 Sustainable development is not an isolated issue – eradication of poverty, social, cultural and overall development including environment is the pre-condition of sustainable development, said the speakers at national workshop on education for sustainable development through community learning centers, held on 11-12 January 2009 at IDB Bhaban. The workshop was organized by UNESCO in collaboration with Dhaka Ahsania Mission and Okayama University, Japan. Participants from Ministry of Education, Bureau of Non-Formal Education, UNICEF, Dhaka University, International University of Business, Agriculture and Technology (IUBAT), BRAC University and 10 other NGOs actively participated in the workshop.
As part of the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (2005-2014), and a follow-up to South Asian ESD Coordination and Capacity Building Workshop held in Sri Lanka in November 2008, this workshop intended to build on the existing resources and experiences of the country, in view of various initiatives already undertaken by different NGOs and universities including Dhaka Ahsania Mission, as one of the five organizations of Centre of Excellence for ESD, supported by UNESCO and ACCU.
Mr. Saifullah, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Education, and National Focal Point for Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) pointed that sustainable development means to meet up the need of present generation without damaging the achievements in the past and opportunities for future. He emphasized that sustainable development is not attained with the government’s efforts only, but needs participation of the community, NGOs and civil society.
Mr. Yamamoto Hideki, Associate Professor, Okayama University of Japan, informed that the Japanese Government took the leadership of Johannesburg Summit and now trying to develop dialogues and awareness on sustainability issues which are the part of the Decade of Education for Sustainable Development. He opined that with the potential demonstrated by Bangladesh government, community, CBOs and NGOs, an ESD model can be developed to replicate in other countries in the region. He shared the structure, nature and activities of Kominkan of Japan and how it works to achieve ESD. He mentioned that there are 18,000 Kominkan working as an education system at the community level. These were established after the Second World War to promote adult education, to prevent war and to create peaceful society. He opined that the Kominkan and CLCs in the Asia Pacific region are of same nature and it is possible to achieve ESD through Kominkan and CLCs.
Mr. Saifullah, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Education, and National Focal Point for Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) presented the background of ESD, aim and objectives, various components and the current situation of Bangladesh in relation to ESD and its vision. In his presentation, Mr. Saifullah also explained the vision of National Sustainable Development Strategy (NSDS) and Strategic Priority Areas (SPA), principles of implementation, monitoring strategy of ESD of Bangladesh. In his presentation, Mr. Saifullah pointed out that Bangladesh is lying behind some other countries in the region in terms of implementation of ESD. However, as the National Coordination Steering Committee it has been established, it will be now possible to coordinate all the activities happening in Bangladesh contributing to ESD. |
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Last Updated on Tuesday, 28 April 2009 20:43 |
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