It has been a delight in my journey as an educator to have served two WCCI conferences as the Chairperson of the Special Interest Groups (SIGs): the 17thBudapest Conference two years ago, and this year’s 18thRome Conference. I also served as the Coordinator for Peace Education for the past three biennial WCCI conferences (2012-2014-2016 in Kaohsiung, San Diego, & Budapest respectively).
Relishing the Special Status of WCCI as an NGO with the Economic and Social Council(ECOSOC) of the United Nations, the SIGs which supports the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), have to remain committed to put into action the resolutions agreed upon during the SIG meetings, and to keep working towards the attainment of the goals as individuals and as a group.
Truly as I sensed an immense opportunity in being requested a couple of years ago to continue the legacy of Dr. Benedicta Agusiobo, the former SIG Chairperson and WCCI Vice President, I feel confident that as an organization, with the passion of our gifted coordinators, we will continue to forge our efforts together to put plans into action, harnessing our potential to have the capstone projects agreed in the Rome Conference a reality.
The different SIGs have committed to work on the following:
a) incorporate peace education, respect for human rights, and global citizenship, in the core mission and processes of learning in the schools, formal and informal platforms of education, asynchronous, online and lifelong learning;
b) integrate inclusive and interdisciplinary approaches transcending racial, cultural, religious, ethnic, gender, and socio-economic differences, thus embrace unity in diversity;
c) uphold the value of transformative education that would bring about peaceful, just, responsible, and global citizens and societies;
d) include Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) in the curriculum should be reflected in school policies, teacher training, and student activity;
e) support the “child friendly” model tied upwith the humanistic learning theory and benefited in the curriculum and instruction;
f) realize the foundational identity of global citizenship education programs;
g) eliminate all forms of violence against women and girls; and provide them with equal access to quality education, health care, and representation in decision-making processes;
h) dismantle issues of bias;
i) include reflective practices post teaching as part of teaching;
j) grasp that children have rights as individuals, and children learn and cope differently;
k) establish and further strengthen the relationship between parents and educators in theholistic education of the child;
l) better appreciate and understand that “play” is our brains’ favourite way of learning (ECE);
m) promote constructivist theory, the relationship theory, mutual respect (stakeholders), the opportunity for children to create things, and the student ratio per class; and
n) espouse the values of love, diversity, peace, respect and equality in curriculum and instruction. Here are the salient points of the SIG reports: