1. Sixth Regular Meeting of the Inter-American Committee on Education Presentation of Proposal by the Chair of the CIE: Building an Inter-American Education Agenda October 14 and 15, 2014, Washington, D.C.

2. Emergence of the Inter-American Meetings of Ministers of Education Second Summit of the Americas, Santiago, Chile (April 1998) – Central theme: Universal Access to Education The heads of state and government instructed the Organization of American States (OAS) to coordinate the efforts of all education stakeholders, so that this hemispheric commitment would be institutionalized in formal mechanisms for promoting dialogue and cooperation between our countries.

3. Since 1998, seven ministerial meetings have been held: First: Brasilia, Brazil, 1998 Second: Punta del Este, Uruguay, 2001 Third: Mexico City, Mexico, 2003 Fourth: Scarborough, Trinidad and Tobago, 2005 Fifth: Cartagena de Indias, Colombia, 2007 Sixth: Quito, Ecuador, 2009 Seventh: Paramaribo, Suriname, 2012

4. Promoting the Dialogue on Education Policies Seventh Inter-American Meeting of Ministers of Education – Suriname, 2012 Sixth Inter-American Meeting of Ministers of Education – Ecuador, 2009

5. Relevance of the Inter-American Meetings of Ministers of Education Ideal forum for the Education Ministers of the 34 OAS member states to: – Meet to share the progress made in the field of education. – Discuss current problems that reflect both national and hemispheric realities and needs. – Showcase experiences on education policy making. – Exchange progress and results emanated from challenges and lessons learned arising from education policies and their implementation. – Consider the possibility of establishing bilateral or regional technical cooperation programs. – Examine the progress made with the education mandates handed down by different political and technical bodies, i.e. Summit of the Americas and prior ministerial meetings.

6. Importance of the Ministerial Meetings: They foster dialogues that lead to consensus-building, exchanges, developments, and progress with national and hemispheric education commitments. They offer opportunities for the education ministers to strengthen the development of their policies and to identify innovative and collaborative solutions to their common challenges.

7. Political Dialogue Process Summits of the Americas Inter-American Meetings of Ministers of Education Inter-American Committee on Education (CIE) OAS Member States

8. Priorities Agreed on by the Member States in the Ministerial Declarations Common elements: 1. Guiding principles of the Inter-American dialogue Identify the education policy priorities of The OAS Member States. 2. Hemispheric initiatives Seek to strengthen the capacity of the OAS Member States to implement the priorities identified by the countries for the furtherance of their education goals.

9. By the Fourth Ministerial Meeting, the OAS Member States had established starting points for their dialogue on how education: Guiding Principles Plays a key role in the social, cultural, political and economic development of the hemisphere. It is a basic human right, a public good and a tool for development to attain more social equality and overcome poverty; it is also a key means to strengthen democratic institutions. Must place emphasis on quality, comprehensiveness, and equity, promote social inclusion and the development of democratic citizenship, and prepare people for the world of work. Must take into account the principles of gender, cultural diversity, and ethnic pluralism of our hemisphere.

10. Guiding Principles Since the Fifth Ministerial Meeting, the OAS Member States have focused their priorities on specific topics, such as: Early childhood (Cartagena, 2007) Secondary education (Quito, 2009) The role of teachers (Paramaribo, 2012)

11. Hemispheric Initiatives At the Sixth Ministerial Meeting, the countries instructed the CIE to prepare a work plan that would strengthen the processes of horizontal cooperation and technical assistance. The Technical Secretariat of the CIE, in conjunction with the countries, began execution of hemispheric initiatives included on the CIE's work plans, such as: Professional development; Communities of practice; Dialogue & exchanges of exp; Technical cooperation; Research Inter-American Teacher Education Network (ITEN) Inter- American Program on Democratic Values and Practices Education Portal of the Americas. Scholarships for Academic training and professional development. Hemispheric Committment for Early Childhood

12. Challenges Facing the CIE Need to “promote dialogue among education authorities and governmental institutions at the hemispheric, regional, national, and subnational levels, as well as with international and civil society organizations and others, aimed at meeting the challenges faced by education in the hemisphere, both in person and by virtual means.” [1] Cooperating and coordinating efforts is an excellent way to make efficient and effective use of resources. [1] Declaration of Paramaribo, “Transforming the Role of the Teacher in Response to 21st-Century Challenges.” Seventh Inter-American Meeting of Ministers of Education, Paramaribo, Suriname, March 2012.

13. Expected Outcomes of the Next Ministerial Meeting Eighth Inter-American Meeting of Ministers Revitalize the political dialogue between the ranking education authorities in the Americas. Reflect on the education priorities of the member states with a national, regional, subregional and hemispheric vision (Summits of the Americas). Discuss and approve the work strategies on education in the Americas for the medium and long terms, together with their follow-up and interconnection mechanisms. Increase the ownership and leadership of the OAS Member States to ensure the implementation and sustainability of the efforts.

14. Basis for the Proposal by the CIE Authorities: Construction of an Inter-American Education Agenda, based on a continuous political dialogue and on collaborative, inter-sectoral cooperation. Defining the region's education priorities, connected with local, national, and regional needs and realities, thereby creating a solid foundation for joint action. Complementing the education work completed and underway, within the regions and subregions, and enriching it. Using an approach of permanent cooperation, to foster current, urgent, and important solutions in the field of education. Strengthening the intersectoral and interagency dialogue among education authorities and government institutions at the hemispheric, regional, national, and subnational level, and with international organizations, the private sector, and civil society, thereby promoting constructive governance.

15. Lines of Action in the Proposal by the CIE Authorities Proposed lines of action for inclusion in the agenda: 1. Promoting and monitoring policies of quality, equity and inclusion. 2. Strengthening initial teacher preparation, professional development and the teaching profession. 5. Comprehensive early childhood care and education 3. Promote the teaching of STEM in grades k-12, using modern pedagogy 4. The use of information and communication technologies in the teaching and learning process.

16. Objectives of the Proposal by the CIE Authorities: Tackling the region's main challenges in the area of education, from an intersectoral and collaborative perspective. Combining efforts and resources to make a strategic contribution to attaining the priorities set at the global and subregional levels. Constructing a coherent and relevant mechanism that can bring together hemispheric, regional, and national efforts in the field of education. Obtaining a prioritized Education Agenda that can direct the emphasis on efforts and their sustainability. Securing a tool for contributing priorities, visions, and innovations to global and regional discussions on the topic of education, such as the Post- 2015 Education Agenda and the subregional agendas.

17. Support Requirements of the Sixth Meeting of the CIE 1. Reflect and agree on the need and usefulness of constructing an Inter-American Education Agenda, during the Sixth Meeting of the CIE. 2. Discuss and agree on the lines of action and subtopics that are to be included on the agenda. 3. Identify possible strategies for implementation and follow-up from a regional, subregional, and national perspective. 4. Motivate the involvement of OAS Member States to lead the implementation of each of the Agenda's lines of action and of the Agenda itself.

18. From the Sixth CIE to the Eighth Ministerial The Technical Secretariat will work with the Committee of Authorities of the CIE and all the countries in order to: -Prepare a proposal for the Inter-American Education Agenda, for adoption by the ministers. -Conduct consultations with the ministries, academics, civil society organizations, the business sector, international organizations, cooperation agencies, etc. -Consolidate a portfolio of practices related to the lines of action adopted by the 6th CIE, as an input for designing the implementation strategies. -Design strategies for implementing the identified lines of action. -Prepare the request for support for the Inter-American Education Agenda, to be placed before the Summit of the Americas in Panama in April 2015.

19. Thank you very much!