The Role of Civil Society Partnerships in Transforming Timor-Leste’s Education Sector: A Case Study of NGO BETTER ORAL PRESENTATION

Civil society organisations are playing a pivotal role in rebuilding Timor-Leste’s education sector. However, more research is needed to understand how CSO partnerships can help bridge the gap between approved government policies and implementing mechanisms to achieve policy goals. Our research project seeks to understand this gap by problematising two things: the Theory of Change of actors involved in rebuilding Timor-Leste’s education sector, and the assumption that tension between actors is more often than not a bad thing in development. We present a case study of our CSO, Building East Timor Through Education & Resources (BETTER), sharing our journey and projects of developing a national curriculum and teacher training program as an entirely volunteer-based organisation.

To emphasise the complexity of education practices and institutions, our research project is framed by the concept of Assemblages which represents education as a constellation of heterogeneous elements including social relations, institutional arrangements, material substances, technologies and discourses. In doing so, our research offers insight into the threats to progress faced by those working towards an equitable education sector.

Mr Maxim MANCINO, Building East Timor Through Education & Resources (BETTER), Australia, https://bettertimor.org/

Social representations of specialized teachers on the schooling of children with disabilities in Burundi ORAL PRESENTATION

The conceptual evolution of the concept of disability towards "situation of disability" or "special educational needs" has influenced educational transformations towards children with disabilities (ESH). At the same time, social representations have proven to be the driving force behind the orientation of educational policies. Currently, the inclusive perspective is applied in national contexts, but with great variations. In Burundi, ESH have been excluded from the education system for some time and it is since 2010 that Burundi has committed to the inclusive perspective. This article allows us to understand the social representations of teachers in special education centers about inclusive education. To do so, we started with the question: How do special education teachers represent the schooling of ESH in the Burundian educational environment? And the provisional answer was: "teachers in special education centers express reservations about the schooling of ESH". This study was conducted with 64 teachers, 54.7% of whom were female and 45.53% male. The data collected by questionnaire were processed in SPSS. The pre-test included 5 teachers and took place in August 2021 and the actual survey from September to December 2021. Using the chi-square test, the hypothesis was tested. This study showed that teachers in special education centers believe that conditions in regular schools in Burundi are unfavorable for children with disabilities. The majority of them express discriminatory representations. They even manage to categorize the types of disability to be excluded from the ordinary environment. They expressed reservations about the enrolment of ESH in mainstream settings. In this study, the semiological image dominates the representation of disability among these specialised teachers, since the word impairment constitutes the core of the representation of disability.

Mr Révérien NSIMIRIMANA, Université de Bordeaux, Burundi, www.u-bordeaux.fr

Terre de mémoires : the projet to form, transmit and sensitize inhumanities through the arts to reconcile humans ORAL PRESENTATION

Born in reaction to the increase of violence and the persistence of human facts tending to the loss of humanity on a global scale, this project wants to be an attempt at re-humanization. Created in November 2021, the project is present in six countries and brings together some twenty committed personalities, including artists, lawyers and others. Land of Memories is a project that mixes different resources, in perpetual evolution and of different origins and artistic sectors in order to guarantee a constant movement and adaptation. Terre de mémoires is articulated on an original and collective basis: its specificity is based on the learning and the transmission of knowledge around the concept of inhumanity.

Two main axes, the first of which is training for all audiences in public and private structures and private structures, around the pedagogy and the teaching of what are these inhumanities (origins, consequences and future prospects). The second axis is the realization of workshops of artistic expression for any public in any possible structure. These workshops will be assured with the partnership of artists of all horizons, whose work is in with inhumanities. The themes will not only focus on the subject of Land of Memories, but also the beginnings of these inhumanities, including racism and discrimination. It is through the cooperation and valorization of artists from these disciplines, that the workshops of learning and transmission of the concept of inhumanity will be forged, allowing for a better knowledge and collective experience. Terre de mémoires, an attempt to re-humanize.

