interview An Interview with the EFA Global Monitoring Report Team.

best practices A Singaporean best practice is telling us about how war memorials can promote peace education.

Holi Indian Festival of Colours and Joy

oct 2014Pg. 2

Contents

3 Director’s Message

4 special coluMnMr. Kamal Ahmad, Founder of Asian University for Women in Bangladesh

talks about the vital role of higher education in thisv globalized era.

7 Focus: exploring colourFul asia Holi – inDian Festival oF colours anD Joy

Samarkand located at the crossroad of the Silk Road boasts its beautiful blue domes implying Uzbekistan’s glorious civilization.

12 sHining blue pearl oF central asia

17 wHat a DisH, cHina’s spice oF liFeWe can encounter red colour which represents luck in China not only in everyday life but also in different types of Chinese dishes.

22 Korean’s traDitional colours anD tHeir presence in Daily liFe

27 best practicesWars Past Used to Promote Peace and EducationA Singaporean best practice is telling us about how war memorials can promote peace education.

30 tHe Mosaic oF unDerstanDing“Mutual understanding is similar to a mosaic art piece consisting of many separate pieces” said the author of Australian best practice.

34 coMic relieF

35 special reportIf you are curious about what the global capacities are, read

this article written by Ms. Suzanne Choo from National Institute of Education in Singapore.

38 interviewUNESCO’s Global Monitoring Report Team addresses the

challenges of not leaving a child behind through action.

42 letterOne of the UNESCO/ROK Co-Sponsored Fellowship Programme

participants flashes back her experience and speaks about how this Programme changed her life.

44 peace in MeMoryFounder of Documentary Arts Asia strives to empower voices for the

underrepresented local people to speak up about their reality.

47 unDerstanDing tHe asia-paciFic regionAn interesting legend about Chao Pratu Pha reveals culture’s identity and belonging embedded

from hero’s spirit and fight to save the king.

50 apceiu in actionDo you know more about what is going on in APCEIU now? Then, check this section.

SangSaeng, a Korean word with Chinese roots, is composed of two

characters: Sang, meaning “mutual” (each other) and Saeng, meaning “life.” Put together, they mean “living together,” “helping each other,” which is our vision for

the Asia-Pacific region. SangSaeng aims to be a forum for constructive discussion of issues, methods and experiences in the area of Education for International Understanding. SangSaeng also seeks to promote Global Citizenship Education, which is one of the three

priorities of Global Education First Initiative launched by the United Nations in 2012. Signed articles express the opinions of the authors and do not necessarily represent the opinions of APCEIU.

oct 2014 Pg. 3

@apceiu/unescoapceiu+UnescoAPCEIUorg2014www.unescoapceiu.org

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SangSaeng is published three times a year by the Asia-Pacific Centre of Education for International Understanding (APCEIU) under the auspices of UNESCO.120, Saemal-ro, Guro-gu, Seoul,Republic of Korea, 152-050Tel: (+82-2) 774-3956 Fax: (+82-2) 774-3958E-mail: sangsaeng@unescoapceiu.org

Publisher: Utak Chung Editor-in-Chief: Kwanghyun Kim Editor: Sunmi Ji Copy Editor: Yoav Cerralbo Designed by: Seoul Selection Printed by: Pyung Hwa Dang iSSN 1599-4880 Registration No: 00017

Featured article Focus: Exploring colorful Asia/World

india

A young nation with an ancient civilization is home to diverse

religions and ethnicities. The country’s rich social tapestry is adorned with a

rainbow of year-round festivals and festivities. One of the most popular, colourful and joyous of all is the ancient festival Holi, which is referenced in ancient Indian texts and in mythological stories.

The colorful festival of Holi is celebrated on Phalgun

Purnima which comes in February end or early March. Holi festival

has an ancient origin and celebrates the triumph of ‘good’ over ‘bad’. The

colorful festival bridges the social gap and renew sweet

relationships. On this day, people hug and wish each other: ‘Happy Holi’

Holi is essentially a harvest festival celebrated on a full moon day, as the

mild indian winter begins to gradually recede and blossoms

begin to sprout, lending fragrance to the clean and

crisp spring air.”

