SangSaeng No.40

No.37 Summer/Autumn No.40 Summer 2014 2013

Living Together Helping Each Other

FROM CONFLICT TO CONCORD Attacks on Education in Situations of Insecurity and Conflict Attacks on Education in Situations Conflict Climbing,of Giving, Education for the Love Giving, of NepalEducating Climbing, for the LoveGiving, of Nepal Climbing, Education for the Love of Nepal How’s Education in the Asia-Pacific Going?

ISSN 1599-4880 ISSN 1599-4880

CONTENTS 3

Director’s Message

4 Special Column

Benefiting Society Through the Education of East Timorese Women

8 Focus : From Conflict to Concord 8 13 18 23

Attacks on Education in Situations of Conflict Behind the Veil Demining a Path to a Better, Safer Life Tailoring Peace Through Education in Nepal

13 48

40

28 Best Practices 28 31

8

Creating Books for Senegal’s Future Creating Safe-Villages Saves Lives and Fosters Ingenuity

34 Special Report

Learning to Live Together Through Education

38 Letter

S a n g S a e n g ( 상 생 ) i s p u bl i s h e d three times a year by the Asia-Pacific Centre of Education for International Understanding (APCEIU) under the auspices of UNESCO. 120, Saemal-ro, Guro-gu, Seoul, Republic of Korea, 152-050 Tel: (+82-2) 774-3956 Fax: (+82-2) 774-3958 E-mail: sangsaeng@unescoapceiu.org Web: www.unescoapceiu.org/sangsaeng

Exchanging Valuable Lessons is More Important than Cultural Awareness

40 Interview

Climbing, Giving, Educating for the Love of Nepal

44 Peace in My Memory

Japanese Tradition of Tea Warms the Heart Cover photo: A child with a rusted

46 Tuning in to the Asia-Pacific

How's Education in the Asia-Pacific Going?

48 Understanding

the Asia-Pacific Region

Wayang: Giving Moral Lessons in an Entertaining Way

50 APCEIU in Action

Living Together Helping Each Other

ISSN 1599-4880 Registration No: 구로바-00017

tank, a remnant from the Pacific War in Peleliu, Palau

© APCEIU/ Sungman Lee

Publisher: Utak Chung Editor-in-Chief: Kwanghyun Kim Editor: Sunmi Ji Copy Editor: Yoav Cerralbo Editorial Consultant for the Focus Section: Francis Daehoon Lee Designed by: Seoul Selection Printed by: Pyung Hwa Dang

SangSaeng (상생) , a Korean word with Chinese roots, is composed of two characters: Sang (相), meaning “mutual” (each other) and Saeng (生), meaning “life.” Put together, they mean “living together,” “helping each other,” which is our vision for the Asia-Pacific region. SangSaeng (相生) aims to be a forum for constructive discussion of issues, methods and experiences in the area of Education for International Understanding. SangSaeng also seeks to promote Global Citizenship Education, which is one of the three priorities of Global Education First Initiative launched by the United Nations in 2012.

Signed articles express the opinions of the authors and do not necessarily represent the opinions of APCEIU.

Facebook /unescoapceiu Twitter @apceiu Google+ +UnescoAPCEIUorg2014

Homepage www.unescoapceiu.org

© APCEIU

Director’s Message

Members of APCEIU with the participants of the Sub-regional Workshop on Global Citizenship Education (Yangon, Myanmar)

H

ope, like water and air, is an indispensable component for

have affected women, who become vulnerable victims of brutal

human existence. Unfortunately, a number of Asian nations

aggression during the war. Here, the writer explains how women

affected by brutal conflicts are starting to lose optimism for their

play a vital role in peace-building efforts and thus, are crucial to

problems to be resolved. In this summer issue of SangSaeng, we

resolving these violent conflicts.

present to our readers the violent regional conflicts that endanger

Lastly, readers will find an article about the promotion of peace

the aspirations of sustaining human existence. However, through

in Nepal written by Mr. Raj Kumar Dhungana, who suggests the

these articles, I firmly believe that our readers will be able to find

role of education as a vehicle to end various ethnic and religious

hope amidst conflicts, as we have.

conflicts. He believes that through the greater infusion of peace-

One of the unfortunate consequences of armed conflicts is the attack on education. In this issue, Mr. Mark Richmond,

related dialogue in educational curricula, norms emphasizing peace can pervade many levels of society.

the Director of PEIC, sheds light upon the poor educational

In Yangon, Myanmar, last June, under the theme of EIU: Global

environment in many parts of Asia. He reminds us that deep

Citizenship Education for a Culture of Peace and Sustainability,

disagreements regarding educational institutions and content often

APCEIU successfully co-organized the Sub-regional Workshop

inflict harm on those who are in need of education. Furthermore,

with UNESCO Bangkok Office. Following the request by Ms. Irina

as we can see from the case of Malala Yousafzai, a Pakistani school

Bokova, the Director-General of UNESCO, this workshop was

pupil who was shot for advocating the right for girls to have an

held to provide training opportunities for educators in the Mekong

education in Pakistan, the provision of education has been a topic

Cluster to allow them to practice education for peace and conflict

of contention that has brought about serious acts of violence.

resolution.

Fortunately, various preventative and protective measures are currently being implemented to alleviate these problems.

Furthermore, APCEIU has developed educational materials on the shared histories of Southeast Asia in order to promote

Aside from the threat on education, other risks stemming from

intercultural understanding and a Culture of Peace in Southeast

armed conflicts involve the presence of landmines and explosive

Asia. Our goal is to help foster reconciliation among different

weapons that are left undetonated, otherwise known as unexploded

nations and races through the dialogue of shared history.

ordnances (UXO). In the Asian countries of Cambodia, Laos, the

Following what we have accomplished, APCEIU will continue

Philippines, Sri Lanka and Vietnam, citizens are suffering from

to spread peace in the Asia-Pacific region. We seek to disseminate

the presence of UXO that ceaselessly threatens their daily lives.

the message of “hope for peace” in places where it is most needed. I

However, it is worth noting that international efforts such as UXO

would like to close this message with a quote by Mahatma Gandhi:

awareness education and reclamation of landmines are being made

“There is no path to peace. Peace is the path.”

to reduce the risk of civilian death and injury.

In addition, RIWPS-Afghanistan reports how internal conflicts

Utak Chung Director

3

Special Column

Benefiting Society Through the Education of East Timorese Women

© UN Photo/ Sergey Bermeniev

© UN Photo/ Martine Perret

By Kirsty Sword Gusmão (Goodwill Ambassador for Education of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, Chair of the Alola Foundation)

Timor women performing the traditional tebe-tebe dance and playing the babadok by a sacred tree in Camenasa East Timor children watching the Independence Day celebrations

4

Benefiting Society Through the Education of East Timorese Women

© Alola Foundation

Summer 2014

Teachers, students, and trainers participating in the UNESCO National Commission’s Mother Tongue-Based Multilingual Education pilot project in the Obrato, Manatuto district

I

n Southeast Asia’s newest nation, we celebrated the 12th

credibility to one’s advocacy.

anniversary of our independence last May. As with every year,

I learned this lesson in 2002 when, as a new mother

the commemoration of our independence caused me, and no

breastfeeding my second child, Kay Olok, I was asked by UNICEF

doubt many other East Timorese, to reflect on the remarkable

to speak at the launch of the Dili National Hospital’s baby-friendly

achievements of the past 12 years as well as some of the challenges

hospital initiative.

that still lie ahead for us.

On that occasion, I did more than just speak in favour of the

It is quite overwhelming to look back and reflect on the

support of exclusive breastfeeding at the level of health institutions.

momentous changes that have occurred in my life and in that of

I also announced my plans to establish the first National

my new homeland since that time. In this story, I hope to share

Breastfeeding Association of Timor-Leste under the umbrella of the

some of the highlights, including a few lessons learned.

Maternal and Child Health Programme of the Alola Foundation.

Rebuilding a country from the ashes of destruction and violence is a pretty turbulent process.

However, I offer a few guiding principles or lessons for life,

When we launched the Association in 2003, I had my infant son at my breast throughout the ceremony and on many other public occasions to drive home the point that “breast is best.”

spanning from the time I first became an activist for Timor-Leste

I consider that to be one of the most satisfying achievements of

through to my years as the country’s first First Lady and on to the

Alola, the fact that rates of exclusive breast-feeding have risen from

present day. I wanted to frame my comments with discussions of

around 30 per cent in 2005 to around 65 per cent in 2013.

women’s health, education, and well-being in Timor-Leste within some of these lessons learned and rules of thumb.

Figures showing the early initiation of breast-feeding after birth have also risen by some 10 percentage points to reach 98 per cent over just the past 4–5 years.

Personal Practice Preached There is nothing like personal experience to lend power and

A recent survey conducted by UNICEF on food and nutrition provides us with a sobering reminder of the challenges associated with educating families about good nutrition and healthy diets.

5

Special Column The survey showed that Timor-Leste has the highest percentage

on the basis of a mere academic or theoretical interest in the issues.

of children under five who are moderately or severely stunted in

Working Women, Healthy Society

growth in the world, matched only by Burundi.

Stunting has a massive impact on both physical and mental development, which, in most situations, cannot be reversed once a child reaches the age of two. It is a very sad thing indeed when a country’s children cannot reach their full potential due to poor nutrition.

Fast forward ten years after 2003 to the establishment of the National Breastfeeding Association and to my breast cancer diagnosis last year.

Similarly, I have drawn from the personal experiences of my diagnosis, treatment and recovery to raise awareness of cancer affecting women in Timor-Leste.

Given that we recently celebrated Mother’s Day, I would like to borrow a famous quote by famous British short-story writer, poet, and novelist Rudyard Kipling, in which he said, “God could not be everywhere, and therefore he made mothers.”

Of course it is universally true that investing in women and girls’ education has vast ripple effects in terms of the health and prosperity of a society. In Timor-Leste, I believe that women are the great untapped resource for the nation.

Women are reasonably well represented across all sectors of the Timorese civil service, parliament and other areas of social and political life, but I truly believe that

I established a women’s cancer support of other breast cancer survivors in March this year, and we are working to let women across the country know the basic facts and the importance of early diagnosis.

We recently conducted a two-day training of some 30 volunteers, mainly women, who will

In helping to advance education in Timor-Leste, UNESCO’s seminal work and advocacy in this field has been vital in enabling these important reforms.

Leste of the risk factors associated with women’s cancers and the importance of early detection.

If women and their families and our Ministry of Health are paying attention to what I say today, it is because they know I am

© Alola Foundation

speaking from a platform of direct personal experience rather than

6

practices that more actively promote women’s leadership in all spheres of public and private life are the wisest investment our leaders can make.

Sadly, family violence continues to be a blight on our society, and the 2010 domestic violence legislation seems to have gone only

assist us to inform communities across Timor-

Participating in a safe motherhood initiative of the Ministry of Health in October 2004. At the time, she was pregnant with her third son, Daniel.

more affirmative action and policies and

some of the way towards altering behaviours.

The 2009/2010 National Demographic and Health Survey revealed that 38 per cent of East Timorese women have experienced or are experiencing physical, sexual, or emotional violence from a husband or male partner.

© Alola Foundation

group called HALIKU along with a handful

Kirsty Sword Gusmão with her husband, HE Prime Minister, Xanana Gusmão, and children, Daniel, Alex and Kay Olok

Benefiting Society Through the Education of East Timorese Women

© Alola Foundation

Summer 2014

UNESCO Director-General, Irina Bokova, visited Timor-Leste and inaugurated the new office of the Timor-Leste National Commission for UNESCO in the course of a visit to Dili in August 2012.

There is no doubt that a greater understanding of domestic violence as a public crime has resulted in higher levels of reporting and has emboldened women to speak out and take action.

In some places, this translates into shift-teaching, which results in children getting an average of only 3–4 hours of schooling per day.

Almost all schools lack libraries. Timor-Leste itself doesn’t have

Alola’s Advocacy Programme works in tandem with the

a national library. These facts in conjunction with teachers’ poor

women’s network and relevant government agencies to raise

understanding of modern, child-centred teaching methodologies

awareness of the wide-reaching harm caused by violence in the

pose a serious challenge to our education authorities.

home and to improve services to victims.

I am extremely proud of the work that Alola’s education programme is doing to improve skills of pre-school and primary

Answering Challenges with Education Recently I delivered the keynote address at the launch of a new $20 million programme financed by the Australian Government aimed at boosting efforts to prevent violence against women through behaviour change, training, and support to service providers.

