A/HRC/12/33 page 12 45. Holistic growth involves education on the community’s ideals, knowledge and perspectives in developing its own cultural, social, spiritual, economic, political, juridical, natural resources, health and technological systems. Learning is conducted in a participatory way that encourages nurturance and mutual trust between learners and teachers,10 with the active giving and sharing of knowledge. As it is based on the concept of lifelong education, there are no barriers such as time frames, grading or age limits. 46. Holistic traditional education includes sustainable use and management of lands, territories and resources. Recognizing traditional education also means acknowledging its important link to indigenous peoples’ lands, territories and resources; ensuring access to these resources is a prerequisite for the transfer of fundamental elements of traditional knowledge. 47. Traditional skills and knowledge may be transmitted through apprenticeship, repetitive practice and instruction and direct observation. Transmission of spiritual knowledge may come in other forms, such as dreams or as gifts. In most indigenous societies, learning is mainly conducted through oral tradition, making the maintenance of language a vital part of education. 48. Specific traditional occupations that require a high degree of discipline, technical and spiritual understanding, such as healing, carpentry and ironsmithing, are learned through apprenticeship. The apprentice stays with his or her master until the knowledge has been passed from master to pupil. 49. Repetition and application are central to learning the oral tradition. These techniques are employed in transmitting knowledge related to healing (such as knowledge of plants and animals), cultures (languages, songs, dances, weaving), economic and resource management (such as farming or water management), governance (customary laws and political institutions), and social relationships (kinship, behavioural norms and so on). 50. Direct observation through active involvement in activities encourages reflection; with prompting from elders, children learn what is necessary to prepare them to be an adult and an effective member of the community. B. Integration of indigenous perspectives into mainstream education systems and institutions 51. Indigenous peoples have made tremendous efforts to integrate indigenous perspectives and languages into mainstream or formal education. Mainstream education systems usually involve a standard set of curricula provided by education ministries based on government policy. The inclusion of indigenous ways of learning, instructing, teaching and training is important in ensuring students/learners and teachers/instructors in mainstream institutions are able to benefit from education in a culturally sensitive manner that draws upon, utilizes, promotes and enhances awareness of indigenous perspectives and languages. 10 In this context, a “teacher” denotes an elder or younger person who holds particular knowledge and who is engaged in transmitting this knowledge to other community members.