Islamabad : The International Day of Education will be marked today (Wednesday) with the theme ‘learning for lasting peace.’
Government and private organisations have planned seminars, conferences, discussions, walks and contests for the day, which is dedicated by the Unesco, the United Nations agency promoting education and communication and the arts, to the crucial role formal learning and teachers play in countering hate speech.
"The accelerated spread of hate speech is a threat to all communities. Our best defence is education, which must be at the heart of any peace efforts. It is our collective duty to empower learners of all ages to deconstruct hate speech, and lay the foundations for inclusive, democratic and human-rights respecting societies. To succeed, we need to better train and support teachers who are on the front lines in overcoming this phenomenon," said Unesco Director-General Audrey Azoulay in a message.
To mark the day, the Federal Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education on Tuesday organised the sixth annual `International Day of Education English Speech Contest’ where students shared their perspectives on peace, tolerance, interfaith harmony and gender equality.
The Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training has planned to celebrate the day by hosting an event at the National Library to raise awareness of social issues affecting youth and opportunities for vision screening and career counselling. The National Education Foundation will set up a stall there with the help of their transgender learners and community school students. The ministry on Tuesday held a meeting to review arrangements for celebrating the day. Senior Joint Secretary Syed Junaid Akhlaq chaired the meeting, which was attended by senior officials of the ministry and its allied departments, different stakeholders and media teams.