Purpose and Background

Since the beginning of 2020, COVID-19 outbreak the has challenged governments, teachers, students, and parents. In response to school closures, distance learning options – largely online – have been implemented around the world. Nonetheless, internet penetration varies from country to country, and online-based, high-tech approaches do not always provide equitable and inclusive learning environments. The challenge of the digital divide creates an inflexibility of teachers’ pedagogic on online platforms and inefficient learning resource allocations. While it was reported that COVID-19 has created additional challenges and costs for out-of-school children and youth (OOSCY), the path to recovery is still tenable.

The Equitable Education Fund (EEF), in partnership with the Ministry of Education of Thailand, UNESCO Bangkok, UNICEF East Asia and Pacific Regional Office (UNICEF EAPRO), UNICEF Thailand, Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO) and Save the Children, brought together the initiatives to promote equity-based learning for all. Consequently, the 1st International Conference on All for Education: Equitable Education,1 hybrid, Thailand, was organized. The Conference, attended by over 2,424 participants around the world, emphasized the need to continue the support for equitable education and holistically and innovatively address, at the regional and national levels, exclusion of the educationally underserved by focusing on the following five areas; 1) legal framework with a regular and innovative budget system, 2) decentralized mechanisms and leadership, 3) partnership and alliance, 4) lifelong learning and skills development with a growth mindset, 5) technology, data, and monitoring. 

The continuation of Equitable Education’s initiative has been proposed based on a series of regional conferences, including the 2nd conference on Teachers and Equitable Education: All for Education in Southeast Asia, attended by over 3,272 participants, and organized in close consultation with the Ministries of Education and key regional actors in the field. As teachers’ capacity has been identified as one of the important factors in ensuring quality learning for all, the theme of the regional conference in 2021 was set on teachers and equitable education. This regional conference was organized with the aim to raise awareness and share information on equity-based education at the national level and reflect on existing and new strategies for building teachers’ capacity to foster equity in their work. This conference offered participants an opportunity to exchange ideas and learn how equity is shaped in the invited countries, efforts to ensure educational equity in different contexts, and supported teachers in this endeavor. Following the successful organization of the 1st and 2nd conferences, EEF and its partners are planning the 3rd International Conference on Equitable Education: Together Towards Equity on 19-20 October 2022 to continue the equitable education initiatives to strengthen the education responses amidst the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.

At the Asia-Pacific level the 2nd Asia-Pacific Regional Education Minister’s Conference (APREMC II) conference was organized to discuss and make recommendations on how to 1) achieve learning recovery as an immediate step post-COVID 19, 2) strengthen and transform education systems to become more equitable, inclusive, responsive, relevant and resilient with the overall objective to accelerate SDG4 implementation. As the outcome of the conference, the Bangkok Statement 2022 “Towards an effective learning recovery for all and transforming education in Asia-Pacific” was adopted on 7 June 2022. The Statement includes an emphasis on the importance of monitoring the Education 2030 Agenda – Sustainable Development Goal 4 and transforming the current education delivery and education systems in the face of recovering from the impact of COVID-19.

This 3rd International Conference will address the government’s strategies for OOSCY, emerging trends of digital learnings, and recovery programs for the marginalized and disadvantaged groups during the COVID-19 outbreak to equip the target groups with necessary skills for livelihood and work. The discussion on the implementation of education systems, assessments, and partners will also be addressed to tackle the critical issue concerning OOSCY.

Objectives 

This international conference on Equitable Education: Together Towards Equity will raise awareness and share information on equity-based education at the national level and regional level and reflect on emerging strategies, mechanisms, and practices to foster equity in the work. (add indication or technical recommendation & summary/synthesis of participant discussion) 

This conference offers policymakers, educational leaders, and educators an opportunity to learn from international and regional experiences to enhance equity through the education system, exchange ideas with colleagues, and support the work on together towards equity. The efforts made to ensure educational equity through non-formal education focuses on the work on equity in education, including the underprivileged and marginalized groups. However, many of the principles can be applied to a variety of contexts within formal education. 

Expected Participants

• Government agencies and NGO service providers, including academics, policymakers, and educators.
• Organizations committed to equity in education can be invited as members of the Equitable Education Alliance (EEA), a community of practice of similarly minded organizations for improving equity and narrowing gaps in education within the region and beyond.

Time and Venue

Date: The conference is to be held on 19-20 October 2022. 

Venue: Centara Grand at Central World

For More Information Click >> https://www.afe2022.eef.or.th/

Please Register to Receive the Online Meeting Link >> https://www.afe2022.eef.or.th/