SG Speech/Education Conference
SG Speech/Education Conference
24 Aug 2006 17:59:08 ROUNDTABLE CONFERENCE ON EDUCATION FOR ALL
AND INDIGENOUS EDUCATION AND CULTURE
Theme: Quality Teachers for Quality Public Education for All by 2015
23 August 2006
Tanoa International Hotel, Nadi
LEAD PAPER BY MR GREG URWIN, SECRETARY GENERAL OF THE
PACIFIC ISLANDS FORUM SECRETARIAT
EDUCATION AND THE PACIFIC PLAN
SALUTATIONS
Before I begin, I would like to commend the organisers of this important conference on "education for all" and indigenous education and culture. Thank you kindly for inviting me to present today's lead paper on education and the Pacific Plan.
1. Education or as the theme for this conference makes clear reference to the quality of education - is a central issue for us all. It is something that touches the core of our day-to-day lives, because it has a fundamental and profound influence on the development of our children; our families; our loved ones; on ourselves. The importance of quality education can, it seems to me, never be overemphasised. It will, perpetually, be the foundation of our growth as individuals, family units, communities, nations, and our Pacific region as a whole.
Regionalism and education development
2. This brings me to the essence of my presentation today ,that is - how a regional approach may be adopted, and is already being adopted, to serve country-specific aspirations for quality education. There are mixed reactions, understandably, to such an approach from various development sectors around the Pacific, including the education sector. For some, a regional approach may seem to involve a compromise of their country's autonomy. It is certainly the case that there is no single way of tackling any developmental issue, let alone one as extensive as education, in a region as diverse as ours. That would be too simplistic a standpoint. But by acknowledging some of our vulnerabilities and the limitations on our access to resources, which in turn place real limitations on those who seek to do the hard yards alone, we can find strength in pooled knowledge and experience; in the aggregation of our resources; and in the sheer strength of our numbers. Regionalism is an avenue that should only be undertaken if it complements and strengthens a country's own, unique development needs, but it should be taken in those cases where it provides an appropriate response to our needs and strengthens effective sovereignty.
The Pacific Plan, for Strengthening Regional Cooperation and Integration
3. We now have what we believe is a strong vision for regional cooperation and integration, in the Pacific Plan, adopted by Leaders at their Annual Meeting in Port Moresby in October last year.
4. You will have the opportunity to critically analyse the Plan at a syndicate session later on today, and I very much look forward to your views on its role in education. I wouldn't want the frequency with which we insist on the Plans being a living document to turn that description into a cliché. But that is essentially what it is. It is very much a process which should evolve over time, be refined, added to and subtracted from, I mention this because precisely this kind of process has been taking place as regards the education sector, specifically, the Plan's Initiative 7.1, which identifies, as a goal harmonised approaches in the education sector, including upgrading secondary curricula and examination systems and standardising a regional leaving certificate. Some of the feedback we have received on this has suggested that this might not, for some, be a worthwhile or workable route to go down and alternative directions have been proposed. That feedback will be responded to. This is important, both for the advice itself, and because it illustrates, in general, how the Pacific Plan process in general is supposed to work.
5. The Plan had its genesis in the call by Pacific Islands Forum leaders, two years ago for the creation of stronger and deeper links among the sovereign countries of the region by identification of the sectors where the region could gain the most from sharing resources of governance and aligning policies. Its development during 2004 and 2005 was carried forward by a Task Force comprising senior official representatives from all Forum countries and representatives from regional organisations, with a Core Group of Leaders providing leadership oversight.
6. Development of the Plan was underpinned by a 12-month consultative process, at national level, and with regional Non-State Actors, and other civil society and private sector organisations, Pacific non-sovereign territories, and development partners.
7. To create awareness of the benefits of regionalism and the Pacific Plan, the Forum Secretariat held seminars at national and regional levels on the broader issues of strengthening regional cooperation, integration and the provision of public goods. That whole consultation process will need to be further developed, there is a predictable but certainly justifiable range of views about its quality thusfar , if the Plan is really to become a sustainable integration mechanism, and we are finding ways of doing this.
8. The Plan, with its range of priority initiatives under the four inter-related goals of economic growth, sustainable development, good governance and security, is now in its initial implementation phase in other words, the hard part. Its activities are being progressed by a partnership of the regional agencies and institutions, other partners and of course, the Forum members themselves with coordination by the Forum Secretariat, and with political oversight and guidance provided by a Pacific Plan Action Committee (PPAC), chaired by the Forum Chair - this year, Papua New Guinea.
