South- East Asia ESD Coordination and Capacity Building Workshop
28-31 October, 2008
Hangzhou, China
Altantsetseg N Environmental University ” ECO ASIA”, Mongolia
OUTLINE of PRESENTATION • MONGOLIAN TRADITION OF EDUCATION FOR SUSTAINABLE LIVELIHOOD • ECOLOGICAL EDUCATION IN MONGOLIA • OUR CHALLENGES • CONCLUSIONS
Mongolian tradition of Education for Sustainable livelihood • Style of life of Mongolian nomads is based sustainable development or ways of sustainable livelihood • For nomadic style, all members of family have own specific roles for sustainable livelihood. • Parents educate their children in sustainable livelihood
Nomadic Mongolians
Father
Mother
Children
Learning for life skills • Father/Man: -
Tracking animals Timber wood preparing Hunting Sale of products to market Train his children to save the environmental protection traditions and customs of Mongolia - Other necessary works for living
Moving to seek a good pasture for their livestock
• -
Mother/woman: Milking animals Produce dairy products Caring of children and educating Cooking Other home works
• Children: - Learning for livelihood - Learning for literacy - Participation in livestock management (tracking, milking, currying skins) - Learning for increasing family income - Helping with house work
A boy with his mother milking
ECOLOGICAL EDUCATION in MONGOLIA • Implementing National programme on ecological education for all (Decree of 1997 by the Government) • Making field survey for geography and ecology lessons • Teaching basic lessons on ecology & environment in the secondary schools
Main stakeholders
• Governmental organizations • Education and Academic organizations • Non-governmental organizations • International organizations
NATIONAL ACTIVITIES ON EE/ESD
•
• • • •
1996. Established a National Council on Sustainable Development headed by Prime Minister 1997. National Programme on Ecological Education for public, Ulaanbaatar,, 1998 Mongolian Action Programme for the 21st century, Ulaanbaatar, 2001-2008. Organized many conferences and meetings on ESD and SD 2004. Development of the curriculum on ESD for Universities and colledges
Improvement of ecological education program
traditional ecological knowledge is essential for improvement of ecological education program
Public awareness programs through mass media
MNTV- Mongolian National Television • 10 series of documentary TV programs on key environmental issues • To be focused on the selected small grant projects as case studies
“Tsag” radio studio • 40 TV programs on key environmental issues for broadcasting on MNTV (20 min each) • 10 FM radio programs (20-60 min each) • 10 newspaper articles • 2 hand outs for public environmental education
NATIONAL REFERENCES & DOCUMENTS ON ESD
We have done published a number of publications and documents. • 1997. “Mongolia in the 21st century (New challenges for economic and social development’, • 1998.Scenario of models Sustainable Development, • 1998.Mongolian Action Programme for the 21st century” • 1998. “Environment and Development issues in Mongolia” • 2002. Sustainable Development-Mongolian future • 2003. “Textbook on Sustainable development”
• 2003.“An issue of regional development in Mongolia- Mongolian Development Strategy” • 2004.“Education on Sustainable Development teachers’ book”, • 2007.Guidelines of ESD for secondary school teachers. • 2008,Education of Sustainable Development, WWF • 2008,Guidelines of Education for Sustainable Development for teachers, WWF
Problems on ESD in Mongolia • No sound management for ESD • No adequate publications and other materials for schoolchildren • Lack of teachers and non skilled • Lack of financial resources • No facilities • Low public awareness • No efficient coordination
Challenges
Mongolians face two main challenges: • introducing the education for sustainable development concept into all educational levels • fostering of attitude and behavior change resulted in improved livelihood through integration of traditional and customary approaches and careful management of natural carrying capacity.
Education for sustainable development • Covering all levels of schools • Involving colleges and universities • Combination of formal and non-formal education • Formulation of curriculum on sustainable development
Planned activities for ESD in Mongolia
- collecting, delivering and exchanging of information and experiences - developing curriculum for all level of educational bodies - training of trainers, - implementing of model projects, - preparing the experienced consultants. - developing training materials, manuals, - strengthening coordination mechanisms for ESD - increasing public awareness
CONCLUSIONS
• learn from nomadic and traditional lifestyle in harmony with nature
• modernize in the context of the sustainable development in new era. • develop and expand the cooperation with the regional countries on ESD
