International Education Year 1970 (July 6, 1970)

The format of the stamps is horizontal. The design is common to both the denominations with a difference in colour only. Light emanates from an open book and pen symbolic of ‘Learning’ and falls on the symbol of the ‘International Education Year’. The symbol is formed of black concentric circles, the pen and book are in black outline. The caption ‘International Education Year 1970’ the value 20 Paisa and 50 Paisa and the words ‘Pakis-tan’ in English, Bengali and Urdu are also in Black colour. The background is in pale blue colour in the 20 Paisa stamp and orange in the 50 Paisa stamp. The symbol and the word ‘Postage’ are green in the 20 Paisa and blue in the 50 Paisa stamp. The ray of light is yellow ochre against the book and fades gradually as it reaches the symbol.
On December 17, 1968, the General Assembly of the United Nations adopted a resolution on International Education Year, by which, among other things, it endorsed the programme of action for the year set out in the resolution of the UNESCO on the subject. International Education Year 1970 is a world-wide effort to expand and improve education and training in all their forms through studies and research on educational problems, creating new approaches to teach-ing, focussing public attention on the need for reforms, and modifying policies and legislation where necessary. Pakistan Post Office is issuing a set of two postage stamps of 20 Paisa and 50 Paisa denominations on 6. 7. 1970 to commemorate the occasion.
When the United Nations General Ass-embly proclaimed 1970 as International Education Year and at the same time the year for the launching of the Second United Nations Development Decade, it implicitly stressed the links existing between develop-ment and education. The objectives set forth in the General Assembly resolution coincide with the development strategy pro-posed by the Committee for Development Planning (CDP) for education, and parti-cularly life-long education, in the seventies. The CDP emphasizes the fact that education, a powerful stimulus to economic growth, comprises not only the transmission of knowledge, the development of which is vital for the improvement of human lot, but also the inculcation of an attitude which will enable our societies to fulfil their scientific and cultural potentialities. Setting objectives like this is indeed placing the emphasis on the necessity for life-long education.
While the sponsors of International Education Year talk of educational research, comparative education and studies of new methods and techniques in education, mem-bers of the CDP, also mindful of the impor-tance of devising educational system in terms of development needs, say that the objective must be to prepare the rising generation for the important task awaiting it, starting with pre-school children. Aware of the fact that the education produces long-term results, members of CDP consider nevertheless that a curriculum calculated to increase effective-ness in the near future can be worked out.
Thus, complementary objectives, coordi-nated activities, launching dates which coincide, bring these two large-scale opera-tions within the compass of a single cam-paign calling for a general mobilization of efforts in all countries. Consideration is even being given to the idea of organizing another International Education Year in 1980, at the close of the Second Decade. At that stage it would be possib1~ to assess the progress made and update education strategies.
The United States National Commission for UNESCO has begun to work in close co-operation with non-governmental orga-nizations for furthering the International Education Year (IEY) objectives. Its membership is encouraged to give special attention during the year to the following priorities: (a) extending educational oppor-tunity; (b) improving education for citi-zenship in a global society; and (c) increas-ing international co-operation in education.