Education and the Pacific Plan
9. Education, training and capacity building are key components in the on-going progress we hope to make through the Pacific Plan. You will see specific reference to improved education and training in its strategic objective number seven, on page 15. Initiatives under this objective, as I mentioned earlier, will require constant appraisal and development, and I reiterate that, as professionals in this field, your constructive input is vital.
10. Now for some background on education and the Pacific Plan, which is of most relevance to you here today. Some of you may already be aware of some of this. But for the sake of those who are not, I will endeavour to explain.
11. In the main, regional initiatives in the Pacific Plan are aimed at supporting the delivery of essential services to Pacific people by harmonising approaches in the education sector and by collaboration on regional education standards. A key event that sparked the adoption of this approach was the meeting in 2001 of Ministers of Education of Forum Island countries in Auckland, New Zealand, which had been asked by the Forum Economic Ministers to consider issues related to human resource development in the Forum region.
12. The Ministers concluded that while some countries had made significant progress, and that the severity of problems connected with basic education varies significantly between countries, it appeared that significant further gains could be made through Forum members sharing their experiences, success and failures in basic education. Ministers noted the potential for sharing resources, particularly for inputs into basic education systems across the region.
13. The Forum Basic Education Action Plan (FBEAP) was subsequently developed within the context of the Education for All initiative, with the goal of achieving universal and equitable participation and achievement and to ensure access and equity and to improve quality and outcomes. The Ministers requested that the Forum Secretariat be mandated to facilitate the arrangements to bring about its implementation. This is now being operationalised and addressed via the Pacific Plan.
Partnerships
14. The long-term evolution and success of the Pacific Plan, in all the developmental areas that it addresses, will be the building of strong partnerships across the region.
15. In education, an excellent example of this is the work being done together by the South Pacific Board for Educational Assessment (SPBEA), UNICEF and UNESCO. These three entities, along with their in-country partners, are seeking to harmonise approaches in the education sector by working together on development of regional education standards, particularly as regards early childhood education. SPBEA, in collaboration with UNESCO, is also developing a teacher competency module for teacher trainers. This will be a vital component in on-going human resource development. It has been suggested that these initiatives will essentially replace those initially proposed for the Pacific Plan's Initiative 7.1.
16. The Pacific Regional Initiative for the Delivery of Basic Education (PRIDE) is the major mechanism for implementing the FBEAP. The key focus of PRIDE is on education sector planning, aimed at improving the capacity of Pacific ACP States to effectively plan and deliver quality basic education through formal and non-formal means. PRIDE focuses on improving the coordination of donor inputs to assist countries to implement their plans. Several cross-cutting issues contained in the FBEAP, such as gender and good governance, are included in the implementation of PRIDE.
17. In the review of the FBEAP in January 2004, the Ministers of Education agreed to initiate a biennial stocktake of progress in the implementation of the FBEAP at the national, as well as the regional, level. The implementation and progress of PRIDE also forms a fundamental component of the FBEAP stocktake exercise. The 2004 Stocktake Report was tabled at the Education Ministers' meeting in Apia, Samoa in May 2005. The next national stocktake exercise will be undertaken next year, with the final report tabled at the 2007 Ministers' meeting.
18. The theme for the Education Ministers' meeting in 2005 was technical and vocational education and training (TVET), which is often seen as a solution to issues associated with the rapidly increasing number of youths in the Pacific region, many of whom leave school before achieving their potential. The Ministers gave their support for a regional study on skills development, funded by the Asian Development Bank, which would analyse the strengths and weaknesses of the TVET system and identify strategies for improving the TVET sector especially in relation to the employment situation in member countries. This study is being executed by the Forum Secretariat and is currently underway, with 13 Pacific Island Countries participating. I should also note that the Australian government has undertaken to propose a major skills development package at this year's Forum Leaders' meeting.
19. The Pacific Association of Technical and Vocational Education Training (PATVET) has now been established as a peer network of regional training institutions, with interim secretariat services provided by the Secretariat for the Pacific Community (SPC), until the association is fully effective and operational. PATVET has almost completed an inventory framework on TVET institutions, and is now working on country data sets which will be followed by setting a baseline for a regional qualifications framework.
