Prime Minister Perry G. Christie is expected to officially open the five-day conference to be held under the theme, “Transforming Education for the 21st Century”. It is the first conference of its type in six years.
Attorney General and Minister of Education Alfred Sears reintroduced the national conference, as the vehicle by which all involved could begin a dialogue on the issues that would create an education system of quality and relevance.
At a press briefing Thursday, at the conference site, Mr. Sears underscored the importance of the event, which is expected to attract educators from New Providence, Grand Bahama, the Family Islands and cays.
“Since 1999, we have not afforded ourselves the opportunity where all of the stakeholders in education can come together and engage in a public conversation on education, a critical review of education in the context of the national imperatives of our country, and to see how we can transform the educational system to meet the challenges of the 21st Century, by drawing on the collective wisdom of all of our people,” Mr. Sears said. “And it is in that context that this conference, the 18th National Conference, is so pivotal and so important.”
The concept behind the conference is, “The philosophy of the Ministry of Education affirms that all human beings have an undeniable right to an education, one that will enable them to understand their privileges and responsibilities in the community. In executing its philosophy, the Ministry’s strategies must continually change to meet current challenges facing the educational system today.”
Objectives of the conference are to begin the examination of the existing education system; and to develop realistic and meaningful dialogue, which seeks to address the weaknesses of the system whilst recommending working solutions for the strengthening of the system.
Anticipated outcomes are a common understanding of the philosophy of the existing education system; articulation of a renewed vision and mission for education; a plan of action to address the weaknesses of the system; the creation of Commissions and Subject Councils, which will assist in the transformation of the system and report at the midterm review, and at the next conference; and a declaration of commitment to education in The Bahamas.
Topics for discussions include a status report on the Bahamian education system, education and national development, the impact of 21st century global realities on education, and the national and international legal obligations of education to teachers and students.
According to Minister Sears, the process of education is fundamental for sustaining the progress of The Bahamas and the challenges such as globalisation and the urgent questions which must be determined οΎ– should The Bahamas join the Caricom Single Market and Economy, the World Trade Organisation, the Free Trade Area of the Americas, how to respond to the relationship with the Financial Action Task Force, which has lead to the restructuring of the country’s financial services.
“These challenges also contain opportunities but how well we are able to exploit and utilise those opportunities depend upon how well we prepare our people,” the Minister said.
He noted that as The Bahamas celebrates its democracy by way of its 32 anniversary of Independence on July 10, and whether that democracy is preserved, depends on how well people are prepared for responsibilities of citizenship.
“When one looks at the social fabric of our society, sometimes we may become alarmed because of the issues of crime,” he said. “We have the second highest incident of HIV/AIDS in our region, we also have other challenges such as incest, abuse, physical as well as sexual, abandonment of children. Whether we maintain and improve the social fabric of our society depends on the quality of education.”
He recalled that in 1994, The Bahamas had an opportunity to review the process of education through a task force, and as a result of that review, a number of major reforms were undertaken and are still being implemented.
They include measures to improve the quality of education, the context and content of the tolling function of schools, tertiary institutions, the process of socialisation within the schools, and providing great opportunities for lifelong learning for citizens through the libraries, archives, the National Art Gallery and other institutions to assist and encourage a process of continuous learning.
The conference will hear from 34 students from the Family Islands, who will articulate their vision for The Bahamas. There will also be a special luncheon speaker on disaster preparedness, a trade show and exhibition. A town meeting will be held on Tuesday, a cultural evening on Wednesday, and awards banquet on Thursday.
By Lindsay Thompson, Bahamas Information Services
