Education

Sunday June 28, 2009

Towards a common goal

Stories by KAREN CHAPMAN and PRIYA KULASAGARAN

THE 17th Conference of Commonwealth Education Ministers provided a good opportunity to assess what Commonwealth countries had achieved so far in terms of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and Unesco’s Education for All (EFA) targets.

Commonwealth Secretariat deputy secretary-general Ransford Smith said some countries have made great progress while others are still falling behind.

“We are mindful of the fact that 25% of school age children are neither in primary school nor secondary education in some Commonwealth countries,” he said.

The issues that were discussed were pertinent, “given that we are just five years away from the date set for achieving internationally-agreed education goals and targets”.

An ethnic Malaysian performance was showcased at the conference.

Smith said the Commonwealth Secretariat and the Commonwealth of Learning would provide technical support to Commonwealth member countries’ efforts to address the MDG and EFA issues, especially in countries at risk of not achieving the goals by 2015.

Smith said the Commonwealth education ministers who attended the conference in Kuala Lumpur last week, aptly reflected on the need to prioritise the challenge of reaching some 27 million children who do not currently receive schooling and do not complete primary education successfully.

They also reaffirmed their commitment to achieving education goals while recognising the importance of preparing the groundwork for moving beyond these goals.

Smith said it was significant that ministers in the Kuala Lumpur Communique acknowledged the threat that the global economic downturn poses to education.

They agreed that resources and aid commitments for education need to be maintained.

Republic of Namibia Prime Minister Nahas A. Angula in his keynote address at the conference, had urged Commonwealth governments facing financial woes not to resort to cutting education budgets or opt to increase school fees..

Smith described the four-page Communique as a strong one, which absorbed the consistent messages from the four other forums, including promoting partnership, the vital role of teachers and the support structures they need to carry out their work, the importance of youth involvement in policy dialogue and curriculum development and the importance of ICT.

The four-day conference which ended last Thursday, is held triennially, and brought together participation from 40 countries out of the 53 Commonwealth countries.

It was opened by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.

The conference theme was Education in the Commonwealth: Towards and Beyond Global Goals and Targets.

Four parallel forums which involved vice-chancellors, teachers, youth and stakeholders were held simultaneously during the conference. Representatives from each of these forums then presented their recommendations to the Commonwealth Ministers on the last day. Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said he was pleased that the recommendations submitted by the different forums were consistent with the country’s education policy and basic principles which guided the formulation of the National Education Blueprint.

“All the countries that attended the conference concur that education is the key to human capital development. As mentioned by our Prime Minister in his opening speech, Malaysia views education as a very important agenda,” he said on the last day.

Muhyiddin who is Education Minister, said every child should have access to quality education at all levels.

“As a multiracial, multicultural and multilingual country, we recognise the diversity of cultures and languages in all our policies. This is the collective voice from all our stakeholders,” he said.

When asked about feedback from Ministers and delegates who attended the conference, Smith said: “Those to whom I spoke to felt that the meeting reflected the key issues in education today.”

In addition, he said the breadth of attendance – from young people, to university vice-chancellors, teachers, non-governmental organisations and the private sector – enabled a wide range of expertise and perspectives to be shared in a meaningful way, taking into account all education stakeholders in the Commonwealth.

During the meeting, Ministers approved the 2009-2012 work plan for the Commonwealth Secretariat’s Education Section, emphasising the need to prioritise the work that takes account of global trends and to focus on areas where the Commonwealth has a comparative advantage and proven track-record.

Areas such as promoting gender-related work in schools, education for sustainable development, with a particular emphasis on climate change and enhancing the delivery of multi-grade teaching were highlighted in the communique.

They also endorsed the three-year “Learning for Development” plan of the Commonwealth of Learning.

On what happens next, Smith said the Kuala Lumpur Communique would accompany the 17th CCEM Message to the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting in November in Trinidad and Tobago as a means of informing them about the conference, its outcomes, and the importance of supporting education as a critical social sector within their countries.

Muhyiddin said he hoped the Commonwealth Secretariat and all member countries would take the Communique home for further action.

“We hope to hear more successful stories at the 18th CCEM in Bahamas in 2012,” he said.

  • E-mail this story
  • Print this story