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Education Summit to be held in April

PALIKIR, Pohnpei (FSM Information Service): February 2000 - The FSM and State Departments of Education will hold a nationwide education summit in April to address ways to improve the education system.

The summit will be based on policy directives for education and other inputs resulting from the Second FSM Economic Summit, which set five strategic areas, according to Jimmy Hicks, Coordinator for the FSM Department of Education.

The areas include accountability and the quality of education, linkages between education and life-long experiences, quality of staff, improved collaboration and cooperation for accountability and mature use of human and financial resources, and financing education.

The education summit is intended to set goals and objectives and develop strategies, programs, and lessen responsibilities for putting these into operation.

Key issues will include continual improvement of the quality of education and establish nationwide goals to lead to greater responsibility for education improvement.

It will also increase support for education in economic and social development and recognition that education is a major responsibility for economic growth and social development.

Other key issues involve improving the teacher pre-service, in-service and certification system specific methods and programs to improve the working together of all those involved in the FSM education system and also ways to finance education.

Summit participants will include educators, parents, political and community leaders interested in improving the education system in the FSM.

The FSM Association of Chief State School Offices, FSM Division of Education, College of Micronesia-FSM, and the Pohnpei State Department of Education will be sponsoring the summit, said Hicks.

Phone: (691) 320-2609/2647. Fax: (691) 320-5500/4614. E-mail: jhicks@mail.fm or wwelley@mail.fm.