ICOMOS International Secretariat
Il 18 aprile si celebra in tutto il mondo la Giornata Internazionale dei Monumenti e dei Siti indetta dall'ICOMOS. Tema di questa edizione: "The Heritage of Education".
In 2013, the theme is the Heritage of Education (schools, universities, libraries, academies, etc.) in its expressions in different geo-cultural contexts. UNAM christopher-amos
Throughout history and in different geo-cultural contexts, education was practised in a wide range of places or buildings. Open spaces, agora or the protective shadow of a tree could be useful for the transmission of knowledge, but also specific institutional buildings such as schools, universities, madrasas, academies, libraries, monasteries, etc.
Many of those buildings, groups of buildings or sites are recognised as bearing not only social or institutional values but also historic or artistic ones, and have therefore become a significant part of our cultural heritage.
The protection and conservation of the heritage of education not only implies preserving cultural assets but also, at the same time, celebrating education as one of the fundamental human tasks
-----
Although it is possible to find several definitions of education, all of them refer to a form of learning in
which knowledge, skills and habits of a group of people are transferred from one generation to the next
through teaching, training or research. Education also means the transmission of beliefs and values and
can therefore be considered as one of the main means for constructing the future.
In ancient civilisations, adults trained the young of their society in the knowledge and skills they would
need to master. The evolution of culture and human beings as a species depended on this practice of
transmitting knowledge. In pre-literate societies this was achieved orally and through imitation; story-telling
continued from one generation to the next. Oral language developed into written symbols and letters. The
depth and breadth of knowledge that could be preserved and passed on soon increased exponentially.
When cultures began to extend their knowledge beyond the basic skills of communicating, trading,
gathering food, religious practices, etc., formal education, and schooling, eventually followed. Schooling in
this sense was already in place in Egypt between 3000 and 500 BP.
In ancient Greece, Plato founded the Academy in Athens, which was the first institution of higher learning
in the Western world. Alexandria, in Egypt, became the successor to Athens as the intellectual cradle of
the Western World. In the East, Confucius was China's most influential ancient philosopher, whose
educational outlook continues to influence the societies of China and neighbours like Korea, Japan and
Vietnam. In Korea, a form of private lesson was popular during ancient times, but during the Koryeo
kindom (918-1392) and the Joseon period (1392-1910), National Educational Institutes existed and, during
the Joseon period, regional Confucian academy schools were dominant and still remain conserved in good
condition.
The Medieval universities of Western Christendom were well-integrated across all of Western Europe.
They encouraged freedom of enquiry and produced a great variety of fine scholars and natural
philosophers. The University of Bologna is considered the oldest continually operating university.
Elsewhere during the Middle Ages, Islamic science and mathematics flourished under the
Islamic caliphate established across the Middle East, extending from the Iberian Peninsula in the west to
the Indus in the east and to the Almoravid Dynasty and Mali Empire in the south.
Throughout history and in different geo-cultural contexts, education was practised in a wide range of
places or buildings. Open spaces, agora or the protective shadow of a tree could be useful for the
transmission of knowledge, but also specific institutional buildings such as schools, universities, madrasas,
academies, libraries, monasteries, etc. Many of those buildings, groups of buildings or sites are recognised
as bearing not only social or institutional values but also historic or artistic ones, and have therefore
become a significant part of our cultural heritage. The protection and conservation of the heritage of
education not only implies preserving cultural assets but also, at the same time, celebrating education as
one of the fundamental human tasks.
Several heritage properties linked to education have reached international recognition and are inscribed on
the UNESCO World Heritage List: the sites of the Bauhaus (Germany), the University and historic precinct
of Alcalá de Henares (Spain), the university campuses in Caracas (Venezuela) and Mexico City. At the
same time, several historic towns and centres inscribed on the List house buildings and complexes related
to education. In other cases, buildings, ensembles or places are protected at national or local levels.
However, many cultural properties linked to education and bearing historic, artistic or social values do not
yet enjoy proper protection and recognition. It becomes thus necessary to insist on the fate of schools and
university campuses as these are two concrete forms of this heritage, often neglected as we focus our
conservation interest on the education programmes instead of the buildings and places themselves.
ICOMOS has selected “The Heritage of education” as the theme for celebrating the 2013 International Day
for Monuments and Sites on 18 April, including under that title all kinds of heritage assets that, in the
framework of the World’s cultural diversity, are related to education.
ICOMOS Committees are kindly invited to organise events related to this important date: conferences,
lectures, press releases, round tables, visits to heritage properties, etc. in order to raise public awareness
related to this specific type of heritage.
Among several topics to be reflected and discussed, ICOMOS proposes the following:
• Is there a proper recognition of buildings, ensembles or sites related to education?
• Are properties related to education bearing historic, artistic or social values properly protected
and conserved?
• Are the values of those properties properly interpreted and presented to society?
• Are educational heritage components properly maintained and used in the context of
contemporary standards?
• What could be done to guarantee the good use of the heritage of education whilst preserving its
values?
• Have the authorities in charge of education put in place policies, obligations or other measures to
protect, conserve and enhance the architectural heritage of the schools, colleges, university
campuses or other sites they use for educational purposes; e.g. Heritage Management Plans or
Advisory Committees?
We kindly request ICOMOS Committees to inform the International Secretariat on planned events so that
we can publish them on the ICOMOS website and share your activities among the members of the world-
wide ICOMOS family.
http://www.icomos.org/en/what-we-do/focus/18-april-international-day-for-monuments-and-sites
Tutto il territorio nazionale