Education Minister Jeffrey E. Lantz said today that his participation in a recent international education conference in Geneva, Switzerland provided the first major opportunity of the new millennium for ministers of education from around the world to share ideas on major issues facing education in an era of globalization. Minister Lantz led the Canadian delegation to Geneva from September 5 - 8.
During the international education conference, an event organized by the International Bureau of Education (IBE) and the United National Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), delegates participated in discussions and workshops related to the theme of "Education for all for learning to live together."
Discussions at the conference covered a wide-range of topics, including: citizenship education, social exclusion and violence, learning strategies for understanding and communication and new technologies.
Minister Lantz participated in a panel presentation dealing with language teaching and learning for understanding and communication. That discussion focused on three main themes: linguistic diversity, the importance of language instruction and foreign language instruction. Minister Lantz spoke about the success of Canada's French immersion education program.
"Our Canadian education system, and in particular our Island education system, is a leader in many of these areas," said Minister Lantz. "We share a common value base and are committed to equipping our children with the necessary knowledge and skills to ensure that they will make valuable contributions to our society – both on a local and global scale."