MEXICO TO HOST EDUCATION EXPERTS
PREPARING FOR MEETING OF EDUCATION MINISTERS

International cooperation experts will join senior Education Ministry officials from around the Americas at a meeting in Mexico City August 9 and 10 to prepare for the upcoming Second Meeting of Ministers of Education, slated for Punta del Este, Uruguay, in September.

The Mexico meeting will consider contributions gathered from five subregional meetings—the last of which is to be held in the Caribbean—on subregional mechanisms put forward to ensure implementation of the Plan of Action from the Third Summit of the Americas.

According to Sofialeticia Morales-Garza, Director of the Unit of Social Development and Education, the experts had undertaken some very important work at the subregional meetings, following up on achievements in education, from a qualitative and quantitative standpoint, and comparing progress made in the countries of the region in terms of human development.

The Mexican educator added: "These meetings have yielded technical and financial cooperation mechanisms from which horizontal cooperation strategies will be devised within, between and among subregions. They have also provided an opportunity to identify areas of education in which the countries need international assistance."

Speaking at the latest of those meetings, held at OAS headquarters July 9 and 10, Director General of the Inter-American Agency for Cooperation and Development Ronald Scheman stressed education as a top priority on the IACD agenda. He made mention as well of the important fellowship programs that are linked to the recently-established education portal to deliver distance-education for professional development of educators. Delegates from Canada, Mexico and the United States took part in that meeting.

Responsibility for organizing the subregional meetings and the upcoming Mexico City gathering and Punta del Este ministerial meeting falls to the OAS Unit for Social Development and Education, with collaboration from the IACD.

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