Program
11:30 – 12:00: Lunch
12:00 – 12:15: Opening remarks
- Mr. Frølich Holte, State Secretary, Ministry of International Development
12:15 – 13:15: Panel discussion on youth and skills in the 21st century
- Sten Ludvigsen, University of Oslo
- Esther Care, Brookings Institution
- Kendra Dupuy, CMI
- Christina Kwauk, Brookings Institution
13:20 – 13:40: Presentation 1: Non-formal life skills programs for girls (Sosina Bezu, CMI)
13:40 – 14:00: Presentation 2: Assessing and teaching critical thinking and problem solving skills. The PROBE-project (Anders Kluge, IPED, University of Oslo)
14:15 – 15:15: Panel discussion: Policy for Norway and abroad in meeting diverse needs
- Seleshi Tadesse, Ethiopian Ministry of Women and Children
- Lihong Huang, NOVA, Oslo Metropolitan University
- Helge Brochmann, Norad
- Anne-Berit Kavli, Norwegian Directorate for Education and Training
15:15 - 16:00: General discussion and closing remark
About the seminar
Life preparation requires that youth, both girls and boys, learn different types of knowledge and skills in formal, non-formal, and informal learning contexts. With the advent of the Sustainable Development Goals (UNESCO, 2015), the international community and countries worldwide have recognized that young people need to acquire social and cognitive skills that equip them to adapt effectively to a changing world. To navigate the social, economic, and political challenges of the 21st century, young people must be able to think critically, participate politically, live peaceful and healthy lives, create and pursue economic opportunities, use new technologies, and process information in ways that translate into positive individual and societal development.
This seminar presents some implications of this movement for young people in mainstream education as well as for girls in challenging contexts. As there is widespread acknowledgement of the need for educational change, how the formal and non-formal education sectors are addressing implementation is becoming a critical area of enquiry. Over the past two years, the University of Oslo and Chr. Michelsen Institute collaborated with the Brookings Institution on two research initiatives - one conducted in Norwegian schools to explore the assessment implications of the movement, and one focused on needs of girls in developing countries - to inform this area. The findings from the collaborations will be presented at this seminar.