UNESCO Chair - Generative Pedagogy and Educational System to Tackle Inequality

Generative Educational Systems and Knowledge-Sharing Communities: Application of the O.Ge.S.O. Protocol

Project Sheet

Prof. Emiliana Mannese – Full Professor of General and Social Pedagogy, Director of the UNESCO Chair “Generative Pedagogy and Educational Systems to Tackle Inequality.”

UNESCO Chair “Generative Pedagogy and Educational Systems to Tackle Inequality” DISUFF – University of Salerno Observatory on Educational Processes and Territorial Analysis

10 / 2025 10 / 2025
UNESCO Chairs (Ferrara – Bianchi; Brescia – Simeone; Naples Federico II – Colao)
Italiadecide (President Anna Finocchiaro)
Treccani Foundation
Community of Sant’Egidio
PERCORSI Social Cooperatives Consortium
Italian schools and educational contexts in the Global South
Educational poverty Generative Pedagogy System-World O.Ge.S.O. Knowledge-Sharing Communities Third Mission educational justice generative governance action research Euro-Mediterranean cooperation

Scientific Framework

Abstract

The project was conceived to address primary and secondary educational poverty in a systemic manner through the implementation of the O.Ge.S.O. Methodological Protocol, grounded in the paradigm of Generative Pedagogy. Its aim is to activate Knowledge-Sharing Communities and build enabling educational ecosystems by integrating action research, territorial governance, and international cooperation, in coherence with the UN 2030 Agenda.

Theoretical context

The epistemological foundation is the paradigm ofGenerative Pedagogy and System-World(Mannese, 2011–2023), which conceives education as a dynamic process of transformation between subjectivity and complex systems. The project distinguishes between:
  • Primary educational poverty(linked to fundamental human needs);
  • Secondary educational poverty(linked to processes of cultural marginalization and existential impoverishment in hyper-complex contexts).
The O.Ge.S.O. Protocol represents the methodological framework for designing generative environments through knowledge co-construction, transformative guidance, and multi-level governance.

Why

The project responds to documented critical issues at both global and national levels:
  • stagnation in access to education (UNESCO);
  • learning poverty in low-income countries;
  • high school dropout rates in Southern Italy (14.6%);
  • structural underfunding of the Italian education system (4.0% of GDP vs. 4.9% OECD average);
  • intergenerational transmission of educational inequalities.
There is a pressing need to overcome the fragmentation of educational policies through a systemic and replicable model.

Purpose

  • To structurally address educational poverty.
  • To generate Knowledge-Sharing Communities as territorial empowerment frameworks.
  • To integrate research, teaching, and Third Mission activities into a model that is assessable and replicable.
  • To strengthen North–South academic cooperation.

Goals

  • To implement the O.Ge.S.O. Protocol in Italian schools and in the Global South.
  • To activate transdisciplinary action-research frameworks.
  • To produce toolkits, Guidelines, and scalable educational governance models.
  • To reduce school dropout rates (–2% in target territories).
  • To activate Euro-Mediterranean and UNESCO networks.

Development and Methodology

Methodology

  • Multi-level action research
  • Territorial co-design processes
  • Generative Educational Pacts
  • Participatory ante/post evaluation
  • Mixed-method monitoring (quantitative + qualitative)
  • UNESCO Chair digital platform
The methodology integrates:
  • shared evaluation rubrics
  • focus groups
  • MIUR/ISTAT/Eurostat indicators
  • three-year open-access reporting.

Participants

  • University professors and researchers
  • PhD candidates and students
  • School principals and teachers
  • Local authorities
  • NGOs and Third Sector partners
  • Partner UNESCO Chairs

Main activities

Year 1 (2025/26) Implementation of O.Ge.S.O. in Italian and African schools 1st International Conference Territorial generative laboratories
Year 2 (2027) Extension to Euro-Mediterranean schools International mobility initiatives Intermediate toolkits and guidelines
Year 3 (2028) Model consolidation 2nd International Conference Final Guidelines and impact report

Results and Resources

Perspectives

  • Establishment of an international network of Generative Educational Communities.
  • Formal consolidation of DISUFF’s Third Mission as an integrated model.
  • Production of replicable educational public goods.
  • National and international scientific validation of the O.Ge.S.O. Protocol.

Bibliographic references

  • Mannese, E. (2011–2023). Studies on Generative Pedagogy and System-World.
  • UNESCO, OECD, and ISTAT documents.
  • O.Ge.S.O. Methodological Protocol.