Project Description

The Social and Human Sciences Committee of the UNESCO National Commission of the Philippines (UNACOM) and the Philippine Social Science Council (PSSC) completed four years ago a study to review social sciences textbooks in the elementary and high school levels. Among the major findings of the review is that social science textbooks suffer from: (a) tendency to present social realities in an idealized context; (b) lack of integration within and across topics; (c) superficial treatment of topics without sufficient reasoned methods of discovering evidence or facts; (d) inaccuracies both obvious and inherent in the data.

In 2002, the UNACOM and PSSC published, Using Important Concepts in Social and Human Sciences to Improve Learning Content and Processes in Social Sciences. This document proposes a framework for teachers and textbook writers on the integration or convergence of the different social sciences and the linkage of sciences and humanities.

For more information please contact AIJC: 725-4227-28

" The challenge in bridging the gap between science and decision-making is in blending reasoning with visions."
                                                            Federico Mayor, UNESCO Dir. General

"Recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world.."
                          Universal Declaration of Human Rights: December 10, 1948

Global scope of the UNESCO Social and Human Sciences Committee

• Social science research and policy
• Human rights, democracy and peace
• Youth and sports
• Cooperation for development
• Philosophy and ethics
• Bio-ethics
• Status of women and gender equality

S&H Regional Offices

• UNESCO-Indonesia (Jakarta) Regional Office for science and technology in Southeast Asia
• UNESCO-Thailand (Bangkok) Regional Office for Asian and the Pacific

Global S&H Major Participation Program Paths

• Advancement, transfer and sharing of scientific knowledge (technical assistance; advance training in cooperation with regional networks, NGOS, specialized institutions).
  
• Science, environment and socio-economic development (finding solutions to key issues of socially and environmentally sustainable development).
  
• Philosophy, ethics and human sciences (critical reflection on major contemporary changes/perceptions; ethics of science)

Global S&H Programs

• MOST (Management of Social Transformation) – multiculturalism; cities; housing; drugs; social relations; ethnicity; gender; linguistic rights; religious rights; brain drain; poverty research; indigenous knowledge for cost-effective and sustainable survival strategies.
  
• SOCIAL AND HUMAN SCIENCES DOCUMENTATION CENTER – on-line periodicals, directories of institutions, periodicals, specialists.

• INTERNATIONAL PRIZES – Human Rights Education (1994, Phil. Com. On HR); Peace Education; Children’s and Young People’s Literature in the Service of Tolerance (books for children up to 18 years old); UNESCO-Madanjeet Singh Prize for the Promotion of Tolerance and Non-Violence in the arts, education, culture, science, communication.
  
• INTERNATIONAL SOCAL SCIENCE JOURNAL (First WORLD SOCIAL SCIENCE REPORT launched June 1999).
  
• UNESCO-DANIDA (Danish Agency for Development Assistance) PROGRAM ON HUMAN RIGHTS – “How to determine” and “how to participate” in a democracy for developing regions and countries in transition; HR and democracy, women’s status and role in society, indigenous peoples; HR education at university level and using non-formal educational activities (Cape Verde, Ecuador, Guatemala, Malawi, Mongolia).

UNACOM S&H Projects 1999

• Implementation of the World Science Conference agenda (ethics; science for humanity; teaming with non-social sciences; indigenous science)
  
• Philippine Year for a Culture of Peace, 2000 AD.
  
• MOST (Re-absorbing OCWs; new foreign in-migrations)
  
• Co-publication with WADEV: “Violence Against Women”.
  
• Human and Social Science Review of the DECS Elementary and Secondary Curricula in view of a vision of education for peace, tolerance, effective citizenship and the declaration of 2000 as Year for the Culture of Peace (Phase 1, 1999; Phase 2, 2000)

Some Previous UNACOM & S&H Projects

• Conference on Rethinking the Filipino Family –International Year of the Family culminating event.
  
