Atlantic governments can strengthen education and create opportunities for their citizens through regional cooperation, Innovation and Advanced Learning Minister Allan Campbell and Education and Early Childhood Education Minister Doug Currie said Friday.
The Council of Atlantic Ministers of Education and Training (CAMET) met today in Dartmouth, N.S. The meeting was attended by Hon. Martine Coulombe, New Brunswick Minister of Post-Secondary Education, Training and Labour; Hon. Marilyn More, Nova Scotia Minister of Labour and Advanced Education; Hon. Doug Currie, Prince Edward Island Minister of Education and Early Childhood Development and Hon. Allan Campbell, Prince Edward Island Minister of Innovation and Advanced Learning.
Ministers with responsibility for higher education looked at the already strong Atlantic system of cooperation and coordination and sought ways of strengthening this approach.
“All ministers recognize that the advanced learning offered by Atlantic Canada’s universities and colleges represents an important investment in our people and in our economic prosperity. By combining our strengths, Atlantic provinces can make sure higher education continues to fuel prosperity in our region,” said Minister Campbell.
At the other end of the spectrum, Ministers with responsibility for education and early childhood development appreciated the focus on the importance of providing opportunities for improving literacy at any age.
“We know that literacy is key to building skills in other areas, and exposure to early learning opportunities hold lifelong benefits,” said Minister Currie. “I am extremely proud of the work we have done in the last few years on Prince Edward Island to improve access to early learning opportunities. Some of those initiatives include the integration of kindergarten into the public school system, the implementation of the Preschool Excellence Initiative, the development of the provincial common assessment program and investments in literacy coaches in Grades 1-3. All of this will help to build a strong literacy base that will benefit children and society as a whole.”
Atlantic ministers also highlighted the Atlantic Adult Literacy Campaign, Literacy: It means more than you think, launched on November 1, 2010, as a means of improving the quality of life and increasing literacy and essential skills.