So, as you can see, we still have our work cut out for us in terms of boosting women’s well-beings, health and status within TimorLeste society.

As the Goodwill Ambassador for Education, I am reminded on a daily basis of the urgent need to improve the quality of education in order to better address these problems.

Some schools, particularly those in rural areas, have half or fewer numbers of classrooms needed to accommodate students.

level teachers through training workshops focusing upon literacy acquisition strategies and the production of learning aids from locally available materials.

In addition, Alola and the Timor-Leste National Commission for UNESCO have been important partners of government in the sometimes controversial work of promoting Timor-Leste’s some 30 local languages in the early learning years.

A soon-to-be promulgated law on the basic education curriculum acknowledges the importance of a child’s mother tongue, or first language, in improving learning outcomes and literacy acquisition.

In helping to advance education in Timor-Leste, UNESCO’s seminal work and advocacy in this field has been vital to enabling these important reforms.

7

Focus

Malala addressing Malala Day at the Youth Assembly

Attacks on Education in Situations of Conflict

By Mark Richmond (Director of Protect Education in Insecurity and Conflict (PEIC), Programme within the Education Above All Foundation, Qatar) mrichmond@eaa.org.qa

8

Attacks on Education in Situations of Conflict

Summer 2014

curricula, textbooks and other learning materials—may contain hate-filled messages, historical distortions, and prejudicial portraits that set one group off against another.

The content may also be contested between different religious or political groups, as with the demands of the Taliban for content to be aligned to a narrow interpretation of Islam and the efforts of Maoist combatants in Nepal to convey their message within the classroom.

Greater awareness of the complexity of education’s relationship with violent conflict has encouraged the development of more nuanced approaches by governments and their international partners.

In addition, it has stimulated a demand not only for more information, but for more accurate, complete and reliable information regarding not only education’s role in fomenting and exacerbating tensions and violence but also the impact of violent conflict on education at all levels as well as how education, if suitably designed and conscientiously implemented, can contribute to building peace, security, and social cohesion.

This demand for information was particularly acute for understanding the grotesque anomaly that, while the drive for Education for All (EFA) and the Millennium Development Goals ©UN Photo/ Rick Bajornas

seemed in full flow, in some contexts, schools were being bombed and burned rather than being built.

Moreover, teachers and schoolchildren were being killed or severely injured, but not accidentally; on the contrary, they were being deliberately targeted for attack.

Why was this happening? What motives and reasons lie behind such attacks? Who were the perpetrators? What was the scale of this phenomenon globally and country-by-country? What were the effects of such violence on education? And, most importantly, what could be done about it?

R

Pinpointing Patterns of Attacks

education, have shattered the idea that schools are a place of safety

studies entitled Education under Attack (2007 and 2010) to find out

ecent headlines concerning the abduction of nearly 300 girls from a school in Nigeria, following the shooting of

Malala Yousafzai in Pakistan in 2012 due to her advocacy for girls’ where children and young people can prepare for lives as future citizens.

The real situation is more complicated. Education can be both a victim and a driver of conflict.

The innocence of education’s role in the generation and perpetuation of violent conflict between different groups can no longer be presumed. For example, situations across the world show that education inequalities between ethnic, religious and territorial groups can give rise to a toxic mix of fears, grievances and resentments that heighten tensions and the risk of violence.

Similarly, the very content of education—expressed through

These and related questions compelled UNESCO to undertake more and to mobilise appropriate responses. Eventually, this gave rise to the creation of the Global Coalition to Protect Education from Attack (GCPEA), a group of international non-governmental organizations and United Nation agencies committed to addressing this issue.

The most recent edition of the global study, Education under Attack 2014 found that, in the period 2009–2013, 30 countries around the world had exhibited a significant pattern of attacks on schoolchildren, university students, teachers, academics and educational institutions. At least 40 more countries had experienced isolated attacks on education during the same period.

9

Focus

Afghan school children attending class

Two Asian countries—Afghanistan and Pakistan—were among

while isolated attacks occurred in Bangladesh, Cambodia, China,

the world’s six most heavily affected countries (the others being

Kyrgyzstan, Malaysia, the Maldives, Nepal, Papua New Guinea, Sri

Colombia, Somalia, Sudan and Syria).

Lanka, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Viet Nam. All told, at least

In Afghanistan, there were at least 1,100 attacks on school-

22 countries in Asia experienced attacks on education in the period

level education, including arson attacks, explosions and suicide

2009-2013, though the scale, duration and severity of the incidents

bombings; moreover, staff were threatened, killed and kidnapped.

varied considerably.

In Pakistan, at least 838 schools were attacked by armed

The study also found evidence of armed non-state groups

groups, notably the Pakistani Taliban; most attacks took the form

recruiting children while they were in school or along school routes

of the explosion of school buildings, but sometimes teachers

in two Asian countries, Pakistan and Thailand.

and schoolchildren were targeted. One such attack, when Malala Yousafzai and two fellow schoolgirls were shot at close range in the school bus taking them home, stimulated world-wide outrage.

Other Asian countries that experienced a significant pattern of attacks during this period were India, Indonesia, Iran, Myanmar, the Philippines, the Russian Federation, Thailand and Turkey, 10

Hitting Higher Levels Universities also come under attack, though such attacks typically occur in non-conflict countries and tend to involve situations of arbitrary arrest, detention or persecution of individual students

Attacks on Education in Situations of Conflict

©UN Photo/ Fardin Waezi

©UN Photo/ Eskinder Debebe

Summer 2014

Afghan students' coats hung on the wall, as the Back to School campaign launched by the Afghan Government with the support of UNICEF, which brings 1.7 million Afghan boys and girls back to school.

and academics.

However, attacks on higher education buildings do occur sometimes and have happened in Afghanistan, Iran, Pakistan and

renders them unavailable or unsuitable for educational activities, thereby depriving local children and young people of a place to learn for weeks, months and sometimes years.

the Philippines in recent years. Some incidents involving raids

It may be noted that international efforts to discourage and

by security forces or armed groups on student dormitories have

end the military use of education institutions are underway,

occurred in Indonesia, Iran and Pakistan.

centred on securing endorsement of the draft “Lucens Guidelines

While not, strictly speaking, an attack, military use of educational institutions also have taken place in Afghanistan,

for Protecting Schools and Universities from Military Use during Armed Conflict.”

India, Indonesia, Myanmar, Pakistan, the Philippines and Thailand, according to the same study.

Such military use, whether by state armed forces or armed nonstate groups, leads to the use of education buildings as barracks, bases for mounting security operations, fighting positions, and centres for detention, interrogation and torture.

Military use often damages buildings and their contents and

Disrupting Education Education

2014 not only documents and analyses attacks on

education but also highlights their immediate and short-term impact in terms of the killing and injury of students, teachers, academics and ancillary educational personnel; the destruction 11

Focus Further research is needed to deepen our understanding of the long-term impacts, such as the different effects of sporadic violence and sustained conflict on education as well as how the different experiences of the proximity and severity of violent activity may affect educational outcomes.

Violent conflict and targeted attacks also cause the forced displacement of local populations, either within a country or across borders, and this can result in a serious disruption of education

Š UN Photo/ Roger Lemoyne

provision for months and sometimes years.

An Afghan girl attending a school supported by UNICEF

Protecting Education It is important to stress, however, that there are a number of response and prevention measures that might be adopted in the face of attacks on education, though solid evidence concerning their relative effectiveness remains very limited.

Various physical protection measures have been taken up by educational authorities, communities, and military forces. These include providing armed or unarmed guards to protect educational establishments; setting up check-points near schools; strengthening

and damage of education buildings, equipment and resources; and the continuing endangerment of life and limb by the presence of unexploded ordnances.

Other risks include those of abduction, sexual abuse and recruitment into armed groups.

Together, these and other effects serve to disrupt education processes, such as school grade progression and examinations.

school walls and other infrastructure; providing police or military escorts for students or teachers en route to or from schools; and even arming teachers, as has occurred in southern Thailand.

Community-based initiatives to protect education have included establishing school management committees that encourage greater vigilance against attacks (e.g. in Afghanistan), creating codes of conduct or schools as zones of peace (e.g. in Nepal and the Philippines); and undertaking

Parents often withdraw their children from school temporarily or until the danger passes but sometimes for longer periods of time out of fear for their safety.

In addition to irregular attendance, dropouts and grade retention by students, attacks also lead to teacher dropouts and transfers away from the conflict zone, leaving

It is time for all education institutions to become zones of peace and security in which teachers can teach and children can learn free from fear or threat.

schools without teachers or forced to increase the size of classes and adopt shifts; such challenges have associated consequences to the quality of learning.

For both students and teachers, in fact, the impact of violent conflict is felt psychologically, whether through bereavement or through the shock of witnessing extreme violence. Such trauma and perpetual fear can interfere with the full recovery of capacities for learning and teaching.

Such short-term effects of attacks on education can also translate into medium- and long-term impacts, such as the shortening of the number of years of schooling for those affected, which has implications for employment and training opportunities and individual earnings.

12

negotiations with potential perpetrators of attacks (e.g. in Afghanistan and Nepal).

Prevention, meanwhile, may be approached through efforts to reduce education-related grievances, such as by ensuring that resource allocation is done fairly or by removing offensive or contested elements from curricula and textbooks.

Curriculum reforms that strengthen responsible citizenship and education for the peaceful resolution of conflicts, promote tolerance and respect for human rights, and support coexistence have the potential to set a new course for education in conflictaffected and post-conflict countries.

Today, the world contains close to 58 million children of primary school age who are out-of-school; out of this, 50 per cent live in conflict-affected countries.

It is time for all education institutions to become zones of peace and security in which teachers can teach and children can learn free from fear or threat.

Ancient Wisdom in Asian Traditional Houses

A woman walking through a field of grass in the Bamyan, Afghanistan

Behind the Veil Afghan Women Working Towards Peace

By Research Institute for Women Peace & Security (RIWPS), Afghanistan wfrogh@riwps-afghanistan.org

These roles of women should be complementary to their national level advocacy and efforts to increase women’s inclusion in peace and security matters should continue and be expanded on because only then can the meaningful participation of women in the national, regional and international peace arenas be insured as a viable framework in the UNSCR 1325 Security Council resolution.

13

ŠUN Photo/ Eric Kanalstein

Summer 2014

Focus

Women’s roles are not limited to being mothers and housewives. Rather, they can play a vital role in building peace in families, communities and countries.

I

nternal conflicts have plagued Afghanistan since 1989, when the country’s people were united and struggled against the Soviet

Invasion of 1979.

The Soviet Union was defeated and left the country, but Afghans were left with an immense amount of ammunition and an instability that was the legacy of the Cold War fought on Afghan soil.

The internal conflict and civil war led to the emergence of the Taliban regime, which brutalized Afghan women and girls, killed

services to help them live decent lives.

As Afghanistan struggles to move into an era of stability, the Taliban insurgency continues to harm women and girls, banning them from education, threatening women who work outside their homes and assassinating women’s political voices.

In such circumstances, women and girls are still making strides and progressing in Afghanistan. They prove that they can bring peace and security to their communities if they are given the opportunity.

them on the streets, banned them from working and getting an education and did not permit women and girls to leave their homes without a male companion or chaperone.

This internal conflict paralyzed the social fabric of Afghan society, dividing Afghans along tribal and ethnic lines and turned everyone against each other.

The civil war and internal conflict left millions of Afghan women as war widows and also forced communities to leave the country and become refugees to their neighbouring countries, Iran and Pakistan.

Women and girls were raped during the civil war, lost family members and became widows and sole breadwinners of their families. Still, many struggled hard and survived these dark periods.

In 2014, estimates of war widows living in Afghanistan reached over 2.5 million women. Furthermore, thousands of women and girls were left disabled and helpless because they did not receive any basic 14

Working Behind the Scenes Afghan women have been acting as peace-builders long before the government’s peace programme was introduced in 2010. As refugees, they took charge of managing villages and households.

Millions of women became the only breadwinner of the family during the civil war even under the brutal regime of the Taliban which banned women from appearing in public for any purpose.

Still, Afghan women stood up and supported the new administration since 2002 and are actively engaged in governance and the building the Afghan nation.

