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Commonwealth Secretariat press release

Education is the root of social progress, says Commonwealth Secretary-General

27 October 2003

"With children and young people making up more than a third of our citizens, education is a Commonwealth imperative," said Commonwealth Secretary-General Don McKinnon today.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of the 15th Conference of Commonwealth Education Ministers (15CCEM) in Edinburgh, Scotland, UK, Mr McKinnon said: "Education is at the root of social progress. If we want to build stronger, wealthier communities, combat illness and poverty, and become fairer and more equal societies, then education is the only way forward."

The challenges facing Education Ministers are huge, he acknowledged, with 75 million children in the Commonwealth having no access to primary education. "This conference, aptly themed 'Closing the Gap: Access, Inclusion and Achievement' should not merely analyse the problems. It should, first and foremost, put forward solutions. Millions of children are counting on us and we must deliver for them and their communities."

The Secretary-General said the Commonwealth Secretariat's work in teacher training, school administration and leadership, and new methods of teaching and learning "has helped more children, in every corner of the Commonwealth, reach better standards of education and improved their life chances as a result."

Mr McKinnon stressed the importance of partnerships in order to help open the doors of learning for all children in the Commonwealth. He underlined the importance of the work achieved by the Vancouver-based open and distance learning organisation, the Commonwealth of Learning and of the Association for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA). He also highlighted a number of new initiatives including the Centre for Commonwealth Education in Cambridge. Funded by the Commonwealth Institute, it will provide a forum for new ideas and will identify and disseminate excellence in educational practice, especially in primary and secondary schooling and teaching training.

"Our ability to form effective partnerships is rooted in our growing network of civil society organisations as well as the close government connections that have been established over time. These connections are exemplified in 15CCEM's Parallel Symposium, organised by the British Council, and the equally vigorous Youth Summit. I applaud the innovative use of technology at this event to enable live links and interaction between the ministerial, youth summit and symposium sessions."
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