Youth given opportunity to question education ministers

More than 1,500 education experts, representatives from civil society organisations and government officials took part in the opening day of the 17th Conference of Commonwealth Education Ministers (17CCEM).

The role of civil society in education and the hiring and training of qualified teachers were among the topics discussed at four forums held for vice-chancellors, stakeholders (representatives from a broad range of organisations working in the field of education), teachers and youth.

At the Youth Forum, those present were given the opportunity to fire questions at senior education officials, which ranged from how to reduce the educational gender gap between boys and girls, to how to ensure that young people are able to graduate with relevant degrees.

The Education Minister of Seychelles, Bernard Shamlaye, and South Africa’s Minister of Higher Education and Training, Dr Blade Bonginkosi Nzimande, both took questions from the floor.

Those present at the Youth Forum also heard from Cory Vorell, a former Mathematics teacher and now company director and self-styled motivational speaker. He led participants through exercises designed to make them see potential in themselves.

At the Vice-Chancellors’ Forum, Dr Molly Lee, the Higher Education Specialist for UNESCO Asia and the Pacific Regional Bureau for Education in Thailand, as well as Professor Simon Marginson of the Centre of Higher Education at the University of Melbourne, Australia, discussed current global trends of higher education.

Professor Marginson said that the next 20 years will be a challenging period for higher education as educational institutions struggle to find their balance in today’s ever-changing dynamic business environment.

Dr Lee said there is a need to reform higher education due to globalisation, which has seen the world become increasingly interconnected. She gave examples of how universities in Asia have adapted to their environments, such as corporate-based universities in Malaysia and Japan as well as entrepreneurial-based universities in Singapore.

This year’s CCEM, held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, is co-hosted by the Education Ministry, Higher Education Ministry and the Commonwealth Secretariat, and will be launched by Prime Minister Dato’ Mohd. Najib Tun Abdul Razak on 16 June 2009.

The theme is ‘Towards and Beyond Education Goals and Targets’. The conference, which brings together the education ministers of Commonwealth countries every three years, aims to discuss issues of mutual concern and interest, share ideas, and challenges, and identify future goals and directions for global education.

Secretariat Links:

• Education
• Country Profile: Malaysia