A girl covered in colorful powder after the Holi festival. People usually leave the event covered from head to toe in colorful hues varying from the powders thrown.

FatHer, son’s Fiery originsAccording to legend, there was once a demon king called Hiranyakashipu who believed he was divine and insisted that his people worship him.

However, his own son Prahlada was a devotee of Lord Vishnu. (Hindus believe in reincarnation and the Holy Trinity—Brahma (the creator), Vishnu (the preserver) and Shiva (the destroyer).)

In spite of several threats from Hiranyakashipu, Prahlada continued to offer prayers to Lord Vishnu. Eventually, Prahlada was poisoned by his father, Hiranyakashipu, but the poison was not toxic and instead turned to nectar in his mouth.

Since this first attempt did not succeed, Prahlada was ordered to be trampled by elephants, but this was again ineffective and Prahlada remained unharmed. Next, Prahlada was put in a room with hungry, poisonous snakes and yet survived. Much to the king’s surprise, all of Hiranyakashipu’s attempts to kill his son had failed.

Finally, he ordered young Prahlada to sit on the lap of Holika, Hiranyakashipu’s demoness sister, who had the gift of immunity to fire. Prahlada readily accepted his father’s orders and prayed to Lord Vishnu to keep him safe during this very difficult and trying time.

To everyone’s amazement, as Holika burnt to death, Prahlada emerged unharmed. Since then, the salvation of Prahlada and the destruction of Holika are celebrated as Holi, symbolizing the victory of good over evil.

“India’s festival of Holi celebrates life, love and the – awaited spring,” remarks The Daily Beast. Although there are regional variations, the levels of energy and enthusiasm remain constant.

On the day before Holi, typically at or after sunset, a bonfire is lit to re-enact the destruction of demoness Holika. Ritual offerings are made to the fire, an act considered sacred by Indians. It is accompanied by singing, dancing and the roasting of grains.

splasHing a rainbowOn the following day, Holi is celebrated with a riot of colours – flower petals, powder and liquids. It is impossible to step out onto the streets and not to be smeared with colours.

Gaggles of youngsters armed with dry colours, coloured solution, means to fill and spray others with coloured solution, balloons that can hold coloured water, and other creative means to colour their targets patrol and dominate the roads looking for their “prey.”

Furthermore, friends visit each other’s homes to paint them with all imaginable colours. What

makes this holiday truly special is that all differences—age, gender, ethnicity and religion—are forgotten in the ensuing competition to outdo one another.

Grudges are forgotten, tensions disappear, friends get closer and new friendships are formed. Even flora and fauna are not spared and begin to

temporarily adorn unintended hues. And, of course no Indian festival can be

imagined without sumptuous food, sweets and drinks.

A special drink called thandai, made of milk, almonds, spices and sugar, is prepared for the occasion. It could also contain bhang (the leaf and flower of the cannabis sativa plant), overindulgence of which could result in loads of mirth and delirious antics. Resulting anecdotes regale the participants and others for a long long time to follow.

Featured article Focus: Exploring colorful Asia/World

oct 2014Pg. 6

yellow pious Feeling

blue calM anD

seDateness

reD puritygreen

vitality

Colours are the most joyous part of the Holi celebrations. They add life and vitality to the festival making it the most vibrant of all.

images Courtesy of Humanitarian Travel Trips, P

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Holi-Days arounD inDiaThough Holi is enjoyed throughout India, nowhere is the celebration as grand and exciting as in the city of Mathura (Lord Krishna’s birthplace) and in the adjacent town of Vrindavan (the region where, according to the Mahabharata, the deity Krishna spent his childhood days), both located in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.

People from all over the country and even abroad converge to these places to witness the most colourful week-long event. Every day there is a different kind of a celebration. A major attraction is the lath-mar Holi where women playfully hit men with sticks.

Holi in India’s eastern state of West Bengal is celebrated by singing classical songs meant only for the occasion and playing musical instruments. In the northern agricultural state of Punjab, people demonstrate their skills in the martial arts. In Goa, a western state, it is celebrated with bands, parades and night-time musical fare.l India’s western desert state of Rajasthan. Elephant beauty-contests, parades and tugs-of-war make for great spectacles and excitement.

