangmai, implemented through collaboration among the Office of Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn’s Projects, ONFEC, SIL International and UNESCO Bangkok. HRH highlighted the support provided by her Foundation to the disadvantaged minority community at Omkoi, especially in the areas of health and nutrition. Issues relating to effective teaching of the Thai language also received considerable attention. Both HRH and the Minister of Education expressed the need to improve methods of teaching Thai to children.

The audience, initially planned for 15 minutes, extended well beyond 50 minutes, indicating HRH’s interest, and the importance she gives to the topic of language and education for linguistic minorities. In 2005, she graciously agreed to serve as UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador for the Empowerment of Minority Children through Education and through the Preservation of their Intangible Cultural Heritage. The main topic of discussion at the audience was language and education. The issue of initial learning in the mother tongue for linguistic minorities also featured prominently in the discussion.

The audience with HRH has been followed up by a meeting requested

by the Minister of Education, at which UNESCO, Ministry of Education (MoE) officials, and linguists from SIL International and Mahidol University participated. A panel discussion for a Thai audience, to be organized by the MoE and focusing on issues of bilingual education and initial learning in the mother tongue, is under consideration.

The outcome of the audience with HRH and subsequent discussions with the Minister of Education have also reaffirmed the urgency for an advocacy toolkit on multilingual education (MLE) for policy makers and practitioners. UNESCO Bangkok, through its language committee of linguists, professionals from UN agencies, and international NGOs with experience in working with linguistic minorities, is now in the process of developing the MLE advocacy toolkit.

Within the broader framework of UNESCO’s support for multilingual education, APPEAL is also implementing a regional project that helps countries in Asia and the Pacific to pilot literacy programme in the mother tongue and use these literacy skills for income generating and improving peoples’ quality of life. Through funding support from UNESCO and the Government of Japan, and with the technical expertise of linguists, the regional project has now expanded to cover 11 countries.

Contact: Hameed A. HakeemE-mail: a.hakeem@unescobkk.org

www.unescobkk.org/appeal

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16SPECIAL EVENT

On 16 June 2006, UNESCO Bangkok’s staff and retirees came together in the beautiful office garden to attend the Raja Roy Singh (1918-2005) Fountain and Memorial Bench dedication ceremony.

Raja Roy Singh, a former director of the UNESCO Bangkok Regional Bureau, was born in 1918 in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. He rose through the competitive ranks of educational administration in India to become the Joint Secretary of the Ministry of Education in 1960.

When UNESCO was suddenly looking for a replacement in Bangkok for Dr. Rahman, who died while in office, someone of stature was needed to take over the reins of the enormous commitment they had undertaken in Asia. Raja Roy Singh’s name came to the fore. He remained Director of the Regional Office in Bangkok until his retirement in 1985.

When the new UNESCO/SEAMES Darakarn building was under construction in Bangkok, Raja Roy Singh, an avid gardener, knew that he would never be able to get UNESCO to give him funds to landscape the grounds. So he started collecting clippings of special plants from friends, growing them at his home, and moving them to this site when they were ready to be transplanted. By the time the building was inaugurated, the gardening project was well underway. It is said that if you wanted to be on Raja Roy Singh’s good side, you brought him something for the garden and showed up on Saturday morning to help with the planting.

Whatever the means, the garden at UNESCO became an important part of the overall community experience at the Regional Office. Brought from friends and colleagues from around the region,

In memory ofRaja Roy Singh

the flowers, trees, and other plants in this garden are genuinely representative of the countries of Asia and the Pacific each unique in its own way, but, together, making a wondrous whole.

The garden, therefore, like UNESCO, is a collection of individuals who, when gathered together in a way that recognizes and emphasizes the best characteristics of each, form a whole much greater than the sum of the individuals themselves.

