Innovative Partnerships for Quality Inclusive Education

Call for Nominations 

Muhammad Yunus, founder of Grameen Bank and Nobel Prize winner, said, “Access to quality education has enabled me to reach far beyond the Bangladeshi village I grew up in.”

Imagine the potential impact on society worldwide when we multiply Mr. Yunus’ accomplishments by 7 billion (the number of people in the world) if EVERYONE has access to quality education! Unfortunately, statistics tells a different story – at the moment.

According to the 2015 Education for All (EFA) Global Monitoring Report: 

• Nearly 58 million children were out-of-school in 2012, and progress towards universal primary education has stalled since then. The drop-out rates showed that 1 in 6 children in low and middle income countries did not complete their primary education by 2015.
• While lower secondary gross enrolment ratios increased from 71% in 1999 to 85% in 2012, inequality persists for those from the poorest families.
• Despite admirable efforts to address the problem, at least 781 million adults still lack basic literacy skills.

Similarly, improvement in quality has not kept pace: 250 million children were not learning basic skills, even though half of them had spent at least four years in school. Such data in tandem with persistent shortages of trained teachers, teaching materials, facilities and resources led to this recommendation – “Must try harder” – in the report card for EFA Goal 6 on the quality of education at the end of 2015.

On a more positive note, international efforts to push the quality imperative in education to the forefront resulted in the 2030 Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4: ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all. This comprehensive, aspirational and ambitious stand-alone goal for education commits governments to provide quality education to all irrespective of their sex, age, race, ethnicity, including persons with disabilities, migrants, indigenous peoples, children and youth, and at all levels – early childhood, primary, secondary, tertiary, technical and vocational training. Such quality education is not only about literacy and numeracy. Along with the basics, all learners need to acquire knowledge, skills, attitudes and values so that they can contribute to a peaceful, just and sustainable world.

It is clear that to meet all the SDG 4 targets, active participation of all sectors and stakeholders is critical, especially when we consider the challenges through the lens of the entire education system, including the curriculum, teaching and learning materials; teachers and their teaching practices; school environment and infrastructure; allocation and use of resources; school leadership and management; students, their families and communities; and the diverse socio-cultural contexts and conditions. Therefore, fomenting effective partnerships and engagement at the local, national, regional and global levels to plan and implement programmes and activities, monitor and evaluate their progress and achievements, mobilize resources, share knowledge and expertise, and so on, is a priority.

Emphasizing the capacity of education and the human innovative spirit to address and resolve pressing issues and problems, the UNESCO Asia-Pacific Programme of Educational Innovation for Development (APEID) and the National Commission of the People’s Republic of China for UNESCO established the Wenhui (文晖) Award for Educational Innovation in 2010.

The Wenhui Award embodies two important elements of educational innovation. Wen (文) refers to all facets of civilization and culture, including wisdom, knowledge, moral and ethics, and encompasses the desire for learning and inquiry. Hui (晖) symbolizes the creative and radiant force of education that allows civilization and culture to flourish. Taken together, the Wenhui Award personifies the power of education in promoting learning and allowing individuals and cultures to innovate and grow. This Award will serve to improve the access to and quality of education and training, especially to those most in need. Given the challenges facing education, it is necessary to strengthen the commitment of individuals and institutions to continuously innovate and enlighten people.

For 2016, the theme of the Wenhui Award is Innovative Partnerships for Quality Inclusive Education in line with SDG 4 and UNESCO’s vision of education to recognize innovative and strategic partnerships that have helped to provide and enhance quality learning opportunities for all, particularly to those most disadvantaged, vulnerable and marginalized.

Two individuals or institutions from the Asia and Pacific region will be selected by a jury of distinguished educators. The winners will each receive a Certificate of Excellence and prize money of US$ 20,000. Certificates of Merit may also be awarded to individuals or institutions that have demonstrated commendable innovative practices. The results will be announced through a variety of channels to share the achievements of the winners and awardees.

Who is eligible for the Award?

Individuals or institutions from UNESCO Member States in Asia and the Pacific region that have designed and implemented significant educational innovations leading to improved access to, and quality in, education and skills development will be eligible for the Award.

To qualify for nomination for the 2016 Wenhui Award, the candidates shall possess the following qualifications or attributes:

• Have demonstrated their ability in developing practices that have contributed to the quality of education for all through innovative partnerships;
• Have verified the positive impact of their innovative partnerships in education bringing about noticeable changes enabling learners to contribute towards peaceful, just and sustainable world;
• Have proven their commitment in promoting and supporting the principles of inclusive and lifelong quality learning for all; and
• Have established that their innovative practices are current and relevant to the educational issues of the 21st century.

How to apply for the Award?

The Award organizers are calling for nominations from governments, educational institutions, international organizations, non-governmental organizations and individuals in Asia and Pacific countries.Nominations shall be submitted to the Award Secretariat at UNESCO Bangkok through the National Commissions for UNESCO, UNESCO Offices and other organizations associated with UNESCO, using an official Award Application Form available here.

More details about the Award, including the list of UNESCO offices and associated institutions, evaluation criteria, application process and conditions of entry, are available in the box on the right. 

Important dates:

For further information, contact:

Wenhui Award Secretariat
UNESCO Bangkok
920 Sukhumvit Road, Prakanong
Bangkok 10110, Thailand
Tel: (66-2) 391-0577
Fax: (66-2) 391-0866
Email: apeid-award@unesco.org
Website: http://www.unescobkk.org/education/apeid/wenhuiaward/2016