In some parts of the country like Gujarat and Maharastra, a related tradition is to hang earthen pots of buttermilk high up on poles and trees. Youngsters compete in building human pyramids to smash the pots with bare fists to the cheers and encouragement of hundreds (and even thousands) of onlookers. This ceremony is called the Matki Phod (Breaking the Clay Pot).

Holi is probably the most widely celebrated festival in India, which helps erode boundaries of colour, creed, and gender. It is particularly meant to reinforce friendships and melt away grudges.

Holi is the only festival where even adults can behave like kids and play pranks on one another. It is said that Holi rejuvenates old hearts, which acquire a young rhythm. This year the Festival of Colours was celebrated on March 17.

So here is a tip for the uninitiated. Grab some coloured gulal powder, wear white clothes, catch hold of your friends, smear them, give them a tight hug, stuff their mouths with sweets and let the child in you come alive. In short, just have fun! Why wait, take a shot at it today.

“So here is a primer for the uninitiated. Grab some colour gulal powder, wear

white clothes, catch hold of your friends, smear them, give them a tight hug, stuff their

mouths with sweets and let the child in you come to the fore.

in short, just have fun! Why wait, take a shot at

it today.”

(Above) A teacher teaches chil-dren under trees at a mobile school some 50 kilometres from Lodwar, Turkana, Kenya Copyright: © UNESCO/ Karel Prinsloo/ ARETE

Could you tell us about the main message the report aims to deliver?Central to this crisis is the huge lack of qualified teachers. In a third of countries analysed by the Report, less than three-quarters of primary teachers are trained. Children living in poor or remote areas are much less likely to be taught by qualified teachers.

Looking across the EFA goals, the Report also shows that, despite progress, many countries are not on track to achieve these goals by 2015. Universal Primary Education, for example, is likely to be missed by a wide margin. Globally, 57 million children are still out of school, the majority of whom are girls. By 2015, less than a third of countries will have adults all literate.

“In terms of cost, this learning crisis results in $129 million spent annually toward a false economy that has failed to ensure that all children have learnt the basics.”

Analysis for the 2013/4 Global Monitoring Report (GMR) reveals a global learning crisis that is hitting the most disadvantaged the hardest. The Report shows that 250 million children are not learning the basics – how to read and write and do basic arithmetic. All the more worrying is that over half of these children are unable to read or write despite having spent at least four years in school.

This has a huge impact on the young people in many countries as they enter the marketplace. In sub-Saharan Africa, for example, 40 per cent of 15-24 year olds cannot read a single sentence. In South and West Asia, one-third of young women cannot read all or part of a sentence.

MaKing tHe rigHt to a proper eDucation universal

– An Interview with the EFA Global Monitoring Report Team (Catherine Jere, Report

Team, UNESCO headquarters)cm.jere@unesco.org

interview Global Monitoring Report

oct 2014Pg. 8

Could you elaborate on the characteristics that the Asia-Pacific region shows in terms of achieving EFA goals?

Overall, the East Asia-Pacific region has made substan-tial progress towards EFA goals, with almost universal enrolment in primary education and youth literacy, for example.

However, pockets of disadvantage and marginalization remain in some countries across the region.

In terms of specific targets, enrolment in pre-primary education across the region has doubled from 39 to 62 per cent between 1999 and 2011, still short of the key benchmark of 80 per cent enrolment (Goal 1).

For Goal 2, Universal Primary Education, gross enrol-ment rates have risen from 95 to 97 per cent. However, the retention rate of the last grade of primary educa-tion has shown less progress (from 84 to 89 per cent between 1999 and 2011), indicating that a significant minority of children still fail to complete their primary education.

Gross secondary enrolment has risen from 62 per cent in 1999 to 80 per cent in 2011, and whilst 8.9 million adolescents of lower secondary school age were out of school in 2011, this does represent a 64 per cent decrease compared with 1999 rates (goal 3).

Adult literacy has also improved, from 82 to 95 per cent in 2011 (goal 4).

Gender parity has been achieved at the secondary level – a GPI of 102 – and primary level enrolments are slightly in favour of girls: a GPI of 103.

