Education and Science and Technology Minister the Hon. Michael Browne will on Wednesday present Antigua and Barbuda’s position on Gender Equity in Education at the World Education Forum being held here in the Republic of Korea under the theme, “Equitable and inclusive quality education and lifelong learning for all by 2030.  Transforming lives through Education.”
 
Minister Browne, speaking ahead of his presentation outlined that while the trend in most countries worldwide show that women and girls have not benefited equally from education and training and their access to education opportunities falling behind that of men and boys, the complete opposite is true for most countries in the Caribbean and Antigua and Barbuda – our boys are underachieving and are facing interrelated and cross-sectoral challenges preventing them from reaching their full potential, even when they have equal access to education as girls.
 
He added that in Antigua and Barbuda’s context, society places significant emphasis on ensuring that girls remain in school and receive full access to education.  The opposite is true for boys.  In many cases, he said, there are inadequate role models for educated boys and men, thus contributing to limiting the educational and professional ambitions of boys and men.
 
“While recently we have seen a steady increase in our boys excelling in education, it is my belief that more needs to be done by society, policy makers and social partners in ensuring that our boys and men receive equal attention to transition through all levels of education available to them.  I will be asking my colleagues to share their experiences to better inform Antigua and Barbuda’s efforts in ensuring that our girls and boys equally access the opportunities available in education.   
 
The Education Minister who is accompanied by his Director of Education Mr. Clare Browne will join his colleagues from the United Nations in New York, Republic of Korea, Mauritania, the President of Population Council in New York and the Chairperson of the Federation for African Women Educationists for the thematic debate.
 
The World Education Forum 2015, which runs until May 22 is organized by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization and the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Korea.