As most people will happily admit, life is seldom simple. Rather it is a complex web of interconnected issues, where our understanding of one part is only the beginning of our journey of discovery into many other parts (some of which we had no idea even existed!). This is very true of our work.
Whilst our focus is firmly on enabling people to read and write in the language they know best (their ‘mother tongue’), we recognise that this is not a simple issue. The question of which language people use at home, school, work or elsewhere cannot be answered in isolation. Life is complicated; people’s lives are complicated. There are many different factors that influence what choices people make and what options are available to them, particularly in the areas of language, education and development.
As such, we know it is absolutely essential that we are aware of the wider discussions going on in the world of development, education and poverty reduction strategies. This is why part of my (Matt’s) role is to attend meetings, discussions and conferences about things such as the ‘post-2015 development agenda’ or the ‘Education for All’ (EFA) goals. As an organisation we need to know what is happening around us and around the communities we work with. We need to learn from the research and experiences of other organisations, and take opportunities to share our knowledge and experience with others.
In line with this, along with a couple of colleagues, I will be attending the sixth ‘Collective Consultation of NGOs on Education For All’ meeting this week. As their website says:
“The Collective Consultation of NGOs on Education For All (CCNGO/EFA) is a thematic mechanism created by UNESCO to reflect the recommendations of the Dakar Framework for Action and to facilitate reflection, dialogue and joint action between NGOs and UNESCO in the area of EFA. The CCNGO/EFA network includes close to 300 national, regional and international member organisations.”
Whilst this may look a little dry on paper, I am looking forward to hearing about some of the challenges and successes as efforts continue to be made towards achieving the EFA goals. Behind all the words there are real people and real problems, it is my hope that what we learn this week will enable our (and others) future work to be more effective.
UPDATE (1st Nov. 2012):
I thought it would be good to (very briefly) feedback from my trip. Generally I found this a very useful meeting to attend. In particular it helped me:
UPDATE (1st Nov. 2012):
I thought it would be good to (very briefly) feedback from my trip. Generally I found this a very useful meeting to attend. In particular it helped me:
- understand more of the dynamics of this kind of event;
- get some insight into different organisations’/associations’ standpoints on issues, and how these different perspectives are reconciled;
- learn about some key organisations and make (and strengthen) some personal contacts; and
- continue to raise awareness of the important role mother tongue has in education.
