Teacher training experts explore challenges and solutions in teaching about intolerance and anti-Semitism at OSCE/ODIHR meeting in Lisbon

Thirty-five education professionals from teacher training institutions across the OSCE region came together in Lisbon on 21 and 22 November 2017 for a meeting focusing on solutions to the challenges faced by teachers when they address intolerance, bias, prejudice, anti-Semitism and related subjects in the classroom.

The event was organized by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) as part of its Words into Action to Address Anti-Semitism project.

“We need to find answers to the questions of why it is so difficult for teachers in some parts of the OSCE area to address these subjects and why they sometimes choose to avoid them altogether,” ODIHR Project Manager Ilan Cohn said in his opening remarks.

Participants discussed plans for framework curricula and guidance materials for pre-service teacher training to be produced as part of ODIHR’s efforts to help prevent anti-Semitism through education. They also reviewed proposals for teacher aids touching on issues such as media literacy and adapting to local contexts while countering intolerance and anti-Semitism. These various practical tools will be based on recommendations of research commissioned by ODIHR.

“The history of Jews in Portugal, both modern and more distant, highlights the significance of addressing anti-Semitism at its roots through education and, with it, the importance of hosting this valuable event,” said Professor Maria de Fatima Reis, Director of the Alberto Benveniste Research Center of Sephardic Studies at the University of Lisbon.

The Words into Action project focuses on three components: security, education and coalition building. The educational tools for teachers and teacher training institutes discussed in Lisbon will be complemented by guidelines for education policymakers.