AUICK Second 2005 Workshop

With the support of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the Kobe City Government, AUICK held the Second 2005 Workshop entitled "Universalization of Primary Education for Urban Poor" in Kobe, Japan, from 13 to 23 November 2005. AUICK invited ten participants from nine AUICK Associate Cities.

BACKGROUND

The Program of Action adopted at the United Nations International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) held in Cairo in September 1994 set numerical goals to be achieved by 2015, including the goal of universal access to primary education in all countries and the elimination of gender gap in education, and ensuring that by 2010 the net primary school enrollment ratio for children of both genders will be at least 90 percent. The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) adopted at the United Nations General Assembly in September 2000 declares that universal primary education must be achieved, and the gender gap must be closed by 2015.

It is recognized internationally that ensuring access to primary education is not merely a private issue, but a key factor to sustainable development of society, and every government of the whole world places high priority on universalization of primary education. Primary education is well rooted especially in Asian countries, some boasting almost 100 percent in primary school enrollment rate. However, high school-enrollment rate does not necessarily translate into high school-completion rate, and there still remain problems to be addressed. In addition, the lack of access to primary education is highly serious among the urban poor, especially girls.

Today, medium-sized cities in Asia are experiencing rapid population growth. While concentration of population in urban areas can encourage economic activities and improve living conditions, it also expedites the growth of the poor strata and the deterioration in their living standards. If sustainable, healthy urban environment is to be achieved, it is necessary to implement policies focusing on the urban poor, especially women.

AIM

This workshop is focused on the issue of universal primary education, especially for the urban poor. The workshop is designed for senior city officials in charge of education. The workshop will provide the participants with basic knowledge to deepen their understanding on the issue through presentations, case studies on best practices, discussion on current states and challenges of AACs, in association with population and development issues. The participants will learn basic knowledge and skills to develop concrete task plans which they would take back to their respective cities for possible implementation.

PARTICIPANTS

The workshop targeted the top or the second top officials of education department, from 9 selected Asian Cities: Chittagong (Bangladesh), Weihai (China), Chennai (India), Surabaya (Indonesia), Kuantan (Malaysia), Faisalabad (Pakistan), Olongapo (Philippines), Khon Kaen (Thailand), and Danang (Vietnam). Alphabetical order of country name.

Mr. Helal Uddin Ahmed
Private Secretary to Mayor (Senior Assistant Secretary), Chittagong City Corporation, Bangladesh
Ms. Chunjie Song
Vice-chairman, Weihai Education Society, China
Mr. Shiv Das Meena
Joint Commissioner, Education, Revenue and Finance, Corporation of Chennai, India
Mr. Arthur Pinontoan
Director, Education Department, Surabaya City Government, Indonesia
Mr. Saudi Lakim
Headmaster, St. Thomas Primary School, District Education of Kuantan, State Education, Malaysia
Mr. Asghar Pervaiz Cheema
District Education Officer, District Government, Faisalabad, Pakistan
Mr. Randino Albina Ledesma
Community Development Assistant 1, Urban Basic Services Program (UBSP-Reach-Up), Office of City Mayor, Olongapo City, Philippines
Mr. Suphat Laochai
School Director, Education Administration, Education Bureau, Khon Kaen Municipality, Thailand
Mr. Huynh Van Hoa
Director, Education and Training Department, Danang People's Committee, Vietnam

Interpreter
Ms. Nguyen Thuy Anh
Head, International Cooperation Division, Danang People's Committee, Vietnam (Mr. Huynh Van Hoa's interpreter)

PROGRAM

Monday, 14 November

Morning Session

The workshop began with opening remarks by Mr. Kazutoshi Sasayama, Chairman of AUICK. He welcomed the participants to the City of Kobe, and thanked them for making the long journey from their home countries.

Mr. Sasayama outlined the general goals and itinerary of the workshop, and concluded his opening remarks by expressing his hope that each city would be able to benefit from this conference in order to provide the necessary education for all primary children regardless of gender or economic background.

Following the opening ceremony, the first presentation, "Administration Mechanism of Japan and Outline of Kobe City", was given by Mr. Nobuyuki Morimoto, Deputy Executive Director of AUICK.