Mrs Anouk BERTAUX, Organisation Terre de Mémoire, France, https://terredememoires.com/

Project-Based Learning for Global Climate Justice ORAL PRESENTATION

Climate change is one of the most serious threats facing humanity. K-12 schools and higher education institutions can play a pivotal role in responding to the climate crisis by creating opportunities for students to have a meaningful impact on their communities now while also inspiring their commitment to this work in the future. It is for this reason why the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal 4.7 calls for transformative education including environmental and climate education that delivers not only the knowledge, but also the competencies, values, and skills necessary for current and future generations to achieve the goals outlined in the 2030 Agenda and the Paris Climate Agreement"; (www.mission4point7.org). Yet if schools and teachers are to respond to this call, then they need support in designing and implementing transformative learning experiences. The University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education’s Project-Based Learning (PBL) for Global Climate Justice program aims to prepare educators to do just that. The first, entirely virtual iteration of this program launched in September 2022, bringing over 100 educators from over 20 countries together to design project-based curricula focused on the problems and questions of global climate change. Over the course of this five-month program, our team collected participants’ pre- and post-program surveys, feedback forms, reflections, and facilitators’ memos, and analyzed them in order to better understand how this sort of professional development around environmental education can be scaled, so that it reaches a wider audience, and sustained, so that its effects transfer and last over time.

In this oral presentation, we take up the specific questions:
 1) How have the ideas and practices from this program shown up in participants’ teaching practice?
 2) What are the barriers to this sort of professional development?
 and 3) What elements of the program do educators report as being most (and least) important in supporting their learning? We hope that answering these questions will help teacher educators and professional development providers expand the impact of our collective efforts to support authentic and action-oriented climate justice education.

HAUSBURG Taylor and HERRMANN Zachary, University of Pennsylvania, United States, www.gse.upenn.edu/academics/center-professional-learning

Role of Education as an instrument of social change and development ORAL PRESENTATION

The role of education as an instrument of social change and development is highly regarded today and widely discussed. Education brings changes in the outlook and attitude of society. Education plays a critical role in alleviation of poverty and peace promotion. Unlike the traditional Educational system and its role, the cotemporary educational model is seen as an instrument of change. Education equips societies and individuals with knowledge, skills and values that are crucial for social and economic development. Education nowadays is also addressing and combating with the structures of poverty. This oral presentation will explore the concept of social change, the role of education in economic stability and as an investment, education as a discipline and how education affects the social and cultural behaviours of individuals.

The presentation will also explore the positive effects of education on peace. It will also shed some light on how education can affect the violent conflicts and what role it can play to promote peace and harmony. The presentation will also discuss how education can promote sustainable development, human rights, promotion of a culture of peace and nonviolence and global citizenship. The presentation will also explore how conflict sensitive education can be developed. It will also include some key recommendations to Governments.

Mr Touseef Mohammad, Waltham International College, United Kingdom, www.wic.ac.uk

KOKEO LIVING CENTRE IN CHAD: Women’s empowerment for sustainable development ORAL PRESENTATION

The actions of the Chadian government and the combined actions of partners supporting development and the empowerment of women make gender inequality one of the greatest challenges.

With this project, we wanted to reinforce these existing actions by favouring, accompanying and encouraging the professional and socio-economic integration of young girls and women and by enabling them to:

 the increase of the beneficiaries’ income resulting from their participation in the training

 the increase of self-employment, thus contributing to a reduction of poverty in the localities

 increase the number of competent girls who apply responsible citizenship

The actions undertaken by the project are part of a dynamic of continuity by benefiting from a real coordination mechanism upstream and follow-up downstream.

Initiated within the framework of the KOKEO concept and inspired by micro-projects already carried out on the ground by some member organisations.

This project is an effective response to this challenge through the implementation of specific activities over a period of 5 years to achieve the expected results.

With the intention of covering ten (10) localities in Chad based on their potential, this project aims to enable 10,000 vulnerable women and girls in particular to have full access to basic social services that will subsequently support their families.

The basis of our initiative is to promote, support and strengthen the professional and socio-economic integration of young girls and women while developing their social and civic skills!

Mrs Vaddana KEO, Fondatrice-Présidente, and Mr. Bruno de Monteynard Responsable de la Commission de plaidoyer en charge des relations avec ONU, KOKEO, Chad, www.kokeo.org

Development of a participatory research project at the example of Effective Microorganisms in Germany-Austria-Switzerland (D.A.CH) ORAL PRESENTATION

Scaling a Multinational Participatory Research Project: What Vision, Mission and Strategy to adopt? This is the exciting and important phase that the OSI project on the topic of effective microorganisms is currently going through. The aim of this project is to offer, from 2023 onwards, unique scientific vacations and school trips in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, in order to contribute, together with children and teenagers, to the scientific know-how of this still too little known topic, by means of experimentation and exploration ; and all this within the framework of solidarity and participative scientific camps.