20. Following up on a mandate from our Education Ministers, discussions between the Forum Secretariat and the University of the South Pacific (USP), have resulted in USP agreeing to develop and deliver a degree programme in the area of Special Needs Teacher Training for in-service and pre-service teachers. The Special Needs Teacher Training Degree programme has been approved by the USP's Academic Committee. It is envisioned that two courses will be offered either in either late 2006, or early in 2007. Modules will be offered via distance education and face-to-face mode.
21. PRIDE, which is housed at USP, is assisting with funding for consultants to develop these courses, and the Forum Secretariat is seeking donor assistance to further fund the proposal.
22. Another mandate from Education Ministers was to pursue the development of entrepreneurship education and the Forum Secretariat is working closely with UNDP and ILO on this, and the UNDP is about to launch a pilot project.
23. It is clear, ladies and gentlemen, that education sectors across our region are caught up in major processes of change. In calling for, and approving the Pacific Plan, our Leaders recognised that the Pacific has moved, is being moved, into a period of new and serious challenges , challenges for which our current approaches and commitments are thought inadequate. To meet these challenges, our Leaders' vision in the Pacific Plan calls for:
o A region of peace, harmony, security and economic prosperity for all; diversity of Pacific cultures, traditions and religious beliefs, to be valued, honoured and developed; a region respected for its governance, sustainable management of its resources, full observance of democratic values and its defence and promotion of human rights; partnerships with neighbours and beyond & to improve our understanding and communications and ensure a sustainable existence for all.
24. The Leader's reference to human rights in their vision is of significance to us here and to all of us in the Pacific. To quote directly from Article 26 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights:
a. "Everyone has the right to education... Education shall be directed to the full development of human personality and to the strengthening of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. It shall promote understanding, tolerance and friendship among all nations, racial or religious groups& for the maintenance of peace."
25. As some of those at the forefront of education in the Pacific, you have been tasked with so much. You are the people who will be steering this vehicle in the direction of growth and progress for the region and the countries within it. How and where you decide to steer it in terms of quality education, measurable outputs, sustainable human resource development all while striving for the common goal of education for all will have a critical impact on the lives of so many in our region. With this empowering but somewhat daunting thought, may I thank you, ladies and gentlemen, for your time this morning. I wish you all a fruitful conference.
24 Aug 2006 17:59:08 ROUNDTABLE CONFERENCE ON EDUCATION FOR ALL
AND INDIGENOUS EDUCATION AND CULTURE
Theme: Quality Teachers for Quality Public Education for All by 2015
23 August 2006
Tanoa International Hotel, Nadi
LEAD PAPER BY MR GREG URWIN, SECRETARY GENERAL OF THE
PACIFIC ISLANDS FORUM SECRETARIAT
EDUCATION AND THE PACIFIC PLAN
SALUTATIONS
Before I begin, I would like to commend the organisers of this important conference on "education for all" and indigenous education and culture. Thank you kindly for inviting me to present today's lead paper on education and the Pacific Plan.
1. Education or as the theme for this conference makes clear reference to the quality of education - is a central issue for us all. It is something that touches the core of our day-to-day lives, because it has a fundamental and profound influence on the development of our children; our families; our loved ones; on ourselves. The importance of quality education can, it seems to me, never be overemphasised. It will, perpetually, be the foundation of our growth as individuals, family units, communities, nations, and our Pacific region as a whole.
Regionalism and education development
2. This brings me to the essence of my presentation today ,that is - how a regional approach may be adopted, and is already being adopted, to serve country-specific aspirations for quality education. There are mixed reactions, understandably, to such an approach from various development sectors around the Pacific, including the education sector. For some, a regional approach may seem to involve a compromise of their country's autonomy. It is certainly the case that there is no single way of tackling any developmental issue, let alone one as extensive as education, in a region as diverse as ours. That would be too simplistic a standpoint. But by acknowledging some of our vulnerabilities and the limitations on our access to resources, which in turn place real limitations on those who seek to do the hard yards alone, we can find strength in pooled knowledge and experience; in the aggregation of our resources; and in the sheer strength of our numbers. Regionalism is an avenue that should only be undertaken if it complements and strengthens a country's own, unique development needs, but it should be taken in those cases where it provides an appropriate response to our needs and strengthens effective sovereignty.
The Pacific Plan, for Strengthening Regional Cooperation and Integration
3. We now have what we believe is a strong vision for regional cooperation and integration, in the Pacific Plan, adopted by Leaders at their Annual Meeting in Port Moresby in October last year.
