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Rethinking Schooling for the 21st Century

UNESCO MGIEP officially launched 'Rethinking Schooling for the 21st Century: The State of Education, Peace and Sustainable Development and Global Citizenship' in 2017 at the UNESCO General Conference. This study analyses how far the ideals of SDG 4.7 are embodied in policies and curricula across 22 Asian countries and establishes benchmarks against which future progress can be assessed. It also argues forcefully that we must redefine the purposes of schooling, addressing the fundamental challenges to efforts to promote peace, sustainability and global citizenship through education.

UNESCO MGIEP officially launched 'Rethinking Schooling for the 21st Century: The State of Education, Peace and Sustainable Development and Global Citizenship' in 2017 at the UNESCO General Conference. This study analyses how far the ideals of SDG 4.7 are embodied in policies and curricula across 22 Asian countries and establishes benchmarks against which future progress can be assessed. It also argues forcefully that we must redefine the purposes of schooling, addressing the fundamental challenges to efforts to promote peace, sustainability and global citizenship through education.

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Box 1.1 The 14 coding categories<br />

ESD/GCED <strong>the</strong>mes<br />

1. Economic dimension of<br />

sustainable development<br />

2. Environmental dimension of<br />

sustainable development<br />

3. Good health and well-being<br />

4. Human rights<br />

5. Gender equality<br />

6. Culture of peace and non-violence<br />

7. Justification and general<br />

orientation about global<br />

citizenship<br />

8. Global systems, structures and<br />

processes<br />

9. Global issues<br />

10. Interconnectedness<br />

Competencies<br />

11. Cognitive skills/critical and<br />

systemic thinking<br />

12. Attitudes, values and<br />

dispositions<br />

13. Behaviour and action<br />

13.i. Transversal/Crosscutting<br />

skills<br />

13.ii. Responsible lifestyles<br />

13.iii. Activism<br />

14. ESD, GCED and o<strong>the</strong>r<br />

educations<br />

Previous reviews have focused on so-called ‘carrier subjects’ of 4.7-related<br />

concepts such as civic and citizenship education and social studies or social<br />

science. But <strong>the</strong> current study looked at <strong>the</strong> official curriculum <strong>for</strong> ‘core subjects’<br />

as a whole, given <strong>the</strong> privileged position <strong>the</strong>y occupy in school curricula in terms<br />

of instructional hours, <strong>the</strong>ir mandatory and examinable status, and <strong>the</strong> role <strong>the</strong>y<br />

play in <strong>for</strong>ming enduring dispositions of children and adolescents. The aim was to<br />

illuminate <strong>the</strong> prevalence or <strong>the</strong> relative weight of different concepts embedded<br />

in 4.7 (e.g. human rights, gender equality, global citizenship) in core education<br />

policy and curricular documents.<br />

Figure 1.1 Percentage of instructional hours allocated to core and non-core<br />

subjects Grades 1-9<br />

East Asia Sou<strong>the</strong>ast Asia South Asia Central Asia<br />

100<br />

80<br />

60<br />

40<br />

20<br />

0<br />

China<br />

Japan<br />

Korea,<br />

Republic of<br />

Cambodia<br />

Indonesia<br />

*Note: Data <strong>for</strong> India are unavailable, as <strong>the</strong> National Curriculum Framework does<br />

not provide an annual school calendar. This decision was taken to decentralize<br />

Lao PDR<br />

Malaysia<br />

Philippines<br />

Thailand<br />

Viet Nam<br />

<strong>the</strong> process of deciding <strong>the</strong> school annual calendar, giving more decision-making<br />

power at <strong>the</strong> state, district, and school-levels (NCF, India, 2004). Languages Ma<strong>the</strong>matics Science Social Science Non-core subjects<br />

Afghanistan<br />

Bangladesh<br />

Bhutan<br />

Iran,<br />

Islamic Republic of<br />

Nepal<br />

Pakistan<br />

Sri Lanka<br />

Kazakhstan<br />

Kyrgyzstan<br />

Mongolia<br />

Uzbekistan<br />

32<br />

Chapter 1: Methods and Limitations

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