Mr. Morimoto explained the central and local government system and the roles and relationship between the central government and local governments. He pointed out that the Japanese government has a huge debt, and tries to hand over more powers to local governments so as to cutback the national budgets, including the budget for primary education. He then briefed the history, features and administration of Kobe City, including the master plan.

Afternoon Session

Dr. Hirofumi Ando, President of AUICK, delivered a presentation on how to make an effective action plan to improve universalization of primary education for the urban poor in each city of the participants.

Dr. Ando explained that the goals of the action plan is to learn new ideas and techniques as well as how to implement them to provide quality education in each member city, especially for young women who have difficulty going to school for various reasons. The objective of the action plan is to help provide universal education for school-aged children or illiterate adults in the respective city by introducing measures learned from this workshop. Then he instructed the steps to develop an action plan.

Next, Dr. Keiichi Ogawa, Professor, Graduate School of International Cooperation Studies, Kobe University, made a presentation on "Education Policy and Economic Efficiency."

Dr. Ogawa explained the reason "Education for All (EFA)" to be advocated, stating "Education is the foundation for higher living standards and domestic societies. It is an important long-term investment in peace and development. We reaffirm the importance of literacy, numeracy, and learning, and our support for the EFA initiative." Then he outlined the chronological development for the World Conference on Education for All held in Jomtien, Thailand, in 1990 to launch of the EFA Fast Track Initiative (FTI) in 2002, up to now.

Dr. Ogawa referred to the current status of Africa, Asia, and other underdeveloped countries, and stated that faster progress is needed in Africa.

Dr. Ogawa concluded his presentation by explaining that the EFA-FTI added the following values in political and economic efficiency:

• Increased focus on completion and quality;
• Increased focus on system costs and sustainability;
• Policy reforms stimulated by FTI indicative framework (Mozambique, Burkina, Niger);
• Increased level of government's ownership;
• Stimulated harmonization of donor support (pooling, ceiling on construction unit costs, etc.); and
• Increased focus on capacity building of the government.

Tuesday, 15 November

Morning Session

Two best practices of universal primary education for the urban poor were presented by two resource persons.

First, Dr. Iftekhar Uddin Chowdhury, Professor, Department of Sociology, University of Chittagong, Bangladesh, presented the best practice in Chittagong.

Dr. Chowdhury reported that to meet the target of education for all, the Compulsory Primary Education (CPE) Act was promulgated in 1990; it was implemented in 1992 on a limited scale and has been extended throughout the country since 1993. The Primary and Mass Education Division, with the status of Ministry, was established in August 1992. It is responsible for policy formulation, planning, evaluation and execution of plans and initiating legislative measures relating to free and compulsory primary schooling for all as well as non-formal education.

To achieve the targeted literacy rate of 62 percent, the following initiatives have been identified:

• Literacy centers to be established in each village utilizing the premises of existing educational institutions;
• The Total Literacy Movement program will continue with greater participation of local people;
• Primers for illiterates and continuing education materials will be developed, printed and distributed on a continuous basis.
• Training programs for the teachers, supervisors and other personnel will continue;
• The Management Information System Unit of the Directorate of Non-formal Education will be strengthened;
• The Social Mobilization program will be strengthened for organizing intensive non-formal and adult literacy programs and for encouraging communities' involvement in the planning and implementation of EFA programs.

To serve the needs of an increased number of students in primary schools, various programs are being implemented such as: building new schools in unschooled areas, reconstructing and rehabilitating existing government and non-government primary schools, and creating additional classrooms. Another innovative program is the Food for Education Program, which is aimed at increasing enrollment and attendance and reducing drop-out in primary schools, particularly for the children of very poor and distressed families.

Second, Mr. Shiv Das Meena, Joint Commissioner (Education), Chennai Corporation, India, made a presentation on the best practice in Chennai.

