E/CN.4/Sub.2/AC.5/2001/2 page 15 4.4 States should, where appropriate, take measures in the field of education, in order to encourage knowledge of the history, traditions, language and culture of the minorities existing within their territory. Persons belonging to minorities should have adequate opportunities to gain knowledge of the society as a whole 65. Experience has shown that in societies where different national, ethnic, religious or linguistic groups coexist, the culture, history and traditions of minority groups have often been neglected and the majorities are frequently ignorant of those traditions and cultures. Where there has been conflict, the minority groups’ culture, history and traditions have often been subject to distorted representations, resulting in low self-esteem within the groups and negative stereotypes towards members of the group on the part of the wider community. Racial hatred, xenophobia and intolerance sometimes take root. 66. To avoid such circumstances, there is a need for both multicultural and intercultural education. Multicultural education involves educational policies and practices which meet the separate educational needs of groups in society belonging to different cultural traditions, while intercultural education involves educational policies and practices whereby persons belonging to different cultures, whether in a majority or minority position, learn to interact constructively with each other. 67. Article 4.4 calls for intercultural education, by encouraging knowledge in the society as a whole of the history, tradition and culture of the minorities living there. Cultures and languages of minorities should be made accessible to the majorities as a means of encouraging interaction and conflict prevention in pluri-ethnic societies. Such knowledge should be presented in a positive way in order to encourage tolerance and respect. History textbooks are particularly important in this regard. Bias in the presentation of the history and neglect of the contributions of the minority are significant causes of ethnic tension. UNESCO has concerned itself with the need to eliminate such prejudices and misrepresentations in history textbooks, but much remains to be done. 68. This paragraph of article 4 also emphasizes the complementary duty to ensure that persons belonging to minorities gain knowledge of the society as a whole. This provision should counteract tendencies towards fundamentalist or closed religious or ethnic groups, which can be as much affected by xenophobia and intolerance as the majorities. 69. The overall purpose of article 4.4 is to ensure egalitarian integration based on non-discrimination and respect for each of the cultural, linguistic or religious groups which together form the national society. The formation of more or less involuntary ghettos where the different groups live in their own world without knowledge of, or tolerance for, persons belonging to the other parts of the national society would be a violation of the purpose and spirit of the Declaration. 70. A concern similar to that of article 4.4 is expressed in the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (art. 7) and in the Convention on the Rights of the Child (art. 29).