From the dedication speech delivered by Sheldon Shaeffer, Director of UNESCO Bangkok

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AIMSWhat

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Workshop on Strengthening National Capacity and Sub-national Education Officials’ Use and Analysis of Education Statistics Hue, Viet Nam 27 – 30 June 2006

Who Education planners from central Viet Nam provinces

Why The workshop was designed to improve Vietnamese education officials’ analysis and presentation of education indicators, necessary in the preparation and implementation of educational development plans and its monitoring. As Viet Nam undertakes a national Education for All (EFA) Mid-Decade Assessment, it will help in assessing the country’s progress in achieving the six EFA goals.

Outcomes Vietnamese education officials improve their skills in analyzing and presenting education indicators.

ContactLinks

E-mail: aims@unescobkk.orghttp://www.unesco.org.vn/programmes/prog_edu_v.asp (Vietnamese language)

Workshop participants getting hands-on training. © UNESCO / L. Lugo

ICTWhat

WhereWhen

Consultative Meeting and Launch of the Next Generation of Teachers Project Bangkok, Thailand 16-18 May 2006

Who Participants of the meeting included representatives from Ministries of Education and Teacher Education Institutions (TEIs) from the ten countries in the Asia-Pacific region chosen to pilot the “Next Generation of Teachers” (Next Gen) project.

Why The aim of the meeting was to share with the representatives from the participating countries the project’s aims and objectives, and compile information about the current situation in TEIs in the 10 participating countries regarding ICT integration and learner-centred methods of instruction. At the Meeting, the Ministry representatives signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) with UNESCO regarding the implementation of the Next Gen project.

Contact Next Generation of Teachers project websitehttp://www.unescobkk.org/education/ict/teachertraining/next_gen nextgen@unescobkk.org

CIWhatWhereWhen

The Communication and Information Unit at UNESCO Bangkok donated 500 copies of the IFLA/UNESCO School Library Manifesto and the School Library Guideline as well as 60 copies of the UNESCO Public Library Manifesto to the Bangkok Metropolitan Authority (BMA) on 29 June 2006. These publications are Thai translations of the original English version by Professor Khunying Maenmas Chavalit, President of the Thai Library Association.

Who The Communication and Information Unit at UNESCO Bangkok

Contacts Lapapan Choovong. c.lapapan@unescobkk.org

Representatives from Education Ministries signing the UNESCO Next Gen project Memorandum of Agreement. © UNESCO

AGENDA 17

Seal of Excellence for Handicrafts Programme in Asia Workshop14-15 September - Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia25-27 September - Bukhara, Uzbekistan22-23 September - New Delhi, India

The workshop will introduce the UNESCO/CCI SEAL of Excellence that seeks to enhance the international awareness and market penetration of Asian handicraft products and product lines that conform to rigorous standards of cultural, environmental, and production excellence, adhering to authenticity as well as innovation with the overall aim of quality enhancement.Contact: v.achilles@unescobkk.org

2-4 October 2006Bangkok, ThailandAsian Academy for Heritage Management-Strategy Meeting cum Research ConferenceThe objective of the conference is to discuss the future development of the network and to elect an Asian Academy Steering Committee consisting of representatives from the institutional members. Further items on the agenda are the assessment of the outcomes from the activities of the working groups and the reconsideration of the network’s structure.

Organized by UNESCO BangkokContact: asian-academy@unescobkk.org

5-7 October 2006Bangkok, ThailandThe Second Thailand Education Congress on the Occasion of World Teachers’ Day (TEC 2006)The conference theme is “Education and Training for Global Change.”

Organized by The Rajamangala University of Technology (RMUT) in cooperation with UNESCO Bangkok, SEAMEO, SEAMEO-RIHED. Contact: m.lee@unescobkk.orgwww.wtd.2006.net

6-8 December 2006Bangkok, Thailand10th APEID International ConferenceTheme: Learning Together for Tomorrow: “Education for Sustainable Development”The aim of this conference is to promote the United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (DESD) from 2005 to 2014 and to strengthen UNESCO’s role as the lead agency for the DESD in the Asia and Pacific region.

