EENET asia Newsletters : Third issue November 2006 Contents

National Seminar on Inclusive and Child Friendly Schools

25th-27th September 2006, Beijing, China

Based on the results of the pilot project on Child Friendly Schools implemented between 2001-2005, the seminar aimed at developing an action plan for drafting national standards on Child Friendly Schools. In this context, the Seminar deliberated on: 1) the key dimensions of inclusive and child friendly schools and their rights-based rationale 2) the Chinese experience on inclusive and child friendly schools 3) the wider Chinese context supporting the framework of inclusive and child friendly schools and 4) a plan of action for developing national standards.

Vice-Minister of Education, Mme. Chen Xiaoya in her opening remarks at the Seminar noted that the overall objective of Ministry of Education-UNICEF cooperation on child friendly schools is to

• include all children into schools,
• encourage children to participate, learn and express,
• respect differences and diversity,
• treat each other equally and
• eliminate sexual discrimination.

The most important of all is to provide all children with quality education to ensure that every child develops according to his or her age. This is in line with China’s latest curriculum reform in basic education as well as a wish of promoting a more holistic approach to building a human-oriented and harmonious society.

Key speakers of the seminar were: Yang Jin, Deputy Director General (DDG) of Basic Education Department; Du Yue, DDG of the UNESCO National Commission; Zheng Zengyi, DDG of the Basic Education Department; Cream Wright, Global Chief of Education, UNICEF New York; Sheldon Shaeffer, Director of Asia-Pacific Education Bureau of UNESCO Bangkok; Anjana Mangalagiri, Chief of Education, UNICEF China; Johan Lindeberg, Programme Officer, UNESCO Bangkok.

About 80 participants attended the Seminar including administrators, educational experts, researchers and university lectures as well as school teachers.

National and provincial representatives presented the salient achievements and highlights of best practices of the Ministry of Education-UNICEF pilot project on Child Friendly Schools. The focus was on experiences related to teacher quality improvement, school-based research by teachers, children’s participation, tackling gender issues and learner assessment. Results from a study on the existing status of Child Friendly Schools conducted by the China National Centre for Educational Research highlighted the salient features of the policy that formed a strong basis for Child Friendly School standards development. Through group discussions, participants highlighted the need for developing Chinese dimensions of inclusive and Child Friendly Schools. The need for designing inputs as a means to achieving impact on children rather than an end in itself was emphasized by experts.

The Seminar reached a consensus on the next steps in the development of national standards on Child Friendly Schools in China, which included:

1. strengthening advocacy on inclusive and Child Friendly Schools,
2. consolidating strong technical teams to support the development and implementation of national standards at national and local levels,
3. identifying gaps between existing policies and field practices through field study and policy review, and
4. establishing a broader partnership and network at international, national and local levels.

EENET asia Newsletters : Third issue November 2006 Contents