World Teacher's Day

Some of the guest speakers at the World Teacher's Day.

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2008

On the occasion of the 2008 World Teacher's Day, the Flemish UNESCO Commission and Group T-International University College Leuven organized an event on the Four Pillars of Education: learning to know, learning to do, learning to live together, and learning to be.

Educational policy makers worldwide have gladly referred to these Four Pillars ever since the UNESCO-commission headed by Jacques Delors identified them in 1996. Day-to-day practice, however, has proven that it is far from simple to implement these principles in class, at school, or in society at large.

The World Teacher's Day gathered teachers, teacher trainers and coaches, management and coordinators in Flanders and aimed to give inspiration on how to give form and content to the Four Pillars in everyday teaching.

Throughout the morning, several guest speakers, amongst whom former commission member Zhou Nanzhao, illustrated the impact of the Four Pillars on today's education. In the afternoon, a number of workshops could be attended on how the Four Pillars have been applied in educational contexts in Flanders, our neighboring countries, and the third world. At night, after a reception, participants attended a play by SkaGeN on 2500 years of oratory tradition, 'DegrotemonD, een ode aan 2500 jaar redevoeren'.