When the Afghan government brought together 2,500 elder and tribal leaders from every province for the Consultative Peace Jirga in June 2010, the High Peace Council (HPC) and Provincial Peace Councils (PPC), the idea for these meetings was to push for the

Behind the Veil

©UN Photo/ Eric Kanalstein

©RIWPS

Summer 2014

Encouraging the reintegration of insurgents for peace

president’s plans to lead the implementation of the Afghanistan Peace

provinces that have a newly established PPC programme.

PPCs have been active for the past year and some of them have

and Reintegration Programme (APRP).

The women organizations and activists lobbied with the

been recently established in Panjshir, Daikundi and Bamian.

Mostly, the composition of the PPCs

government and the international community to ensure that at least 25 per cent of the seats went to women in both the HPC and PPC appointments.

Therefore, the Institute for Women, Peace and Security engaged with over 70 women leaders across the country and provided them with the skills and opportunities to be able to negotiate for resolutions of local conflicts and become more active in the local reintegration efforts.

Secret Power

I came across an insurgent family whose wife was educated up to 12th grade. We kept meeting and encouraging her to get her kids into the local school and tried to integrate her with other female teachers in the community.

With our help, she was able to earn some income from tailoring and eventually her efforts led her husband to return back to Afghanistan from Pakistan and reintegrate.

-By a female PPC member-

The plan is to empower women to take leadership roles and act as negotiators in all peace settlements, resolving conflicts and engaging effectively in peace building processes including bottom-up peace building. The end goal of this part of the project is for women to be able to resolve local conflicts that give rise to insurgency in their areas.

There are around 70 female PPC members total across all the

start from 20–40 members, most of them with a minimum of one woman or a maximum of three women like in the city of Hirat. However, the average is two women in each of the PPCs. The heads of the Department of Women’s Affairs (DOWA) should include one member of the PPC, and the other women happen to be from the provincial councils, school teachers or in rare cases, from civil society organizations like in Hirat City.

Unlike the popular view, these women are actively engaged at the local peace

processes level. They talk to the families of the insurgents, create school awareness programmes and make it possible to have direct access to the insurgents in many areas including Kandahar.

Many of these women have been able to encourage the families of the insurgents to renounce violence and through their families, have found access to the insurgents. Women who participated in the 15

ŠRIWPS

Focus

National Youth Debate on peace and reconciliation

Forum have become instrumental agents behind the reintegration of

these disputes. Furthermore, their utmost effort is to resolve these

at least 500 to 700 insurgents. This was achieved through their direct

conflicts in a way that doesn’t propagate more bloodshed on any

outreach to families and insurgents themselves.

of the sides because these women would lose the breadwinner and

Most importantly, many of them have discouraged the potential

protector at the family level.

insurgents from engaging into acts that fuel the insurgency of the

RIWPS collected evidence from the local women leaders

country. For example, female PPC members in Kandahar, Kunar,

who were actively engaged in public education programmes and

Balkh and Kunduz exemplify how their outreach and interactions

encouraged families, especially mothers, to prevent their sons from

with mothers have resulted in the prevention of their sons from

becoming suicide bombers and joining insurgent groups.

engaging and being a part of the insurgency.

One of the efforts of women leaders in an insurgent area was

Almost all the women from PPCs believe that local conflicts are

the formation of a mothers group who would monitor the daily

the root of insurgency. Many local disputes and conflicts have turned

schedules of their sons as a way to ensure that they were not part of

violent due to the lack of a government response.

any terrorist or insurgent act.

As a result, young boys from both tribes have joined insurgency

In a similar attempt, for the women from the PPC in Balkh

groups in order to gather arms so that they can resolve their disputes.

district in the North, many girls who were banned from going to

Many lives have been lost on both sides due to these local disputes that could have been avoided if there were a local district governor, district police or local judiciary to resolve the issue.

These conflicts generate from water distribution, issues of land dispute, marriage, as well as murder and other crimes at the community levels.

school because of the Taliban found their path back to school.

The women from the Peace Council initiated a community dialogue with mothers and fathers by using Islamic arguments that supported a girl’s right to a proper education while convincing families not to listen to the Taliban.

Women leaders, as members of the Peace Councils at the local levels, have direct access to the insurgent families, a capability that

Teach Your Children Well The engagement of women, primarily of mothers and wives, at the community level has wielded a lot of influence on the outcome of 16

male negotiators and politicians do not have.

After receiving skills training in negotiations and mediation by the RIWPS-Afghanistan, the women who live in provinces like

Behind the Veil

Summer 2014

the wives and mothers of the insurgents that any instability would, in fact, impact women more than anyone else.

They also added that by having a male member as part of insurgent groups, their families would lose income opportunities and that their children would lose health and educational opportunities.

As a result of these efforts, women from the families of local fighters and insurgents pressured men in their homes to lay down their arms.

Women in their traditional roles as mothers and wives have been ŠRIWPS

vital to the local and community peace programmes.

Woman in Bamian negotiating peace among communities

Kandahar, Hirat, Balkh, Zabul and Kunduz started reaching out to the families who have direct or indirect relations with the local

They are not only able to influence men in their families to lay down their arms but are key in preventing their sons and other youths in the community from taking up arms and joining groups involved in insurgency acts.

These women are also critical in resolving local conflicts on resources peacefully by preventing men from resorting to violent

insurgents.

resolutions.

Influential Whispers

advocacy at the national level, and efforts to increase women’s

Using their information gathering channels, they identified the families, especially mothers and wives, and arranged community dialogues with female teachers, doctors, nurses, traditional birth

inclusion in peace and security matters should continue to be expanded upon because only then can the meaningful participation of women in the national, regional and international peace arenas be ensured as a viable framework in the UNSCR 1325 Security Council resolution.

ŠRIWPS

attendants, female school girls and other local women to convince

These roles of women should be complementary to their

Women in a conflict region gathering seeking justice

17

Š Julia Frost

Š Compassvale Secondary School and Suhaimi Afandi

Focus

Landscape in many parts of Lao PDR scarred by bomb craters

Demining a Path to a Better, Safer Life

By Geoff Turner (Marketing & Communications Manager, MAG International) Geoff.Turner@maginternational.org

18

Demining a Path to a Better, Safer Life

Summer 2014

C

ommunities across Southeast Asia are still feeling the effects

“We still do labour work when we are not working on our own

of landmines, bombs, cluster submunitions and other

farm, but things are very different,” she said. “Five of our children

unexploded ordnances (UXO) many years after the conflict in the

can now go to school, and we can rent a tractor and plough. We

region ended.

have good food; our children are healthy—not sick all the time like

A whole generation in Cambodia, Lao PDR and Vietnam has

before. Soon we will be able to build a new house.”

grown up with the risk of injury or death from these items as part of their daily lives.

But, organizations like the British nongovernmental agency Mines Advisory Group (MAG) are working to provide clearance operations and risk education to ensure that no future generations have to grow up with such dangers on their doorstep.

As a result of three decades of conflict that ended in the 1990s, Cambodia remains one of the countries that is most severely

Demining Mines MAG currently works in 17 countries worldwide across Africa and the Middle East and has been operating in Southeast Asia since the early 1990s.

Their programmes in the region involve landmine and UXO clearance using trained deminers equipped with detectors,

affected by landmines and other UXO.

Cleaning Devil’s Garden On top of the physical dangers, these deadly items hamper economic growth by preventing access to land in a country where around 80 per cent of the rural population depends on agriculture and related activities.

One such affected area is the Samlout District of Cambodia, once known locally as the Devil’s Gardens. When the fighting finally ceased in this former Khmer Rouge stronghold in 1998, thousands of people who had been forced away by the conflict headed home.

Though happy to leave the camps, they returned to find an © Sean Sutton/ MAG

© Sean Sutton/ MAG

astonishing level of landmine contamination. Families tried to clear mines from patches of land on the side of the road in order to build shelters, consequently creating scores of accidents. Since then, MAG has cleared many parts of Samlout and communities are now thriving. One such village is Phlou Meas, which has been cleared of landmines and UXO. Previously, people here had been living on tiny patches of land,

Ms. Pov Heang (left) and her family

unable to grow food, stuck in poverty with little hope for the future.

The transformation today is stunning. Villagers are prospering

specially designed machinery, and even detection dogs trained to

and the community is buzzing with activity. Fields full of ripened

sniff out explosives.

corn are being harvested alongside banana plantations and fields of sugar cane.

Their Community Liaison staff works with communities, development agencies and local authorities to gather information

“When we came here, we were at great risk,” said local resident

about the location and extent of landmines and other explosive

Ms. Pov Heang. “When we tried to clear the land we found many

weapons, and work to see how this affects the way people live from

mines, so we couldn’t grow any crops. We were poor and so scared

day to day.

for the children. My husband and I would work as labourers for

These teams also provide risk education to prevent death and

some seasons and would make around 15,000 riel ($5) a day, which

injury by raising awareness of the problems and promoting safer

was not enough. After the mines were cleared, WorldVision came.

behaviour.

They helped in many ways with seeds, agriculture training and water catchment pipes and tanks.”

The family now grows coconuts, mangoes, beans and corn.

These sessions include how to recognise commonly found explosive weapons, how to report a dangerous item, what to do in an emergency, information about known areas of contamination 19

Focus and accidents, warning clues and signs that might represent mined

leaving the landscape littered with hundreds of thousands, perhaps

areas and how to keep others safe.

millions, of unexploded bombs as lethal today as they were when they fell from the sky four decades ago.

Secret War’s Victims

The often brightly coloured cluster bomb munitions are

Lao PDR has the dubious reputation of being the most bombed country per capita in history and was the victim of a secret war.

Between 1964 and 1973, during the conflict with the United

dubbed “bombies” by Laotian villagers. They are still found in the clefts of bamboo branches by children playing in shallow dirt, or in the fields where farmers till soil by striking the earth with a hoe.

Since 1974, more than 20,000 people,

States, the North Vietnamese used a network of supply lines known as the Ho Chi Minh Trail, running from North Vietnam through the jungles and mountains of the neighbouring Lao PDR. In an effort to stop the flow of troops and weapons, the United States dropped more than two million tons of bombs on the country, including in excess of 270 million cluster bomb

Previously, people here had been living on tiny patches of land, unable to grow food, stuck in poverty with little hope for the future. The transformation today is stunning. Villagers are prospering and the community is buzzing with activity.

submunitions.

many of them children, have been killed or injured by bombs or other unexploded ordnances. Today, the lives of around 300 Laotian people are still devastated each year by the deadly remnants of this war.

Clearing Lao A little over 20 years ago, MAG received a request from the Mennonite Central

The U.S. war effort in Laos was kept secret from Congress

Committee for technical support to clear unexploded bombs in

and the American people. Full details of the scale of the bombing

the country. Since 2004, MAG has cleared contaminated land and

stories only became declassified in the 1990s.

destroyed items of UXO.

By the time the aerial campaign ended in 1973, more bombs

As a result, nearly half a million people now have safer land for

had been dropped on Lao PDR than the Allies had dropped on

farming, clean drinking water, latrines, irrigation for rice crops,

Germany and Japan during World War II.

school compounds and roads.

Many of these failed to explode when they hit the ground,

Today, Lao PDR has a greater national capacity to deal with

© Sean Sutton/ MAG

A MAG demining team

20

Demining a Path to a Better, Safer Life

© Sean Sutton/ MAG

Summer 2014

Mr. Nga mending his fishing nets in Tan An village

the issue of UXO. A National Regulatory Authority is responsible for the

province, and “UXO continues to be found routinely in the course of construction and agricultural work, often close to residential

coordination of clearance activities and the assurance of high

areas.” The presence of UXO is wide-reaching, restricting access to

quality standards, while MAG’s own programme now relies heavily

natural resources and affecting the construction of housing, roads

on Laotian expertise developed by training national staff members

and other infrastructure.

over the years.

The task is ongoing and the challenges ahead remain considerable. However, the positive impact on Lao PDR’s poorest communities is undeniable.

However, there are signs of hope for some of the most negatively affected communities.

Tan An in Quang Nam Province is typical of many villages in the region, where, until recently, the explosive legacy of the war continued to devastate lives.

Decontaminating Vietnam Like Laos, the scale of bombardment in Vietnam during the war resulted in the country being heavily contaminated by explosive weapons almost 40 years after its end.

According to the Landmine and Cluster Munition Monitor 2013 Report, these unexploded bombs, missiles, artillery shells, mortars and grenades affect cities and rural areas in almost every

Most of the villagers are reliant on fishing and when they are not out at sea on their small boats, they can be seen tending their vegetable plots, mending their nets and sitting around drinking strong sweet coffee.