Mr. Meena reported that the city had set goals for itself for this all-important sector. These goals are listed below:

• To achieve universal primary education by 2007, well ahead of the target set by the MDGs i.e. 2010.
• To bring down the dropout rate to 4 percent by 2005-06 and to achieve Nil Dropout Rate by 2006-2007 for Primary.
• To bring down the dropout rate to 2 percent by 2005-06 and to achieve Nil Dropout Rate 2006-2007 for upper primary.
• To achieve CR of 95 percent by 2005-2006 and 100 percent by 2006-2007 for the primary level.
• To achieve CR of 96 percent by 2005-2006 and 100 percent by 2006-2007 for upper primary.
• To achieve NER of 100 percent by 2006-07, both for primary and upper primary.
• To reach 100 percent achievement level by 2006-07.

Several policy measures, programs and strategies are being adopted to achieve the goals. To achieve the declared goals, the biggest challenge is to ensure quality of education, to impart education at the primary level in such a way that it is both inclusive as well as enjoyable.

The Activity Based Learning methodology launched by Chennai Municipal Corporation (CMC) is a big step forward in this direction. However, there is a need for capacity building at all levels to make the program self-sustainable. The implementation of the Activity Based Learning methodology with the involvement of all the stakeholders namely children, parents, teachers and administrators will result in making this self-sustaining.

CMC has already initiated steps such as inviting parents for class room observation, demonstrating ABL methodology during PTA meeting etc. It will not only dispel doubts about the methodology but will improve the education environment and parents' involvement for the better.

Afternoon Session

The participants from Weihai, Surabaya, Kuantan, and Faisalabad made presentations on their city reports. (Please click here for further details.)

Wednesday, 16 November

The workshop participants took a trip to Ekawa Elementary School located in Sayo-cho, Hyogo Prefecture, 110 kilometres northwest of Kobe, to observe the functioning of an elementary school in an under-populated rural area.

Sayo-cho is a municipality in a mountain-ringed region with 12 residence areas, 438 households, and 1,362 people (as of 31 March, 2004). The steep slopes occupy most of the land. Most of cultivated land forms stepped fields and the acreage per block is small. Therefore they work outside of the area for living rather than earn their living by farming and forestry.

The school was established in 1902 and the school building and gymnasium were renovated in 1990. The faculty is composed of a Principal, Vice Principal, class teachers (six for first to sixth grades, one PT for special class), one school nurse, one administrator and one school orderly. The school has 6 classes (one in each grade) and 62 students (9 in first grade, 12 in second grade, 9 in third grade, 13 in fourth grade, 6 in fifth grade, 13 in sixth grade). There were about 390 schoolchildren in the 1960s. The total number of schoolchildren is projected to be about 50 in 3 years' time.

Following the introduction of the school by Mr. Kiminobu Hasegawa, Principal of Ekawa Elementary School, the group was guided to the school gymnasium, where a welcoming ceremony was held by all the school children and faculty members.

The children sang two songs: an old Japanese traditional song "Sakura, Sakura" and a Chinese song for the participants and they exchanged some gifts as a memorial to their visit.

After the welcoming ceremony, the group enjoyed lunch together with all the school children and faculty members.

In the afternoon, the group members then took a tour of individual classes, grades one through six. The different classes were studying various topics such as science, Japanese, music, and were also using computers to study maths.

Following the tour, the participants had a meeting session with the school teachers. The topics discussed were: (a) Daily school schedule; (b) Exams and quality of education; (c) How discipline is carried out; (d) How to get the community involved; (e) How children travel to school; and (f) How teachers motivate their students.

Thursday, 17 November

Morning Session

The participants listened to three presentations made by three officials in charge of primary education of Kobe City.

First, Mr. Ichiro Suwaki, Director, Kobe City Board of Education, gave a presentation entitled "System of Elementary Education in Kobe and Japan." He explained the brief history, current situation and challenges of primary education in Kobe and Japan.

Mr. Suwaki referred to some controversies about education in Japan as follows:

1. The drop of children's academic achievement in terms of test results as well as learning attitude and engagement time
2. The high occurrence of absenteeism, violence and bullying
3. The decline of educational ability within family
4. The decline of students' physical stamina
5. The degradation of teachers' quality and supervisory abilities
6. The issue of decentralization of educational administration

Then, Mr. Suwaki explained the current situation of elementary education in Kobe, including the number of schools, pupils and staff, and the curriculum organization and educational materials. He pointed out that Kobe City faces the same sorts of educational issues as Japan as a whole. He concluded his presentation by stating that the Kobe City Board of Education, however, has been making efforts towards the goal of creating a firm foundation for the children of the future.

