ASPBAE s 50-year celebrations culminate in a vibrant Festival of Learning in Yogyakarta

ASPBAE s 50-year celebrations culminate in a vibrant Festival of Learning in Yogyakarta 18-22 November 2014, Yogyakarta, Indonesia ASPBAE s 50 year celebrations culminated in the Festival of Learning that took place in Yogyakarta. ASPBAE s members, partners, donors, and friends gathered together to celebrate ASPBAE s journey and to plan a path ahead for education and lifelong learning in the Asia Pacific in a post- 2015 world. The Festival was hosted by PEKKA, ASPBAE s member in Indonesia. The Festival of Learning, with the theme - Asia Pacific Civil Society, Defining Education for the Future - saw the participation of 126 people from 32 countries representing 66 national civil society organisations and networks, partner and donor organisations, and individual ASPBAE members. It was held at a time when the global education community prepares to agree on a new global education agenda and framework of action during the World Education Forum to be held in Incheon, Korea, in May 2015.The Festival of Learning was a space to strategise Asia Pacific civil society coordinated action in this important global policy space - defining civil policy asks and advocacy strategies on the proposed goals, targets, indicators, the financing, governance, planning, and monitoring modalities and the role of civil society organisations. It was a platform to deliberate on the overall context and policy climate that define education and lifelong learning work in the region. An upbeat and lively opening ceremony set the tone for the 4-day event. Participants were introduced by their sub-regions while they displayed their colourful flags representing their organisations and coalitions. Nani Zulminarni, Director of PEKKA, Dina Lumbantobing, ASPBAE Executive Council Member representing South East Asia, and the ASPBAE

President, Robbie Guevara, welcomed the participants to the Festival of Learning. ASPBAE Secretary-General, Maria Khan, gave her opening remarks where she presented the main messages coming out of the national consultations on the post-2015 education agenda organised by ASPBAE s members throughout the year. The Chief Guest, Dr. Hermanto, Head of Quality Assurance of Education, Ministry of Education and Culture, Government of Indonesia, offered inaugural remarks and formally opened the Festival of Learning through a traditional Indonesian ritual, the sounding of the gong. Harmony in diversity participants play the angklung, a traditional Indonesian instrument, at the opening ceremony of the Festival of Learning. Participants then got a unique Indonesian experience as they collectively played the traditional Indonesian instrument called the angklung. With such a wide representation at the Festival of Learning, the sound of the angklung reverberating through the large conference room truly represented harmony in diversity. The Festival of Learning was organised along various modalities of learning and exchange: in discussions and debates on education policy advocacies, workshops on contemporary themes of adult education, conversations to reflect and debate on the contextual regional challenges, and innovative ways of harnessing the opportunities to advance civil society and ASPBAE s work in securing the right to education and lifelong learning in the Asia Pacific region. Prof. (Dr.) Melani Budianta (Faculty of Science and Culture, University of Indonesia) delivering the Keynote Speech where she shared her views on the challenges and opportunities for realising the right to education for all in the Asia Pacific. Rajesh Tandon, President of PRIA led participants in Regional Conversations where they identified pressing issues in their contexts and new stakeholders they should be working with to push the case for education. In the session called The Changing Milieu, discussions focussed on defining the new context; the trends and complexities faced by education activists and advocates of the right to learn. The Keynote Speech was delivered by Prof. (Dr.) Melani Budianta, Faculty of Science and Culture, University of Indonesia. Prof. Budianta shared her views on the challenges and opportunities for realising the right to education for all in the Asia Pacific. She also focused on lifelong learning and highlighted that the essence of lifelong learning was to acquire the skills, knowledge, and critical awareness to survive and strategically position oneself in a fastchanging local and global environment. Rajesh Tandon, President of PRIA (Society for Participatory Research in Asia), then led participants in Regional Conversations where they were divided in four sub-regional groups. The groups identified pressing issues in their contexts and new stakeholders they should be working with to push the case for education. Some of the key issues presented by the groups were (1) education for resilience and change (2) education for critical awareness, thinking skills, and consciousness (3) citizenship education (4) women s literacy (5) quality of education (6) financing for quality education. Some of the new education stakeholders identified by the groups for greater engagement by education advocates are: (1) BRICKS countries: universities/higher education institutions (2) ASEAN government ministries of education (3) parliamentarians (4) inter-faith organisations, even fundamentalist groups (5) the corporate sector. The aim of this exercise was to characterise development issues and highlight the varied contexts and diversity of the region. It also aimed to articulate the