Organized by the Asia-Pacific Programme of Educational Innovation for Development (APEID). Contact: apeidconf@unescobkk.org. www.unescobkk.org/education/apeid/conference

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Cédric WachholzChief, ICT in Education UnitCédric joined UNESCO Paris in 1998 and UNESCO Bangkok in 2002. Together with colleagues, he launched a variety of regional ICT in Education projects. In 2004 when he was appointed Chief of the ICT in Education Unit, he coordinated, contributed to and initiated ICT in Education policy, teacher training, indicators, and non-formal education. He will continue to work on ICT in Education, now from the Office of UNESCO’s Assistant Director-General for Education in Paris.

Motoko UdaMotoko joined APEID in June 2005. She assisted with the coordination and implementation of activities on Education for Natural Disaster Preparedness in the Asia and Pacific in the context of ESD for the Japanese Funds-in-Trust (JFIT) project. Motoko returns to Denmark to complete her Master’s degree in Development and International Relations.

Hardy HardiyantoARTC SecondmentHardy joined UNESCO Bangkok in January 2006. He served UNESCO as Programme Officer under the Asia Pacific Programme of Education for All (APPEAL) Secondment in areas such as APPEAL Resources Training Consortium (ARTC) networking; programme implementation, monitoring and reporting, particularly in mother tongue and ICT; and Non Formal Education (NFE) personnel capacity building. He leaves UNESCO to rejoin the NFE Department in Ministry of National Education of Indonesia.

STAFFNEWS

Sachin BhattChief Administrative Officer, Administration and FinanceSachin became the new Chief Administrative Officer in February 2006. He oversees budgets, finance, human resource operations, administrative policies and procedures, protocol and liaison, inventory, information technology and facilities management. Sachin has been with UNESCO since December 1994, notably at the Division of the Comptroller and with New Management and Monitoring Instruments projects.Contact: s.bhatt@unescobkk.org

Aya YokoiAssociate Expert, APEIDAya will be working as the Associate Expert with the APEID Unit on Mobile Training Team projects and ESD. Before joining UNESCO, Aya worked at the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) in Japan where her responsibilities included handling UNESCO’s Culture and Social and Human Sciences programmes at the Japanese National Commission for UNESCO.Contact a.yokoi@unescobkk.org

Naoko KimuraProject Assistant, Education for Disaster Preparedness Project, ESDNaoko will be assisting in the development of educational materials for disaster risk reduction and management in the region. She has prior experience in the Regional Unit for Social and Human Sciences in Asia and the Pacific (RUSHSAP) working on bioethics related issues.Contact: n.kimura@unescobkk.org

Songporn Leelakitichok (Bea)Administrative Assistant, RACAPPrior to her work with UNESCO, Bea worked as a volunteer with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). Bea also worked as an intern with the Administrative and Finance Unit at UNESCO Bangkok before starting

her job as administrative assistant with the RACAP.Contact: l.songporn@unescobkk.org

Manithaphone MahaxayGIS Programme Officer, RACAPManithaphone previously worked as a Programme Officer, Image Interpretation and Mapping Specialist at the Mekong River Commission (MRC) Secretariat. She also worked as a Project Manager on projects relating to Geographic Information Systems (GIS) database generation. She is currently working on implementing GIS in the HIV/AIDS and Trafficking project.Contact: m.mahaxay@unescobkk.org

Manithaphone Mahaxay

Cédric Wachholz

Motoko Uda Hardy Hardiyanto

Kari Adams Katie Mossman

Tamara-Leigh Brawn Elizabeth Marasco

Sachin Bhatt

Aya Yokoi Naoko Kimura

Songporn Leelakitichok

The Australian Youth Ambassadors for Development Program (AYAD) is funded through AusAID. It aims to strengthen mutual understanding between Australia and countries of the Asia and the Pacific region and make a positive contribution to development. The programme places skilled young Australians on short-term assignments to gain an increased understanding of the development needs of neighbouring countries.

