STRATEGIES APPEAL AIM

Transcription

1

2

3 APPEAL APPEAL Stands for UNESCO's Asia and Pacific Programme of Education for All. It is a regional cooperative programme designed to promote basic education for all in Asia and the Pacific. APPEAL was launched in New Delhi on 23 February It originated as a recommendation by the Fifth Regional Conference of Ministers of Education and those responsible for Economic Planning in Asia and the Pacific (MINEDAP V, Bangkok, 1985). Subsequently, the resolution was unanimously adopted by the twenty-third session of UNESCO's General Conference (Sofia, 1985). AIM The overall aim of APPEAL is to promote lifelong learning through the integration of all aspects of educational planning including literacy, universal primary education and continuing education. Although APPEAL focused mainly on non-formal adult education during the 1990s, its coverage has expanded to include formal primary education as well as early childhood care and education in view of the Dakar Framework for Action adopted at the World Education Forum (Senegal, 2000). In line with UNESCO's global strategy, APPEAL is emphasizing gender mainstreaming in all its programmes. STRATEGIES APPEAL has assisted Member States in the region through co-operative planning, consultation and the organization of regional, sub-regional, national and locallevel programmes. The main focus of these activities has been in the following areas: 1. Assisting Member States in policy development and planning for activities related to Education for All (EFA), including the elaboration of gender-responsive EFA plans. 2. Promoting the inclusion of all in the learning process through formal and non-formal approaches. 3. Improving the quality of basic education through resource development and training as well as effective monitoring and evaluation. 4. Supporting innovations at the grassroots level through various pilot projects. 5. Developing regional networks to facilitate the sharing of experiences. In addition to UNESCO's Regular Programme Budget, the following funding sources have supported APPEAL activities: Funds-in-Trust from Japan and Norway, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and voluntary contributions from Member States.

4 CHALLENGES TO ACHIEVE "EDUCATION FOR ALL" IN ASIA AND THE PACIFIC The Asia and Pacific region has made substantial progress in education over the last three decades. Gross primary enrolment rates have increased from 84% to 106%, and literacy rates from 51 % to 75% (for girls, from 38% to 67%). However, according to an EFA Monitoring Report 2002, Asia still accounts for nearly 65% of the 862 million illiterates in the world. society, particularly in the South Pacific region. It is no coincidence that most out-of-school children are children from minority groups, from poor and disadvantaged families and from remote geographical areas. They also include children with disabilities and (above all) girls. These groups that have been excluded from conventional schooling must be the principal targets for subsequent educational interventions. Large numbers of children, the majority of whom are girls, lack access to basic education programmes. In some countries many children, especially girls, drop out of school even before completing primary education. It is estimated that two-thirds of 113 million out-of school children live in the Asia and Pacific region. Literacy rates, especially for women in South Asian countries, remain low and require urgent and focused attention. Enrolment rates for girls and women at all levels of education are still far below parity with males in many countries. Moreover, children who may have finished formal schooling but lack employable or incomegenerating skills face problems of integrating into

5 ACTIVITIES OF APPEAL Developing non-formal education strategies and mechanisms One of the major achievements of APPEAL during the 1990s was the development of systematic adult literacy and continuing education curricula and training programmes. In addition, NFE experts in the region developed the following resource materials during a series of workshops: Subsequent resource materials have focused on more specific topics: Functional Literacy for Ethnic Minorities Handbook on Small-Scale Enterprise for Neo-Literates Handbook for Local Self-Government Representatives in NFE Research on Literacy as a Tool for Poverty Alleviation APPEAL Training Materials for Literacy Personnel (ATLP) APPEAL Training Materials for Continuing Education Personnel (ATLP-CE) APPEAL Manual for the Planning and Management of Literacy and Continuing Education (AMPM) Non-formal Adult Education Facilitators QUALITY OF LIFE IMPROVEMENT PROGRAMMES Many countries in the region have adapted and translated these materials for use as resources for developing systematic NFE programmes. For example, Vietnam and Nepal formulated national literacy curricula based on ATLP, while India, Cambodia, Myanmar and Sri Lanka used ATLP-CE to help plan continuing education programmes.

6 Development of learning materials for non-formal education Since 1980, the Asia-Pacific Cultural Centre for UNESCO (ACCU), in co-operation with APPEAL, has carried out the Asia-Pacific Joint Production Programme of Materials for Neo-Literates in Rural Areas (AJP). The prototype materials in English were developed during a series of regional workshops covering various functional areas such as health, income generation, gender equality and the environment. These materials have been disseminated to Member States for adaptation and use at the grassroots level. The Package for Developing Adult Learning Materials (PALM) provides resources and methods for materials development by means of a handbook on materials development and literacy clipart. Early childhood care and education APPEAL will give greater attention to efforts in this area than in the past. APPEAL is involved in the following activities during : A project in Lao PDR to promote pre-literacy skills at home by training parents at community learning centres (CLCs).