4. You will have the opportunity to critically analyse the Plan at a syndicate session later on today, and I very much look forward to your views on its role in education. I wouldn't want the frequency with which we insist on the Plans being a living document to turn that description into a cliché. But that is essentially what it is. It is very much a process which should evolve over time, be refined, added to and subtracted from, I mention this because precisely this kind of process has been taking place as regards the education sector, specifically, the Plan's Initiative 7.1, which identifies, as a goal harmonised approaches in the education sector, including upgrading secondary curricula and examination systems and standardising a regional leaving certificate. Some of the feedback we have received on this has suggested that this might not, for some, be a worthwhile or workable route to go down and alternative directions have been proposed. That feedback will be responded to. This is important, both for the advice itself, and because it illustrates, in general, how the Pacific Plan process in general is supposed to work.
5. The Plan had its genesis in the call by Pacific Islands Forum leaders, two years ago for the creation of stronger and deeper links among the sovereign countries of the region by identification of the sectors where the region could gain the most from sharing resources of governance and aligning policies. Its development during 2004 and 2005 was carried forward by a Task Force comprising senior official representatives from all Forum countries and representatives from regional organisations, with a Core Group of Leaders providing leadership oversight.
6. Development of the Plan was underpinned by a 12-month consultative process, at national level, and with regional Non-State Actors, and other civil society and private sector organisations, Pacific non-sovereign territories, and development partners.
7. To create awareness of the benefits of regionalism and the Pacific Plan, the Forum Secretariat held seminars at national and regional levels on the broader issues of strengthening regional cooperation, integration and the provision of public goods. That whole consultation process will need to be further developed, there is a predictable but certainly justifiable range of views about its quality thusfar , if the Plan is really to become a sustainable integration mechanism, and we are finding ways of doing this.
8. The Plan, with its range of priority initiatives under the four inter-related goals of economic growth, sustainable development, good governance and security, is now in its initial implementation phase in other words, the hard part. Its activities are being progressed by a partnership of the regional agencies and institutions, other partners and of course, the Forum members themselves with coordination by the Forum Secretariat, and with political oversight and guidance provided by a Pacific Plan Action Committee (PPAC), chaired by the Forum Chair - this year, Papua New Guinea.
Education and the Pacific Plan
9. Education, training and capacity building are key components in the on-going progress we hope to make through the Pacific Plan. You will see specific reference to improved education and training in its strategic objective number seven, on page 15. Initiatives under this objective, as I mentioned earlier, will require constant appraisal and development, and I reiterate that, as professionals in this field, your constructive input is vital.
10. Now for some background on education and the Pacific Plan, which is of most relevance to you here today. Some of you may already be aware of some of this. But for the sake of those who are not, I will endeavour to explain.
11. In the main, regional initiatives in the Pacific Plan are aimed at supporting the delivery of essential services to Pacific people by harmonising approaches in the education sector and by collaboration on regional education standards. A key event that sparked the adoption of this approach was the meeting in 2001 of Ministers of Education of Forum Island countries in Auckland, New Zealand, which had been asked by the Forum Economic Ministers to consider issues related to human resource development in the Forum region.
12. The Ministers concluded that while some countries had made significant progress, and that the severity of problems connected with basic education varies significantly between countries, it appeared that significant further gains could be made through Forum members sharing their experiences, success and failures in basic education. Ministers noted the potential for sharing resources, particularly for inputs into basic education systems across the region.
13. The Forum Basic Education Action Plan (FBEAP) was subsequently developed within the context of the Education for All initiative, with the goal of achieving universal and equitable participation and achievement and to ensure access and equity and to improve quality and outcomes. The Ministers requested that the Forum Secretariat be mandated to facilitate the arrangements to bring about its implementation. This is now being operationalised and addressed via the Pacific Plan.
Partnerships
14. The long-term evolution and success of the Pacific Plan, in all the developmental areas that it addresses, will be the building of strong partnerships across the region.
15. In education, an excellent example of this is the work being done together by the South Pacific Board for Educational Assessment (SPBEA), UNICEF and UNESCO. These three entities, along with their in-country partners, are seeking to harmonise approaches in the education sector by working together on development of regional education standards, particularly as regards early childhood education. SPBEA, in collaboration with UNESCO, is also developing a teacher competency module for teacher trainers. This will be a vital component in on-going human resource development. It has been suggested that these initiatives will essentially replace those initially proposed for the Pacific Plan's Initiative 7.1.
