CARICOM Ministers of Education met in Retreat in Georgetown, Guyana over a 2-day period of 3-4 June 2004 to discuss challenges facing the Region's educational system and to make recommendations on new directions, programmes and policies. The meeting was chaired by the Hon. Hazel Manning, Minister of Education, Trinidad and Tobago and facilitated by Dr. Henry Jeffrey, Minister of Education, Guyana.

Other Ministers of Education present were the Hon. Bertrand Joseph, Antigua and Barbuda, Hon. Reginald Farley, Barbados, Hon. Maxine Henry-Wilson, Jamaica, Hon. Isabelle Meade, Montserrat, Hon. Mario Michel, Saint Lucia, Hon. Michael Brown, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Hon. Walter Sandriman, Hon. Lloyd Black, British Virgin Islands, Hon. Roy Bodden, Cayman Islands, Hon. Lillian Robinson-Been, Turks and Caicos Islands.

The Retreat considered a position paper prepared by Saint Lucia which dealt with updates on regional initiatives and plans on a series of policy issues including a more comprehensive strategic framework, education reform relationships with regional bodies and strategies for dealing with multilaterals and implications of globalization for education.

Ministers also considered recommendations from a series of reports, chief among which are:

    (i) Creative and Productive Citizens for 21st Century - 1997;

    (ii) Caribbean Education Strategy 2000;

    (iii) Education for All 2000.

A number of recommendations resulted including the establishment of a technical group to review the status of education, taking remedial action on the migration of teachers, identifying options for accreditation of skills, improving performance in English Language and Mathematics, incorporating and utilising the newer information and communication technology in the delivery of programmes at all levels, paying attention to policies related gender inequalities in education, the harmonization of higher education and the role of CARICOM in facilitating a more effective regional educational programmes.

Ministers also agreed to establish a technical group to review the status of region's educational development and meet annually in order to discuss policies, review progress toward achieving a more effective and relevant education system accelerorate the implementation of priorities

COHSOD XI scheduled to be held in Guyana, 13-15 October 2004 will focus on investing in Human Resources with special reference to Education.