education agenda of the Asia Pacific for the future that is premised on the right to education and lifelong learning, which can then be translated into policy. Several ASPBAE luminaries took centre stage to reflect on the roles that ASPBAE as a regional civil society organisation played through different historical periods for education, development, and civil society. In a session dedicated to New Ways of Being (Town Hall Meeting), deliberations focussed on the functioning of civil society and possible new ways of working. It drew lessons from the 50-year experience of ASPBAE and debated on the new ways of working civil society should consider. The first session recognised and honoured luminaries who played a part in shaping ASPBAE over the years. Several past and present ASPBAE presidents, Secretary-Generals, and Executive Council members took centre stage to reflect on the roles that ASPBAE as a regional civil society organisation played through different historical periods for education, development, and civil society - in advancing the right to education and lifelong learning. The luminaries were - W.M.K Wijetunga (ASPBAE Secretary-General, 1985-1995), Heribert Hinzen, Director, DVVI South and South East Asia Regional Office, Lao PDR, Rajesh Tandon (ASPBAE President, 1991-2000), Usa Duongsa (ASPBAE President, 2001-2004), Sandy Morrison (ASPBAE President, 2005-2008), Robbie Guevara (ASPBAE President, 2009 to date), Maria Khan (ASPBAE Secretary- General, 1995 to date), Nani Zulminarni, Jerald Joseph, and Shaheen Attiqur Rehman (ASPBAE Executive Council Members, 2001-2008). Following a session dedicated to the 37-year partnership of ASPBAE and DVV International, where Uwe Gartenschaelger of DVV International addressed the gathering, participants broke in to groups to brainstorm on civil society s roles in the future and ASPBAE s work beyond 50 years. The discussion topics included Education for Sustainable Development, Mitigating threats to Civil Society and Democratic Spaces, New Partnerships for Civil Society and Education Activists, The New ICTs and Social Networking for Education and Organising, New Literacies, Youth Education and Governance. Participants at the Festival brainstormed on civil society s roles in the future and ASPBAE s work beyond 50 years. Some of the discussion points included discussion topics included Education for Sustainable Development, Mitigating threats to Civil Society and Democratic Spaces, New Partnerships for Civil Society and Education Activists. To learn more about education and lifelong learning in the Indonesian context, participants of the Festival of Learning went on Learning Exchanges to different local organisations in Yogjakarta where they interacted with communities in their contexts. Some of the visits were to organisations working with women, children, and youth, and on issues such as religious studies for the trans-gender community, communitybased disaster preparedness, and trade. A policy seminar on the Post-2015 Education Agenda was held in collaboration with the Gadjah Mada University in Yogyakarta, one of the oldest universities in Indonesia. The Dean of Faculty, Dr. Erwan Agus Purwanto, opened the seminar with a Welcome Address. The seminar presented civil society analyses on the post-2015 scenario, highlighting the debates, gaps, and areas of contention in the current development and education agenda discourses. Prof. Hubert Gijzen of UNESCO Jakarta delivered the Keynote Address where he highlighted that education for a

