Call for proposals: Teaching with Living Heritage in Formal Education in Cambodia

Parent Sector: Culture Sector (CLT)

Duty Station: Phnom Penh

Job Family: CLT

Type of contract: Contract for Services

Duration of contract: 8 months (January 2021 to August 2021)

Recruitment open to: All eligible organizations/institutions

Application Deadline (Midnight Phnom Penh Time): 26 December 2020

UNESCO Core Values: Commitment to the Organization, Integrity, Respect for Diversity, Professionalism

This assignment is open to all eligible organizations/institutions, in line with the requirements and assignment description below.

Background

Traditional knowledge, skills and practices that are transmitted from generation to generation and continuously recreated are part of the living heritage of communities and groups, and essential for their social-cohesion and well-being. They give young and old a sense of identity and continuity, helping them to understand who they are and providing them with a sense of belonging.

An increasing number of living heritage elements is under threat: This heritage has for many years been passed on through traditional modes of transmission embedded in the daily lives of the people (a form of informal education). However, these are increasingly challenged and sometimes disrupted for many reasons: changing ways of life, discrimination, social transformation, migration, natural disasters and conflict. Education systems can also pose some threat to the safeguarding of the ICH as sometimes they are disconnected from local realities and communities. As a result, young people around the world, can be increasingly deprived from the joy and benefits of learning with and through their heritage, unless effective safeguarding measures are identified and applied.

Project Overview

The proposed project will take a two-pronged approach to generate collective knowledge on the integration of Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) in Formal Education in Cambodia, and to further refine the methodologies already piloted, adapting it to the context of the country. At the end of the project, a range of approaches, implemented by UNESCO, government and civil society counterparts, will be made available so the country can tailor them to address the specific needs in schools in Cambodia.

Countries in the Asian and Pacific region already have experiences with integrating intangible heritage in education. In China, promoting, transmitting and safeguarding intangible cultural heritage is considered an important part of education with some areas including specialized local courses on folk songs, dancing, paper-cutting and more. Japan has integrated music traditions in their curricula, whereas in Indonesia, the textile technique of batik is included in elementary, secondary and vocational schools. Countries in the Pacific are integrating the knowledge and skills for traditional navigation into school programmes, as documented in the project ‘The Canoes is the People’ and New Zealand has a longstanding experience with Māori schools which incorporate Māori language and culture into the learning process. In Pakistan, Palau, Uzbekistan and Viet Nam, UNESCO has piloted a methodology for learning with intangible cultural heritage through a multi-year project (see publication online). The lessons learnt from different countries will benefit the project in Cambodia.

Cambodia has been selected to develop innovative methodologies tailored to their context, as an active State Party to the Convention and already has relevant experience in promotion of intangible cultural heritage. The Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport (MOEYS) has shown interest in developing new teaching content and methodologies. The cultural traditions in Cambodia share many similarities with other Southeast Asian countries, which will allow the materials developed in the Cambodia context to have wider applicability to the Southeast Asian sub-region. This project will build on the momentum gained under the recent initiative on teaching Southeast Asian shared histories to further enhance the quality of education.

Assignment:

Within the framework of the implementation of the UNESCO 2003 Convention for the safeguarding of the Intangible Culture Heritage (ICH) and Teaching with Living Heritage in Asia and the Pacific Project in Cambodia, under the overall authority of the UNESCO Representative in Cambodia and the direct supervision of the Culture Programme Specialist, the contractor shall undertake the following responsibilities:

A. During the initial phase of the project, Teaching with Living Heritage, provide the following services:

1. Select three public schools for piloting: two in Phnom Penh and another in a province in Cambodia covering more than 20 teachers and 1,000 students in consultation with the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts and the Ministry of Education Youth and Sport;
2. Provide technical services of at least two trainers for the training of trainers and eight national teachers for testing materials; 
3. Lead and design the trainings, and faciliate trainings of trainers, meetings with all stakeholders including the central and local governments and community, including trainings and information sessions organized by UNESCO;
4. Provide technical services to collect data related to Culture and Art Education in Cambodia, soft and hard copies, in Khmer, in French and in English; available on line or at concerned Ministries and Cultural NGOs, especially the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport (MoEYS) and the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts (MoCFA) and Phare Ponleu Selpak and Cambodian Living Arts.

B. During the implementation phase of the project, provide the following services:

1. Provide coordination and technical support services to the international consultant who UNESCO will assign in conducting a policy review on culture/heritage/art education and a curriculum mapping of possible entry points for integration of Intangible Cultural Heritage education;
2. Customizing the educational materials for the training of teachers in consultation with UNESCO Phnom Penh Office and the MoEYS and MoCFA and other relevant stakeholders;
3. Organizing a training workshop for teachers in Phnom Penh, and in a selected province in Cambodia, to incorporate intangible cultural heritage in learning activities;
4. Developing training plans and materials including minimum 20 Intangible Cultural Heritage elements, using interactive and inclusive methods with community participation;
5. Testing various approaches in classes and/or online in integrating ICH in schools while testing prepared teaching materials and training plans;
6. Carrying out advocacy to mainstream the tested methodology;