South Asian ESD Coordination and Capacity Building Workshop
Colombo, Sri Lanka
18-21 November 2008
“ESD means education for life, not only for livelihood, but education for betterment of the self, the people of the country, people of your region, the globe and future generations.”
- Md. Safiullah, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Education, Bangladesh
The South Asian ESD Coordination and Capacity Building Workshop held in Colombo, Sri Lanka was conducted for countries in the UNESCO New Delhi Cluster. The workshop was the fifth in a series of consultations, sponsored by the Japanese Funds in Trust, to assist UNESCO Member States in the Asia-Pacific region in building additional capacity for ESD leadership, programme coordination and monitoring. Approximately 20 participants contributed to the event, including ESD focal points from the senior policy level in Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal and Sri Lanka, in addition to representatives from UN Agencies, NGOs and the private sector.
Workshop discussions were guided by the Asia-Pacific ESD Astrolabe (draft 5), a tool for building capacity for ESD and coordinating ESD initiatives at the national and subregional level.
Workshop Agenda
Programme
Workshop Report
Lessons Learned
Several challenges and questions still exist for ESD in South Asia, such as the need to: a) focus ESD to be more meaningful at the national level; b) align institutional timelines to enable more cross-sectoral collaboration; c) increase emphasis on the role of NGOs and the private sector in ESD; d) identify national SD priorities; and e) develop national action plans with a national vision for ESD.
Workshop discussions emphasized several factors, or lessons learned, required to move ESD forward in the New Delhi Cluster, such as:
- The success of ESD requires partnerships and coordination through a broad, cross-sectoral approach, such as linking education to sustainable development through planning departments, the Ministry of Finance, and involving key stakeholders, including religious groups.
- ESD should be consolidated and linked to ongoing programmes, as opposed to beginning a new initiative, in order to promote a holistic and integrated approach to quality education for all.
- Schools, curriculum and teaching and learning processes are essential and complementary components for ESD. Teaching and learning approaches should be centred on the school and community – parents, teachers, students and community leaders all have a say in localizing content. Curriculum development also needs to include teachers in decision-making processes along with policy planners and development partners.
- Teaching and learning methodologies being practiced in training institutions need to link more to core competencies for sustainable development.
Country Presentations
Prior to the workshop, national delegations were asked to prepare a presentation to share the following: 1) their national sustainable development priorities, 2) an example of ESD in action, and 3) challenges and lessons learned towards implementing ESD to date.
Bangladesh
Bhutan
India
Maldives
Nepal
Sri Lanka
Workshop Resources
Sustainable Development Issues (examples)
ESD in the Asia-Pacific Region: Taking Stock and Setting Direction
National Sustainable Development Priorities: A Basis for ESD Coordination and Monitoring
The Head, Heart and Hands of ESD
Example Issues, Skills, Values and Learning Characteristics for ESD
Monitoring – National ESD Monitoring System Development
Monitoring – A Quickguide to Developing National ESD Indicators
Monitoring – Country Update Progress Report 1-4