Second, Mr. Kazunori Yoshiizumi, Chief Educational Supervisor, Guidance Division, Kobe City Board of Education, made a presentation on "Elementary School Education in Practice." He explained the details of school curriculum with the example of Nagisa Elementary School, one of the municipal elementary schools located near downtown Kobe.

Third, Mr. Yoshiteru Maruichi, Manager, Program Planning & Research Division, General Affairs Department, Kobe City Board of Education, presented "Educational Financial Aid System in Kobe City." He explained about the assistance system for children who have difficulty attending elementary or junior high school for economic reasons. He noted that because of the recent economic slump and the increasing divorce rate, the number of students eligible to receive assistance has been increasing year by year.

Afternoon Session

The participants visited Kobe Municipal Nagisa Elementary School. The school was built in 1997 after the Great Hanshin Earthquake. The location used to be an industrial area covered with factories, but now is a symbol for the people of that area.

They were warmly welcomed by Principal Ms. Akiko Satani. She gave an outline of Nagisa Elementary School.

The faculty is composed of Principal, Assistant Principal, 18 class teachers (5 for first grade, 3 for second grade, 3 for third grade, 3 for fourth grade, 2 for fifth grade, and 2 for sixth grade), one special assistant class teacher, 2 additional teachers, one music teacher, one art teacher, one school nurse, one nutritionist, one administrator, 2 caretakers and 5 cooks. The school has 19 classes (5 in first grade, 3 in second grade, 3 in third grade, 3 in fourth grade, 2 in fifth grade, 2 in sixth grade and one special assistance class), and 622 students (153 in first grade, 115 in second grade, 108 in third grade, 91 in fourth grade, 76 in fifth grade, 76 in sixth grade and 3 in special assistance class).

The group of participants visited several classes such as the 5th grade, where comprehensive studies included disaster prevention. The 3rd grade class was observed polishing up their creative skills by compiling a newspaper.

Next, the 4th grade P.E. class was observed playing a game invented by the teacher. A class for mentally challenged students was in session with cooking being the lesson taught. It was interesting to note that there was only one child in the class but this student was given the same attention and care as every other student. After that, the 4th grade was observed studying the Japanese language.

Back in the Conference Room of AUICK, Dr. Delia Barcelona, UNFPA Representative in Mongolia, made a presentation on "Universalization of Primary Education for the Urban Poor - UNFPA's Goals and Activities."

Dr. Barcelona explained that the UNFPA Goals include achieving universal primary education for girls and boys alike and eliminating gender disparity in primary and secondary education by 2015. She then discussed how to achieve universal primary education. She stressed that the urban poor should be paid special attention because the challenge is daunting just in terms of sheer population numbers, and impact of migration and urbanization on access and quality of social services. An alarming number of children/adolescents among the urban poor remain without an opportunity to receive formal education.

Dr. Barcelona also explained that the ICPD agenda includes advocacy for universal access to primary education especially among women and girls.

She made the following suggestions for the local government:

• Change the way development is planned and managed, especially at the level of local government
• Improve technical capacity and accountability in delivering basic social services, especially for the poor (including education, health, water and sanitation, housing, etc.)
• Strengthen and support low income groups and their organizations (e.g. improve capacities of Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) working with the urban poor)
• Encourage and support innovative initiatives
• Develop/strengthen partnerships between the local government and urban poor (improve participatory governance)
• Increase access to economic opportunities (jobs, loans, micro credit, savings and other financial means)
• Link schooling with the world of work, e.g. through nigh schools, or non-formal vocational oriented programs, economic cooperatives, entrepreneurship programs
• Address impact of rapid urbanization and migration
• Ensure adherence to human rights principles, particularly in dealing with needs of the poor, the most vulnerable, and the marginalized

Dr. Barcelona concluded her presentation with a quote from former UN secretary General. U. Thant: "It is no longer our resources that limit our decisions: it's our decisions that limit our resources."

Friday, 18 November

Morning Session

The participants from Olongapo, Khon Kaen, and Danang made presentations on their city reports. (Please click here for further details.)

