DOCUMENT RESUME ED 460 892 SO 028 486 AUTHOR Lefort, R., Ed. TITLE After Jomtien: Is Education for All on the Right Track? INSTITUTION United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization, Paris (France). ISSN ISSN-1014-6989 PUB DATE 1992-10-00 NOTE 25p.; Published monthly. Theme issue. AVAILABLE FROM UNESCO Sources, 7 Place de Fontenoy, 75352 Paris 07 SP France. Tel: 1-45-68-1673. PUB TYPE Collected Works Serials (022) JOURNAL CIT UNESCO Sources; n41 Oct 1992 EDRS PRICE MF01/PC01 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS Developing Nations; Elementary Secondary Education; *Environmental Education; *Females; Foreign Countries; Functional Literacy; *International Cooperation; *International Relations; Literacy Education; *Womens Studies IDENTIFIERS *UNESCO; *World Conference on Education For All ABSTRACT This issue contains a variety of articles related to international events and concerns. The focus article is entitled "Is Education For All on the Right Track?" and examines what has and has not - happened since the 1990 World Conference on Education for All inJomtien, Thailand. The assessment compares the goals of the conference with new approaches to their achievement with the efforts and accomplishments of individuals, countries, and the international community, especially in expanding access and opportunities for girls and women. Other articles related to the "Planet" section include: (1) "Environment: A User-Friendly Forest"; (2) "Communication: Africa's Communicators"; (3) "Education: The Language of Learning"; and (4)"Social and Human Science: Youth in Action." 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AT WHAT PRICE? protected core area, surrounded by a buffer zone for Itis thought that a greater effort non-destructiveactivitiessuthastourism,research should be made at local level to provide Victoire Malouma public information pertaining to the age d ?yoke and education, and then a transition area for work of these agencies. With this in traditional uses and experimental research. pro- mind the Branch is planning to form [1[] At what price the Obviously, UNESCO fully supportsactivitiesthat tection of nature? According to a report working groups to cover specifically from Agence France Presse dated Sep- encourage the human inhabitants of these regions to those that are particularly active in tember 11,government authorities in live within and around them without causing lasting matters of day to day human concern. the Cede d'Ivoire have forcefully evic- damage. And obviously, these types of activities ted 8000 peasants from their farms diould be undertaken as soon as a site is recognized around the Tal Forest, which is one of as being particular importance, either ecologically the sites on UNESCO's World Heritage BETTER List. Although this step had been pre- or. culturally. dicted in an article on TaI that was For World Heritage, the case of TaT has been of concern UNDERSTANDING published in the July/August issue of for many years to the World Heritage Committee, to Dr. Adalmiro Castro RegionalDirectorforEducation Sources, I understood that evety effort which reports from the International Union for the Porto, Portugal was being made to ensure that the live- Conservation of Nature (IUCN) on natural world lihoods of the peasants would also be heritage sites are regularly submitted and to whom a Once again we find protected. And yet, AFP reports that copy of your letter shall be transmitted. In the light of your publication a really valuable ins- "the farmers homes were razed" and trument for influencing values and "thedestruction of their plantations past HMI reports onTai,the World Heritage behaviour. Its importance, isincalcul- was imminent".The despatch points out Committee would be ready to support a request for able in helping the man and woman in that an association has been created to technical assistance to draw up an integrated the street gain a better understanding retrain these people in animal husban- development project for the entire area,consistent of and thereby find solutions to some of dry, crafts and aquaculture as well as today's preoccupying problems, in par- implicating them in the protection of with biosphere reserve principles, and which would help to resolve theconflicts between resource use ticular those concerning the environ- the forest, which sounds very noble but ment. does not provide them new homes, land and nature protection. to work or food for their bellies, and which will obviously require 'a great deal of time and resources. ENCOURAGING Isthis the sort of action thatBETTER INFORMATION UNESCO condones? The Tal Forest was A "THIRST