MAG has been working in Vietnam since 1999. Their approach in Tan An is typical of MAG’s roving operations in the country: initially a Community Liaison team visited the village and met with authorities to explain MAG’s methods, and then with their 21

© Sean Sutton/ MAG

Focus

Preparing UXO for demolition

support, they began their work.

very, very happy to see MAG here.”

A technical team was then deployed to destroy the UXO

While landmines and other remnants of conflict remain a

that had been reported by the community and search any areas

very real danger and are an ongoing problem for these Southeast

suspected of being dangerous.

Asian countries, there is still much to do. Yet, it is encouraging that

As Mr. Nga mended his fishing nets with his colleagues and

change is felt in a growing number of communities.

family, he explained what it was like during the Vietnam-American

People are able to farm their land, build homes and plan for the

War: “We suffered a lot. The worst time was between 1968 and

future without fear of death or injury. As Mr. Nga, looking around

1970. The US and the South Vietnamese army were based here and

the village of Tan An, puts it, “Our lives can be normal for the first

there was much fighting. A lot of people died then. But we have

time in a generation.”

continued to suffer. We have lived in fear of UXO and so we are 22

Tailoring Peace Through Education in Nepal

Š Bhupendra Mahato, Peace Education Network, Nepal

Summer 2014

National advocacy for peace education

Tailoring Peace Through Education in Nepal

By Raj Kumar Dhungana (Peace Education Specialist, UN Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament in Asia and the Pacific, Nepal) rajkumar.dhungana@unrcpd.org

23

Focus

N

epal, a country with beautiful snow covered mountains,

and periodic elections.

diverse cultural heritages and natural beauty is home to

Education contributed to Nepal’s post-conflict peacebuilding

27 million people from different backgrounds. Recently, Nepal

by infusing peace into the national school curricula, training the

witnessed a decade long Maoist armed insurgency that claimed

teachers, providing education as a neutral agenda for dialogue

over 13,000 lives.

between the different parties involved in the conflict and expanding

In 2006, the insurgency formally ended with a comprehensive

the idea of schools as zones of peace.

peace agreement (CPA) signed between the government of Nepal

Peace in National Curriculum

and the Communist Party of Nepal, Maoist.

The Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) formally ended the ongoing violence against children and schools in Nepal.

After the peace agreement,

In post-conflict Nepal, children are learning values such as respecting diversity, tolerance and mutual respect. Similarly, t he y are l e ar n i ng ass e r t ive

emerged and continued their

Box-1: Education in Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) November 21, 2006

armed violence, mainly in the

"With the realization of the fact that the right to education

rights and duties through newly

to all should be guaranteed and respected, both sides are

integrated lessons in formal and

new armed groups, both criminal a n d p o l i t i c a l l y m o t i v at e d ,

southern part of Nepal.

The ar me d v iolence has significantly decreased in the last five years, but the legacy of violence and ethnic and religious conflicts are still per vasive.

To address the root causes of violence, reconcile the past, and embrace peace in the minds of children, Nepal used education as

committed to maintaining a congenial academic environment

communication, conflict management, civic responsibilities and also their

non-formal education.

in educational institutions. Both sides agree to guarantee that

A numb er of less ons on

the right to education shall not be violated. Both parties agreed

peace, human rights and civics

to immediately put an end to such activities as capturing

are integrated in social studies,

educational institutions and using them, abducting teachers and

a compulsor y subject in all

students, holding them captives, causing them to disappear and

Nepalese schools.

not to set up army barracks in a way that would adversely impact school," the Ministry of Peace and Reconstruction, Nepal.

From 2005 to 2007, Save t he C hi ldren pi lote d p e ace educational programmes in over

a vehicle for peace.

It is tailored with other national peacebuilding initiatives such as disarmament and the reintegration of Maoist armed forces; peace negotiations and dialogue; the constitution making process

Expanding Peace Zone

500 schools using peace education teacher activity books developed by the Inter Agency Network for Education in Emergencies (INEE).

UNESCO trained government curriculum writers and in 2007,

Peace in National Curriculum

Tailoring Peace Through Education in Nepal Bridging for Dialogue

24

Teaching Peace

Tailoring Peace Through Education in Nepal

Summer 2014 invited international peace educational experts. This groundwork

Centre for Peace and Disarmament (UNRCPD) extended

helped pave the way for the collaboration with the government to

cooperation to the CDC to include quality lessons on peace and

include peace education in the national curriculum.

disarmament education in the national curriculum. This inclusion

For this, a memorandum of understanding was signed between

of peace in the national curriculum is an ongoing process in Nepal.

the Save the Children Fund, UNICEF, UNESCO and the Ministry

Tailored to the curricular intervention, since 2009, the teachers’

of Education, Curriculum Development Centre (CDC) to integrate

capacity-building for teaching peace was initiated in Nepal.

peace human rights and civic education (PHRCE).

To ensure social inclusion in the curricula, a consultative group was formed which provided the input to make the curricula inclusive. This process was designed to guarantee quality and create local ownership.

Initially, external actors l i k e U N I C E F, U N E S C O and Save the Children were substantially involved in key curriculum officials’ capacity building through training and exposure. There were a number of international experts invited to share their experiences.

From 2008 to 2009, more

Teaching Peace In post-conflict Nepal, teachers can choose peace education as part of their regular training course. As a result, many teachers

Box-2: Consultative Group for Inclusive Curricula

are already learning new PHRCE knowledge and skills that help them manage anger and stress and

A consultative group was formed comprising representatives of

help them understand the value of

minorities and excluded groups like: disabled, sexual minority,

respecting all learned mediation,

people living with AIDS, religious minorities like people of the

negotiation, and constructive

Muslim faith, representatives of youth groups, conflict victims,

dialogue.

It has also enabled them to be

and women that were used in trafficking, among others. They were invited to the consultative meetings where the CDC

friendlier, use non-violent skills

presented their draft lessons and worked together to include the

and be conflict-sensitive. For this,

concern of these groups.

UNICEF and Save the Children

local professionals like local

signed an MOU with the National

intellectuals, religious leaders and educators, among others, were recruited in order to bring in a local perspective. As a result, the government felt more involved in the new curriculum and curricular materials.

UNICEF and Save the Children limited its financial and coordination support. Because of this initiative, the CDC started the PHRC integration into curriculum, textbooks and teacher’s guides. This process was tailored to the government's existing annual curriculum revision cycle.

Moreover, in 2013 and 2014, the United Nations Regional

Centre for Educational Development (NCED), the responsible government agency that trains teachers, to develop PHRCE training modules and organize pilot training programmes.

From 2009 to 2010, they developed a five-day training package and teachers’ resource materials. In addition, about 1,000 community learning centres were established to provide non-formal education in Nepal. In 2009, UNICEF and Save the Children also collaborated with the Non Formal Education Centre (NFEC), and in order to tailor formal education, PHRCE was integrated into non-formal education programmes like the adult literacy programme.

© Bhupendra Mahato, Peace Education Network Nepal

Bridging for Dialogue There were many parties actively using armed violence in postconflict Nepal. Education provided a neutral agenda for dialogue among the parties involved in the conflict, both at the local as well as the national level.

At the community level, organizing dialogue about the importance of protecting schools from armed violence was effective in which both security forces and insurgent groups (in an informal capacity) engaged in dialogue sessions on Schools as Zones of Peace (SZoP). This campaign started in 2003 and became an effective tool to protect schools from frequent strikes—locally known as Banda.

Children participating in International Peace Day celebration

25

© Goma Chhetri © Goma Chhetri

© Raj Kumar Dhungana

© Goma Chhetri

Focus

Children in the Southern Plain of Nepal in the background of a closed school Children learning peace in school

National advocacy to keep schools a safe and peaceful place for children – Photo Session with Hon. Prime Minister of Nepal Mr. Sushil Koirala

The national coalition of more than 28 organizations led this

From 2007 to 2013, the number of Banda called by parties was

campaign and organized dialogues at different levels. In spite of

very high. Consequently, the majority of schools were able to run

having disagreements and conflict concerning the political agenda,

less than 100 days in many areas against the 220 days established

parties to the conflict engaged in local dialogue. Through this, they

by the national standard. Due to school closure, children’s rights

established contact for further dialogue and common ground to

to education were restricted and political parties used children to

discuss their contested issues.

enforce Banda.

Expanding Peace Zone

direct physical threats to the schools, extortion and the use of

Besides frequent Banda, vandalizing school buses, imposing Despite threats, at the present, Nepali schools are largely established as peace zones and in many instances, schools are not forced to close during Banda—the general strikes.

Days of Banda z

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

707

957

1205

732

632

218

bullying and harassment, including cyber bullying, were rampant. foster peace for education, a coalition of civil society organizations led a campaign called the School as Zones of Peace (SZoP).

This coalition organized a continued dialogue, ran a media

Source: UNDSS, Nepal Office

26

Similarly, the use of corporal punishment, discrimination, To address these serious forms of violence against children and

This was not the case in the past.

Year

children for political rallies were common.

campaign and held advocacy events and negotiations over codes of conduct with political parties to protect schools from all forms

© Bhupendra Mahato, Peace Education Network Nepal

Dialogue on making schools as safe place during 2013 Election in Nepal

Summer 2014 of attack.

This was not an easy task as conflicting parties initially took this campaign as an attack against their interests.

Tailoring Peace Through Education in Nepal members, developed the School as Zones of Peace National Framework.

This framework prohibits all parties from using schools

The continued negotiation and dialogue ended with the signing

and children in armed violence, prohibits the use of schools

of the codes of conduct that aim to respect the children’s right to

and children for party politics and also prohibits schools from

education and respects schools as zones of peace.

practicing discrimination, exploitation, neglect and harassment.

Similarly, this coalition also worked with the Ministry of

A national and local level coordination committee has been

Education (MoE) to formulate a national policy and foster a

formed to monitor the implementation of this national framework.

commitment towards achieving this goal.

As a result of this, in 2010, the MoE declared all schools in

The committee is monitoring the situation and preparing an annual report against the framework.

Nepal as Zones of Peace and pledged not to include school children

Through dialogue, the concept of zones of peace has established

in political rallies and protests and not to use schools for any

norms of peace in the name of “SZoP Codes of Conduct� in Nepali

political interest.

schools. Nepal has set an example of how education can play a

That same year, the MoE, in collaboration with SZoP campaign

constructive role in post-conflict peacebuilding.

Children advocating peace education

27

Best Practices

English teachers discussing to design a classroom activity

Creating Books for Senegal’s Future

By Tamba Ngom (Teacher Trainer, Regional Teacher Training Centre, Diourbel, Senegal) tngom@hotmail.com

A

t the beginning of our stay at the APCEIU office, we benefited

writing session.

from a two-day training session on material development.

As far as I am concerned, I went beyond this satisfaction

Through this session, Education for International Understanding

because I thought to myself, “This is a golden opportunity for us

books were produced by fellow participants from the 17 different

because, as we live in resource-challenged contexts, we are solving

African and Asia-Pacific countries under the supervision of a

the problem of material shortage in our schools.”

skilful art teacher. When we came up with the drafts of the EIU

That is the reason why, immediately after my return to

books, all of the participants felt proud of themselves because it

Senegal, I started to implement the EIU philosophy, adapting it to

was the first time that many of them had participated in a book

my own context.

28

Creating Books for Senegal’s Future

© Tamba Ngom

Summer 2014

to implement within their respective classrooms.

The first step is to brainstorm all of the difficulties related to teaching in our context.

The main challenge being the shortage of materials, I propose that they reflect upon Bloom’s taxonomy of learning. The reason for this is that learning to think analytically or “critically” is a lifelong skill with broad applications both inside and outside the language classroom.

Likewise, the ability to look at a problem or a task with a new perspective or “creatively” has far-reaching implications for learning both inside and outside of formal education systems.

These are attributes we hope to awaken and nurture in our teachers and students, wherever they may be going in life.

English teachers discussing to design a classroom activity

Scarcity Motivates to Create As I had earlier described, a common shortcoming found

© Tamba Ngom

throughout my country is the shortage or even the lack of materials. Hence, I decided to hold pedagogical get-togethers with the English teachers in my region to share with them the material development techniques I had learned in APCEIU, Seoul, South Korea. I seized the opportunity to let them know that from then on, we would change the format of our group meetings to make them more pragmatic, fruitful and helpful.