UNESCO Bangkok currently has four AYADs working in specialized roles in three units:

Kari Adams has a 12-month placement at UNESCO Bangkok in the Office of the Regional Advisor for Culture in the Asia and Pacific (RACAP). Kari is assisting with programme structure, marketing and design, e-commerce website development and building the capacity of regional craft producers.Contact: k.adams@unescobkk.org.

Katie Mossman has an 8-month placement with the Asia-Pacific Programme of Educational Innovation for Development (APEID) and the Education for Sustainable Development Unit (APEID/ESD). Katie is organizing a Youth Envisioning Contest for school children and strengthening youth involvement in ESD in the Asia-Pacific region. Contact: k.mossman@unescobkk.org.

Tamara-Leigh Brawn recently joined the IKM Unit and will be with UNESCO Bangkok until the end of March 2007. She will be working with the Public Information team and collaborating with

programme officers in organizing a Media Training on Education for All (EFA). She will also work on other IKM-related activities.

Elizabeth Marasco has a background in Geographical Information Systems development and has a 9-month placement with the GIS team in the Office of the RACAP. Elizabeth is providing technical and spatial data infrastructure development and contributing research into extending the functionality of GIS in the Unit. Contact: e.marasco@unescobkk.org.

Arrivals

Australian Youth Ambassadors Departures

19RESOURCE MATERIALS

Positive Discipline in the Inclusive, Learning-Friendly Classroom Specialized Booklet 1The frustration that children’s misbehaviour causes, and a lack of skills to handle it, leads some teachers to strike out at their children and use corporal punishment to stop their misbehaviour. This type of punishment can cause children shame, guilt, anxiety, aggression, a lack of independence, and a lack of caring for others, and thus greater problems for teachers, caregivers, and other children. UNESCO promotes inclusive, learning-friendly schools and classrooms. Students who actively and enjoyably participate in classroom learning have fewer disciplinary problems. For this reason, UNESCO’s Asia and Pacific Regional Bureau for Education offers this guide for teachers and teacher educators as part of its larger publication, “Embracing Diversity: A Toolkit for Creating Inclusive, Learning-Friendly Environments” (ILFE Toolkit). The guide focuses on abolishing corporal punishment in schools by introducing concrete positive discipline techniques. An essential classroom tool! Contact: o.gankhuyag@unescobkk.org

2006 UNESCO SEAL of Excellence ApplicationApplications are now available for the 2006 Seal of Excellence for Handicrafts in Asia. Entering its sixth year, UNESCO’s flagship programme for supporting handicraft producers continues to recognize craft products that are culturally authentic, and which have been manufactured in a socially-responsible manner with respect for the environment. All interested artisans and craft producers are encouraged to visit the official SEAL website or contact their partner organization to obtain an application form and further information. Contact: v.achilles@unescobkk.orgWebsite: www.unescobkk.org/culture/craftseal

Cultural Heritage Specialist Guide Programme The UNESCO-ICCROM Asian Academy for Heritage Management has launched the Cultural Heritage Specialist Guide Programme in the Asia-Pacific region. This advocacy pamphlet provides an overview of the programme, which aims to raise the professional capacity of guides who work at heritage sites, particularly World Heritage sites. Sample curriculum material, updates about upcoming training activities, and other information are available on the programme website. The next workshop to train trainers from the Greater Mekong sub-region will be held in Luang Prabang, Lao PDR in October 2006.Contact: h.montira@unescobkk.orgWebsite: www.unescobkk.org/culture/asian-academy/heritageguides

ECCE Resource Briefs The content and quality of children’s early pre-school years can have lifelong repercussions on their learning. This Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) Resource Pack provides a better understanding of ECCE through twelve short, practical and easy-to-read booklets. It explains why giving priority to ECCE is important not only for children, but for society as a whole. Ways of best caring for children in childcare and preschool education are explored. Policy makers, teachers, parents and others working with young children should make this a “must” read.Contact: ss.skeie@unescobkk.orgWebsite: www.unescobkk.org

