NATIONAL INNOVATION CONFERENCE ON EDUCATION (NICE2012)

The1st Annual Convention of National Association of UNESCO Clubs in the Philippines (NAUCP), Inc. Theme: Preparing the Filipino Youth for Decent Jobs and Better Lives March 1-3, 2012 - Development Academy of the Philippines (DAP) Conference Center, Tagaytay City
Rationale: In April 2000 various countries around the globe gathered in Dakar, Senegal, for the World Education Forum. The participants adopted the Dakar Framework for Action, Education for All: Meeting Our Collective Commitments and agreed upon six wide-ranging education goals to be met by 2015 which include (1)Expand early childhood care and education; (2)Provide free and compulsory primary education for all ; (3) Promote learning and life skills for young people and adults ; (4) Increase adult literacy by 50 percent; (5)Achieve gender parity by 2005, gender equality by 2015; and (6)Improve the quality of education. The Philippines is committed to the World Declaration on Education for All (EFA) and the second goal of the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) to achieve universal primary education by 2015.

According to Maligalig et. al., in their study commissioned by the Asian Development Bank, 2010, the Philippines since the signing of World Declaration on Education for All it has achieved substantial improvement in terms of access to basic education, but still faces challenges in the areas of early childhood care and development, internal efficiency, and learning outcomes (NCEFA 1999). Through the governments efforts to achieve the 2015 MDG targets, recent studies such as the Philippines Midterm Progress Report on the MDGs (NEDA and United Nations

Country Team 2007, Table 1) assess that the probability of achieving universal primary education (MDG 2) in the country is low (based on net enrollment rate, cohort survival rate, and completion rate). Similarly, the 2009 EFA Global Monitoring Report (UNESCO 2008) identified the Philippines to be among the countries with decreased net enrollment rate from 1999 to 2006, and with the greatest number of out-of-school children (more than 500,000). The Philippiness current performance in education based on the trends identified by the EFA and MDG indicators as shown in Appendix Table 1 is not also promising. It is quite likely that the EFA and MDG targets will not be met by 2015. With these bleak scenarios, it is imperative that all stakeholders in Philippine society should take a serious stake in reforming Philippine Education system including the government, private sectors and civil society. UNESCO suggests the following proposal for NGO engagements to fulfill the EFA goals:

1. Reinforcing the role and contribution of civil society organizations in policy formulation and planning
within the framework of the national EFA action plans

2. Reinforcing the capacity of civil society organizations to conducting education and for lifelong learning
programmes and activities

3. Monitoring and evaluating progress towards EFA goals in the context of the EFA Observatory 4. Mapping, assessing and disseminating NGOs' contributions and innovations in EFA 5. Improving communication about civil society's role in EFA
It is in this context that the National Association of UNESCO Clubs in the Philippines (NAUCP), Inc., chose the theme Preparing the Filipino Youth for Decent Jobs and Better Lives for its 1st Annual Convention considering that the 2012 EFA Global Monitoring Report will focus on skills development for young people. NAUCP is mandated to promote and take an active role in UNESCOs trusts and priorities being the only association of all accredited UNESCO Clubs in the Philippines. With its establishment last year, NAUCP takes pride with its membership that directly working in local communities in different parts of the countries fulfilling UNESCOs mandate in the natural sciences, culture, education, social and human sciences; and communication. The theme highlights the skills, knowledge and experiences significant to the labor market. These are critical components of improving employment results and maximizing productivity and growth. Often lack of quality and relevance, education and training systems leave workers unprepared to face the demands of the labor markets. Unemployment and low productivity arise due to gaps in skills and mismatch between available jobs opening and the level of skills help by the unemployed. Further, limited access to high quality training and skills before actual job hinder prospects of employment in todays time. The 1st National Innovation Conference on Education (NICE2012) will gather educational leaders, researcher, policy-makers, pioneering practitioners, youth leaders and industry-experts from the cross-section of Philippine society to foster new partnership and develop innovative solutions with the goal of solving education gaps in policy and practice specifically on the issue of skills development so that the Filipino youth will have the opportunity to get decent jobs and better live: Specifically, the three-day conference hope to: Objectives: Deepen awareness and understanding of educational innovations that will prepare young people for decent jobs and better lives; Showcase outstanding youth skills needed to get employment through academic contest and immersion activities; Promote national and community-based collaboration across all sectors and levels to improve skills development of the Filipino youth; and Facilitate networking and exchange of experiences among policy makers, researchers, educators, administrators, youth and private sector personnel. Convene all accredited UNESCO Clubs in the Philippines in order to plan strategies and programs for skills development of young people.

Conference

Topics

Skills for Productivity and Employability Assessing Basic Education Developing the Supply Skills Assessing TVET Systems Responding to Labor Market Needs Assessing Tertiary Education Systems Delivering Skills for Growth Assessing Non-Formal Training Strategies to Increase Effectiveness Cross-cutting Policies for Better Skills and Labor Market Outcomes Building Skills in the Informal Sector The Role of Skills Development in Overcoming Social Disadvantage Extension Services and Skills Development in HEIs Essential Life Skills in a Globalized World Inclusive Education and Skills Development From Rags to Riches: Success Stories on Entrepreneurship Effective Youth Development Programs in Skills Development Local Governance and Skills Development Programs Strengthening Public and Private Sector Partnership in Skills Development Developing programmes, pedagogy, curricula and materials for productivity and employability