The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) in collaboration with the Ministry of Education has been committed to advancing the reform of the education sector for many years, with a strong focus on implementing and applying international best practices designed to improve student learning. Currently the Bank’s support to the education sector in Jamaica involves initiatives geared at partnering with parents to foster academic success and strengthening early childhood education. At the regional level, the IDB is working in partnership with the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development to increase the participation of Caribbean countries in the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). PISA assesses the extent to which students near the end of compulsory education have acquired key knowledge and skills that are essential for participation in society. Importantly, it also enables policymakers to gauge the knowledge and skills of students in their country in comparison with those of other participating countries, and establishes benchmarks for improvements in the education system. IDB’s dedication to these initiatives is in keeping with our vision to improve lives in the Caribbean by creating vibrant economies where people are safe, productive and happy and improving educational outcomes is fundamental to achieving that vision.
The IDB is also playing a key role in fostering the strategic alignment of education and training with the actual needs in the labour market. That is why the Bank spearheaded and supported several initiatives to ensure that young people are trained and equipped to meet in-demand jobs across Latin America and the Caribbean. We have been seeking to realize this objective largely through the New Employment Opportunities for Youth Project, which seeks to train and place 1 million vulnerable young people in jobs over the next few years. Additionally, the IDB has been focused on providing strategic knowledge to enhance a rebirth of apprenticeship programmes in the region through the publication of a study titled, Apprenticeships for the XXI Century: A Model for Latin America and the Caribbean, which is appropriately dedicated to young people looking for opportunities to unleash their potential, find their career pathways while gaining an education relevant to the future.
It is within this context that the IDB is pleased to partner with the University of the West Indies School of Education to stage its Biennial Conference being held under the theme, Envisioning Future Education: Cross-Disciplinary Synergy, Imperatives and Perspectives. This conference forms an important part of the efforts needed to support the generation of knowledge in the education sector while confronting its main challenges. The IDB looks forward to the new academic perspectives and synergies that will emerge from the conference and how they will impact and shape the future of education in the region. After all, “education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world,”- Nelson Mandela.