Engaging ‘head and mind’, key for effective learning, says UNESCO chief on Literacy Day

Culture and Education


On International Literacy Day 8 September 2019, the chief of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) maintained that "engaging with both head and mind is a key for effective learning”.


In her message for the day, Audrey Azoulay pointed out that there are some 7,000 living languages being spoken today, and called them “instruments for communication, engagement in lifelong learning, and participation in society and the world of work”.

“They are also closely linked with distinctive identities, cultures, worldviews and knowledge systems”, she continued. “Embracing linguistic diversity in education and literacy is, therefore, a key part of developing inclusive societies that respects ‘diversity’ and ‘difference’, upholding human dignity”.


With greater mobility and the growing ubiquity of instantaneous communication, multilingualism in daily life has become much more common. It is also being shaped by globalization and digitalization.

And yet, “many languages have been endangered”, she lamented, noting that negative trends, such as these, have “implications for literacy development”.

“Building a solid literacy foundation in a mother language, before moving to a second foreign language, has multiple benefits”, Ms. Azoulay maintained, however, “about 40 per cent of the world's population does not have access to education in a language they speak or understand”.

She underscored to need to change this by making policies and practices more linguistically and culturally relevant and by exploring the potential of digital technology.

"Engaging with both head and mind is a key for effective learning”, maintained Ms. Azoulay, flagging that “for more than seven decades, UNESCO has supported mother-language-based, multilingual approaches to education and a better understanding of intercultural understandings”.
Literacy in the fore

This is also the International Year of Indigenous languages and marks the 25th anniversary of the World Conference on Special Needs Education, where the Salamanca Statement on Inclusive Education was adopted.

The Day is being celebrated worldwide to promote literacy as part of the right to education, as well as a foundation for individuals’ empowerment and inclusive and sustainable development. With the specific theme of ‘Literacy and Multilingualism’, it offers an opportunity to rethink the fundamental importance of the language and its diversity for individuals and society.

“UNESCO prompts you to rethink literacy in our contemporary world as part of the right to education and a means to create more inclusive and linguistically and culturally diverse societies”, concluded the UNESCO chief.

UN gears up emergency food aid for hurricane-struck region of Bahamas, as death toll rises

5 September 2019
Humanitarian Aid


With initial assessments indicating that some 76,000 people in the parts of the Bahamas worst-affected by Hurricane Dorian need urgent support, the World Food Programme (WFP) is arranging for eight tons of ready-to-eat meals to be provided – part of a $5.4 million overall funding package.


In a statement released in Geneva on Thursday, WFP Spokesperson Hervé Verhoosel said that the UN agency has a team on the ground, assessing the full extent of the damage and identifying those in greatest need.

According to news reports, as of Thursday afternoon local time, 23 deaths have been confirmed, and officials fear that the total will rise considerably as the search and rescue effort continues.

Mr. Verhoosel said that WFP is working closely with the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA), the Government, and partners, to “identify the most urgent needs and provide support in the vital areas of food, telecommunications and logistics”.

An airlift is being organized, from the UN hub in Panama, of storage units, generators, and offices for two logistics hubs to be established on the main islands, said Mr. Verhoosel, and WFP is also providing satellite equipment to ensure connectivity for emergency responders across the affected island group.

The spokesperson noted that the assessment teams carried out an initial aerial reconnaissance mission to the affected islands on Wednesday, with the aim of getting teams to the hardest-hit areas as soon as possible.

He added that the agency is making $5.4 million available, as part of a three-month Limited Emergency Operation (LEO), because of the severity of the situation. The operation will provide support to 39,000 people and, in a first phase, WFP will focus on procuring and distributing up to 85 tons of ready-to-eat meals for the most affected communities.

The WFP briefing comes a day after the UN’s humanitarian chief, Mark Lowcock, who travelled to the Bahamas on Wednesday, announced that he would release a million dollars from the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF), to kick-start critical relief efforts for the response to Hurricane Dorian, which is being led by the Bahamas Government.

Amazing Bhutan: Free Healthcare, No Homeless People, No Traffic Lights

This is a country that decided to measure national happiness, has completely free healthcare, and nobody living on the streets. Sounds unbelievable, but this is all true about Bhutan, and that’s just the tip of the iceberg. So, wanna know why all the people who live in Bhutan are so happy? Let's find out more about their traditions and numerous bans.


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TIMESTAMPS:
No homeless people at all 0:31
Free healthcare 0:48
Unplugged 1:10
National Dress Code 1:44
No Smoking! 2:14
Ecology is everything 2:48
They like it hot! 3:31
Touring obstacles 4:07
Ladies first 5:00
100% Organic? 5:19
They keep food on the roof 6:12
Only the best pilots are allowed to fly to Bhutan 6:11
Wedding rules 7:00
The Ministry of Happiness 7:47
The road less traveled 8:42
Gingerbread-like houses 9:08

#Bhutan #traveling #brightside

Preview photo credit:
King of Bhutan Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck and Queen Jetsun Pema, BHUTAN: By NIV/SIPA/EAST NEWS, https://www.eastnews.ru/pictures/pict...
Animation is created by Bright Side.

Music by Epidemic Sound https://www.epidemicsound.com/

SUMMARY:
- If a person loses their home, they just need to go to the king and he’ll give them a plot of land where they can build a house to live in and plant a garden to eat from.
- Each Bhutanese resident has the right to free medical care. The country’s Ministry of Health has made it their goal to become “A nation with the best health.”
- The Bhutanese people take their traditions and unique culture very seriously, and the king took great measures to protect his people from outside influences.
- Speaking of traditions, Bhutanese people are required to wear traditional clothes in public. This nationwide dress code has existed for over 400 years.
- In 2010, the king enacted a law prohibiting the cultivation, harvest, and sale of tobacco, making Bhutan the first country in the world with a total ban on tobacco. It’s impossible to buy it there, and you can’t smoke in public areas.
- Bhutan is really concerned about ecology and nature. According to a local law, at least 60% of the country’s total area must be covered with woods.
- The most popular ingredient in almost every Bhutanese dish is chilies. The Tourism Council even notes “Bhutanese people would not enjoy a meal that was not spicy.”
- You can only go to Bhutan in groups of 3 or more. All documents and visas are issued by a state-appointed company.
- All property and belongings like their homes, cattle, and land go to the eldest daughter, not son. Men are expected to earn their own fortunes.
- It’s already illegal to import or use any chemical products there whatsoever. Everything they use is cultivated within the country and is all-natural.
- Not every pilot can maneuver between mountaintops and land on a 6,500-foot-long highway right by people’s houses. Add strong winds to the challenge, and you’ll understand why take-offs and landings are only allowed during daylight hours. And there are only 8 pilots in the world that can do this.
- If you visit Bhutan, you may fall in love with the land, but try not to fall for a local or else you’ll get your heart broken. It’s prohibited to marry foreigners.
- In 2008, the Gross National Happiness Committee was formed in Bhutan to take care of the people’s inner peace.
- All the road signs in Bhutan are drawn by hand. Thiumphu, the country’s capital, is the only one in the world that has no traffic lights at all.
- Bhutanese people love to decorate their homes. They draw birds, animals, and different patterns on the walls, making them look like real-life gingerbread houses.