A FOUR-member delegation, headed by Junior Education Minister, Ms Nicolette Henry, is in the Bahamas for the 19th Conference of the Commonwealth Education Ministers (19CCEM) which opens today in the Bahamian capital, Nassau.Accompanying the minister are Chief Education Officer, Mr Olato Sam; Caribbean Region Representative of the Commonwealth Students’ Association-Steering Committee, Ms Tricia Teekah; and President of the University of Guyana Students’ Society, Mr Joshua Griffith. .

The five-day meeting is being held under the theme: “Quality Education for Equitable Development: Performance, Paths and Productivity”, and has as its objective to follow up on “a major commitment towards the attainment of the Internationally Agreed Goals,” which, according to Bahamas Minister of Education, Mr Jerome Fitzgerald, were signed on to, in Dakar, Bangladesh and at the United Nations.
He said: “This conference will allow us to gauge where we stand with regard to that commitment and accordingly revisit, if need be, mechanisms to accelerate towards the attainment of the Internationally Agreed Goals, as well as to strategize for aligning Commonwealth priorities with education aspects of the new Post-2015 Global Development Framework.”
The conference will provide an opportunity for the participants to deliberate on the priorities and emerging issues, identified by the Ministerial Working Group. These include the persistent inequalities and inequities, worsening income inequalities, high unemployment, vulnerabilities of marginalised groups, universality, measurement of quality and unmet education needs.
It is also expected that the participants will also be able to elaborate on policy, practice and strategic action required in direct response to the new development goals and targets, while exploring trends and innovative practices in education in the Commonwealth.
The wide-ranging discussions at the conference are expected to cover a range of educational issues.These focusing pertain to quality and skills that meet the dynamic needs of learners-especially youth -and global qualification standards; ICT integration in education and training; opportunities for economic growth and investment; education for sustainable development; and the overall quality of education across the Commonwealth.
According to Minister Fitzgerald, the Commonwealth Secretary-General, Mr Kamalesh Sharma, highlighted three factors –teachers, youth and other stakeholders– which are vital components of the conference, thus creating relevant space for interaction and sharing of experiences by various partners in education.
It is expected that teachers and young people will form part of the various delegations from Commonwealth countries that will be attending the conference. Minister Fitzgerald stated in his letter to Guyana’s Minister of Education that the Commonwealth Secretariat will officially launch its Fourth Edition of the Commonwealth Education Good Practice Awards (CEGPA) 2015. He further stated that there will be a dedicated 19CCEM website, which will provide adequate information and details pertaining to the conference.