ICHCAP

A sub-regional meeting for safeguarding intangible cultural heritage (ICH) through formal and non-formal education in Central Asia was held at the Park Hotel in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, from 18 to 19 June 2019.

As a two-day workshop, the objective was to engage responsible officials from culture and education ministries of Central Asian countries (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan) as well as directors of ASPnet (Associated Schools Project Network) schools in a joint reflection on how to implement UNESCO’s funding priority on safeguarding ICH in formal and non-formal education in Central Asia. The meeting was also held particularly to focus on methods of transmitting knowledge on learning about, with, and through ICH and develop guidance for teachers.

The topics covered at the workshop were as follows:

• Benefits of integrating the safeguarding of living cultural heritage in education
• Existing experiences on integrating ICH into education at global level
• Overview of current situation in Central Asia (Technical Vocational Education and Training Institutions (TVET) for ICH and school based experiences of integrating ICH in education)
• Methods for integrating ICH in formal and non-formal education developed
• Available country experiences
• Development of recommendations for integrating ICH safeguarding in existing school programs and extracurricular activities

The workshop also consolidated experiences and tools to facilitate sharing within and across countries and promoted networking among relevant stakeholders in Central Asian countries as well as from other countries involved in this global initiative of safeguarding ICH in education.