Safeguarding intangible cultural heritage in formal education in Asia and the Pacific

Dates of implementation
01/09/2020 - 31/12/2021
Countries
Cambodia, Republic of Korea, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Nepal, Thailand
Contact
UNESCO Bangkok Office together with UNESCO Offices in Phnom Penh, Almaty and Kathmandu

Goals

  • Adapt resource materials/guidelines to strengthen the integration of ICH in primary and secondary schools.
  • Develop capacity in selected Asia Pacific countries to strengthen the integration of ICH in schools.
  • Broadly disseminate a wide selection of good ICH-linked educational practices through existing knowledge-sharing platforms.

Description

Background

This project builds upon recent and ongoing efforts led by UNESCO Bangkok in the Asia and the Pacific region, taking into account findings from the regional survey carried out by UNESCO on the use of ICH in primary and secondary schools in the region. The implementation process will generate the knowledge, methods and tools that countries require to support the transmission of intangible cultural heritage through education and thereby improve educational quality and relevance. It will also build capacity among teachers and generate broader awareness among a wide group of concerned stakeholders, with a view to create an enabling environment for the wide application of these approaches at the regional level.

Therefore, the programme implementation strategy is taking a two-pronged approach – developing materials that are applicable at the regional level, and deepening the implementation through pilot projects in several countries.

The project will be implemented by the UNESCO Bangkok office through collaboration with culture and education programmes colleagues in the Almaty, Kathmandu and Phnom Penh Offices with each bringing their corresponding expertise and know-how. It will also benefit from technical support from the Living Heritage Entity at UNESCO Headquarters.

Developing capacity-building materials

At the regional level, the project is developing capacity-building materials, factoring in experiences that UNESCO has gained through similar processes and adapting them to the Asia-Pacific region. These materials will be developed for virtual learning that allows for wider dissemination across the region with teachers, education managers and communities.

Training of trainers

The main workshop was organized online jointly by UNESCO Bangkok and ICHCAP from 27 to 30 October 2020 and on 23 November 2020. This training of trainers aimed at preparing teams in six countries to implement pilot projects on teaching with and about ICH in schools. The workshop introduced the project and several tools and guided the preparation phase of the in-country pilot activities. Participants included all selected trainers, UNESCO field office staff from the culture and education sectors, project managers and observers from ICHCAP, APCEIU and Uganda.

Pilot projects

At the country level, the project will see the implementation of pilot projects on teaching with and about ICH in schools in six countries: Cambodia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Nepal, Republic of Korea and Thailand. An advocacy strategy will be designed so that the results of the pilots can be upscaled at the national level.

Outputs

  • Resource materials for integrating ICH in schools in Asia Pacific for wide dissemination.
  • Pilot activities in schools in six countries with teachers, students and heritage bearers, including accompanying lesson plans.
  • Animated videos series in English.
  • Animated videos series in Khmer.
  • Animated videos series in Korean.
  • Animated videos series in Russian.
  • Animated videos series in Thai.
  • Animated videos series in Nepali.

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