SIGNIFICANCE OF CULTURE IN TODAY’S EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM: THE NATIONAL CULTURE FORUM LOOKS FOR SOLUTIONS
The 6th National Culture Forum organized by the National Association of Creative and Cultural Industries (NKIKIA) focuses on culture and education. On 26 of November, the annual National Culture Forum will draw attention to policy coherence between culture and education, overview and assess its development, practice, challenges, and prospects.
Attention to policy coherence between education and culture
Each year the National Culture Forum brings together the cultural community and highlights the role and challenges of public policy, seeks a dialogue between the policy makers and CCI sector. On 26 of November, the experts of educational and cultural communities will gather to discuss the practical aspects of cultural and educational policies implementation and the policy integration of both fields. The Forum is hosted by the Martynas Mažvydas National Library of Lithuania and moderated by Arminas Varanauskas, Director of the “Knowledge Economy Forum”, co-organizer of the National Culture Forum 2021. The Forum is broadcast on NKIKIA’s Facebook and the Lithuanian National Radio and Television news portal LRT.lt.
“The topic of this year – culture and education – was decided focusing on policy coherence between the two fields. We noticed the potential of culture in the educational system has not been sufficiently explored. We would like to invite experts to discuss the policy coherence between culture and education in a comprehensive and complex way and look for solutions together. The Forum will discuss integration of formal and non-formal education, involvement of creativity and creative thinking into educational system, based on experience of CCI professionals. Although the Forum aims to focus mainly on general education, it will also discuss the issues related to higher education. They are the training of educators and professionals for the successful development of the CCI sector”, Živilė Diavara, a Chair of the NKIKIA Board, explains the aims of the Forum.
Cultural professionals can play an important role in the educational system
According to Milda Laužikaitė, the founder and head of the association “Creative Connections”, co-organizer of the National Culture Forum, the educational system today is facing a huge challenge. It needs to shift towards competency-based education, rethink not only the contents of education, but redesign the way of teaching. She suggests that studying mathematics, history, or languages and simultaneously learning how to create, solve complex problems, and collaborate with others who think differently, is a difficult task for which most current teachers have not been trained.
“In Lithuania, for more than ten years we have been continuing our research-validated practice to help teachers overcome these challenges. We draw on creative professionals who apply creativity, critical thinking, and other key competencies in their daily professional work. This is a huge potential that can help us as a society to create educational system which meets the needs of the 21st century. That is why we would like to invite politicians and decision-makers, creative and educational professionals to better understand and assess this potential and work together in finding practical solutions of how to use existing resources and make principal and urgent changes,” M. Laužikaitė explains the important role of cultural professionals in the educational system.
A global education thought leader from the USA will talk about education for a challenging world
Experts from abroad and Lithuania will talk about the value and significance of culture, development of creative thinking, cultural awareness, and other issues important for the policy coherence between culture and education.
The main guest of the National Culture Forum 2021 is Charles Fadel, USA, who has worked with educational systems and institutions in more than 30 countries, including South Korea, Sweden, Switzerland, and others. The Founder and Chairman of the “Center for Curriculum Redesign”, Project Director at Harvard’s Graduate School of Education, Chair of the Education Committee (Business and Industry Advisory Committee to the OECD), the author of the books and bestseller “21st Century Skills”, Charles Fadel will share his insights towards education for a challenging world and tools to be used in leading the children to success.
The NKIKIA Board is confident, the Forum is an important step towards tangible change and an opportunity for the CCI sector to get involved in the processes: “Through the Forum, we aim to strengthen collaboration and communication between the Ministries of Culture and Education. It is important for us to know that the integration of education and culture discussed at the Forum will make a consistent practical contribution to education in Lithuanian schools.“
More information about the Forum can be found here.
The Forum is organized in partnership with: the Martynas Mažvydas National Library of Lithuania, the Knowledge-Economy Forum (KEF), the Lithuanian Publishers’ Association, the Association “Creative Connections”, the Lithuanian Design Association, Lithuanian Neighbouring Rights Association (AGATA), the Social Leadership Association, the Lithuanian National Radio and Television, the news portal LRT.lt, the news portal Delfi.lt, and the creative communication agency “Pepper agency”.
This news shared by the news portals LRT.lt and Delfi.lt
The Forum is partly funded by Lithuanian Council for Culture and Vilnius city municipality.