Free Software for Windows - CD-RomTowards its aim of strengthening access to education, UNESCO’s APEID and ICT in Education units have created this open source CD-ROM. The CD contains a selection of free software, useful for a variety of contexts: audio and video; games; graphics; internet; learning; office; and utilities. Each software application has been thoroughly tested and verified to ensure its effectiveness and safety. This CD-ROM may be used and copied freely, and distributed among educators, students, and any others who would like to use it, thanks to the flexible licensing terms of the software developers.Contact: h.schmid@unescobkk.org

Selected recent publications and other resource materials. For a full list, visit www.unescobkk.org/e-library/publications

Positive Discipline in the Inclusive, Learning-Friendly Classroom

Embracing Diversity: Toolkit for Creating Inclusive, Learning-Friendly Environments, Specialized Booklet 1

A Guide for Teachers and Teacher Educators

ExcellentAuthenticInnovativeEco-friendlyMarketable Fair

Queries and Information

For queries concerning the UNESCO SEAL and application procedures, please consult the following SEAL websites or your local representatives:

http://unescoartisans.orghttp://www.unescobkk.org/culture/craftseal

Contact Information

Creativity is humankind’s most widely and evenly distributed resource. All people seek outlets for self-expression and have the capacity to create objects to uplift the spirit and enhance people’s lives. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) promotes a wide range of activities to preserve and develop both traditional and contemporary crafts. This has included a Ten-Year Plan of Action for the Development of Crafts in the World 1990-1999, the annual UNESCO Crafts Prize to recognize the creative talents of craft producers, as well as programmes to identify and bestow on the world’s most outstanding artisans the title of “Human Living Treasure.”

The SEAL Programme Worldwide

The Seal of Excellence for Handicrafts was jointly established by UNESCO and the ASEAN Handicraft Promotion and Development Association (AHPADA) in 2001. Owing to its success, the programme has expanded worldwide.

The SEAL is coordinated by partner organizations in each region and sub-region. For further information, consult the Queries and Information section of this brochure.

Support the SEAL

UNESCO is seeking assistance to reinforce its efforts in the field and improve its services to producers. Crafts-lovers can support the SEAL programme in a number of ways:

• purchase SEAL products

• sell and distribute SEAL products

• advertise SEAL products and spread information about the programme

• sponsor craftspersons to attend international trade fairs or workshops organized by the SEAL programme

• provide venues and space for exhibitions and trade fairs

• donate equipment, materials or funds to contribute to programme activities

Apply to the SEAL

Interested craft producers can contact UNESCO or their national representative to receive a complete application form. Information and forms are also available on the programme websites.

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Specialist GuideCultural Heritage

Programme

ADVISORY BOARDThe Advisory Board of the Cultural Heritage Specialist Guide Programme consists of leading authorities from the tourism and heritage sectors in the Asia-Pacific region.

EXPERT ADVISORY BODIESMembers of the Asian Academy for Heritage Management, a network of institutions throughout Asia and the Pacific offering professional training in the field of heritage management

National heritage trusts

UNESCO Bangkok, which serves as the secretariat for the Asian Academy

IN COOPERATION WITHAsian Development Bank (ADB)Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA)United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP)

CULTURAL HERITAGE SPECIALIST GUIDE PROGRAMME FOCAL POINTSREGIONAL FOCAL POINT & NORTH ASIA FOCAL POINT [China, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Japan, Mongolia, Republic of Korea]Institute for Tourism Studies, Macao SAR, China

GREATER MEKONG SUB-REGION FOCAL POINT[Cambodia, China (Guangxi and Yunnan), Lao PDR, Myanmar, Thailand, Viet Nam]Lao National Tourism Administration, Vientiane, Lao PDR

MALAYSIA FOCAL POINTPenang Heritage Trust, Penang, Malaysia

SOUTH ASIA FOCAL POINT[Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka]Department of TourismRoyal Government of Bhutan, Thimphu, Bhutan

