UEA UNESCO Chair team visit the University of Santo Tomas, Philippines

Fourteen members of the UEA UNESCO Chair spent an action-packed week in Manila from 16th – 23rd November 2019.  We began the week with kick-off meetings and launch for the new GRTA Family literacy and indigenous learning project (which will take place in the Philippines, Nepal, Malawi and Ethiopia). On the 19th November, the UNESCO Chair Literacy Day focused on ‘Universities, adult  literacy and sustainable development: exploring the links’, followed by the annual UNESCO Chair review group meeting.

The first International Conference on Gender, Adult Literacy and Active Citizenship for Social Transformation (GALASCT) was organised by UST and the UEA UNESCO Chair from 20–22 November and included the launch of a new network for literacy activists in the Philippines, called TRANSFORMARE. Keynote and plenary presentations were given by Anna Robinson-Pant, Sheila Aikman and Ulrike Hanemann from the UNESCO Chair team. The highlight of the week was the inspiring keynote presentation given by the Vice President of the Philippines, Leni Robredo, on ‘Creating sustainable communities through gender equality, inclusive education and improved livelihoods’ and based on her work with women entrepreneurs in poor rural communities. After the conference, the Nepal and Philippines UNESCO Chair team went for a field visit to Surigao, to explore alternative learning systems and ideas for family literacy. Their report is available here: ADD REPORT

We would like to thank Dr. Gina Lontoc, Prof. Camilla Vizconde, Prof. Belinda De Castro and all their colleagues at UST for their warm hospitality and amazing organisation.