With the scarcity of the

Being in a context characterized by resource scarcity should not be a handicap but a motivation to create. That’s why Bloom’s revised taxonomy interests me, above all, at the top level, “create.” Through inspiration and creation, we can ponder about the shortage of teaching and learning materials.

This is the main reason why I drew inspiration from the material development sessions I had at APCEIU; it permitted me to try and create some paths out of the scarcity of resources and make available the genuine, adapted and adopted materials

Create

in relation with the Senegalese

materials being very obvious from the first form to the upper-sixth form, I focused on developing materials during the pedagogical meetings.

n at i on a l s y l l abu s , w h i ch

Evaluate

advocates for teachers to teach students things that make of

Analyze

them good citizens capable of participating actively in the

The procedure is to place

development of the country.

Apply

teachers in groups of six

Te a c h e r s s h o u l d a l s o

people at the most to design a classroom activity such as reading comprehension, communicative grammar, writing, speaking and so on.

Each group has to come up with specific activities

Understand Remember

accompany learners to enable them to discover the world to allow them to become global citizens. Being a global citizen means having an education that

Bloom’s Taxonomy

(reading comprehension, communicative grammar, writing, speaking, etc.) relating to specific levels (first form up to upper-sixth form).

Another alternative is to assign one type of activity to all the groups. For example, they might design reading comprehension activities but each group would focus on a specific level or grade.

At the end of the group work, teachers exchange and polish their works before it is put together in a folder for all of the teachers

helps you understand the world through culture and languages, just to name a couple.

Here I ask a group of six teachers to choose the verb that they like most and say why they do. Afterwards, others teachers join the six teachers to form the workshop groups according to their verb preference.

The next step is the material development workshop itself. The teachers are given some pictures that are jumbled. In groups, they 29

© Tamba Ngom

Best Practices

Each group presenting their outcomes with other teachers in order to get feedbacks

reorder the jumbled pictures in order to retell stories that they had to rebuild with their own words. After this step, groups edit one another’s production before they share everything in the plenary.

Like we did at APCEIU, we will try to put together the productions of all the groups in a booklet that will be photocopied by the inspector in charge of Education and Training.

Then we plan to put one sample at the disposal of each school, © Tamba Ngom

which will then make copies for the members of the pedagogical cell, who rarely exceed ten in number. The ten pages do not cost more than 500 CFA franc, which is approximately $1.

After the group work, each group edits another group’s work.

The plenary that follows those steps is an opportunity for the bigger group to exchange the different productions. The final product will be issued by the smaller group accompanied by an inspector for technical assistance.

With this method, we can solve the problem regarding the

© Tamba Ngom

shortage of materials because we hold at least six pedagogical cells

Outcomes produced by teachers participating in the workshop Teachers in deep discussion about the storyline

30

each year; hence we can have up to six booklets ready to be used by teachers in their respective classrooms without spending a huge amount of money.

Creating Safe-Villages Saves Lives and Fosters Ingenuity

© Dayoung Kim

Summer 2014

A group of students designing a safe-village

Creating Safe-Villages Saves Lives and Fosters Ingenuity

By Dayoung Kim (Teacher, Seongpo High School, Republic of Korea) adess@hanmail.net

T

he project titled “Designing a Safe-Village” helps students learn about the effects of natural disasters and how to reduce

their damage.

tsunamis, typhoons, floods, and landslides.

Afterwards, they discuss and contemplate what they learned through the group activity then propose a creative model for a safe-

To have a better understanding of the importance of this

village—a village with characteristics that can minimize damages

programme, it must be noted from the start that this project is

caused by natural disasters—that examines the relationship

closely aligned with the Education for Disaster Risk Reduction

between natural disasters and climate change.

(DRR) and Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) initiatives.

Moreover, a safe-village considers all aspects of society, economy, and the environment. It does this by keeping in mind the

For the first part of the programme, students learn basic

positive relationship it has with sustainable development so that

information about four different types of natural disasters:

it can reduce the damages caused by natural disasters and, at the 31

Best Practices same time, build proper evacuation routes to assist those needing

development, what does a village safe from natural disasters look

to get to safety in the case of a natural disaster.

like?”

Through these activities, students come to realize the

Learning Goals •

Know the types, causes, current state, and damage of natural disasters

•

Understand the relationship between natural disasters and human life in terms of sustainable development

•

Know the effects of natural disasters (social, economic, and environmental) on human life

•

importance of sustainable development, and how to always be ready to protect themselves from the dangerous consequences of natural disasters.

Therefore, they can learn practical skills that will help them react calmly and properly when natural disasters actually happen.

Moreover, contemplating what was learned and sharing ideas in groups can be a meaningful activity that develops community spirit.

Set a prevention plan and know the ways to reduce damages caused by natural disasters

Main Content This programme consists of a total of ten lessons including five basic classes that use different teaching tools such as lectures, discussions, and online classes with teachers. The second half of the lesson plan covers advanced project classes based on cooperative The basic classes cover the fundamentals of tsunamis, typhoons, floods, and landslides through Prezi and PowerPoint presentations and videos prepared by teachers.

On the basis of this, during the fifth class of the advanced

© Dayoung Kim

practices led by students.

project, students construct miniature safe-village models that would survive the harmful and sometimes lethal effects of natural disasters.

The basic plan is composed of ten lessons; however, it could be adjusted to include or exclude about one to two classes according to each school’s educational curriculum or each class’s situation in

Application This programme can be applied through the school curriculum or through creative experiential activities.

It is recommended to be applied regularly (once a week, once a month, etc.) so that students can continuously think about the

© Dayoung Kim

the process of carrying out advanced projects.

A group of students designing a safe-village A group presenting and sharing their work with other students

different aspects brought on by natural disasters and sustainable development.

In terms of the teaching-learning method, even though classes formatted around the teacher’s lectures are necessary, it would be more effective if teachers can encourage students to write their own activity papers and present them to their peers through online classes and discussions.

Lastly, based on the material, it is critical to spend four to five lessons designing or mapping out the village. In doing so, students need to consider the question: “For the sake of sustainable 32

Implications Through the reactions gathered from students during class, I came to the realization that there are no better teaching tools than visual aids and interacting closely with students rather than meticulously studying or providing perfect lesson plans.

I discovered that students are more impressed and touched by the effects of natural disasters when they interact closely with the material. The best way for this to occur is by letting the students to use their senses and cognitive abilities such as sight, touch and

Creating Safe-Villages Saves Lives and Fosters Ingenuity

Summer 2014

Lesson Plan Lesson

1

2

3

4

5

Method

Activity

Aim & Contents

Studying natural disasters

• Tsunami and our live - Understanding the cause of tsunamis - Observing damages caused by tsunamis - Understanding how human life has changed because of tsunamis - Learning how to prevent tsunamis

Studying natural disasters

• Typhoon and our lives - Understanding the cause of typhoons - Observing damages caused by typhoons - Understanding how human life has changed because of typhoons - Learning how to prevent typhoons

Studying natural disasters

• Flood and our lives - Understanding the cause of floods - Observing damages caused by floods - Understanding how human life has changed because of floods - Learning how to prevent floods

Demonstration and discussion

Studying natural disasters

• Landslide and our lives - Understanding the cause of landslides - Observing damages caused by landslides - Understanding how human life has changed because of landslides - Learning how to prevent landslides

Web study

Natural disasters and the climate change

• Natural disasters and our lives - Observing the worldwide situation of natural disasters - Understanding the relationship between natural disasters and our lives - Understanding the relationship between natural disasters and climate change

Demonstration and discussion

Demonstration and discussion

Demonstration and discussion

• Get students together in groups • Choose a subject for the group • Choose the motto of the safe-village

6

Project study

7

Project study

8

Project study

• Make a safe-village for each subject

9

Project study

• Make a safe-village for each subject

10

Presentation and discussion

Making a safevillage

Presentation about their own safe-village

• During group work, students draw the aerial view of a safe-village

• Students give a presentation on the creation of their safe-village and assess each other’s safe-villages.

thought to discuss what had happened rather than simply handling

with the help of teachers from diverse educational backgrounds

class material and thinking completely inside the box.

and expertise in areas such as social studies, arts and science,

This programme is meaningful in the way that it frames real problems students might encounter in their lives. Hence, I believe

collaborating together in order to enhance and improve the project’s depth and scope.

this project could attain a higher degree of quality and importance 33

Special Report

Learning to Live Together Through Education

By AliĂŠnor Salmon (Education Policy and Reform Unit, UNESCO Bangkok Office) a.salmon@unesco.org

34

Spreading Learning toaLive Culture Together of Peace Through through Education Sports

© UNESCO/ Vijay Kumar Majhi

© APCEIU

Summer 2014

Let us take care of our beautiful planet, let us live together!

A

s we live in an increasingly complex and interconnected

to Know, Learning to Do, Learning to Live Together and Learning

world, education must go beyond academic achievement to

to Be, of which Learning to Live Together was considered as the

better prepare students to face a number of challenges both glob-

overarching foundation of education. It was seen as the key to an

ally and in their local communities.

education that is relevant to the social, economic and political re-

The report Learning to Live Together: Education Policies and Realities in the Asia-Pacific, published by the UNESCO Asia and

alities that countries face, with students undergoing two learning processes.

Pacific Regional Bureau for Education (UNESCO Bangkok Of-

First, by discovering others to promote knowledge of other

fice), draws upon cases from across ten countries—Afghanistan,

cultures, tolerance and acceptance, and second, by experiencing a

Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, the Philippines,

shared purpose and taking a more active role in society, whether

Republic of Korea, Sri Lanka and Thailand—and explores how

through concern for the environment, community involvement or

countries can address these issues by promoting peace, tolerance

political participation.

and understanding through their education systems.

The concept of Learning to Live Together stems from the landmark report Learning: The Treasure Within, presented to UNESCO

Together, these processes would enable students to develop key competencies to overcome their differences and to feel a sense of unity and solidarity with other students from all walks of life.

in 1996 by the International Commission on Education for the Twenty-first Century led by Jacques Delors, commonly referred to as the Delors Commission.

The Commission identified four pillars of learning: Learning

Peace: Our Core Mandate From its very founding almost 70 years ago, mandate of the United Nations has been to promote peace. Looking back as far as the 35

Special Report all too often broken into war”.

UN Charter signed in 1945, the preamble itself inadvertently made reference to this

While several decades have passed since

important concept, stating that we should

the signing of these instruments, global ini-

aim to “practice tolerance and live together

tiatives to promote peace, and in particular

in peace with one another as good neigh-

peace through education, continue to gain

bours.”

momentum.

While such a task may appear daunt-

For instance, UN Secretary General Ban

ing at first glance, it continues to be deeply

Ki-Moon’s Global Education First Initiative

embedded across the work of the UNE-

(GEFI), launched in 2012, places fostering

SCO, grounded in its 1945 constitution

global citizenship as one of its three priori-

recognising that:

ties to address emerging challenges.

“… Ignorance of each other’s ways and

Why Now More than Ever Before?

lives has been a common cause throughout © APCEIU

the history of mankind, of that suspicion and mistrust between the peoples of the world through which their differences have

36

brought about many opportunities for social

Nepalese students from two different caste groups joyfully walking to school together

© UNESCO/ Nimesh Ghimire

© UNESCO/ Alland Dharmawan

A cover page of the report

While globalization has undoubtedly

Spreading Learning toaLive Culture Together of Peace Through through Education Sports

Summer 2014 and economic development, it also brings many challenges. Inter-

emphasizes values and attitudes such as tolerance, communication

national trade has seen a freer flow of both skilled and unskilled

skills and empathy as cross-curricular skills and competencies.

workers and their families, creating increasingly multicultural soci-

At the same time, however, the curricular subjects with the

eties that embrace diversity in some cases, while in others, creating

most potential for promoting Learning to Live Together, namely

the need to manage increased tension and discrimination in com-

history and citizenship education but also the arts and physical ed-

munities.

ucation, are often allocated the least time compared to traditional

At the same time, increased economic competition along with

‘academic’ subjects such as language, mathematics and science.

environmental degradation also call for a need to cultivate respon-

Of course, for such new curricula to be successfully imple-

sible citizenship among students and citizens. In the Asia-Pacific,

mented, the role of teachers should not be underestimated. For

the region’s extraordinary cultural and ethnic diversity, with more

Learning to Live Together to be effectively transmitted in the class-

than half the world’s population and languages, is something that

room, teacher policies and training programmes need to recognize

should be celebrated.

the importance of the values and attitudes of teacher-trainees in

Yet the region is also home to the world’s largest refugee pop-

recruitment so that teachers, as role models, can impart them

ulation, 15% of the world’s migrants and two thirds of the world’s

among their students. Classrooms should also be a collaborative

poor, with inequality between rich and poor further increasing in

space promoting participatory and student-centred learning, un-

the last two decades. Inter-commu-

derstanding of media and

nal violence, conflict and environ-

information literacy as well

mental disasters also remain in the

as project-based learning

region and continue to have a detri-

and teamwork.

mental impact on education.

