International Day of Education

"Because if hatred starts with words, peace starts with education. What we learn changes how we view the world and influences how we treat others. Education must therefore be at the heart of our efforts to achieve and maintain world peace."

- Audrey Azoulay / UNESCO Director General

The International Day of Education is celebrated on 24 January 2024. This year UNESCO is stressing the importance of education in friendships skills, co-operation, companionship, mutual respect and other apects that promote overall PEACE.

According to UNESCO the world is seeing violent conflicts with the rise of discrimination, racism and hate speech. An active commitment to peace is more urgent today than ever: Education is central to this endeavor, as underlined by the UNESCO Recommendation on Education for Peace, Human Rights and Sustainable Development.

Learning and aiming for peace must be transformative. Education must provide learners with the necessary knowledge, values, attitudes, skills and behaviours to become "friendly agents of peace".

Read the full speech from Ms Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of UNESCO, on the occasion of International Day of Education from here.

 

Kindiedays theme-based lesson plan: Emotions

 

How to support peaceful and friendly behaviour in early education?

Education can fight hatred and negativity. In educational settings, it is important to teach children from a very early on how to treat other people. Practising ethical thinking, self-regulation, emotional skills, social competence and respectful behaviour can start with simple things. Also sense of belonging and feeling loved and liked is crucial.

Here are some practical tips from UNICEF on how to teach and support children in early childhood education with some of the most important life skills.

• Self-regulation skills

Teaching children how to regulate themselves in the early years helps them understand and control emotions, focus on learning and manage stress. Learn more about the strategies used by Tatjana Gregova, Peer Support Teacher in Macedonia.

 

• Manage conflict situations

Conflict situations give birth to stress and stress can trigger conflict situations. See how Mira Gjorgjievska, a Pedagogue and Peer Support Teacher from Macedonia is working with children to help them deal with difficult situations. 

 

• Self-acceptance, self-love

Teaching children from an early age to respect themselves and to nurture self-love helps them show respect and love to others. See how teacher Aleksandra Andonovska–Janeva, a Peer Support Teacher from Macedonia is implementing self-acceptance techniques

Kindiedays theme-based lesson plan: All about me

 

• The feeling of belonging in the group

When children can choose the way they want to be greeted, they develop a sense of belonging and it sets a positive tone for the day. Learn more from Hadjere Mahmudi, a Teacher in Macedonia.

Happy, peaceful and joyful learning!