UNESCO-IBE delegation meets Lithuanian Education stakeholders from 4th to 6th July 2022

The UNESCO International Bureau of Education (UNESCO-IBE) has organised a working mission to Lithuania from 4^th to 6^th July 2022.  Consisting of Mr Yao Ydo (Director of UNESCO-IBE) and Mr Renato Opertti (UNESCO-IBE Expert), the delegation held several meetings with senior Lithuanian officials and education stakeholders within the context of curriculum improvement and development in the country and its neighbouring region.

More specifically, the mission aimed to meet with the community of educationalists at Vytautas Magnus University (VMU, Kaunas, Lithuania) which plays an important role in supporting curriculum transformation processes in the region (with a focus on what can be done in the reconstruction of Ukraine). The delegation also participated in a series of high-level policy meetings with stakeholders, including senior government officials and the Parliament, to discuss the potential role of UNESCO-IBE in promoting a renewed curriculum agenda at regional and national levels, as well as in strengthening the education of new generations on issues related to WCED, human rights and sustainability. Finally, potential partnerships were also explored with a variety of stakeholders to develop project proposals and mobilise funds within the EU framework.

As far as Lithuania is concerned, UNESCO-IBE has played a pioneering and forward-looking role in fostering the community of pedagogues and curriculum specialists at the Vytautas Magnus University (VMU, Kaunas, Lithuania). In this context, UNESCO-IBE piloted accredited masters courses in curriculum for students from Central and East Asia (with participants from Ukraine). This certificate is unique in that it shares a renewed and broadened understanding of curriculum within a systemic vision of education.

At the end of the mission, the outcome will be a roadmap for future curriculum development initiatives and a strengthening of the relationship between UNESCO-IBE and Lithuania. Through this action, UNESCO-IBE intends to continue to fulfil its 97-year-old ambition of improving the quality of education through curriculum transformation.