Dr. Gina Lontoc of the College of Education and UST Graduate School joined the British Association for International and Comparative Education (BAICE) 2022 International Conference, which was held in the University of Edinburgh, Scotland from September 13 to 15, 2022. Due to travel restrictions, she opted to participate online.
As the Country Project Lead of Family Literacy Projects under the UNESCO Chair in Adult Literacy and Social Transformation based at the University of East Anglia, United Kingdom, she discussed the roles and responsibilities of researchers, participants, partner organizations, and local government units involved in the family literacy projects of the UST team.
Interestingly, she also talked about the wider impact of the UNESCO Chair partnership and initiatives on the research culture in the University. This includes producing high impact research outputs that inform policy and practice; organizing e-fora that raise debates on the changing landscapes of adult literacy, the drivers of change and its challenges; and conceptualizing new research projects in the field of Sustainable Development. These projects are within the fields of family literacy, indigenous and local knowledge systems, and intergenerational learning, with the recent one on health literacy.
Along with other Country Project Leads, Lontoc shared how UST has experienced the partnership including interactions among academics and students, new connections and networks with institutions from various parts of the world, funding opportunities, collaborative bids, and wider reputational impact. She also discussed the institutional support provided by UST to the UNESCO Chair activities.