FOR inscribed on the World Heritage List in AT LOCAL LEVEL 1982. Why have efforts not been made ED. Dyke LEARNING" earlier not only to retrain and relocate InformationOfficer Deolinda Amoral these people, but to explain to them the UN Association Professor importance of safeguarding the foreit Margate, U.K. Beja, Portugal and seeking their support rather than their opposition? If the resources for [1(111 Our branch of the UN[ir2K21Teaching methods are type of operation were not available in Association, U.K., is concerned that thechanging in Portugal. Teachers are no the past, where are they going to come public image of the United Nations longer treating their students as a more from now? largely and almost exclusivelyreflects or less gifted class, but as individuals the Orgadization's political activity at whose personal growth they are super- UN Headquarters in New York. Thevising. I, in any case, am doing my best The above letter was handed to UNES(O's World sometimes controversial nature ofto move in this direction with my own students. To instillin them an interest Heritage Centre and Man and Biosphere Programme business conducted by both the Gene- ral Assembly and the Security Council in reading and generally to encourage secretariat which responded asfollows: is often unduly highlighted so that, onand develop a "thirst forlearning".I balance, the UN gets a bad press. have already introduced them to Your questions are as relevant as they are difficult to Our members aresubstantially UNESCO Sources. This has led to lively answer. For UNESCO's part, the Organization's aware of the tremendous work to thediscussions on several of your articles. For the interest that I have been able policies concerning World Heritage Sites and MA8 good carried on by the UN Agencies without which hunger,illhealth, de- to stir in my students, for your original Biosphere Reserves aim at integrating human privation and injustice would be so and attractive style, and for the excep- activities with the conservation of the environment. much more acute throughout the world, tionalquality of your magazine, my Thus, biosphere reserves, of which the Tai Forest is sad though many circumstances are inmost hearty thanks to your editorial one of 300 in 75 countries, are meant to consist of a this present age. staff. INSIGHT THE U.S. AND UNESCO CONTENTS The U.S. State Department submitted to the Congress last Augusta PAGE AND SCREEN 4 new summary of its attitude toward UNESCO. It is much less critical PEOPLE 5 of the Organization than the previous report (April 1990). None- theless, the Department concludes "that it is not yet time to consi- FOCUS der opening the question of whether to rejoin UNESCO. Rather, we will pursue fully our current policy of working for reform in the lasic education in PAGES 6 to 16 Ecuador: hope that it will lead ultimately to sound management and effective springboard for change. programme activity becoming integral parts of UNESCO's culture." IS EDUCATION FOR ALL The Department uses selective observations from two recent stu- ON THE RIGHT TRACK? dies one by the U.S. General Accounting Office and the other by two prominent international figures: Knut Hammarksjold (Swe- PLANET : den) and Peter Wilenski (Australia) - to justify its judgement "that it is too early to judge the effectiveness of ... reforms, (and) that Environment: A USER-FRIENDLY FOREST 18 they have not yet taken root..." Communication: Those experienced in the evolution of intergovernmental institu- Manaus: finding a balance between AFRICA'S COMMUNICATORS 20 3 tions will find the argument a poor excuse. The report refers to, but nature and civilization. underestimates the substantial progress made by UNESCO in the six Education: THE LANGUAGE OF LEARNING 22 areas previously stated as of concern to the United States. This is Social and Human Sciences: probably why the report takes refuge in an ancillary defense that YOUTH IN ACTION .23 It would be difficult to justify the expenditure" for the contribu- tion to UNESCO. And this, without any reference to its programmes of importance within the UN system and of direct interest to the LOOKING AHEAD 24 United States. Moreover, there is no mention of the exchange between the Chair- lownaists - trade you can't kern within man of a US. Congressional hearing on UNESCO (June, 1992) and four walls of o classroom. Knut Hammarskjold (one of several witnesses who testified on the progress made in revitalizing the Secretariat). To the Chairman's Editorial and Distribution Services : UNESCO inquiry for his personal judgement as to U.S. interests, Mr. Ham- Cover photo : SOURCES, 7 pkxe de Fontenoy, 75352 Pars 07 SP.