Education for Rural Development in Asia: Experiences and Policy Lessons. FAO/UNESCO Seminar (Bangkok, Thailand, November 5-7, 2002).

Overview & Synopsis

More than half of the world's population, and more than 70 percent of the world's poor live in rural areas where hunger, illiteracy, and low school achievement are common. Education in rural areas is crucial for achieving sustainable development. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations and UNESCO's International Institute for Educational Planning recently completed a comprehensive international study of education for rural development, focusing on constraints to achieving Education for All (EFA) in rural areas, improving educational access and quality, and strengthening the links between education and rural development. To continue this discourse, a seminar involving nine Asian countries was held in Bangkok in November 2002. Panel presentations and plenary discussions focused on five themes: addressing rural challenges to EFA, enhancing food security through education and training, the role of education in targeting rural poverty, changes in rural labor markets, and the impact on education of HIV/AIDS in rural areas. This proceedings summarizes sessions on each theme; presents group findings on rural community participation in local development, experiences in multisectoral coordination and programs, and approaches to institutional change; and includes five selected contributions. These are: (1) "Contributions of Education to Alleviating Rural Poverty" (Yu Fuzeng); (2) "Supporting Rural Education for Poverty Reduction: Issues and Approaches" (Chris A. Spohr); (3) "Responding to the Transformation of Rural Labour Markets: Implications for Education and Training" (Samuel T. Mancebo); (4) "Landcare in the Philippines: Developing Capacities of 'Farmers of the Future' and Their Communities" (Tom Vandenbosch); and (5) "Food for Education and Rural Development" (Anette Haller). A seminar program and lists of participants and papers presented are included. (SV)