FURTHER INFORMATION

If you have an inquiry about the programme, please contact:UNESCO BangkokOffice of the Regional Advisor for Culture in Asia and the Pacific920 Sukhumvit RoadBangkok, ThailandTel: (66) 2 391 0577 x509Fax: (66) 2 391 0866E-mail: culture@unescobkk.orgwww.unescobkk.org/index.php?id=2627

Photo credits: © Office of Natural Resources and Environmental Policy and Planning (Thailand), Linda Puroaho, UNESCO, Richard Engelhardt, Sirisak Chaiyasook and IFT.

UNESCO Bangkok Newsletter is published quarterly. All articles are free of copyright restrictions, and may be reproduced subject to an appropriate credit annotation. A PDF version of the newsletter is available online at www.unescobkk.org/newsletter. This document is produced by the Information and Knowledge Management Unit/Public Information Services, UNESCO Bangkok. Editor-in-Chief: Caroline Haddad, Managing Editor: Anuje Pina Sirikit, Editorial Assistant: Alida Pham and Design/Layout: Pilanthorn Palm Kulapongse. For more information, please contact: UNESCO Bangkok, 920 Sukhumvit Road, Prakanong, Bangkok 10110 Thailand Tel:+66 2 3910577 Fax:+66 2 3910866 E-mail: opi@unescobkk.org

Using ICT to Develop LiteracyThis new publication, produced by the ICT in Education Unit with the support of Japanese Funds-in-Trust, provides a concise overview of literacy and explains how ICT can be used to improve literacy education. The booklet discusses five areas in which ICT can be utilized in literacy education (enhancing learning; raising access to literacy education; training of teachers; localizing content; and creating a literacy-conducive environment) and provides examples of projects in which ICT has been utilized effectively to improve literacy education.Contact: e.meleisea@unescobkk.orgWebsite: www.unescobkk.org/education/ict/elibrary

UNESCO-APQN Toolkit: Regulating the Quality of Cross-Border EducationThis publication is a reference to help develop regulatory frameworks for quality assurance in cross-border education (CBE) from both receiver and provider perspectives. It highlights important issues and considerations, different models of regulatory frameworks, practical steps in setting up a framework and potential pitfalls. Targeted mainly at government officials, policy makers and other stakeholders interested in CBE, the toolkit is intended to be an illustrative guide for the formulation of options and proposals.Contact: m.lee@unescobkk.org

Asia and the Pacific EFA MDA Reference Materials and Resources CDThis CD was prepared as a resource material to aid countries undertaking a Mid-Decade Assessment (MDA) of progress and gaps to achieving the EFA goals. Prepared by UNESCO Bangkok’s AIMS Unit, which is the Regional Office of the UNESCO Institute for Statistics, it contains EFA background materials, EFA MDA planning materials, links to useful websites, links to training materials from EFA MDA workshops, references and resources.Contact: aims@unescobkk.org.

Getting Girls Out of Work and Into School Policy BriefGirls’ labour constitutes a major obstacle to achieving gender parity and equality in primary and secondary education by 2015, as per the Dakar Framework of Action. Their work – in the form of household chores, domestic servitude, agricultural work and home-based work – can leave them vulnerable to abuse and exploitation. Since the majority of girls who do not attend school are likely to be working, efforts to increase girls’ education must go hand-in-hand with efforts to eliminate child labour. What are the causes of girls’ labour and what kind of impact does it have on educational opportunities? This brief, produced jointly by UNESCO Bangkok and the Regional United Nations Girls’ Education Initiative (UNGEI) for East Asia and the Pacific, answers these questions and provides examples of good practice, as well as strategies to get girls out of work and into school. Contact: gender@unescobkk.org

RESOURCE MATERIALS Selected recent publications and other resource materials. For a full list, visit www.unescobkk.org/e-library/publications

Supported byJapanese Funds-in-Trust