Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2006. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
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New Vision (Kampala) - December 31, 2006
Carol Natukunda
They pledged to strengthen the education sector's fight against HIV/AIDS.
At the 16th Conference of Commonwealth Education Ministers in Cape Town, South Africa on December 14, the ministers noted that training more teachers would ensure professional development, quality and increase parental involvement in education and school activities.
Ministers, who included Namirembe Bitamazire, Uganda's education minister, reaffirmed that education was a right for all children in Commonwealth countries.
Naledi Pandor of South Africa said: "Leadership and governance are central to attaining quality education."
He called for strong collaboration with partner agencies, NGOs and civil society organisations.
Commonwealth Deputy Secretary-General Ransford Smith hailed the conference as a "huge success". He said ministers had asked the Commonw-ealth Secretariat to provide regular reports on Commonwealth progress on achieving Millennium Development Goals in education-related areas and to give priority to member countries at the risk of not achieving the goals by 2015.
"Some countries have made good progress in attaining UPE, but those that have not will need significant support," Smith said.
"Over 30 million children in the Commonwealth are still not in primary school. Our aim is to get as many of them as we possibly can into school, which is where they belong," he added.
The ministers reaffirmed their commitment to using distance learning to overcome barriers.
They also agreed that transforming general education would involve reform of higher education, which they saw as integral to the task. Over 1,000 delegates from 36 Commonwealth countries attended the meeting.
Stakeholders, teachers and the youth held parallel forums and made presentations to the ministers.
Malaysia will host the next education ministers' conference in 2009.
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