7 A study of early childhood education pre-school programmes, policies and practices in Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines. The study will document the degree of importance given to health and nutrition child-centred curricula that encourage active learning through play, and a holistic approach to child development. Creating Web pages on early childhood care and education under that will provide useful information about policy and experiences in the Asia and Pacific region. Developing and strengthening a regional network, possibly based on the regional network of the Consultative Group on Early Childhood Development. The aim is to promote a dialogue involving experts in the field, policy makers and programme managers. Obtaining and disseminating knowledge and experiences related to addressing the needs of young children affected by HIV/AIDS. Inclusive education has been a major emphasis since the Salamanca Conference on Special Needs Education in APPEAL assists countries in the region that are demonstrating a commitment to meet the diverse needs of all children. Inclusive education ensures educational opportunities for all children, not just those who are physically and mentally challenged. Thus children with learning difficulties, minority children facing language barriers, children marginalized because of poverty and children without access to school all deserve the opportunity to learn and to grow. APPEAL is currently developing a tool kit for creating inclusive, learning-friendly environments. The kit will primarily target teachers and school principals. The focus is on the teacher's role in the classroom, in the school and in the community. The tool kit provides the user with advice and hands-on practical examples and ideas on how to make schooling a learning-friendly experience. Three countries in the region will try out this resource, which should be ready for publication in early Improving the quality of primary education The current APPEAL activities in primary education have focused on promoting learning environments that are child-friendly, inclusive, and of good quality.

8 Community Learning Centres The project on Community Learning Centres (CLCs) began in As of 2003, the countries taking part in this project include Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Iran, Kazakhstan, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Samoa, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Uzbekistan and Vietnam. The CLC is a local institution or learning venue outside the formal education system. It is located in both villages and urban areas, and is usually set up and managed by local people to provide various learning opportunities for community development and improvement of people's quality of life. Sustaining the activities of CLCs is one of the major challenges they face once pilot projects supported by external agencies have come to an end. APPEAL has initiated a policy dialogue with countries participating in the project to institutionalize CLCs within the EFA framework in each country. APPEAL has also assisted Member States in the development of resources for teachers and learners. Training programmes have been carried out at regional, national and community levels using the following resource materials:

9 - Handbook on Materials Development and Literacy Clipart - Handbook for NFE Facilitators - A Resource Package for Establishing CLCs - Planning and Management of CLCs - Effective Implementation of Continuing Education at the Grassroots Level Information and Communication Technology (ICT) In view of the increasing awareness throughout the region of the potential of ICT, coupled with increasing access to computers and the Internet, APPEAL has initiated the following pilot projects: Computer Software Development for NFE Programmes focusing on effective teaching-learning in class and on the management of CLCs. Map-Based Analysis for NFE Goals and Outputs ^IviAAiNuwj, a ijiujeol 111 uu-upeicuiu! 1 vviu 1 ti le nouu iu strengthen the management of NFE programmes and activities, with a particular focus on monitoring and evaluation. To further these initiatives, a project on ICT for Nonformal Education aims to explore 1) the development of new ICT resources and the more effective delivery of existing ones; and 2) community empowerment through the development of home-grown ICT programmes. Regional Networks and Co-operation Since 1998, the APPEAL Resource and Training Consortium (ARTC), consisting of eleven selected institutions engaged in promoting EFA and lifelong learning, has worked to strengthen co-operation and collaboration in the field of basic education. ARTC members have undertaken joint studies on N F E- related topics such as innovative approaches to NFE and income generating programmes. They have also organized a series of training workshops as part of APPEAL'S programme. In addition, the ACCU, in collaboration with APPEAL, has set up a network of Literacy Resource Centres (LRCs). APPEAL is also facilitating a network of gender focai points in education (GENIA) to assist national ministries of education in introducing gender mainstreaming into their education policies and programmes.

10 Disseminating and exchanging information News about APPEAL'S activities appears in the APPEAL Bulletin, which is published every six months. In addition, APPEAL organizes review meetings from time to time for the countries participating in the CLC project to exchange their experiences. Updated information about various countries' accomplishments is also shared during regional and sub-regional workshops organized by APPEAL. In the areas of literacy and continuing education, the ACCU and APPEAL have developed the Asia- Pacific Literacy Database to exchange and disseminate information and expertise among the countries of the region. Information about gender equality in education is available upon request from: IPS - Knowledge Hese As part of the regional exchange of information, the Asia-Pacific Regional Forum on Lifelong Learning was organ ized by APPEAL in September 2001 jointly with Thailand's Department of Non-formal Education. It provided opportunities for various people working in basic and continuing education to share experiences and exchange views. Participants included government officials, researchers, NGO personnel and managers of NFE programmes. ^W^^^èscfamEsm^ 4n formation Program J - > > tnti-iti FURTHER INFORMATION ABOUT APPEAL Please visit the website of U N E S C O Bangkok's Information Programmes and Services (IPS) for further information. Selected resource materials from APPEAL can be downloaded from this site. *^*MBH Located in UNESCO, Bangkok and Regional Bureau of Education, the main mandate of Info Programmes and Services (IPSi i greater utilization of information M W

11 REGIONAL MAP OF APPEAL RESOURCE AND TRAINING CONSORTIUM (ARTC) KAZAKSTÁN CHINA REPUBLIC OF KOREA JAPAN PAKISTAN INDIA BANGLADESH THAILAND PHILIPPINES MALAYSIA INDONESIA AUSTRALIA

12 Art Direction and Design Photos provided by Thank you Tel: Pilanthorn Palm Kulapongse APPEAL Unit, UNESCO Bangkok UNESCO Bangkok staff members Fax: Public information Unit Asia/Pacific Cultural Centre for appeal@unescobkk.org UNESCO Bangkok UNESCO (ACCU), Tokyo For further information please contact: APPEAL Unit. UNESCO Bangkok Reproduction Inside Cover: Mom Luang Pin Malakul Centenary Building Copyright UNESCO Bangkok 2003 Phong Phanich, Thailand Ms. Uthaiwan Boonloy 920 Sukhumvlt Road. Prakanong Bangkok 10110, Thailand