An Astrolabe for ESD Coordination in the Asia-Pacific Region
Colleagues from Cambodia, Lao PDR and Thailand providing feedback on the structure of the ESD Astrolabe during the subregional ESD consultation in Ha Long Bay, Viet Nam (August 2008).
Asia-Pacific ESD Astrolabe (draft, May 2009)
Astrolabe Guide Booklet (draft, May 2009)
An ESD Coordination Tool for the Asia-Pacific
One of the key outputs from the 2008-2009 sub-regional ESD workshops in the Asia-Pacific region was the collaborative development of the Asia-Pacific ESD Astrolabe, a tool for building ESD capacity and coordinating ESD initiatives. The Astrolabe assists countries in building on the lessons learned from the workshops, by identifying thematic and programmatic priorities to guide ESD, engaging stakeholders from across sectors and linking ESD to ongoing education initiatives, activities and current funding mechanisms.
The Asia-Pacific ESD Astrolabe is part of an ongoing collaborative effort that stems from the Asia-Pacific ESD Monitoring Project implemented in 2006 - 2008. In an effort to develop national ESD monitoring systems, the project identified specific challenges that needed to be overcome in order to move the development of national ESD indicators further. Two of the most prominent challenges included: 1) the need to coordinate the wide range and scope of ESD activities and actors at the national level; and 2) raising awareness among potential key partners that ESD is an intersectoral platform that goes beyond the education and the environment to engage additional sectors such as science, culture, communications, etc.
To address these challenges and build capacity for ESD leadership and coordination, in June 2008, UNESCO Bangkok convened a group of experts comprised of regional consultants and representatives from UN Agencies and NGOs to develop a draft coordination tool to guide ESD coordination in the Asia-Pacific region. The draft tool was tested during sub-regional ESD consultations in 2008 and 2009 when UNESCO Member States provided input into the practical structure and use of the tool. Feedback was incorporated following each consultation and the Asia-Pacific ESD Astrolabe was finalized in collaboration with Member States and the expert group in July 2009.
©N. Greene www.puzzlering.net/astrolabe.html
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What is an Astrolabe?
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An astrolabe is an ancient instrument used to measure the position of the sun or stars. In the past, it was useful for a number of purposes such as determining the time of day or night and measuring one’s current position in relation to the north and south poles. More specifically, a mariner’s astrolabe was used to determine the latitude of a ship at sea and guide its direction. In the 15th and 16th centuries, for example, navigators used the mariner’s astrolabe to identify their position at sea, sail to a certain latitude then sail east or west along that latitude until they reached their destination (Morrison, 2009).
Similar to the mariner’s astrolabe, the Asia-Pacific ESD Astrolabe aims to assist UNESCO Member States in determining the current position of ESD in their country and guiding ESD in a specified direction. To determine the position of ESD in the national context, the Astrolabe assists countries in taking stock of ESD linkages in national policy, mapping current ESD-related activities and identifying key actors and their scale and scope of involvement in ESD. To establish direction, the Astrolabe helps acknowledge national priorities in order to steer education content and learning to support sustainable development in the national context. The Astrolabe also helps indentify national ESD gaps, such as who else needs to be engaged and what else needs to be done to move ESD forward. To guide the direction of ESD, the Astrolabe also facilitates the development of national ESD working plans to outline how to carry ESD forward in the national context. -
Objectives of the Asia-Pacific ESD Astrolabe
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The Asia-Pacific ESD Astrolabe aims to complement ongoing efforts to enhance quality education and learning in the Asia-Pacific region. On a fundamental level, the Astrolabe strives to bring together partners in education – ministerial officials from across sectors, development partners, higher education and research institutions, the private sector, schools, local governments and communities – to promote discussion on quality learning from the perspective of ESD. More specifically, the Astrolabe provides a basis for guiding discussions toward a set of concrete objectives, namely to:
- Clarify sustainable development priorities in order to provide a basis for ESD coordination and monitoring;
- Solidify a common understanding of ESD in the national contex in terms of concrete learning objectives (i.e. ESD-related knowledge, skills, values, attitudes and learning characteristics);
- Link ESD to education and learning objectives in national policies, strategies and plans;
- Map ongoing ESD-related programmes, resources, key actors and their scale and scope of involvement in ESD; and
- Identify gaps and needs to better support learning for sustainable development in the national context (i.e. establish a basis for national or sub-regional ESD working plans).
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Structure of the Asia-Pacific ESD Astrolabe
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The Asia-Pacific ESD Astrolabe is divided into six exercises, each with a specific purpose, from guiding discussions among policy makers on ESD linkages in policy to facilitating dialogue among educators on ESD learning objectives. In general, the six sections are aligned to enable progressive discussion on establishing an initial vision for sustainable development to the process for developing a national ESD working plan. When conducted individually, exercises provide a means for clarifying the context of ESD, mapping ESD-related policies, activities, and resources, identifying gaps in ESD implementation and promoting ESD through the development of a draft working plan. The specific objectives for each exercise are listed as follows:
• Exercise 1: To promote discussion on a shared vision for sustainable development, in addition to clarify thematic sustainable development priorities for focusing and coordinating ESD in its initial stages.
• Exercise 2: To provide a starting point for discussing relevant learning objectives for ESD (e.g. the knowledge, skills, values and attitudes associated with sustainable development) and the characteristics connected with ESD-related pedagogy and learning.
• Exercise 3: To raise awareness of the relevance of ESD for national sustainable development by: 1) linking ESD to national policies and strategies; and 2) identifying ongoing ESD activities, resources and actors.
• Exercise 4: To map ESD actors and their scale and scope of involvement in ESD. Part A focuses on actors working to enhance quality basic education. Part B focuses on actors working to address sustainable development priorities through formal, non-formal and informal education and training.
• Exercise 5: To identify gaps in ESD implementation. Part A focuses on gaps in developing an enabling environment for ESD. Part B focuses on gaps towards addressing key sustainable development priorities.
• Exercise 6: To guide the development a draft working plan to carry ESD forward.