UNESCO meeting on violence in schools holds in France
Bullying, corporal punishment, gender-based aggression, gang assaults and other types of violence in schools were some of the issues tackled at an expert meeting by UNESCO in Paris last week.
The theme of the meeting, which is ‘finding solutions that work’, brought together experts to address the integration of violence prevention strategies in schools into policy and practice.
The meeting is a follow-up to the World Report on Violence against Children, and within the framework of the World Programme for Human Rights Education and the International Decade for a Culture of Peace and Non-Violence for Children of the World (2001-2010).
A group of experts, including researchers, policymakers, and practitioners from all regions of the world, as well as from UN agencies and NGOs considered the global context of school violence, the school experience, innovative policies and practices, as well as the role of civil society and the media in making schools free from violence. Organised by the Section for the Promotion of Rights and Values in Education, the meeting explored solutions to a number of key challenges related to violence against children.
In a related development, skills and competencies acquired outside formal education systems were the focus of a UNESCO-organised seminar on “Recognition of Experiential Learning: Prospects for Development in African Countries” in Paris, France.
Some 60 experts from French- and English-speaking countries of Sub-Saharan Africa focused on the recognition, validation and accreditation of competencies acquired through non-formal and informal learning and experience.
The experts said acknowledging such experiential learning is vital for realising integrated lifelong learning policies.
UNESCO’s Institute for Lifelong Learning (UIL) organized the seminar in collaboration with the French National Commission for UNESCO, which has been conducting research on recognition of experiential learning as a contribution to Education for All.
