• The tranmission of Local wisdom into education
• The preservation of local wisdom
• The conduct of future research in local wisdom

Overcoming the tension between local and global has been a major challenge to Asia-Pacific countries in their wide-ranging educational reforms aimed at national development. In response Thailand and and many other Asian countries have developed policies and strategies to integrate and utilize local wisdom in education for community development.

Asia-Pacific countries have long-standing traditions in using local wisdom in education not only for delivering accumulated knowledge about their civilizations to next generations but also for preserving cultural identities and for creating new resources for economic development and social cohesion. Most diversified innovations have been made in integrating/utilizing local wisdom in educational content, teaching-learning methods, management and technological applications. Inter-sectoral co-operation has been promoted between education, culture, business and other departments in fully tapping the wealth of local wisdom in achieving the twin goal of development and a culture of peace.

Yet many daunting challenges remain as to policy development and practical programmes for full integration and utilization of local wisdom as a regional response to increasing globalization. Among the challenges are:

-- What curricular policies and course offerings need be developed to ensure that the teaching-learning of local wisdom shall be part of educational content and process?
How can local wisdom be appropriately integrated into school curriculum and teaching-learning processes in varied national/local contexts?

-- How can educational policy-makers and teachers trained and what programmes/ infrastructures need be developed in order to tap the wealth of local wisdom for educational and other development purposes?

-- How can innovative practices in integrating local wisdom in education be better collected, more widely disseminated, and more efficiently utilized for multiplying effects in national development programmes?

-- In what way can education departments cooperate better with culture, business and other sectors in policy-making and effective practices for multi-purpose community development, not only in educational, but cultural, social as well as economic dimensions of sustainable people-centered development?

-- How could the potential of new information-communication technologies be harnessed in collecting, disseminating and adapting local wisdom at scale?

Objectives

In view of the challenges to address, the objective of the Seminar is three-fold:

1) to debate on major policy issues in planning local responses to global challenges to education in general and to Asia-Pacific in particular;

2) to exchange national/institutional experiences in integrating/utilizing local wisdom in education for cultural and socio-econoimc development; and

3) to recommend policy-oriented actions to fully tap the potential of local wisdom in development and a culture of peace.

Central and Sub-themes:

The central theme of the Seminar is: Integrating Local Wisdom in Education for Socio-economic and Cultural Development.

Sub-Themes could include:

-- Integration of local wisdom in education: policies and strategies

-- Preservation and renovation of local wisdom for cultural and socio-economic development

-- Utilization of local wisdom for development and peace: partnership and networking

Participation

The Seminar will be open to all policy-makers, researchers and practitioners in education, culture and other development sectors.

Resource persons and speakers will be invited from the region and beyond to reflect broad international perspectives and practices.

Hosts

SEAMEO Regional Centre of Archaeology and Fine Arts (SEAMEO-SPAFA)
The Office of the Education Council (OEC)
International Education Programme, Burapha University
Unesco's Asia Pacific Programme of Educational Innovation for Development (UNESCO-APEID)
Korean Education Development Institute (KEDI)
Yunnan Nationalities University, Kunming China
Chiengrai Province (Governor)