WEEK 7-UNESCO
The United Nations Organization for
Education, Science and Culture (UNESCO) was founded on 16 November 1945.UNESCO
works to create the conditions for dialogue among civilizations, cultures and
peoples, based upon respect for commonly shared values. It is through this
dialogue that the world can achieve global visions of sustainable development
encompassing observance of human rights, mutual respect and the alleviation of
poverty, all of which are at the heart of UNESCO’s mission and activities.
The broad goals and
concrete objectives of the international community – as set out in the
internationally agreed development goals, including the Millennium Development
Goals (MDGs) – underpin all UNESCO’s strategies and activities. Thus UNESCO’s
unique competencies in education, the sciences, culture and communication and
information contribute towards the realization of those goals. UNESCO’s mission
is to contribute to the building of peace, the eradication of poverty,
sustainable development and intercultural dialogue through education, the
sciences, culture, communication and information. The Organization focuses, in
particular, on two global priorities:
While exploring and
reviewing through their websites ,several issues ,news and publication addressed my goals of contributing effectively
through acquiring the required knowledge and skill as a professional in the early childhood field ,and since we are looking into issues related to the workforce
as regards conceptualization, quality
and defining it in relation to the early
childhood Workforce, so I decided
to narrow it down to issues about education, teachers, and Quality in the
early childhood field
EDUCATION
FIRST
“This is the first time that a United
Nations Secretary-General has made education a priority. It is an historic
decision that recognizes the power of education to transform lives and build
more sustainable, peaceful and prosperous societies. I am proud that the
Secretary-General turned to UNESCO to play a lead role in shaping this
Initiative and taking it forward.” Irina Bokova, UNESCO Director-General
Launched on 26
September 2012, Education First is a five-year initiative sponsored by Ban
Ki-moon, Secretary-General of the United Nations. A global advocacy platform at
the highest level, it aims to generate a renewed push to achieve the internationally-agreed
education goals set for 2015 and get the world back on track to meeting its
education commitments.
In the
Secretary-General’s own words, “when we put Education First, we can reduce
poverty and hunger, end wasted potential – and look forward to stronger and
better societies for all.”
The three priorities
of Education First are:
·
putting every child into school
·
improving the quality of learning
·
fostering global citizenship
The personal
commitment and convening power of the UN Secretary-General sends the message
that education is not simply a moral imperative; it is the single best
investment nations can make to build prosperous, healthy and equitable
societies. By rallying together a broad spectrum of actors, including
governments, donor nations, the business community, philanthropic organizations
and the media, the Initiative will put education at the heart of the social,
political and development agenda, so together, we can reach the goals we have
set for ourselves. (UNESCO, 2012)
Early
Childhood Care and Education
UNESCO advocates for Early Childhood Care and Education
(ECCE) programmes that attend to health, nutrition, security and learning and
which provide for children’s holistic development. It organized the first World Conference on ECCE in September 2010, which culminated in the adoption of a
global action agenda for ECCE called Moscow
Framework for Action and Cooperation: Harnessing the Wealth of Nations. As a follow-up to the World
Conference, UNESCO works in partnership with
Member States, partners and other stakeholders to encourage timely and effective
implementation of the Moscow Framework so that all young children develop their
potential to the fullest.
The foundations of
human development are laid during the child's early years and thus early
childhood requires an integrated approach to the child's care, development and
learning. Early childhood care and education (ECCE) is more than a preparatory
stage assisting the child’s transition to formal schooling. Today, early
childhood policies are placed within a broader context of social development,
gender equity and poverty reduction. (UNESCO, 2012)
UNESCO leads the
international policy drive for an integrated early childhood care and education
system that encompasses both the well-being and holistic development of the
child. Its mission is to support early
childhood policy development with the aim to build a solid foundation for a
child’s lifelong learning. UNESCO’s activities in early childhood focus on
upstream policy work through collaboration with government officials to review
and develop their national policies affecting children from the age of 0 to 8. As
this age bracket covers a diverse group of children in various developmental
stages, it is naturally difficult for countries to address all children within
this group simultaneously and equally. Prioritization is necessary. In this
regard, UNESCO’s early childhood programmes focus on holistic pre-primary
education for children over the age of 3, for which emphasis is placed on its
linkages with primary education. It is important to note that pre-primary
education must promote the child’s holistic development and should not be
implemented like early primary education. (UNESCO, 2012)
UNESCO also promotes
two useful planning strategies to address the early childhood needs for those
under three years of age—phasing and partnership. A phased plan can impel the
education sector to eventually respond to the needs of younger children as part
of its overall commitment to early childhood. Partnership is another effective
strategy. For instance, the social and health sectors are often more closely
linked with families. If a partnership is developed with them, the care and
education of younger children can be addressed together with those of older
children. (UNESCO ,2012).For the early childhood field, UNESCO aims at access and equity,
quality for the entire structure and organization, investment and financing and
coordination and integration
UNESCO is launching its teacher
strategy for 2012-2015 to introduce its priorities, action lines and role in
relation to teachers. The strategy aims to provide a framework for the whole
range of activities that UNESCO will develop from 2012 to 2015.
The main emphasis of
the strategy is on supporting teachers for quality learning. Capitalizing on
the previous experiences and on the applications of the TTISSA (Teacher
Training Initiative for Sub-Saharan Africa) methodology and other UNESCO
teacher-related programmes, UNESCO identified three priorities to drive the
strategy:
·
Teacher shortage: Bridge the teacher
gap in priority countries, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa;
·
Teacher Quality: Improve teaching
quality; and
·
Research, knowledge production and
Communication: Inform the global debate about teaching with comparative
evidence.
Ultimately the
strategy intends to configure a teaching force that works in an environment
that rewards professional improvement and that is committed to improve the
opportunities for student learning with well qualified and duly supported
teaching practices. The Strategy provides an overall framework for a new
initiative on teachers, aimed at accelerating progress towards EFA goals. The new
initiative is (provisionally) called “Quality Teachers for EFA. The UNESCO
Initiative for Teachers’ Capacity Development in Priority Countries” and will
soon be released as an additional document.
The launch of the teacher’s
strategy is part of the 2012 World Teachers’ Day celebration. “Take a stand for
teachers” is the slogan of World Teachers’ Day this year which UNESCO is
celebrating along with the International Labour Organization, UNDP, UNICEF and
Education International.(UNESCO ,2012)