16. The Pacific Regional Initiative for the Delivery of Basic Education (PRIDE) is the major mechanism for implementing the FBEAP. The key focus of PRIDE is on education sector planning, aimed at improving the capacity of Pacific ACP States to effectively plan and deliver quality basic education through formal and non-formal means. PRIDE focuses on improving the coordination of donor inputs to assist countries to implement their plans. Several cross-cutting issues contained in the FBEAP, such as gender and good governance, are included in the implementation of PRIDE.
17. In the review of the FBEAP in January 2004, the Ministers of Education agreed to initiate a biennial stocktake of progress in the implementation of the FBEAP at the national, as well as the regional, level. The implementation and progress of PRIDE also forms a fundamental component of the FBEAP stocktake exercise. The 2004 Stocktake Report was tabled at the Education Ministers' meeting in Apia, Samoa in May 2005. The next national stocktake exercise will be undertaken next year, with the final report tabled at the 2007 Ministers' meeting.
18. The theme for the Education Ministers' meeting in 2005 was technical and vocational education and training (TVET), which is often seen as a solution to issues associated with the rapidly increasing number of youths in the Pacific region, many of whom leave school before achieving their potential. The Ministers gave their support for a regional study on skills development, funded by the Asian Development Bank, which would analyse the strengths and weaknesses of the TVET system and identify strategies for improving the TVET sector especially in relation to the employment situation in member countries. This study is being executed by the Forum Secretariat and is currently underway, with 13 Pacific Island Countries participating. I should also note that the Australian government has undertaken to propose a major skills development package at this year's Forum Leaders' meeting.
19. The Pacific Association of Technical and Vocational Education Training (PATVET) has now been established as a peer network of regional training institutions, with interim secretariat services provided by the Secretariat for the Pacific Community (SPC), until the association is fully effective and operational. PATVET has almost completed an inventory framework on TVET institutions, and is now working on country data sets which will be followed by setting a baseline for a regional qualifications framework.
20. Following up on a mandate from our Education Ministers, discussions between the Forum Secretariat and the University of the South Pacific (USP), have resulted in USP agreeing to develop and deliver a degree programme in the area of Special Needs Teacher Training for in-service and pre-service teachers. The Special Needs Teacher Training Degree programme has been approved by the USP's Academic Committee. It is envisioned that two courses will be offered either in either late 2006, or early in 2007. Modules will be offered via distance education and face-to-face mode.
21. PRIDE, which is housed at USP, is assisting with funding for consultants to develop these courses, and the Forum Secretariat is seeking donor assistance to further fund the proposal.
22. Another mandate from Education Ministers was to pursue the development of entrepreneurship education and the Forum Secretariat is working closely with UNDP and ILO on this, and the UNDP is about to launch a pilot project.
23. It is clear, ladies and gentlemen, that education sectors across our region are caught up in major processes of change. In calling for, and approving the Pacific Plan, our Leaders recognised that the Pacific has moved, is being moved, into a period of new and serious challenges , challenges for which our current approaches and commitments are thought inadequate. To meet these challenges, our Leaders' vision in the Pacific Plan calls for:
o A region of peace, harmony, security and economic prosperity for all; diversity of Pacific cultures, traditions and religious beliefs, to be valued, honoured and developed; a region respected for its governance, sustainable management of its resources, full observance of democratic values and its defence and promotion of human rights; partnerships with neighbours and beyond & to improve our understanding and communications and ensure a sustainable existence for all.
24. The Leader's reference to human rights in their vision is of significance to us here and to all of us in the Pacific. To quote directly from Article 26 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights:
a. "Everyone has the right to education... Education shall be directed to the full development of human personality and to the strengthening of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. It shall promote understanding, tolerance and friendship among all nations, racial or religious groups& for the maintenance of peace."
25. As some of those at the forefront of education in the Pacific, you have been tasked with so much. You are the people who will be steering this vehicle in the direction of growth and progress for the region and the countries within it. How and where you decide to steer it in terms of quality education, measurable outputs, sustainable human resource development all while striving for the common goal of education for all will have a critical impact on the lives of so many in our region. With this empowering but somewhat daunting thought, may I thank you, ladies and gentlemen, for your time this morning. I wish you all a fruitful conference.
