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Addressee: Member States

Paragraph #48Session #4 (2005)

Full Text

States should:
(a) Endorse intercultural education as national policy priority to ensure equal access for indigenous children to quality and culturally appropriate primary education, as stipulated in the Convention on the Right of the Child; (b) Increase substantially State budgetary allocations in order to meet Millennium Development Goal 2 for indigenous children; c) Increase funding for Goal 2 for indigenous children through bilateral and multilateral cooperation; (d) Review current national curricula and textbooks to erase culturally discriminatory materials and enhance knowledge of indigenous cultures; (e) Establish effective arrangements for the participation of indigenous parents and community members in decisions regarding the planning, delivery and evaluation of education services for their children, including in the designing and implementation of their own education at all levels, including developing appropriate teaching materials and methods; (f) Ensure an increase in the number of indigenous persons in the educational sectors, including in policy, administration, teaching indigenous culture, history and contemporary society, indigenous languages and production of educational materials; (g) Ensure that indigenous children have access to free primary quality education; (h) Eliminate national policies and practices that create further difficulties for indigenous children to enjoy their right to education, such as the request for birth certificates for the enrolment of children and the refusal to accept indigenous names and traditional dress in schools; (i) Develop bilingual and culturally appropriate primary education for indigenous children to reduce dropout rates. The mother tongue must be the first learning language and the national language the second language; curricula should reflect indigenous peoples' holistic worldviews, knowledge systems, histories, spiritual values and physical activities, physical education and sports; (j) Recognize that isolation is a major obstacle that prevents indigenous peoples from fully enjoying their right to education. States should establish best practices, such as residential or boarding schools, where they have worked positively, and mobile and seasonal schools or the use of technologies, such as remote teaching and the Internet, to reach the most isolated and remote indigenous communities; (k) support enrolment of indigenous persons in teacher-training programs, colleges and relevant higher educational institutions; (l) Develop school curricula for indigenous peoples in cooperation with other Governments at the regional level in order to maximize the sustainable use of resources in this area; (m) Develop monitoring guidelines and indicators for achieving Goal 2 regarding indigenous children and set benchmarks in that regard; (n) In the context of the Millennium Development Goals, particularly the achievement of primary universal education, the Forum recommends that States, the United Nations system and other intergovernmental organizations pay attention to intercultural bilingual education for indigenous peoples at the preschool, primary and tertiary levels

Responses

The Government of Argentina states the following in its report (E/C.19/2006/4):

In the area of education the domestic laws concerning indigenous peoples are article 75, paragraph 17 of the National Constitution; Act No. 23,302; and the Federal Education Act No.24,195, particularly articles 5 and 34. Article 34 stipulates that the State shall promote programs in collaboration with the relevant authorities, to restore and strengthen indigenous languages and cultures, emphasizing their importance as a force for reintegration.

The National Institute for Indigenous Affairs (INAI) defined working guidelines designed to support intercultural education and aboriginal teaching methods, cultural revitalization and historical research activities to be undertaken by indigenous peoples themselves.

In the area of education the goal of INAI is to help strengthen intercultural bilingual education by implementing mother-tongue teaching projects, publishing bilingual materials for students in schools belonging to the national education system based on the experiences of each community or people. In accordance with the working guidelines, INAI runs a Program on Support for Intercultural Indigenous Education and a Program for the Teaching of Literacy in Indigenous Communities by Indigenous Teachers. Please see report for more details.

The Government of Mexico states the following in its report to the fifth session (E/C.19/2006/4/Add.3):The Government of Mexico states the following in its report to the fifth session (E/C.19/2006/4/Add.3):

The Coordinating Office for Intercultural Bilingual Education (CGEIB) carries out its activities in the framework of two new education policies:

(a) Promoting linguistically and culturally appropriate, high quality education for indigenous persons at all levels; and

(b) Strengthening the development of intercultural education for all.

These two commitments translate into actions, activities, and outputs related to the recommendations of the fourth session of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (E/2005/43), particularly those contained in paragraphs 48, 57, 93, 97, and 98 which concern efforts to spread awareness, recognition and appreciation of cultural diversity; in other words, to ensure inclusiveness, equity, equality and justice in interpersonal relations among people of different cultures and to promote mutual respect and understanding among these groups through intercutltural education. Please see report for more detailed implementation of paragraph 48 (a), (b), (c), (d), (e), (f), (g), (h), (i), (j), (k), (l), and (n) of the Forum.

Final Report of UNPFII Session 4 (2005)

Area of Work

MDGs, Education