But can Learning to Live Together become in

From Policy to Practice

and of itself a meaningful learning outcome? This

One may question how education © APCEIU/ Sungman Lee

can, in practice, address these complex challenges. Reflecting back to the Delors Commission, they posed a critical question: “Is it possible to devise a form of education which might make it possible to avoid conflicts or resolve them

Thinking globally while acting locally is the key to learning to live together.

peacefully by developing respect for other people, their cultures and spiritual values?”

The findings from UNESCO Bangkok’s regional report on Learning to Live Together indicate that the answer is yes, however, only through the commitment, hard work and dedication of governments, teachers and all education stakeholders.

Countries increasingly reflect the concept of Learning to Live Together in their national policy frameworks through themes such as peace, human rights, gender equality and the environment as they define the purpose of education. It can also be found in national education goals, as some countries such as Australia and Sri Lanka have made explicit references to the need for learners to develop skills in the socio-emotional domains.

When it comes to the curriculum, a similar trend can be observed in recent reforms that have taken place in the Asia-Pacific region. There has been an increasing shift away from a content-fo-

concept, and more specifically its relevant skills and competencies that can be assessed, possesses an increasingly prominent position in international discourse on education.

The findings from this

study show that in some countries, the social and emotional domains can, in fact, be a focus of student assessment. While both national and international assessments have traditionally focused on so-called traditional ‘cognitive’ skills, such assessments need to shift their focus to the very skills and competencies that are relevant to daily social, economic and political realities, and which, arguably, can only enhance performance in the cognitive domain.

There is a need for more work in this area to ensure that, by making these competencies a priority in assessments, they will also gain importance for students and teachers alike.

With this in mind, if the concept of Learning to Live Together can be reflected at all levels of the education system, it can in fact become a reality in the classroom so that students are better prepared to tackle global issues and challenges to live together in a more peaceful, tolerant and inclusive global society.

cused curriculum towards one that is more multi-dimensional and 37

© APCEIU

Letter

Exchanging Valuable Lessons is More Important than Cultural Awareness

By Rudy Trisno (Principle, 11 Kebonjeruk Elementary School, Jakarta, Indonesia) rudytrisno14@yahoo.com Wearing hanboks for a cultural event

Dear APCEIU, I am happy to share my experiences concerning APCEIU’s Teacher

held at Seongdong Technical High School.

Exchange Programme with the readers of SangSaeng. The Teacher

The lessons I learned from this Teacher Exchange Programme

Exchange Programme can be a good tool to promote mutual

are invaluable. Above all, I realized that Korean teachers work

understanding. The 2013 Korea-Indonesia Teacher Exchange

effectively. For example, they work in a disciplined manner and

Programme dispatched 13 Indonesian teachers to Korea in

manage their time with precision, from morning to the end of

exchange for ten South Korean teachers dispatched to Indonesia

their lessons. In addition, school activities are managed well and

and I am glad to say that I experienced both sides.

efficiently.

I myself was dispatched to Sinsangge Elementary School in

Also, each class had a ten-minute break, which helped teachers

Korea for a three-month period. Also, two Korean teachers were

prepare for their next lesson. Moreover, the contents of the

dispatched to my school, 11 Kebonjeruk Elementary School

teaching materials and student textbooks are well-prepared and

in Jakarta, where I am a principal. The two Korean teachers

easy for the teachers to use.

who came to my school enjoyed working with their Indonesian

Another interesting thing I found was that the students were

counterparts. Because of this, I can share my sincerest impressions

very responsible in regards to their personal tasks. They had

about this programme.

enough time to express their imagination in creative classes,

Indonesian participants, including me, who were dispatched

making paper crafts, animations or comics, and videos.

to Sinsangge Elementary School in Seoul, spent three months

I still keep in touch with Korea. After APCEIU’s Teacher

together, from October to December 2013. We proactively

Exchange Programme, members of the Seoul Children’s Museum

participated in designing lesson plans and innovative classroom

visited Jakarta last February. They came to my school and filmed

activities with Korean teachers.

a documentary about the children’s games of Indonesia. They

Through the collaboration with Korean teachers, we were able to join in on many extracurricular programmes after class. We were also given a chance to discuss the difficulties we felt in the classroom with the teachers.

Another interesting school activity involved opening a class to parents and young teachers. Through this, parents were able

learned about a few Indonesian traditional games and visited the children’s museum in Taman Mini Jakarta.

Also, my school and Seoul Oksu Elementary School worked together as sister schools. In doing so, we exchanged various student activities and projects. To this day, we still keep in close communication.

to provide their input to the teachers personally. They were also

On this occasion, I would like to express my deepest

advised to come to consultation meetings with their children’s

appreciation to APCEIU and the Department of Education of

teacher at scheduled times. It was a very unique experience for me.

Indonesia for allowing me to spend beautiful, unforgettable

Outside of school, there were many opportunities to become

moments through this programme. I hope I can visit Korea again.

exposed to Korean culture. My memories of visiting museums, Namsan Tower and Gyeongbok Palace in Seoul are still vivid to me. Also, Indonesian participants had a meaningful time introducing our culture through what was called Indonesian day, 38

Yours sincerely

Š APCEIU

Summer 2014

Exchanging Valuable Lessons is More Important than Cultural Awareness

Presenting about Indonesian education at the orientation of the 2013 Korea-Indonesia Teacher Exchange Programme

Dengan Hormat APCEIU, Saya senang sekali membagi pengalaman mengenai Program

mengenalkan budaya Indonesia pada acara Hari Indonesia di

pertukaran Guru APCEIU dengan pembaca majalah Sangsaeng.

Seongdong Technical High school.

Program pertukaran guru ini sangat baik untuk meningkatkan

Pelajaran yang saya dapat dari program pertukaran guru ini tak

kerjasama. Program pertukaran guru Korea Indonesia pada tahun

ternilai. Dari semua itu, saya menyadari bahwa guru Korea bekerja

2013 mengirimkan 13 orang guru dari Indonesia dan 10 guru dari

dengan efektif. Contohnya, mereka bekerja secara disiplin dan

Korea dan saya senang mengatakan pengalaman dari keduanya.

mengatur waktu dengan tepat dari pagi sampai akhir pelajaran.

Saya sendiri ditugaskan selama 3 bulan di SD Sinsangge di

Lagi pula, kegiatan sekolah disusun secara baik dan tepat.

Korea dan dua orang guru Korea ditugaskan di sekolah saya di

Juga setiap kelas mempunyai waktu istirahat 10 menit untuk

SD Kebonejruk 11 Jakarta Barat, Indonesia di mana saya sebagai

menyiapkan pelajaran berikutnya. Tambahan lagi, isi materi

kepala sekolahnya. Dua orang guru Korea yang datang ke sekolah

pelajaran dari penyajian guru dan buku teks siswa dipersiapkan

saya dan sangat meninkmati pekerjaannya bersama rekan-rekan

dengan baik dan mudah digunakan bagi guru.

guru Indonesia. Oleh karena itu, saya dapat membagi pengalaman saya secara mendalam mengenai program ini.

Hal lain yang menarik adalah, saya mendapatkan bahwa para siswa sangat bertanggung jawab dalam hal tugas pribadi mereka.

Peserta dari Indonesia termasuk saya yang ditugaskan di

Mereka memiliki cukup waktu untuk menyampaikan imajinasinya

sekolah dasar Sinsangge di Seoul selama tiga bulan dari bulan

pada waktu mengikuti kegiatan kelas kreatif seperti kerajinan

Oktober sampai Desember 2013. Indonesian, kami secara proaktif

kertas, membuat animasi atau komiks dan video.

berpartisipasi dalam merancang rencana pelajaran dan aktif dalam kegiatan kelas yang inovatif bersama guru- guru Korea.

Saya sampai sekarang masih berhubungan dengan Korea.

Setelah program pertukaran guru dari APCEIU, beberapa anggota

Meskipun bekerjasama dengan para guru Korea, kami juga

Museum Anak Seoul mengunjungi Jakarta pada bulan Februari

mengikuti berbagai program kegiatan ekstrakurikuler setelah

yang lalu. Mereka datang ke sekolah saya dan membuat film

kelas selesai. Kami juga diberi kesempatan untuk mendiskusikan

tentang permainan anak Indonesia. Mereka belajar mengenai

permasalahan yang kami rasakan di kelas bersama guru – guru.

beberapa permainan tradisional dan mengunjungi museum anak

Kegiatan sekolah yang menarik lainnya adalah kelas terbuka

di Taman Mini Jakarta.

(open class) bagi para orangtua siswa dan guru muda. Melalui

Juga sekolah saya dan sekolah dasar Oksu di Seoul saling

kegiatan ini, para orangtua siswa dapat memberikan masukan

bekerja sama menjadi sister school. Dalam hal ini, kami saling

terhadap penampilan guru secara pribadi. Mereka juga disarankan

bertukar cerita mengenai kegiatan siswa dan proyeknya. Sampai

untuk datang dalam pertemuan konsultasi dengan guru mereka

saat ini kami masih tetap melakukan komunikasi.

pada waktu yang dijadwalkan. Hal ini merupakan pengalaman unik bagi saya.

Pada Kesempatan ini, saya ingin mengucapkan apresiasi yang mendalam kepada APCEIU dan Kementrian Pendidikan dan

Di luar sekolah, ada banyak kesempatan untuk mendalami

Kebudayaan Indonesia atas keikutsertaan saya dalam pengalaman

budaya Korea. Ingatan saya saat mengunjungi museum, Namsan

yang indah dan tak terlupakan dalam program ini. Saya berharap,

Tower dan Istana Gyeongbok di Seoul masih terasa jelas bagi saya.

saya dapat mengunjungi korea lagi.

Juga, para peserta Indonesia memiliki waktu yang berharga dalam

Dengan tulus 39

Interview

Climbing, Giving, Educating for the Love of Nepal An Interview with Mr. Hong-Gil Um, Climber and General Director of Um Hong Gil Human Foundation

© APCEIU

uhfg8848@daum.net

Mr. Um during the interview

Since you are the world’s first person to climb 8,000 meters and 16 summits, what does the mountain mean to you?

I have to become one with it. When you treat mountains with love

From childhood until my youth, I spent most of my time on

of both success and failure. We need to follow the laws of nature.

mountains. Therefore, I thought of the mountains as a playground where I trained not only my body but also my mind. The boy who used to go up the hill near his house started climbing the many mountains of Korea before finally climbing the Himalayas.

What I realized while climbing is that, when I climb a mountain, 40

and respect, only then does the mountain accept the human. This realization is something invaluable I learned after many instances This mindset should never change.

People say that I’ve conquered the mountain, but this never makes sense. The mountain had me for awhile. If I could really conquer the mountain, I should have the power to control everything that happens within it. But you know that I can’t.

Humans cannot conquer nature.

Climbing, Giving, Educating for the Love of Nepal

© Um Hong Gil Human Foundation

Summer 2014

On his way to visit one of the Human Schools

The Um Hong Gil Human Foundation does a variety of activities in Nepal. Is there any special reason why you chose Nepal?

them to you.

Nepal is like my second home. Since 1985, I have devoted my

recognized that we were short of the funds needed to build schools,

youth to overcoming the challenges brought on by the Himalayas in Nepal. Of course there was my own effort; however, I wouldn’t have made it without my colleagues’ valuable sacrifices and efforts, and the support and prayers of many people. Above all, surely, the Himalayas accepted me so that I could overcome it. It’s hard to imagine the pain one feels while 8,000 meters high, approaching the top. I eagerly prayed for my survival while under both physical

In other words, I was sure that education isn’t just a temporary solution, but it can aid in sustainable development. Reasonably, I so I talked to the people around me. They agreed with my thoughts and then joined me. These hearts came together, and the Um Hong Gil Foundation was established. Since 2010, we have been building schools. Today we have five schools built with the sixth school currently under construction. In total, 11 schools will be built in the first half of next year.

