Moscow, Nov. 13, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Children of the Arctic" International Project roundtable discussion took place in Naryan-Mar in mid-October to open discussions related to Russia's Chairmanship of the Arctic Council in 2021–2023, operated by the Roscongress Foundation.
Representatives of federal and regional authorities, NGOs, and Russian and foreign experts in education and indigenous minorities of the North attended the discussion.
The roundtable participants discussed the project concept for 2021–2023 and new proposals for its implementation. According to the experts, one of the main objectives of the updated framework is to give indigenous children of the North equal educational opportunities while maintaining their links with their traditional cultural environment. The indigenous communities should determine the project's results and become their primary implementers.
The project "Children of the Arctic: Pre-school and School Education" was launched in 2017 by the Federal Agency for Ethnic Affairs. The project aims to assess and research best practices by experts from the Arctic Council member states in the field of free pre-school and school education for children of indigenous minorities of the North, ensuring the study of national history, native and state languages, as well as the acquisition and preservation of knowledge about traditional nature management. Russia, Canada and Finland support the project.
"Supporting nomadic education requires clear coordination and an increased international component, which is necessary to make maximum use of modern digital technologies," said Anna Otke, a member of the Federation Council Committee on Foreign Affairs and vice president of the Association of Indigenous Peoples of the North, Siberia and the Far East for interaction with state authorities.
"Indigenous people have fewer opportunities when it comes to education. Russia is a pioneer in establishing nomadic schools, so we are interested in sharing best practices," said Anders Oskal, secretary general of the International Centre for Reindeer Husbandry and executive director of the International Centre for Reindeer Husbandry of the Kingdom of Norway.
Among the main initiatives discussed was the creation of a platform to share best practices from Arctic countries in indigenous children's education, the creation of a library of textbooks and curricula, the development of a training system and the creation of an indigenous teacher exchange program, as well as the organization of an Indigenous Peoples' Education Congress.