Afternoon Session

Dr. Krasae Chanawongse, gave a presentation on "Universalization of Primary Education for Urban Poor in Thailand" based on his experiences. Dr. Krasae is a founder of the College of Asian Scholars and former Minister for Foreign Affairs, Thailand, as well as a Thai member of AUICK International Advisory Committee (IAC).

After the presentation by Dr. Krasae, the participants visited the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake Memorial Disaster Reduction and Human Renovation Institution, which was established to pass down the experience and lessons from the earthquake to future generations, and to contribute to reducing damages from disasters in Japan and abroad. The participants learnt about the horror and devastation of the earthquake through photos, films and other materials, and they also learnt how to prepare for future disasters.

Saturday, 19 November

Morning Session

The morning session was assigned to the action plan working hours for the participants' presentation. During the session, Dr. Prem P. Talwar, Adjunct Professor, University of North Carolina, who facilitated some of the lectures during the workshop, gave briefings on how to make proper action plans.

Before the lunch break, Dr. Krasae Chanawongse delivered a valuable talk on leadership to the participants.

Afternoon Session

The workshop participants had a discussion on the "Role of Local Government in Primary Education," inviting four officials of Kobe City Board of Education, one principal and three teachers of Nagisa Municipal Elementary School, students of Kobe University, and two IAC members: Dr. Prem P. Talwar and Dr. Krasae Chanawongse.

Following the opening remarks by Dr. Talwar, Dr. Chanawongse chaired the brief presentation on the current status and challenges of each city by the workshop participants. Then, Dr. Talwar moderated the discussion.

The discussion centered on the following three topics of universal primary education:

1. Universal enrollment of children and reduction of dropouts.
2. Problem of out-of-school children.
3. Quality of primary education.

Sunday, 20 November

The participants took a one-day tour of Kyoto and Osaka. They learned both past and present Japanese culture, visiting some historical sites and a shopping mall specialized in electronic products.

Monday, 21 November

A whole day was devoted to the presentation of the action plan. (Please click here for further details.) It was facilitated by Dr. Hirofumi Ando and Dr. Prem P. Talwar.

Tuesday, 22 November

Morning Session

Some of the participants worked on to improve their action plan.

Afternoon Session

To sum up this workshop, the participants had a meeting for review and evaluation of the overall workshop. The participants exchanged their views and opinions frankly about the workshop as a whole. Then the closing ceremony was held. Mr. Kazutoshi Sasayama honored their achievements during the workshop and handed a certificate to each of them.

After the closing ceremony, the participants visited the Kobe City Hall to pay a courtesy visit to Mr. Tatsuo Yada, Mayor of Kobe. Dr. Prem P. Talwar accompanied the workshop participants.

After the completion of the workshop program, the participants enjoyed a farewell dinner hosted by AUICK Chairman Sasayama.

REVIEW: Assessment by Participants

The workshop program was a very judicious mix of classroom sessions, field visits, for exchange of experiences and an opportunity for the participants to reflect on the education department in their own countries and where and how improvements can be brought about. This combination should continue. Exposure to field situations and case studies of best practices should receive more emphasis.

Most of the program components received very high evaluation from all the participants. In particular, they were greatly impressed with the visits to schools and learned quite a bit by their site visits and interaction they had with teachers. Through the visits to a municipal primary school in a rural sparsely inhabited area located on the outskirts of Kobe City and a municipal primary school in Kobe City, they learned that every child could receive the same education in the school facilities of the equal standard anywhere in Japan.

The discussion with the Kobe city officials in charge of primary education and primary school teachers stimulated them to tackle problems they are facing in achieving the goal of universalization of primary education especially for the urban poor.

The guidelines for action plans on universal primary education left room for improvement. The theme, "universalization of education" itself may not have been appropriate although it is one of the key goals of MDGs. Most of the participants submitted mid- to long-term action plans which take more than three years for implementation, and concrete outcome cannot be monitored within a couple of years. Some cities have no authority over universal primary education for the urban poor.

Although nobody directly commented on duration of the workshop, there was indirect suggestion of more time being required for preparation of the action plans.