After surviving, I started seeing not only the summit of the

Can you tell us more about the Um Hong Gil Human School?

Himalaya, but also the people of Nepal—the family of the deceased

Regarding the Human School, we are not just building schools

Sherpa people who died while climbing the mountain with me, and

on barren land. We look for schools that have the poorest

especially the young children who came into my line of sight.

environments and then rebuild them. When we do it, we closely

and mental distress, saying, “If you save me, I’ll pay for whatever.”

examine the population and the number of students in the area.

You’re establishing many Um Hong Gil Human Schools in Nepal. How did this begin?

Then we figure out what they need most and try to help them

After sharing my time with the Nepalese, I agonized over what

teachers. If they don’t have enough supplies, we provide them

I could do for them. Then I realized that education has the transformative power to stop the cycle of poverty and turn poor lives into better ones. Education is an instrument of change that can teach you how to make clothes and catch fish, not just give

effectively. If there’s a lack of teachers, we hire and send local with school uniforms, book bags, and school supplies. We care a lot about making separate and clean restrooms because I heard that adolescent girls tend not to go to school if they have to share restrooms with male students.

41

Š Um Hong Gil Human Foundation

Interview

1st Human School in Pangboche, Nepal

How does the Human School operate?

What is your plan for the future?

The Human School does not simply give grants. Firstly, Nepal

Just like how my dream of climbing 16 summits came true, I wish

has to provide us the land, and we encourage the parents to

for the establishment of 16 schools in Nepal. The Human School

participate in the construction of the school. For example, they

is the 17th summit of my life and is my dream. I want the 16th

could do simple tasks like preparing the ground. Through this, the

school, which is the latest one, to be a boarding school that the

whole community, including the parents of the pupils, can gain

students of the 15 other schools can eventually attend. Š Um Hong Gil Human Foundation

some interest in schools and education.

When we build the Human Schools, we experience not only the establishment of the schools, but also the transformation of the community.

This kind of effort from the Human School received recognition by the government of Nepal. It also received

My main goal is for these schools in Nepal to provide an environment in which children can dream of going to university.

We heard that you hiked along the ridges of the Andes Cordillera wishing for a successful Brazil World Cup.

an award by the Ministry of Education

Yes, I did climb the Andes last year

in Nepal. We established the branch in

wishing that the Brazil World Cup be held

Nepal and are taking continuous care of

successfully. Indeed, it was kind of a new

the maintenance of the schools. Recently,

experience for me because I usually go up

we have also been providing various types

high and the Andes are relatively flat. I got

of training for the teachers such as in

to think about the nature and cultures that

health education, sanitation education,

humans should protect while encountering

and environment education.

42

On the top of the Yalung Kang in the west of Kangchenjunga

the vast nature and rich civilization of South America.

Climbing, Giving, Educating for the Love of Nepal

© Um Hong Gil Human Foundation

Summer 2014

With the students in Tharpu, Nepal

What is your opinion on the role of the World Cup in fostering global citizenship and bringing world peace?

What is true happiness and success to you?

The World Cup reminds us that we coexist together in the

my case, I feel happiness when things get better and when I finally

community of a global village. The World Cup, indeed, is a

accomplish something after going through all the obstacles on my

common human-based event, regardless of nations, religions,

way to achieving my goal. It’s just like climbing a mountain. There

cultures or race.

are pains and hard times, but the sense of accomplishment after

For example, the football player Didier Drogba used the power

I think happiness is a basic right that a human being could have. In

overcoming those are irreplaceable.

Making it to the top does not always mean success or happiness.

desperate plea to the combatants, asking them to lay down their

Getting to the top is useless if you trip on your way down or get

arms only for the duration of the World Cup. Just like this, sports

trapped in the mountain. That is, even if you reached the top, that’s

have the power to unify one nation and the whole world. I totally

not the end. Only after you come full circle does the true joy of

agree with the saying that “Sports touch the heart.”

success, happiness and peace come along.

© Um Hong Gil Human Foundation

of football to stop the civil war in Côte d´Ivoire. He made a

Hong-Gil Um is the first Korean mountaineer to climb the 14 highest peaks in the Himalayas, and the first in the world to climb all of the 16 highest Himalayan peaks. He was awarded the Himalayan Crown when he completed the 14 highest peaks in 2001. He led successful expeditions up Mount Everest in 2002 and 2003. On December 13th, 2007, he succeeded in reaching the summit of Vinson Massif, the highest peak of Antarctica. Hong-Gil Um established the Um Hong Gil Human Foundation in 2008 to promote environmental conservation, sustainability and the education of youth through building schools in remote and mountainous areas of Nepal.

43

Š 2008-2014 Urasenke Foundation

Peace in My Memory

A bowl of light, whisked matcha tea, as served in the Urasenke chado tradition

Japanese Tradition of Tea Warms the Heart Sharing Education, Culture One Bowl at a Time

By Genshitsu Sen (15th Generation Grand Master, Urasenke Tradition of Tea, UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador and Japan-UN Goodwill Ambassador, Japan)

44

Japanese Tradition of Tea Warms the Heart

© 2008-2014 Urasenke Foundation © 2008-2014 Urasenke Foundation

© 2008-2014 Urasenke Foundation

© 2008-2014 Urasenke Foundation

Summer 2014

The entrance to the Urasenke estate Genshitsu Sen with the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon and Mrs. Ban, at the Urasenke estate, Kyoto in June 2008

M

y name is Sen Genshitsu, 15th-generation grand master of the Urasenke tradition of chado, Japan’s representative form

of traditional culture known widely as the Japanese “tea ceremony.”

As the sole Japanese person presently designated as a UNESCO goodwill ambassador and as a Japan-United Nations goodwill ambassador, I am taking an active role in my worldwide efforts to bring the culture of chado wherever I go.

The Urasenke tradition of chado is a spiritual form of culture which aims at creating a comfortable, peaceable, and heartful connection between human beings by having them partake in the enjoyment of tea together.

This tradition was founded by the eminent cultural figure of the 16th century, Sen Rikyu. Over the amazing span of 450 years since his time as a tea master, Urasenke, from generation to generation, has protected and developed chado. Even to this day, each generation has inherited the lessons, wisdom, and discipline of this “way of tea” and shared it wherever they go.

The entire world’s people live with a sense of love for their native culture, and have pride in that culture. For more than 60 years since the end of the Pacific War, I have travelled the world to introduce chado, visiting some 60 countries to date. I have also welcomed guests to Japan from many countries.

Through all this, I have personally met a great number of people, and I have come to the powerful realization that what people of all countries seek most is peace.

Guests purify themselves at the stone water basin along the path before entering the tea room.

The host puts all his heart into preparing tea for the guests.

The Art of Tea It is written in the UNESCO charter that, “Since wars begin in the minds of men, it is in the minds of men that the defences of peace must be constructed.” The fundamental spirit of chado indeed is tantamount to the Spirit of Peace which the charter seeks.

Chado involves the act of offering tea to another individual, and the spirit underlying this acts as a means of establishing and also maintaining good relations among people. The chado spirit is also a nature-loving spirit, which is essential for people to live in harmony with all living things in the great world of nature. It is a spirit not to be confined to the tea room.

When you partake in the serving of tea, which your host has prepared with all his heart, the true human relationship between both people are enriched due to the depth of hospitality you are shown.

Through chado, an understanding and sensitivity to the profound importance of peaceful human relations develops within.

Thus, my desire has been to convey my motto of “Peacefulness through a bowl of tea” to the people around the world, and for people to live with smiles on their faces, mutually recognizing and respecting each other.

That has been my continual wish and until we can all live in a world where all are equal and education and culture are shared indiscriminately and fairly, I will continue to work hard, one bowl of tea at a time, to make this shared UNESCO goal a reality.

45

Tuning in to the Asia-Pacific

How's Education in the AsiaPacific Going?

South Asia

Not Only Quantitative Expansion but Also Qualitative Improvement

By Beenish Asmat Ullah (Lecturer, Department of Education Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Women University, Pakistan) beenishasmatullah@yahoo.com

S

outh Asia consists of a combined population of some 1.4

is very low and does not equip students with the sufficient skills

billion people. Over the past decade, South Asian countries

needed to join the work force.

have made tremendous efforts in expanding access to education.

However, according to the World Bank’s new report, Student Learning in South Asia: Challenges, Opportunities and Policy Priorities, poor education quality is holding the region back.

In order to address these issues, the South Asia region is providing teachers with pre-service and in-service teacher training that would equip them with up-to-date teaching methods.

As a matter of fact, improving quality can, in turn, enhance

Although the South Asian governments have focused on

quantity, as motivated teachers with adequate teaching skills

achieving universal access to primary education, there are two

can guarantee sustained attendance. Thus, the significant role of

issues of major concern.

teachers as agents of social change and educational progress is

First, nearly 13 million children (ages 8–14 years) are still out of

receiving greater attention.

school. Second, the quality of education for those attending school

46

topic will be about the environment. Please share your thoughts on the environmental issues gaining attention in your region. The deadline for submission is 1 October 2014.

To participate, you can reach us via sangsaeng@uneacoapceiu.org.

{

{

This page is open specifically to you, the readers of SangSaeng in the Asia-Pacific. The next

How's Education in the Asia-Pacific Going?

Summer 2014

Northeast Asia

21st Century Skills in Japan

By Akina Ueno (Researcher, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Japan) akina.ueno@gmail.com

I

n the 21st century, the world faces rapid development and new issues as globalization allows us to mobilize people, goods, capital and information.

Given this situation, the need to develop human resources to cope with

these multifaceted issues emerges, especially in a country like Japan where the percentage of the population over the age of 65 is the highest in the world at 23 per cent according to the Statistics Bureau of Japan in 2011.

Thus, the question regarding what kinds of skills and abilities should be taught in schools to Japan’s future workforce arises.

Presently, the focus is shifting from “what to teach” to “how to teach” with a student-centred pedagogy. The teacher’s role is no longer to transmit subject knowledge, but rather to facilitate learning within the classroom.

In Northeast Asian countries, the examination system is often criticized, as the curriculum is designed to prepare learners for university entrance exams.

The current Japanese education policy (the “Chi-toku-tai” philosophy) encourages skill-oriented activities in classes with the objective of developing a balance of academic knowledge in parallel with moral, physical and mental strength.

Although challenges remain when developing 21st century skills in students, this emerging topic should be widely shared and discussed among Northeast Asian countries.

Southeast Asia

Open University Promotes Regional Understanding

By Ave Mejia (Project Coordinator, K-science, UNESCO Bangkok Office, Thailand) a.mejia@unesco.org

I

t is not uncommon to find programmes that cover

accessibility to students seeking quality education. This model

international studies and those that focus on specific

allows more people who would otherwise have difficulty

geopolitical regions. However, such programmes can now be

receiving such opportunities to practice skills that address

taken through the open and distance learning (ODL) model.

prevalent societal issues.

One institution adapting the model is the University of the

The spirit of collaboration exists in the premise and content

Philippines Open University (UPOU), which will open its

of the programme and among other open universities, namely:

virtual gates to students enrolled in ASEAN Studies (Association

Universitas Terbuka (Indonesia), Open University of Malaysia

of Southeast Asian Nations) this August.

(Malaysia), Sukhothai Thammathirat Open University

A programme like this would create a digital learning environment, enabling students to go through the programme without having to attend a physical classroom.

Lately, more institutions across Southeast Asia have turned

(Thailand), and Hanoi Open University (Vietnam).

Since it is conducted in a digital space, these programmes encourage potential students from around the world to apply, further enhancing the intercultural nature of the programme.

to open and distance learning as a way to offer flexibility and

47

Understanding the Asia-Pacific Region

© Berenice Chong

Wayang Giving Moral Lessons in an Entertaining Way

By Ira Damayanti Fasa (Dean of Academic Affairs SMA Labschool Cibubur, Indonesia) irafasa@gmail.com

Wayang kulit performance

W

ayang is not an unfamiliar performance to most Indo-

tween the characters, and usually climaxing with the heroes win-

nesians. It is argued that wayang was actually brought

ning over the villains.

over from India or China—two countries with a long history of puppetry and theatre—along with the Hinduism and Buddhism faiths introduced to the local population.