Some countries still have significant progress to make if EFA goals are to be achieved. Progress towards universal primary education has stagnated in the Philippines with almost a third of primary school age children not in school, 1.46 million children out of a total population of 5.1 million.

In terms of the quality of education, several countries in the region score very highly in international bench-marks for learning. They include Japan, the Republic of Korea and Singapore.

In East Asia and the Pacific as a whole, around 15 per cent of children leave school having failed to read and write. In Malaysia, enrolment in secondary education has increased, but learning outcomes have worsened, widening the inequality amongst students.

1999 39%

2001 62%

Goal 1

Goal 2a

Goal 2b

1999 95%

2001 97%

1999 84%

2001 89%Goal 3

1999 62%

2001 80%

Goal 4

1999 82%

2001 95%

Philipines

1999 26%

2001 74%

EA Pacific

1999 15%

2001 85%

oct 2014 Pg. 9

Developed by an independent team and published by UNESCO, the EFA Global Monitoring Report is the prime instrument to assess global progress towards achieving the six ‘Dakar’ EFA goals. The team puts together an annual publication that tracks progress, identifies effective policy reforms and best practice in all areas relating to EFA, draws

attention to emerging challenges and seeks to promote international cooperation in favour of education. The Report is targeted at decision-makers at the national and international level, and more broadly, at all those engaged in promoting the right to quality education – teachers, civil society groups, NGOs, researchers and the international community.

EFA Global Monitoring Report (EFAreport@unesco.org) As one of the priorities of the Global Education First initiative (GEFi) launched by the UN Secretary General, global citizenship education (GCE) toward the post-2015 agenda has been gaining international attention. Please share your thoughts on the ongoing discourse on the post-2015 agendas and GCE, as well.

education to understanding social, political, cultural and global issues will be an important yardstick for education post-2015. This includes a role for education in supporting peace, human rights, equity, diver-sity and sustainable development.

GCE is action-orientated and ultimately transformative. As such, global citizenship education should give the learner the opportunity and the competencies to link their own lived experiences to global issues, and should acknowledge that learners themselves can make a powerful contribution to change.

Education in a globalised world is increasingly putting emphasis on the importance of values, attitudes and communication skills as a crucial com-plement to the traditional emphasis on knowledge and skills.

Whilst the exact definition of GCE is itself contested, there is growing consensus on the need for non-cog-nitive aspects of competencies – such as empathy, openness and aptitudes to interact with those from different bvzackgrounds – to be included in the post2015 agenda.

In addition to quality, the relevance of

interview Global Monitoring Report

(Above) At a primary school in Baqir Shah, a village in Sindh, Pakistan, classes take place outsidebecause the buildings collapsed years ago. Copyright: © UNESCO/ Amima Sayeed

(Left) A teacher and students in Muong Khuong county, Viet Nam Copyright: © UNESCO/ Nguyen Thanh Tuan

In most countries, the formal education system is likely to be the main mode of delivery for GCE, but there is a growing understanding that this might have to be complemented by non-formal approaches, including ICT modes, to target populations currently outside the formal system and to promote life-long learning.

One key issue post-2015 will be governments’ ability to measure GCE competencies, if they are to be adequate-ly monitored and achievements recognized. In the time up to post-2015 education agenda, UNESCO is working with the Learning Metrics Task Force to define what is required to support young people to become global citizens, both in terms of learning outcomes and broad competencies.

Could you give us a brief introduction about the next report entitled “Have we made it?”?

The 2015 EFA GMR will review how much the EFA movement has contributed to ensuring that all chil-

dren, young people and adults enjoy their right to an education that meets their basic learning needs.

The Report will provide a definitive global assessment of overall progress toward the six EFA goals that were established in Dakar, Senegal in 2000, paying partic-ular attention to gaps between those who benefited and those who did not. This assessment will provide lessons for the framing of post-2015 education goals and strategies.

lastly, do you have any message for the global readers of SangSaeng?

Despite substantial progress towards EFA goals, partic-ularly in East Asia and the Pacific, global inequalities remain stark. As attention turns toward the World Education Forum in the Republic of Korea next year, we urge readers of SangSaeng to make their voices heard in ensuring that equity and cooperation are at the heart of any post-2015 global education agenda.

oct 2014 Pg. 11