UNESCO Schools promoting SDGs

It was an honour for me to be able to represent UNESCO UK and promote its mission to the schools. My role as the Project Manager involved promoting the Sustainable Development Goals and helping teachers understand the link between these universal goals and their curriculum. The coordination of UNESCO ASPnet schools is managed by the Steve Sinnott Foundation.

As part of this work, I visited two active schools in June this year. Both schools are located in London and inculcate international mindedness as part of their ethos. One specially rich experience was supporting the Korean study on GCED by researchers from Korean Institute of Curriculum & Evaluation. The researchers spoke with teachers, heads and students to understand how Global Citizenship Education is integrated in the curriculum.

Hockerill Anglo-European College in London welcomed the researchers and facilitated the research study for two days.

http://www.stevesinnottfoundation.org.uk/knowledgebase/aspnet-member-school-uk-participates-in-international-gced-research/

The second school visit was at Ecole J Manuel school London. It is a bilingual school with English and French used as the medium of instruction.

The school laid a special focus on Well-being and Anthropology.

From Meeting the Royals to Jalebi Junction....Hello London!

Hello Friends,

Sorry for the long gap in writing. I always think of writing something here but just get distracted with ... you know what . LIFE! yesss..anyways while thinking of a topic for my blog I remembered I actually didn't share my not so recent move from down under to the world's most famous city-London! This upward geographic move from Aussie land to a country that once ruled more than half the world, my awe was of course contained as I also struggled to cope with the extreme time difference and weather. I took my time to take in the historic magnificence as well as the colours of diversity. While I treaded along Central London on Oxford Street, Regent Street and took in the lights at Leicester Square and Piccadilly Circus discovering the landmarks and streets names that had been etched in my mind since childhood from our Monopoly board game I could not help recalling the famous nursery rhyme.. " Pussy cat Pussy cat where have you been? .. I have been to London to see the Queen!" .. well I only watched the live telecast of the monarch's 90th birthday on television. However only after the sinking feeling I had while staying up all night to follow the historic UK referendum that voted Brexit, I knew I now feel part of this great country too.

Big Ben

The quaint phone booths 

Meeting the Royals

Harrods

Buckingham Palace

Canary Wharf

There is so much to discover here but what I like most about this city is the feeling of being at home away from home. While  Turkish kebabs and Lebanese pizzas have become the popular street foods in Sydney, one will find the Fried chicken shops run mostly by Pakistanis at abundance in almost every part of London. For someone like me who loves to try out new cuisines but is a diehard desi fan, stepping into Southhall High Street in London's West and Bury Park in Luton was a definite treat. The authentic taste and smell of Indian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi food and the crowded markets reminded me of walking in Karachi's famous Tariq Road market. Through this blog I am sharing with you some of the highlights of my stay here so far. Hope you enjoy!

A variety of mixed vegetarian and non-veg curries

Colourful ethnic dresses for every occasion

Spicy chicken tikka and lamb BBQ

Fresh Jalebis at Jalebi Junction

A traditional Paan (Betel leaf) shop in South Hall

Life in the UK has been for me the biggest adventure so far as it was the first time in my life that I moved away from my immediate family to start a new life in a brand new place with my loving partner. I am lucky to have this opportunity to learn more and grow. See you around!