Genius Behind the Story The dalang, who sits behind the screen and narrates the story, is

However, for centuries, wayang has

the genius behind the entire performance.

spread to all levels of society and can be

It is up to the dalang, as the master of the

enjoyed in most provinces in Indonesia.

show, to decide the direction of the story;

The art form started with performanc-

he can transform the story into a simple

es in front of the royal families on Java

entertaining classical love story with all the

Island. It then spread to include perfor-

drama and family feuds found in the Ma-

mances on many stages from the presi-

habharata or Ramayana, or he can decide

dential palace in front of country leaders

to present the story in other ways.

and foreign guests to important commu-

Some local shows deliver religious

nity social events on other islands.

messages during the celebration of the

Wayang, which is mostly performed on

Prophet Muhammad’s birthday, while

very special occasions like Independence © Berenice Chong

Day and religious festivals, can also entertain neighbours and family members during wedding receptions, birthdays, and circumcisions.

Wayang itself is a generic term for the word theatre in Indonesia. Even though

Monolog storyteller alias Dalang, creating the shadows during wayang kulit performance

there is no evidence to support its origins in the archipelago, we do know that this heritage has been recognized as a form of cultural richness passed from generation to generation.

Almost all provinces have wayang as one of their indigenous storytelling practices. Each has their own unique characters but with similar important storylines.

Since its initial debut back in 930 CE, wayang has consistently been the medium to convey shared values to the community.

The storylines are mostly taken from the epics found in the Mahabharata or Ramayana, decorated with romantic tales be48

others bring actual political affairs related to the approaching election into their presentation.

The stories are generally accompanied by traditional background music played through the gamelan or gender, which provide a melody and a conventional rhythm simultaneously. At the same time, the

dalang modulates his voice to create suspense, thus heightening the drama.

While there are many variations of wayang in Indonesia, there are only three kinds that have been mostly performed both on stage and on local television shows: the wayang kulit, wayang golek, and wayang wong or wayang orang.

Lights and Shadows Wayang kulit, or shadow puppets, is without a doubt the best

Wayang: Giving Moral Lessons in an Entertaining Way

Summer 2014 known version of the Indonesian wayang performances. It uses a

slightly-bowed face and small eyes indicates refinement, modesty

light and shadows as props to display its unique form of theatre.

and aristocracy while the rough and rude characters have red faces,

Kulit means skin and refers to the crafted buffalo or sheep skin that is meticulously chiselled with very fine tools and accentuated with carefully shaped buffalo horn handles and control rods.

While waiting to be used in the play, all puppets are lined up, in-

bigger bodies and even fangs.

Wayang golek is mainly associated with the Sundanese culture of West Java. However, the wooden wayang is also known as the wayang menak, which originated in Kudus, Central Java.

serted onto a cut banana stem and placed on both sides of the stage.

The legendary origins of wayang golek attribute their invention

When held up behind a piece of white cloth with an electric

to the Muslim saint Wali Sunan Kudus, who used the medium to

bulb or an oil lamp as the light source, shadows are cast onto the

preach Islamic values.

screen so that the audience members who sit on the opposite end

Asep Sunandar Sunarya is the most famous wayang golek pup-

can enjoy the unfolding of the story. Generally, these stories are

pet master. He used to host a local television show that featured

narrated in Javanese.

Cepot, a hilarious wayang golek character that interacted with

The puppet figures vary from place to place. Often, mod-

real-life guest stars.

ern-day objects such as bicycles, automobiles, airplanes and ships will be added for comic effect, but for the most part, the tradi-

Human Wayang

tional puppet designs have changed little in the last 300 years.

Wayang wong, also known as wayang orang (literally “human

Historically, the performance consisted of shadows cast on a cotton screen called kelir. The light source used to cast the shadows comes from a blencong, an oil lamp that uses coconut oil as fuel.

Today, the source of light used in wayang performances in Java is most often a halogen electric light. Some modern forms of wayang even employ spotlights, coloured lights and other interesting lighting innovations.

Wayang kulit has received the title of Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO for its role in raising awareness and encouraging local communities to protect the works of art and the local people who sustain these forms of cultural expressions. This is an acknowledgement to our cultural masterpiece and, at the same time, a motivation to safeguard it.

wayang”), is a type of Javanese theatrical performance with themes taken from episodes of the Ramayana or Mahabharata.

Originally, wayang wong was performed only for aristocrats in the four palaces of Jogjakarta and Surakarta. In the course of time, it became a popular folk form as well.

The most famous wayang wong theatre in Indonesia is Wayang Orang Bharata. Performances take place every Saturday at this theatre, situated in Jalan Kalilio 15, Central Jakarta.

From the many storylines found in the epic Mahabharata or Ramayana, Bharatayudha is probably the most favourite story.

This episode depicts a family feud that became a war between the cousin clans Pandava and Kuru stemming from a dynastic succession struggle for the throne of Hastinapura.

The story is filled with

Wooden Wayang

intrigue and involves a

Puppeteers that perform wayang golek use wooden doll puppets, which

number of ancient kingdoms participating as allies to the ri-

are operated from below by rods con-

val groups.

nected to the hands and a central con-

Bravery, loyalty, as well as treach-

trol rod that runs through the body

ery and revenge become the centre points

towards the head.

to the conflict. In the end, both sides lost

The simple construction of the pup-

family members and friends. The moral

pets belies their flexibility, emotion

value is that war can never be an option

and skill for imitating human dance.

for whatever reason. Even the good are

The size and the complexion of the face of wayang

lost in war.

golek puppets vary. A small size puppet with a white and © Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy, Republic of Indonesia

Wayang character Antareja

49

APCEIU in Action Workshop on EIU/GCE in Myanmar for Educators from the Mekong Cluster

of participating teachers and schools through long and shortterm exchange programmes.

The Sub-Regional

The Mongolian teachers spent

Workshop 2014,

three months in Korea, from

co-organized

22 April to 18 July, and were

by APCEIU

dispatched to six areas: Seoul,

and UNESCO Bangkok, was held from 17 to 19 June in Yangon, My a n m a r. T h e

Gyeonggi, Incheon, Gangwon, Chungnam, and Jeju. They also actively participated in both host schools and off-campus community activities to promote EIU, introduced Mongolian culture and taught their individual subjects.

By Mokeun Yi (mokeun@unescoapceiu.org)

workshop was organized under the theme, EIU: Global Citizenship Education for a Culture of Peace and Sustainability, with 30 professional educators from six different countries within the Mekong

Korean Teachers Start Activities in Malaysia

Cluster participating. During the workshop, participants convened and contextualized EIU within local needs and the educational environment in the frame of specific, field circumstances. They also identified contemporary challenges to EIU and explored possible priority areas for the implementation of EIU/GCE.

By Seng Mai Aung (seng@unescoapceiu.org)

National Capacity-Building Workshop on EIU/ GCE in Myanmar for Local Educators APCEIU, in cooperation w it h t he Minist r y of Education Myanmar, held the National CapacityB u i l d i n g Wo r k s h o p on 20 June for 20 local educators in Myanmar.

This workshop was a meaningful event for the participants, who were local teachers from across the country, as it was their first in-depth introduction to EIU/GCE. It provided them with key concepts and broad perspectives on EIU in order to help deepen their understanding of the topic. Through the workshop programme, the local educators were introduced to transformative EIU/GCE pedagogies which could be applied to their daily lesson plans in their local school system. Discussions and suggestions made in the workshop are expected to be reflected in the future development of

As part of the Asia-Pacific Teacher Exchange for Global Education hosted by the Korean Ministry of Education and implemented by APCEIU, the Korean participants of the Korea-Malaysia Teacher Exchange Programme have been dispatched to Malaysia. Prior to their dispatch, the 12 pre-service and in-service teachers received pre-departure training at the APCEIU. Additionally, the teachers participated in the Local Adjustment Training programme hosted by the Malaysian Education Ministry at the Foreign Teachers College in Malaysia. Upon completing their local training, the Korean teachers were assigned to six different secondary schools near Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. From 17 June to 13 September, they will introduce Korean culture, language, as well as teach their individual subject areas to local students.

By Jaehong Kim (jaykim@unescoapceiu.org)

Singaporean Teachers Dispatched to Korea

EIU/GCE at the local levels.

By Seng Mai Aung (seng@unescoapceiu.org)

Mongolian Teachers Dispatched to Korea Twenty-five Mongolian teachers were invited to Korea to participate in the 2014 Korea-Mongolia Teacher Exchange Programme. The programme is part of the Asia-Pacific Teacher Exchange for Global Education programme, which is funded by Korean Ministry of Education with the aim to enhance the global educational competence

Six Singaporean teachers participated in the 2014 Korea-Singapore teacher exchange programme from 21 June to 4 July in Korea. Organized

APCEIU in Action as part of the Teaching Abroad for Global Competency efforts funded

organizing one of the parallel sessions on Global Citizenship Education

by the Korean Education Ministry, the programme aims to enhance

(GCE), which is currently one of the proposed seven targets prepared

teachers' global teaching capacity while improving the current practice

by the EFA Steering Committee. Under the title, The Contribution

of EIU. Singaporean teachers took part in an orientation and cultural

of Global Citizenship Education to Quality Education and EFA, the

tours before being dispatched to six host schools in Seoul, Busan,

session invited four panellists who gave insightful presentations on the

Gyeonggi, Chungbuk, and Jeonbuk for two weeks. The Korean teachers

latest developments of GCE initiatives and on the key roles of GCE in

in the host schools—besides participating in this programme as co-

promoting quality and relevant teaching and learning.

teachers—had also been dispatched to the Singaporean schools of the

By Kyung Hwa Chung (khchung@unescoapceiu.org)

invited teachers in February. Different teaching activities were shared in the final presentation on 2 July, including Singaporean cultural classes as well as their individual subjects.

By Youah Kim (kya531@unescoapceiu.org)

Preliminary Meeting on ROK-ASEAN Educational Material Development on Cultural Understanding Through Everyday Objects The preliminary

2014 ROK- AUS/UK/USA/RUS Teacher Exchange Programme

meeting with the SEAMEO Secretariat and SEAMEO S PA FA f o r t h e implementation of ROK-ASEAN Educational Material Development on Cultural Understanding through Everyday Objects was held on 12 June in

Ten Australian teachers, 15 British teachers, and 19 American teachers participated in the 2014 ROK-AUS/UK/USA Teacher Exchange Programme from 1 to 24 July in Korea. Forty-four participants have been dispatched to the host schools in Seoul, Busan, Gyeonggi, Incheon, and other locations for the two-week programme.

Upon completion of these activities, the final presentation was held

Bangkok, Thailand, under the generous sponsorship of ASEAN and the Korean Foreign Ministry. Through the meeting, the type and content of outputs, roles among partners, and budget implementation timeline were formalized, while the preliminary guidelines were drafted for write-ups and data collection. Furthermore, the regional editorial meeting is expected to be held in Seoul in September.

By Hyun Kim (hkim@unescoapceiu.org)

on 22 July in which teachers shared their methodologies with each other and with Russian teachers who were participating in the ROKRUS Teacher Exchange Programme from 9 to 23 July. A total of 51

APCEIU Presents at the 24th JAIE Annual Conference

invited teachers completed the courses on 24 July. This programme is

The 24th Annual

part of the Teaching Abroad for Global Competency efforts hosted by

Conference on

the Korean Ministry of Education and organized by APCEIU with the

EIU hosted by the

goal of enhancing the participating teachers' global teaching capacity

Japan Association

and improving the current practice of EIU.

for International

By Youah Kim (kya531@unescoapceiu.org)

APCEIU’s Joint Organization of a Parallel Session at the 2014 GEM

Education (JAIE) took place at Nara University of Education, Nara, Japan from 14 to 15 June. The event featured two public symposiums, presentations on specific research topics and “free-research” presentations. The symposiums, in particular, focused on ESD and foreign language education. This year’s conference was attended by 100 members of JAIE and 20 participants from Korea, including members of the Korean Society of Education for International Understanding (KOSEIU). APCEIU gave

The 2014 Global Education for All Meeting (GEM), jointly organized by the Oman Ministry of Education and UNESCO, was held in Muscat, Oman from 12 to 14 May 2014. APCEIU had the privilege of co-

a presentation with the theme, Fostering Peace through Southeast Asia's Shared Histories.

By Kwanghyun Kim (bearkim@unescoapceiu.org)

A young fisherman with wooden goggles in Atauro Island, Timor-Leste. Š UN Photo/ Martine

EIU Photo

SangSaeng is available online: www.unescoapceiu.org/sangsaeng