Mrs Tania HABEL, OSI-GERMANY, Germany, www.wissenschafts-camps.de

OSI-Kyrgyzstan; Participatory science missions in Kyrgyzstan ORAL PRESENTATION

Discover a program allowing the implementation of participatory science missions in Kyrgyzstan in collaboration with local organizations. All this via the contribution of material and human resources, the sharing of know-how, the training of local guides (language, culture, group management in the mountains and safety, contribution of naturalist knowledge), the training of guards and connecting with trusted service providers. Cultural exchanges are at the heart of the project and as soon as possible we also include Kyrgyz teenagers and students in our field missions. So far we are working mainly with OSI-Panthera and a project is underway with OSI-Biodiversita.

Mrs Anne-Lise CANABAT, OSI-KIRGHIZSTAN, Kirghizstan, www.osi-ngo.org/groupes-locaux/article/osi-kirghizistan

Feedback from a Participatory Research Programme expedition OSI-Panthera ORAL PRESENTATION

After participating in an expedition with the OSI-PANTHERA team, I was able to learn more about the functioning of a reserve in Kyrgyzstan (Central Asia), counting animals and their identification. We also understood the importance of the preservation of the snow leopard in relation to the ecosystem and the impact for the inhabitants (work-mission).

It was an enriching experience, scientifically and humanly. it was a pleasure to discover the Kyrgyz culture, their incredible sense of observation and patience and to have been able to help them.

Mrs PONCON Camille, OSI-Panthera, France, www.osi-panthera.org

Globalisation is about creating a new kinetic system, not centralising old models ORAL PRESENTATION

The current not consolidated global model of living within a status quo based on multiple crisis exacerbated by pandemics is pushing into an emergency at political decision making level. The need for searching new models is an imperative that would let us become sustainable in the long term, and reducing vulnerabilities in the short term, it should be a priority, although is driven by political decisions that do not reflect the real senses for a global order, in terms of conciliation. Is precisely the political sector that prevent the transition because of their own weakness and ineffectiveness in order to gain mass muscle and make reforms.

Globalisation is an ambition not a reality, although is it by standardisation of products and centralisation from Media that the citizenship is forced to think and perceive international information as if we’re a real global system. However, not with the guarantees of the latest: respect and integration from all national sovereignties, within the complexity of religions and cultures. Is it for this main reason that an innovative reform the system is key. From global institutions to local governments, making of accountability and open integration the big goals.

Keeping a multipolar world rather than a centralised one that in the end, tends to become dictatorial, biased and not results driven for crises. Globalisation is about creating a global kinetic system, not pre determined concepts that become global.

Mrs. INTROINI Mar, The Sustainability Reader, Spain, https://thesustainabilityreader.com

Building Equity through Participatory Action Research ; Lessons from the Center to Advance Racial Equity Policy (CAREP) ORAL PRESENTATION

We are at a critical point in history where creating equitable ways to engage diverse populations is not only necessary but a central component of achieving racial equity, developing inclusive public policy, and ensuring global justice for all. In 2021-2022, RAND’s Center to Advance Racial Equity Policy (CAREP) piloted a series of equity-centered, participatory-based case studies focused on developing new methodological frameworks to achieve these goals.

This presentation will provide our initial findings and offer tips and best practices for developing meaningful, action-oriented research that advances racial equity policy.

Mrs. Rhianna ROGERS, RAND Corporation - Center to Advance Racial Equity Policy, United States, www.rand.org/well-being/racial-equity-policy.html

Towards restoration of the Przewalski horse and its ecosystem in Western Mongolia ORAL PRESENTATION

Created in 1990, the TAKH association works for the reintroduction of Przewalski’s horse on its ancestral lands in the steppes of Central Asia, for the preservation of its ecosystem and its biodiversity. It has a 400 hectare site on the Causse Méjean with ecological conditions similar to those of Mongolia, which in 1993 enabled the first horses from zoos to "relearn the wild". After several generations, two families of "Causse" horses were reintroduced to Seer in Mongolia in 2004 and 2005.

The site is divided into two enclosures (Le Villaret and Nivoliers); the alternating presence of these large herbivores in each enclosure allows for a renewal of the grazing areas. These free horses are now part of the landscape of the "causse nu" and together form an object of study and attraction. This Przewalski’s horse preservation site now serves as a genetic reservoir and reference population for health monitoring and long-term behavioural observations.

In addition to its scientific mission of biodiversity conservation, TAKH integrates mediation and the hosting of projects in residence in order to share its experience and its space, to encourage encounters and multidisciplinary approaches and expertise around the question: what Przewalski’s horses teach us about our relationship with the animal and its (our) ecosystem.

Mrs Héléna NITZE, Chargée de Développement, Pôle Ecotourisme Scientifique, TAKH - Centre des chevaux de Przewalski, France, https://www.reversethered.org/stories/przewalski-horse