Early this year, UNESCO Paris headquarters approved a Participation Program on the Survey of Education Financing of Lifelong Learning Programs for Sustainable Development (LLSD) in Southeast Asia (SEA) that would help activate the Philippines Category 2 proposal – the Southeast Asian Center for Lifelong Learning for Sustainable Development (SEA-CLLSD). SEAMEO-INNOTECH, as the implementing institution, invited researchers from Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Thailand, Timor Leste and Vietnam.
The researchers did a survey of how LLSD programs are financed in their countries to provide a platform for discussing programs, clientele and policies, as well as issues and challenges encountered. They presented their country paper last July 30-31 during the Sub-regional Workshop held at the Ayala Techno-Hub in Quezon City. Unfortunately, Cambodia and Indonesia were not able to attend.
Both Executive Director Erlinda Pefianco and Programs Office Director Dr. Philip Purnell of SEAMEO-INNOTECH agreed that this exercise is an eye opener for each SEA country on the magnitude of financing and importance of actualizing their ESD programs for a lifetime. Thus, we can all look forward to escalating these to meet the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDG) 2000-2015 in the remaining six years.
Learning for change
As Secretary General of the UNESCO National Commission of the Philippines, I gave the opening remarks and presented the SEA-CLLSD, which was the beneficiary of this survey. The timeframe of the UNESCO Asia-Pacific ESD Strategy (2004-2015), known as the Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) “astrolabe” was also detailed. Astrolabe is a nautical navigating instrument used by mariners that provides them the ship’s destination during ancient times.
Entitled ‘Learning for Change’, eight activities are envisioned to be conducted starting from 2005: (1) Awareness raising and (2) engaging stakeholders in DESD (2005); (3) Developing national and regional monitoring systems (2006); (4) Reorienting teacher education (2007); (5) Strengthening national leadership and political will for the Decade, (6) Enhancing national level coordination for ESD, and (7) Reorienting education curricula (2008); and (8) Providing technical support for ESD (2009).
Brunei and Malaysia addresses educational and vocational needs of LLSD
Dr. Rohani Matzin and Ms. Jamilah Othman of the Universiti Brunei Darussalam, both psychologists, perceived that ESD learning is the right venue of behavioral transformation. Thus, their Ministry of Education (MOE) wholeheartedly supports the development and implementation of lifelong educational programs from pre-school to tertiary level.
Brunei is the SEAMEO Center for Tech-Voc training. For His Highness Sultan Bolkiah, technical training of the youth for acquiring their lifelong employment is the national priority. Meantime, night schools, ICT and business schools for lifelong learning have been established in the country. Both government organizations (GOs) and non-government organizations (NGOs) charge learners participation or tuition fees to support their LLSD programs. NGOs also have self-generated income.
Dr. Amin bin Senin, Deputy Director of the Malaysia Ministry of National Education, stated that there is inadequate allocation for their LLSD programs. Their government focuses on giving basic literacy skills as well as functional literacy (skill and income based) to the disadvantaged groups. Rural and Information Technology Management have also been initiated by their Ministry of Rural and Regional Development to foster commercialized agriculture and potential industry, including ICT. Several Community colleges have been set up to provide lifelong learning for all ages. Short-term courses for upskilling and reskilling are certificated.
Conflict-torn Timor Leste and Myanmar recovery programs in education
Timor Leste is a “young” country, with a little over a million people. It is just recovering from the effects of its civil war from 1974 to 1999, which was marked by extreme violence resulting in about 60,000 to 200,000 East Timorese deaths in their bid for independence from Indonesia.
Deputy Director General Cidalio Leite of the MOE explained that their government is committed to improve the quality of life of its citizens by reconstructing the whole education system from early childhood to tertiary education. The major ministers tasked are the Minister of Education, Secretary of State for Professional Development and Labour Market (PDLM), as well as the Secretary of State for Youth and Sport (YS). They are responsible for student’s formal education, and their youth who are out of school.
