Commonwealth Education Ministers to Meet in Cape Town

Accra, Dec. 7, GNA - The 16th Conference of Commonwealth Education Ministers (16CCEM) would be held in Cape Town, South Africa, on from December 11 to December 14 2006 under the theme: "Access to Quality Education: For the Good of All."
Held triennially, the conference provides an opportunity for Commonwealth Education Ministers from all regions to exchange views and discuss developments in education; review progress over the past three years and develop strategies for future work. The previous CCEM took place in Edinburgh, Scotland, at the end of 2003.
The 16CCEM agenda includes a mix of plenary discussions and committees; providing a forum to share experiences; best practices and successful strategies; according to a statement from the Commonwealth Secretariat.
The keynote address would be delivered by Professor Mahmood Mamdani, a Chief Advisor to the UN High Level Panel on Alliance of Civilisations for 2005 -2006.
Within the context of the main theme, Ministers are expected to address such issues as the sustainability of universal primary education and the expansion of the secondary education sector. Some 27 million children in the Commonwealth are denied the right to education.
"This conference provides an opportunity for Commonwealth Ministers of Education to reaffirm their commitment to getting every child into school, and to share and discuss strategies for achieving progress towards this common goal," said Dr Henry Kaluba, the Head of Education Section at the Commonwealth Secretariat.
The statement said the Ministers were also expected to consider the role of the teaching profession in relation to the quality of education; what constituted quality education in today's globalised world and the role of the non-state sector in education.
The statement said another new development for the Conference was the introduction of the Commonwealth Education Good Practice Awards.
Nine finalists from Commonwealth Ministries of Education, civil society and non-governmental organisations, have been chosen to present their education good practices at the 16CCEM closing ceremony on December 14. Six Good Practice Awards will be awarded in total.
GNA

 

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