From 27th
to the 31st August, two Soroptimists from Mauritius attended the 18th Conference of Commonwealth Education Ministers, which took place at the Swami
Vivekananda International Convention Centre (SVICC). The Forum’s theme was ‘Education in the
Commonwealth: Making it Happen’, focussing on the critical role of non-state
actors in delivering accessible, acceptable, available, and high quality
education. The aim of the forum was to
engage Commonwealth governments and non-governmental organisations to work
together to improve educational outcomes.
It was an opportunity to revise achievements to date, exchange good
practices, share experiences, take stock of emerging strengths and gaps, and
identify strategies to be applied towards achievement of goals such as the MDGs
before the next conference which will be held in the Bahamas in 2015.
Jacqueline
Laurent and Josie Lapierre, both from Mauritius, attended the Forum as
representatives of Soroptimist International.
Below are excerpts from their report:
The main subjects
of discussions during the various concurrent sessions were:
·
The
importance of numeracy and literacy for both children and adults
·
The
importance for school and university students to acquire adequate professional
and technical knowledge and competencies to help them in their future life
·
The
need to provide school children with specific skills to ensure possible future
employment and particularly to allow them later be employed in their own
countries and localities and to gain opportunities to build their own
enterprises. Hence, the urgency to
review school curriculum which should consider local realities and include
subjects more related to the daily life of the community and make the link with
possibility of future employment
·
The
need to work en reseau so that for
example students can move from one Commonwealth
country to another so as to obtain opportunity to confront and share
experiences
·
The
importance of informal education and lifelong learning
·
The
need for locally relevant vocational training to help in the transition from
school to work
Many of these themes are
directly relevant to SI’s Educate to Lead programme of work.
Check out the latest edition of our Global Impact Report to learn more.
New innovations are needed to deliver
quality education
Virtual learning – Online Education
It was highlighted
that new technology is essential in this new era and that IT digital literacy is
a definite plus in delivering education.
In his keynote address, the Prime Minister of Saint Lucia, Hon Kenny
Anthony proposed that in countries where books are expensive, besides being
difficult to obtain, e- books could be provided. Hence possible input from Stakeholders, and
particularly Private Companies. He stressed the need to enlist both public and
private partnerships. The Vice President
of Mauritius, Hon Rashid Beebeejaun talked about innovations brought in recent
years in the education sector in the island, such as monitoring of attendances
through the introduction of an SMS based e-register platform which has helped
to eradicate students absconding from school , keep the parents aware of the
where about of their children and also increase the involvement of the parents in the care of their children.
The need for new pedagogical approach in
teaching
Also discussed was not only
the need for access to school but most importantly the need to ensure learning –
teach less but learn more. Hence
the importance of new pedagogical approach such as peer teaching and proper
structuring of the class room so that exchange in small groups is possible for
more individual participation.
Challenges to face in the coming years
The challenges to
face in the coming years by Commonwealth countries were discussed so as not
only to increase access to education but also to ensure learning, ensure
quality of education and equity.
The Education for
All target set was far from being reached as statistics show that 23.3 million
primary age children remained out of school.
Globally 775 million adults, of which 460 million were in Commonwealth countries,
still could not read and write – two
thirds of this population are
women. 90% of disabled children in the
Global South do not attend school – this figure is even higher if they are also
girls.
Poverty is the main
challenge as it leads to malnutrition, preventable diseases, and a high number
of children dropping out of school after primary level to go to work to help
out the family. Girls also drop out of
school because of irregular attendances due to menstruation. They cannot keep
up with the curriculum and thus lose interest.
Girls drop out to care for younger siblings at home, to marry following
cultural norms, and due to the lack of a supportive and enabling cultural,
social political and economic environment. Many students, particularly girls,
fail to progress to the end of secondary level.
It was said that Asian countries such as Malaysia, Sri Lanka and India
could lose gender equity status by 2015 if current trends are not modified.
To ensure quality education
there was need to consider not only the students but also the teachers as they
have a central role in education, hence the importance of providing them with
opportunities for on-going training particularly in digital literacy, opportunity
for distance learning.
In conclusion, it was
reiterated that:
·
education was a basic fundamental right for all
children, able bodied as well as for children with disabilities and access
should be made possible from early childhood to primary, secondary and tertiary
level
·
indigenous language has its place in education as
it was an intangible cultural heritage, and children had to be taught in the
mother tongue as early as possible
·
quality education and learning is as important as
access to education
·
quality
education required quality teachers hence the need for particular attention to
their professional development
·
equity
was required with attention to gender, disability and cultural issues.
·
adult
literacy was to be given utmost consideration
·
mutual
qualifications recognition was recommended amidst Commonwealth countries
The Commonwealth
Secretary General HE Kamaleash Sharma reiterated the statement that joint actions can bridge bridges.
If this article inspires you to take action
in your community, check out this year’s Global Impact Report, in
particular Supplement 1: educate, empower, enable: what YOU can do.