Yoko Mochizuki, Head-Curriculum Programme shakings hands with Mr G K Upadhayaya, Additional Chief Secretary, HRDD, Govt. of Sikkim
UNESCO MGIEP signed a partnership agreement with Human Resource Development Department (HRDD), the Government of Sikkim, India, to embed concepts of peace and sustainable development in textbooks of core subjects of Maths, Environmental Studies (EVS) and English for grades 1 to 5. The agreement was signed on the eve of the first workshop of textbook authors organised jointly by the State Council of Education Research and Training (SCERT), Sikkim and UNESCO MGIEP from the 19th to 21st February 2018 at Gangtok, Sikkim.
The workshop was attended by a core group of about 40 textbook authors from various parts of Sikkim. This core group would be responsible for the development of the textbooks to be published by February 2019.
Resource people from UNESCO MGIEP would be mentoring and training textbook authors to embed concepts of peace and sustainable development in subject content of these textbooks. David Wagner from University of New Brunswick (Canada) is mentoring the Maths group while Lorna Down from the University of West Indies (Jamaica) mentors the textbook authors of English. Anita Rampal (University of Delhi), Nadia Lausselet (Teacher University of Vaud, Switzerland) and Ronald Johnston (University of South Wales, UK) are jointly building the capacities of textbook authors of EVS.
Demonstrating his full commitment to the project, the Director of Sikkim SCERT Dr Rabin Chhetri remarked at the closing plenary of the workshop, addressing to a group of 40 textbook authors: “There are few opportunities in our life where we can do truly meaningful work. This is one such opportunity.” True and empowering words indeed, considering these text books would reach over 78000 students studying in more than 481 primary schools across Sikkim.
The workshop was the first in a series of three workshops spread over the year aimed at supporting the core textbook development team. It is a comprehensive intervention by UNESCO MGIEP with face-to-face workshops being complemented with year-around online support over skypes and email. The next workshop is scheduled from 20th to 22nd of May 2018. These workshops are based on Textbooks for Sustainable Development – A Guide to Embedding, produced by MGIEP in 2017 developed by over 30 experts from around the world.
Contact information:
Shankar Musafir (m.shankar@unesco.org)