DAY 1 OF NEPC 5TH PRIMARY COLORS OF EDUCATION CONFERENCE
The first day of NEPC Primary Colors of Education on-line conference, Wednesday, 1st of December, is dedicated to inclusion as an eternal topic in education whose interpretation, implementation and monitoring is ongoing in many countries of NEPC region (and wider). The pandemic shows that inclusive systems are more resilient in time of crisis and can provide adequate support to all learners.
The keynote opening speech by Lana Jurko, NEPC executive director, will open the conference presenting to which extent inclusion is embedded as fundamental principle in education system and why governments cannot postpone the comprehensive integration of inclusion principals in all aspects related to education. The two panel discussions planned afterwards will show several very diverse NEPC members initiatives and international projects that contribute to empowering education systems to provide equal opportunities to all leaners.
PROGRAMME
REGISTRATION LINK: https://forms.gle/rRdmnVhDKNs2QRph8
1.12.2021 I 10:00 am CET
Opening and welcome
1.12.2021 I 10:10 – 10:30 am CET
Lana Jurko, Network of Education Policy Centers
Keynote: Inclusion as a moral imperative of education
Inclusion must be recognized as a principle on which the educational policies worldwide are based on. Inclusive systems guarantee quality education to all learners, nurture diversity among students and educational staff, have inclusion principals embedded in the curriculum and in the teaching methods. The keynote will reflect on the status of inclusion in NEPC region almost 30 years after the Salamanca Statement and why its implementation cannot be postponed anymore.
1.12.2021 I 10:30 – 11:30 am CET
Jane Ester, PRAXIS I Estonia
Batjargal Batkhuyag, Mongolian Education Alliance I Mongolia
Jasminka Marković, Centre for Education Policy I Serbia
Moderator: Raffaella d’Apolito
Emergency funds: Different responses to crisis
In 2020-2021 NEPC supported 6 members initiatives as a part of the Emergency fund to respond to the effects of pandemic on education system. (Initiatives were financed by the OSF grant). In this panel we will present three of them, as very different approaches yet equally relevant for the education system, reflecting on how the system can be prepared for future challenges not neglecting students’ rights, wellbeing and voice. The comparative study conducted by Centre for Education Policy (CEP) provides reliable data on the schools’ experiences related to change of the school work and implementation of distance/online teaching due to the Covid19 situation and to share findings, conclusions and recommendations with decision makers, while PRAXIS proposes a solution within the current early warning system to specifically empower students from low socio-economic background at risk for drop-out and strengthen the design of sustainable public-private partnerships. Mongolian Education Alliance (MEA) initiative bring us back to school policies and the establishment of “Student journalism” club to empower students’ voice.
1.12.2021 I 12:30 – 13:30 am CET
Sanja Brajković, Open Academy Step by Step I Croatia
Višnja Pavlović, Forum for Freedom in Education I Croatia
Petrit Tahiri, Kosova Education Center I Kosovo
Moderator: Iva Perković
Tackling inequality and fostering inclusion: Is participation the key?
Can the issue of inequality be tackled by fostering inclusion and empowering the participation process in schools? Inclusion and participation can be understood as two dimensions of public engagement where inclusion continuously creates a community involved in defining and addressing public issues while participation emphasizes public input on the content of programs and policies[1]. Moreover, child participation is a fundamental right recognized in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and 1 of the 4 guiding principles according to which children have the right to express themselves and to be heard.
In this session the issue of tackling the inequality in education will be discussed while focusing on the inclusion and participation as the potential tools for tackling inequality and achieving equity in education. NEPC is leading and participating in several projects that address the issue of inequality in education by focusing on inclusion and participation from different levels:
ARISE – Action for Reducing Inequalities in Education, led by Kosova Education Center is a platform created by a pool of NEPC members NGOs and research institutes from Western Balkans and Turkey (IPA countries) that will support schools, grassroots organisations and policy makers in developing actions and policies aimed at mitigating the effect of low SES on students’ achievement, reducing inequalities in education.
HEAD: Empowering School Principals for Inclusive School Culture, led by NEPC is focused on inclusive education, exploiting best practices from Slovenia and the Netherlands and piloting five modules of professional development in 60 schools, building their capacities in establishing inclusive school culture creating inclusive school policies and practices through participatory decision-making.
Start The Change – Intercultural Education and Active Citizenship Actions to Prevent Radicalization, led by Forum for Freedom in Education is creating a generation of change makers through intercultural education and volunteering with the aim of preventing and combating radicalization and extremism among young people. Aside from the immediate work with schools, this project wants to reach out to the policy stakeholders to transmit student messages and ideas that will stand out as crucial throughout the implementation of this project.
REGISTRATION LINK: https://forms.gle/rRdmnVhDKNs2QRph8
Platform: GoToMeeting
Questions and Information: nepc@edupolicy.net
