Two students from the University of Dundee have been chosen to take part in an education conference starting tomorrow (Monday 27 October) in Edinburgh attended by government ministers from across the Commonwealth.
Christopher Kirkcaldy and Cheryle Sexton will contribute to the first ever Education Youth Summit of the Commonwealth and will also play host to two youth delegates from Papua New Guinea.
Their contribution to 15th Conference of Commonwealth Education Ministers (15CCEM), taking place October 27 to October 30, will help shape the future of education in countries around the world. CCEMs take place every three years, the theme for this one is Closing the Gap: Access, Inclusion and Achievement.
The two Papua New Guinea students - Jeffrey Dissing (23) and Maylynne Yaruso (17) - will stay with the Dundee students in the week following the 15CCEM.
The Dundee pair - chosen by the University and Dundee City Council - and their guests will spend the week of the conference in the Scottish capital. All four will play an essential role in the Youth Summit - a new forum for young people from all Commonwealth countries to debate education issues and contribute to the final document of the 15CCEM - the Edinburgh Communiqué.
The Youth Summit will enable young people to explore, debate and identify their vision of education and the Commonwealth for the 21st Century and share ideas, experiences and skills to map the way forward for education. Ultimately it will inspire and encourage young people and organisations to celebrate the diversity of the Commonwealth and create further opportunities in education for future generations.
The University of Dundee and Dundee City Council carefully selected the students, who have both successfully completed the University’s Access Summer School. It is expected that Christopher (a first year Law student who attended the 2003 summer school), Cheryle (a second year Arts and Social Sciences student from the 2002 summer school) and the visitors from Papua New Guinea will benefit greatly from the conference.
During their week-long stay in Dundee the participants will participate in a range of academic and educational activities, including visits to local schools to discuss higher education issues at home and overseas.
John Blicharski, University of Dundee’s Director of the Wider Access Study Centre, said, "Exploring how other education systems function and support students from different backgrounds is an increasingly important aspect as education becomes increasingly international. We hope that through greater understanding, such as this exchange, more potential students can contemplate earning a degree as part of their own life plan."
The University will be showcasing work from the Wider Access programme, widely considered a model of best practice. The programme offers those who have not reached their full potential at school another opportunity to access higher education.
The University of Dundee’s 10-week programme is longer than access courses at other universities. Those who complete the programme can access undergraduate courses in any faculty in the University.
Notes to Editors
The 15th Conference of Commonwealth Education Ministers (15CCEM) will be held at Edinburgh International Conference Centre from Monday 27 to Thursday 30, October 2003. Every Education Minister in the 54 Commonwealth countries has been invited. Fifty-two ministers are attending.
Commonwealth Education Ministers meet every three years in different countries to discuss issues of mutual concern and interest. The last meeting was held in Halifax, Nova Scotia in 2000 and the one before that in Gaberone, Botswana.
The Conference in Edinburgh will build on the agreements and decisions taken in the earlier meetings as well as focusing on its own specific theme, Closing the Gap: Access, Inclusion, Achievement. Within this overarching theme, Ministers will address the issues of:
For further information visit www.15ccem.com
By Esther Black, Press Officer 01382 344768 e.z.black@dundee.ac.uk