Girlyn Miguel at CELAC Education Ministers’ summit

The First Meeting of Ministers of Education of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) wrapped up in Havana on February 7,{{more}} with a call for the creation of university networks to promote post graduate courses and collaboration among scientific institutions.

This was one of the 16 main points agreed upon at the regional forum attended by Minister of Education Girlyn Miguel.

The CELAC meeting was the first major forum being held since Cuba took over the pro tempore chairmanship during the summit of the 33 country organization in February in Santiago de Chile.

The meeting, chaired by Cuban Minister of Education Dr Ena Elsa Velazquez Cobiella also called for priority to be given by regional governments to educational and budgetary policies for the implementation of literacy programs, with emphasis on the most vulnerable sectors and overcoming gender disparities.

Among the main points agreed on was also a call for emphasis to be placed on the role of artistic and physical education and the use of new information and communication technologies in the development and transfer of teaching oriented materials to enhance learning.

This major education forum, with translations in four of the languages spoken in the region — Spanish, English, Portuguese and French — was held within the ambit of Pedagogy 2013, an annual gathering of educators from mostly south-south nations from Africa and the CELAC region, organized by the Cuban Ministry of Education at the Convention Palace.

During her one-week stay in Cuba’s capital, Miguel took the opportunity to meet with students from St Vincent and the Grenadines pursuing university education in sports and medicine.