sustainable future encompasses knowledge and awareness, as well as preparing future generations for their role in the green economy. Prof. Hubert Gijzen, of UNESCO Jakarta, delivered the Keynote Address at the Policy Seminar on Education Post-2015 held at the University of Gadjah Mada. He highlighted that education for a sustainable future encompasses knowledge and awareness, as well as preparing future generations for their role in the green economy. Other speakers at the seminar included Ushio Miura of UNESCO Bangkok who focussed on Updates on the Post- 2015 Education and Development Processes ; Maria Khan, ASPBAE Secretary-General, who provided a Civil Society Analyses on the Post-2015 Education Agenda and Processes ; Alan Tuckett, President, International Council for Adult Education (ICAE), who spoke about A Lifelong Learning Framework Within the Education and SDG Post-2015 Agenda ; and Robbie Guevara, ASPBAE President, who presented the Outcomes of the World Conference on Education for Sustainable Development held in Nagoya, Japan, in November 2014. This panel was chaired by Heribert Hinzen of DVV International. A session was also dedicated to understanding the Indonesian education context with a panel comprising Satryo Soemantri Brodjonegoro, Former Director General of Higher Education, Ministry of National Education, Indonesia; Abdul Waidl of NEW Indonesia who addressed Coalition Perspectives on the Indonesian Education Agenda Post-2015 ; and Dina Lumbantobing of PESADA who highlighted CSO Practice on Lifelong Learning in Indonesia. Prof. Gabriele Lele, Lecturer, Department of Social and Political Sciences, UGM, chaired the panel. Rene Raya, ASPBAE s Lead Policy Analyst, then led a plenary session on Privatisation Trends in Education in the Asia Pacific Region. Three parallel workshops on education financing Official Development Assistance (ODA) in Education, Country Case Studies on Privatisation of Education, and Domestic Resource Mobilisation - were also organised within the seminar. The aim of the workshops was to review key trends, issues, and challenges in these areas that should inform CSO lobbying on education financing during the World Education Forum 2015 in Korea. The fourth and final day of the Festival of Learning was devoted to planning advocacy strategies for the post-2015 processes. Sabine Detzel, of the EFA Global Partnerships Team, UNESCO Paris, began the day with an introduction to the Framework for Action for education post-2015. The participants then formed groups to debate targets and indicators for - Basic Education, Adult Literacy and Skills for Life and Work, Teachers and Quality, Governance and Financing, and ESD and Citizenship Education. Participants took part in parallel workshops at the Policy Seminar focusing on Official Development Assistance (ODA) in Education, Country Case Studies on Privatisation of Education, and Domestic Resource Mobilisation. Rasheda Choudhury, Board Member, Global Campaign for Education (GCE), chaired a session on Framing the Architecture of the New Education Agenda where Valerie Liechti, Education Policy Advisor, Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), reflected on the EFA Global Architecture, ASPBAE s Cecilia Soriano presented the reflections on the Regional EFA Architecture, and David Archer, Action Aid International, and Civil Society Representative in the Global Partnership for Education (GPE), reviewed the Existing Financing Mechanisms for Education.

Dominic D Souza, ASPBAE Executive Council Representative from South Asia, moderated the session on Key Civil Society Moments from Now to Incheon and New York 2015. Participants give feedback on their discussions on targets and indicators for Basic Education, Adult Literacy & Skills for Life and Work, Teachers & Quality, Governance & Financing, and ESD & Citizenship Education. Katarina Popovich, ICAE Secretary General, Maria Khan, ASPBAE Secretary-General, and Anjela Taneja, Head of Policy, GCE, presented the plans different civil society formations, notably the Global Campaign for Education, the UNESCO Collective Consultation of NGOs on Education for All (CCNGO/EFA), and the International Council for Adult Education. The Festival of Learning concluded with agreement on a Statement of Commitments and closing remarks by ASPBAE President, Robbie Guevara, where he stressed the importance of harmonising engagements in education with a holistic approach and strengthening collaboration amongst each other. The Festival was also a space for cultural exchange as participants displayed their traditional costumes, songs, and dances representing the richness of each of their diverse backgrounds and contexts. PEKKA, who hosted the Festival of Learning, was an outstanding host. Their commitment and dedication to bringing the event together was unmatched in the lead up to and throughout the Festival, and mirrored their hard work and devotion to their own campaign for women s empowerment. ASPBAE Secretary-General, Maria Khan, presenting plans of different civil society formations and responses of civil society from the region on the post-2015 processes. The Festival of Learning was truly a memorable occasion for ASPBAE as participants were excited and enthusiastic throughout the event and contributed to the sessions and deliberations with high energy and passion. The gathering was a unique opportunity for ASPBAE s diverse membership and larger family to come together and celebrate the lively, dynamic, and vibrant culture of the education movement in the Asia Pacific.