Meantime, Myanmar is still being ruled a military junta since 1962 and its educational system is being operated by its government. Ms. Aye Aye Kyaw, Professor and Head of the English Department of Yangon University, explained that their LLSD programs are mostly concerned with Literacy programs throughout their citizens’ entire lifetime. Continuing education, including all of the opportunities outside of the basic literacy education and primary education, is being provided.
However, several issues with regards to Non-Formal Education need to be addressed: advocacy; insufficiently trained personnel, financial difficulties, and weakness in planning, implementing, monitoring and evaluating programs.
For Thailand, lifelong learning first before ESD
Dr. Sombat Suwanpitak prides himself as the Internal Inspector of the Thailand MOE. Therefore, he has the special task of inspecting priority education programs getting accomplished with the corresponding budget allocation. He stated that their lifelong learning (LL) program is under their EFA Goal 3 – expanding life long learning and life skills program to meet the needs of young people and adults through equitable access to appropriate learning and activities. Lifelong education is being provided by all government agencies, non-government organizations, State enterprise organizations and religious organizations.
However, LL linkage with “sustainable development” goal was not mentioned.
Vietnam’s difficulty in financing and forging towards LLSD
Ms. Le Van Dung Nguyen, researcher of the Research Center for NFE under the MOE and Training, recalled that the late President Ho Chi Minh, a revered leader of the communist regime, has always encouraged lifelong learning. She quoted him: “We have to learn and work through our life… Learning is endless.”
The Vietnam standard of literacy is equivalent to third grade of primary school. Thus, a system of NFE has been developed and expanded at all levels from central to local regions through both Continuing Education Centers (CECs) and Community Learning Centers (CLCs). The State expenditure on education increased to around 15 percent of the total public budget, but investment allocated for lifelong learning and NFE is very limited. Extra funding is sourced from other ministries and even from both government and non-government LLSD courses.
Philippine financial management for LLSD
Ms. Loi Ramirez, Assistant Director of the SEA-CLLSD, analyzed the appropriate budget to complement LLSD programs. The management model proving the financial sustainability of the program should focus on the three aspects of effective business operation: administration, program and finance.
She cited the financial profile of the ESD training laboratory school, which includes: Salaries and benefits of personnel plus teacher-training (53.6 percent); Building rental or amortization and depreciation cost (18.8 percent); Repairs, maintenance of equipment, with light and water (22.4 percent); Transportation and communication (0.6 percent); Professional legal and financial fees (0.4 percent); Classroom supplies and materials (3.5 percent) and Miscellaneous (0.7 percent). To monitor and control the expenses, a monthly financial statement must be prepared and matched against budgeted amounts. A non-stock, non-profit educational institution, its sustainability is drawn largely from tuition and the supply stores.
The 25-year old experience of the OB Montessori Child and Community Foundation, however is a different story. This outreach program and its partnership with stakeholders should be taken into account. Supported by the local government to convert day care centers into Pagsasarili preschools, school houses and teachers salary have been provided, but it is still sustained with affordable tuition fees to ameliorate teachers’ situation. It has recently partnered with DepEd to convert its public preschools into the Pagsasarili system.
There are a total of 143 Pagsasarili preschools in Luzon, including the start up program in the Visayas,
Re-orienting education towards LLSD forges a stronger ASEAN brotherhood
Prior to the farewell dinner, which was held at Ristorante La Dolce Fontana in Greenhills, San Juan, the participants were given a school tour of OB Montessori Center, the training laboratory on LLSD. The Southeast Asian representatives were all excited to note how ESD has been incorporated in a continuum curriculum from preschool to tertiary level even for the less-privileged giving them hope that social transformation is possible amidst poverty. They were very interested in how these programs can be replicated in their country.
In the concluding ceremony of the Financing LLSD Workshop, SEA-CLLSD Interim Director Dr. Juanita Guerrero was pleased to say that the workshop has helped promote a stronger sense of brotherhood between the Philippines and the ASEAN countries. Given a common culture, but with their still developing economy, altogether’s effort can meet the UNMDG by helping each other navigate faster through the remaining four and a half years of the Decade of Education for Sustainable Development.
(For more information or reaction, please e-mail at exec@obmontessori.edu.ph or pssoliven@yahoo.com)