Education Minister Aseri Radrodro will be part of discussions on global education challenges with regional education leaders in New Zealand next month.
The Conference of Pacific Education Ministers (CPEM) bring stakeholders together to engage in discussions related to the Pacific Regional Education Framework (PacREF) and 2030 Agenda.
Radrodro said the round table discussions and networking sessions during the CPEM will provide a space for sharing national experiences and challenges, learning from each other in how they have responded to global challenges such as COVID-19 and climate change, and innovative recovery strategies which could be useful to apply in their own situation.
“This year, there are several excellent topics that have been planned for discussion, and I’m interested to learn more on how other countries have effectively integrated the PacREF key policy areas into their own national education sector plans,” Radrodro said.
“Education Quality and Relevance is a valuable Policy Area. Fiji has attained universal access to basic education; however, the quality and relevance of what is being taught through the curriculum is something we must evaluate.”
“For example, whether education prepares our children to live and cope in a fast-changing environment, the impact of globalisation and climate change, information technology and social media are some of the major concerns today.”
He added that the maintenance and revitalisation of indigenous languages, Pacific indigenous knowledge, and pedagogies are also important considerations for any education system such as Fiji.
The University of the South Pacific jointly organises the CPEM through the PacREF Facilitating Unit (PFU) with the Government of New Zealand.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) is the lead agency of this year’s CPEM.
This year’s CPEM will be held face-to-face, with Ministers of Education invited from across the region to participate in the meeting in Auckland from 20-23 March.