• Research on violence against women, mobilization of women parliamentarians, hosting of meetings—support for the 4th World Conference on Women, Beijing 1995.
  
• Participation, 1st International Culture of Peace Forum –El Salvador, 1995.
  
• Support for Earthday/Everyday Journal – To widen the campaign for water conservation.
  
• Research and book publication, “Values Education Through History toward Tolerance and Peace” – International Year of Tolerance participation, 1997.
  
• Workshops on the UNESCO Framework of Peace and Tolerance Education – International year of Tolerance, 1997.
  
• Nomination of the Rizal Martyrdom Centennial and the Philippine Proclamation of Independence and Democracy Centennials on World Calendar of celebrations, 1996 and 1998.
  
• Dissemination of the “Declaration of the Principles on Tolerance” in Filipino and English, along with a flag-raising message – Country participation, International Day of Tolerance, 1997 and 50th year of UNESCO.
  
• Participation, Asia-Pacific Regional Meeting on Tolerance, 1996.
  
• Sponsorship, The Inter-relationships of the Social Sciences and other Branches of Knowledge – Preparatory to National Social Science Congress IV & World Science Congress 1999.
  
• Participation, MOST in the Philippines

Some UNACOM S&H Priorities

• Transdisciplinary programs with the exact and natural science; other World Science Conference concerns.
  
• Dissemination and implementation of the UNACOM S&H Review of the DECS Curriculum.
  
• Continuing MOST.
  
• Transdisciplinary programs with other UNACOM Committees to further the impact of social and human sciences.
  
• 2000: Year of a Culture of Peace (locally and globally).

• Tubataha Reef World Heritage Site (Full UNACOM) – social and human sciences research towards people’s participation in community conservation action (Ex: Linguistic domain survey and anthropology research for conservation entry points).
• 2000 year of Peace (Full UNACOM) – Communications, Culture, S&H sit on presidential National Committee on the Culture of Peace (NCCP), created July 5, 1999.
• S&H Review of DECS Curriculum (Full UNACOM ) – check for UNESCO attitudes, language, concerns

PROJECT PROPOSAL SUBMISSION for UNACOM-S&H Funding

Address to: The UNACOM Social & Human Sciences Committee, Ground Floor, DFA Building (Attn: Ms. Kristine Floria).

Deadlines:

• For Annual UNACOM S&H Budget – January/February of each year.
• For Participation Program Budget (UNESCO Paris) – December of the General Conference Year through January of the next year.

Include:

How UNESCO goals and S&H priorities are served; specify target beneficiaries and clear quantifiable objectives that will be met; needs filled by the proposed effort; other UNESCO projects aided by the project.

Procedure:

Review regular S&H Committee meeting: query/decision sent immediately after meeting.

• MOST – Continuation of Philippine participation in regional and global research on migration and its impact (2000 – on-going).
  
• Participation 6th Intl. Philippine Studies Conference – Paper presentation/publication and panel discussion on International Politics and Philippine Foreign Policy: The Intertwining of the of the 19th and 20th Centuries (2000).
  
• Bangsa Moro Filipino Research – Teamed with UNACOM Science Committee; research and published pioneering Directory of Bangsa Moro Filipino Scientists (2001).
  
• Research and publication, “The Social and Human Sciences in Phil. Basic Education – A Review of Elementary and High School Textbooks” (190p, 2000).
  
• Research and publication, “A Draft Social Studies Curriculum for Basic Education (68p, 2001).
  
• Research with publication on-going, “Important Concepts, Their Examples and Related Cultural Properties for Improving the Content and Pedagogical Framework of Social Studies in Basic Education: The Usefulness of Social and Human Sciences Towards Individual and Societal Mutual Well-Being” (2001 – on-going).
  
• International Bureau of Educational Global Survey on Curriculum – Research done in partnership with DECS and UNESCO Bangkok regional office towards a global situational report on the use of UNESCO Pillars of Education and the theme-ing in pedagogy (2001).