Conference Theme 
​Valuing Diversity in Education: Formal and Informal Learning Across Cultures

​Venue
Kathmandu University, Nepal

**Call for papers – extended deadline.
The Conference Committee has received inquiries about late submission. 
The deadline call for paper has been moved forward to the 31st of March 2020.

CALL FOR PAPERS
Learning can be seen as an informal, everyday phenomenon; as a formal, systematized process; or (lying somewhere in the middle of an informal-formal spectrum) as a more flexibly planned and organized ‘non-formal’ activity. Everyday learning can be conscious or subconscious, planned or unplanned, whereas formal learning is more planned, formalized and systematic. Studies of diverse contexts highlight the dynamics of everyday learning and its importance to various communities, which is often overlooked in research focusing on the formal sector. This is perhaps especially true in societies, such as those of South Asia, where access to institutions of formal education remains highly problematic for many. But the significance of informal learning is generally under-appreciated in mainstream educational scholarship. Realizing the potential for life-long learning everywhere depends on understanding how informal learning complements and shapes learning in more formal settings. Comparative perspectives are crucial to an analysis of how different forms of learning interact in different social and cultural contexts, and therefore to efforts to render education more relevant and accessible to various social groups. As a forum for exchanging comparative insights (particularly, but not only, in relation to Asia), the 12th Biennial CESA Conference will contribute to bridging the gulf between studies of formal and informal learning. The conference theme is:

Valuing Diversity in Education: Formal and Informal Learning Across Cultures

While keynote and plenary sessions will directly address the overall conference theme, the sub-themes (around which parallel sessions will be organized) are framed quite broadly in order to accommodate a wide range of presentations.

What is learning, and what is it for? – Ethical frameworks for debating learning/education.
Historical perspectives on learning across Asia
Curriculum development and the ‘skills’ debate – standardization vs. diversity
Assessment and accreditation of learning across the formal-informal divide
Planning, governance and finance of learning systems (formal and informal)
Confronting inequalities in access to learning
‘21st Century Skills’: learning, technology and ‘new media’
Learning to belong – identity formation, political socialization and values
Learning for diverse societies
Learning for sustainable development – the challenge of SDG 4.7
Learning and the market – shadow education, privatization and related issues
Lifelong learning and learning in the workplace
 

In addition to keynotes, plenaries and parallel sessions, the conference will feature poster presentations, panel discussions and a pre-conference writing workshop.

If you are interested in presenting, please fill out the “Presenter’s Proposal Form” below giving details of your presentation(s) and send it to CESA2020@kusoed.edu.np by March 31 2020.
 
Important dates
Aug 1, 2019                             Call for submission open
March 31, 2020                            Deadline for proposal submission
May 30, 2020                          Acceptance notification
Jun 30, 2020                            Conference Registration
Sep 24-25, 2020                      Pre-Conference Workshop
Sept 25, 2020                          CESA Board Meeting
Sept 26-27, 2020                     Conference sessions
Sept 28, 2020                          Sightseeing


For further details, please contact:
CESA 2020 Conference Secretariat, GPO BOX NO 6250, Kathmandu, Nepal
Phone: +977-1– 5250524    Email:  CESA2020@kusoed.edu.np  














Pashupatinath Temple Image Attribution: Alexander Shafir [CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)]