Acting Commonwealth secretary-general Steadman Noble in the Royal Court yesterday with 80 students intent on setting the world straight. (Picture by Peter Frankland, 0916344)
MONEY is not the only thing needed to improve education globally, according to students at yesterday’s Commonwealth Youth Summit.
They demonstrated that the world according to them could be a more unified place.
At the end of the Royal Commonwealth Society debate, acting secretary-general Steadman Noble told the students he wished it could be like yesterday had been at real summits.
‘It is not very often all representatives are satisfied with the overall communique of a debate,’ he said. ‘If it could be like this all the time in the Commonwealth, the world would be a better place.’
Debates saw 80 people aged between 14 and 19 in the Royal Court take on the roles of Commonwealth leaders. The first part of the education debate saw representatives put forward their cases and the second part resolving them.
Each had to inform the secretary-general and his deputies of how their country’s education was suffering and how it could be improved.
Elizabeth College student Benjamin McLaughlin, 17, said the debate had given him perspective on his own life.
‘It showed me how lucky we are,’ he said. ‘Highlighting issues in other countries and comparing them to Guernsey reminds you we are fortunate.’
The students had done their research well. They looked at other issues within their nation and how they would affect education. These included literacy rates, the economy, gender bias and teacher training.
Representatives from Kenya said free education in 2003 had proved successful – an 84-year-old man had enrolled in primary education.
They stated that enforcing free education again would have a big impact on literacy, which they claimed stood at 85.1%.
Although representatives from Jamaica said their literacy rate was high at 86%, the real issue was over-populated schools.
Both Botswana and Sierra Leone said illegal child labour in the diamond mining industry meant a lot were not getting an education.
One popular topic was the level of teacher training.
A lot of students felt their country did not have the right facilities or enough teachers.
After countries had put across arguments, students had 10 minutes to discuss creating alliances and innovative solutions. The lobbying showed that Guernsey students believed in unity.
Many formed alliances to improve their education systems and others showed generosity – Trinidad and Tobago offered teacher training in Jamaica, as did Australia and Malaysia. New Zealand and Canada offered supplies to less-fortunate countries.
Canada also acknowledged its alcoholism rate by imposing higher tariffs and using the money to help other nations’ education systems.
Further coverage
next week
Article posted on 13th February, 2010 - 2.29pm
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