Mötesplats Rydberg - Lassana Ouattara: THE IMPACT OF CHANGE AGENTS IN EDUCATION AND RESEARCH - A MODEL EVEN FOR SWEDEN?

Tuesday 19 May 2015, 15:30 → 16:30 Europe/Stockholm

Rydbergsalen (Fysiska institutionen-Physics Department)

Lund University is on behalf of the Swedish Agency for International Development Aids (SIDA) giving an international trainee program for change agents. The program called Childs right in the context of classroom and school management, focuses on children's rights in the classroom context and in school leadership and school improvement issues. The trainee program is designed to provide opportunities to compare and exchange experiences with participants from Mali, Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Burundi, Rwanda and Congo while taking into account the Convention on the Rights of the Child and education for all. We show that learning environments and classrooms that are protective, inclusive, student-centered, democratic and that encourage active learning have the potential to solve problems as low throughput, absenteeism and dropout rates. From a development perspective, the program aims to improve the participating countries' ability to provide and guarantee the right of everyone to relevant and quality education, an education that is safe and secure, inclusive, student-centered and democratic. Lund University also want the program to create change processes that provide opportunities for all, regardless of background, to participate in society as active citizens. Our experience of the program shows that this can be a model that can solve many school and teaching related problems even in Sweden! Last but not least, I will also present opportunities for educational and research collaboration with those countries.