Education ministers from the Organization of American States (OAS) will come together in The Bahamas next month to discuss the education agenda of the 34 member countries, and by extension, the Latin American and Caribbean region at the ninth Inter-American Meeting of Ministers of Education (9IAMME).
In addition to education ministers, local and international senior education officials, school administrators and teachers are expected to attend the conference.
For the first time in the meeting's history, a trade exhibition will feature innovative educational products from approximately 20 local and international exhibitors, who will also display good practices in education.
The theme for 9IAMME is "An Inter-American education agenda: Building alliances towards achieving the sustainable development goals".
The meeting will be held February 9-10 at the Atlantis resort, Paradise Island. Minister of Education, Science and Technology Jerome Fitzgerald is conference chairman.
The conference is organized by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology; the OAS; the Inter-American Council for Integral Development; and the Inter-American Committee on Education.
During 8IAMME in Panama City, Panama, in 2015, three working groups were established to compile ideas, good practices and challenges relating to three common concerns to member states. They included Working Group 1: Quality and equitable education; Working Group 2: Strengthening of the teaching profession; and Working Group 3: Early childhood care.
At the 2017 forum, ministers will draw on the findings and recommendations of the working groups to devise policies for their respective countries. The working group outcomes will also be the impetus for collaboration between member states to benefit from each other's expertise and good practices.
Fitzgerald said The Bahamas has made significant progress in education.
"The Bahamas has been at the helm of the global education discussion. We have made significant strides in education and have garnered international attention," he said.
The Bahamas Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (MoEST) has responsibility for more than 50,000 kindergarten through 12th grade students, in approximately 170 educational institutions in The Commonwealth of The Bahamas, which are dispersed over 14 districts in the major islands.

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