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Educational Experts of 9 Highly-Populated Countries Meet in Beijing
Educational Experts of 9 Highly-Populated Countries Meet in Beijing
Education officials and experts from nine highly-populated countries in the world began a two-day meeting Tuesday to discuss education for all their people by the latest technological means.
The meeting is part of the Fourth Ministerial Review Meeting on EFA (Education for All) of the Nine High-Population Countries (E-9) , Bangladesh, Brazil, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan and China.
The participants will focus on the use of distance learning and new information and communication technologies (NICTs) in promoting EFA and providing educational opportunities for children and adults in remote areas.
They will exchange experiences and practices in adopting distance learning and NICTs to advance EFA, and hold discussions on how to narrow the 'digital divide', accelerate the application of information technology to education in the nine countries and achieve a leap forward in EFA while the world is experiencing a rapid development of information technology.
The opinions and proposals of the experts will be put forward to the E-9 ministerial meeting of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Educational Organization (UNESCO), which is being held here, for discussion.
Addressing the opening ceremony, Zhang Xinsheng, chairman of the Chinese National Commission of the UNESCO and China's deputy education minister, said the wave of information technology sweeping across the world brings both challenge and opportunity to EFA in the nine countries.
These countries should take up the challenge, or otherwise, they will be put in a disadvantageous position in their economic and social development, he said.
The application of information technology to education has become a must in the new century, and distance learning and NICTs provide great opportunities for the further development of EFA.
Zhang said the Chinese government has set the aim of " vigorously promoting modern distance learning, further modernizing education and widely applying information technology" for the five years ahead, and will improve access to education for disadvantaged areas and groups through distance learning and NICTs.
The Fourth E-9 Ministerial Review Meeting is the first highest- level international meeting on education held in China since the country restored its legitimate seat in UNESCO in 1971.
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