The Tribune

PRIME Minister Perry Christie opened the 9th Inter-American Meeting of Ministers of Education on Thursday, stressing the need for greater emphasis to be placed on education going forward.

“Unequivocally, greater emphasis must be placed on education; not simply at the policy level, but to ensure that the policies exceed expectation on paper but do not translate into substantive meaningful action that can transform the lives of our children,” Mr Christie told those attending at the Atlantis resort.

“I am certain that the challenges my country faces as it relates to education are similar to many of the countries represented here this morning. Each level of education – be it pre-school, primary, high school or tertiary - has its unique set of challenges.

“However, if we are able to build alliances and advance towards the Sustainable Development Goals, much can be accomplished to elevate the value that our citizens place on education,” Mr Christie said.

Minister of Education Jerome Fitzgerald also called on education ministers attending the opening ceremony to ensure that their nations’ schools are as good as they can be, and that teachers have the support, education and resources required to not just educate, but to change and in some cases save lives.

Mr Fitzgerald said the way forward requires a commitment to “partnership” and “alliance-building.” He expressed optimism that the presentations and dialogue today and tomorrow would strengthen relationships and form the basis for cooperation in the future.

Education officials from the Organization of American States (OAS) have gathered to discuss the state of education in the 35 states, and observer states, during the two-day ministerial forum.

Mr Fitzgerald said the conference provides an “extraordinary” opportunity to chart the course for education in OAS countries. “When we come together and we share lessons learned, and ideas and strategies for the way forward, we all grow stronger,” he said.

“There is a lot of expertise and a lot of passion in this room, and I know we are all ready to harness that energy and channel it into new policies and collaborations that will make a real difference to the students and educators whom we serve.

“Many of us spend a great deal of our time thinking about the children who are most vulnerable in our countries - who seem to begin their lives with the deck stacked against them. We know that for many of these children, school can be not just life-changing, but life-saving,” he said.

Mr Fitzgerald reminded the education leaders that goal four of the Sustainable Development Goals - which is specific to education - mandates them to “ensure inclusive and quality education for all and to promote lifelong learning.”

In his capacity as host minister and chair of the 9th IAMME, Mr Fitzgerald welcomed the delegates and assured them that the Bahamas would do its best to make the meeting a success.