Spotlight falls on education at major conference
10 June 2022
Educators meet in a global forum next week to share cutting-edge research and consult on how best they can effect reform in that sector when the UWI Schools of Education conference is held June 15 – 16. This year Cave Hill campus will host the biennial event in an inaugural online format under the theme Reimagining Education for Global Sustainability. Chair of the Conference Organising Committee, Professor Donna-Maria Maynard is eagerly looking forward to the two-day event and believes education must be redesigned to ensure its sustainability to meet the needs of future generations. “Reimagining education is imperative as sustainability demands a dynamic reconceptualization of education to foster innovation, inclusion, and creativity in all learners by engendering a consciousness of a global community,” said Prof Maynard, Professor of Psychology at The UWI Cave Hill. She added that the reconceptualization of education is particularly critical to Professor Donna-Maria Maynard the region. “In the Caribbean, our current education policies, programs and practices need to be interrogated and reimagined to envision the possibility of global sustainability for a future that is unfolding before our eyes,” she said. With over 80 virtual sessions planned, this year’s conference brings together professionals and stakeholders in education to engage in high-level discussions that will explore issues related to the future of education. Dr. Ramona Archer-Bradshaw, Chief Education Officer of the Barbados Ministry of Education, Technological and Vocation Training will address one of the conference’s featured panels on the topic, “Reimagining Education for Global Sustainability: A Call to Action”. She will also be joined by several esteemed education professionals including, Dr. Mark Baptiste, Senior Education Specialist at the Caribbean Development Bank and Mrs. ShellyAnn Harper, Early childhood Development specialist with the United Nations Children’s Fund. Keynote Speaker of the conference is Professor Joyce E. King, from Georgia State University, who will address the topic “Education for Liberation Using our Ancestors Wisdom to Stay Human.” This 2022 conference also includes four pre-conference workshops hosted by expert facilitators, scheduled for Tuesday, June 14, 2022. According to Professor Maynard these sessions are intended to encourage intellectual and focused discussion on education awareness and understanding. “This conference creates a space for educators to not only review and interrogate current education theories, policies and practices, but to reconceptualize education beyond 2030 and strengthen collaboration among Caribbean stakeholders in education and those from international communities,” Maynard stated.
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