Asia and Pacific Regional Bureau for Education
MEDIA ADVISORY For immediate release
Multilingual Education Forum: Speaking the Language of Change in Asia-Pacific
Bangkok, 1November2013 –Asia-Pacific is one of the most ethnically and linguistically diverse regions in the world. However, rather than benefiting from this cultural richness, a lack of mother-tongue based education all too often means that those who speak minority languages are trapped in a vicious cycle of marginalization and discrimination.
Breaking that cycle and recognizing the integral role of mother-tongue based multilingual education (MTB MLE) in the Education for All (EFA) process will be the primary focus of a major international conference being held by UNESCO Bangkok from 6-8 November, 2013.
Thai Deputy Prime Minister Phongthep Thepkanjana will deliver the welcoming speech at the 4th International Conference on Language And Education: Multilingual Education for all in Asia and the Pacific – Policies, Practices, and Processes, which will be held at Bangkok’s Imperial Queen’s Park Hotel.
Other top policy-makers and non-governmental organization representatives from around the region and beyond will discuss successes and challenges in implementing MLE programmes in their countries. Experts in the field from international universities and think-tanks will also share their research and insights.
The event is the fourth in a series of international conferences organized by the Asia Multilingual Education Working Group (Asia MLE WG) that aims to build national and local capacity in designing, implementing and monitoring MLE programmes in the region.
Four thematic tracks will be featured at the conference: Multilingual education: What and Why: Towards Sound MLE Policy: Language and Language-in-Education Policy and Planning in Asia and the Pacific; Delivering Quality and Inclusive MLE: Teachers, Pedagogy and Innovations; and Measuring Impact.
The conference aims to strengthen momentum for MLE in the region and serve as a platform for a forward-looking debate that can help shape inclusive and progressive education policies for the post-2015 agenda.
The Event: 4th International Conference on Language and Education: Multiple Education for All in Asia and the Pacific – Policies, Practices and Processes
When: 6-8 November 2013
Where: Imperial Queen’s Park Hotel, 199 Sukhumvit Soi 22, Bangkok
Phone: +66 (0) 2261-9000
Hotel Website:
Organisers:
This event is co-organized by UNESCO Bangkok, along with key partners of the Asia Multilingual Education Working Group.
For further information, please contact:
- MrNoel Boivin, Media and Communication Officer, UNESCO Bangkok (email:)
- Ms Jessica Aumann, Education Communication Focal Point, UNICEF EAPRO (email: )
- Ms. Emma Chmura, Communications Focal Point, SIL International
(email: )
Website: