Leaders of education and culture in Central America come together in Belize to promote regional progress

UNESCO played an important role in the Meeting of Ministers of Education and Culture of the Central American Educational and Cultural Coordination of the Central American Integration System (CECC/SICA) held on May 25 and 26 in the city of Belize.

Under the leadership of Belize as the Pro-Tempore Presidency, this meeting brought together representatives from the eight member countries of SICA: Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, and the Dominican Republic. Alexander Leicht, Director of UNESCO's Multisectoral Regional Office in San José, participated in the meeting as the UNESCO representative to the CECC/SICA.

Roberto Suárez, executive secretary of the CECC/SICA, stated that "despite the current challenges, we remain committed to advancing and finding innovative solutions. Our goal is to build a strong, inclusive, and dynamic educational and cultural system that promotes diversity and the integral development of our region. With effort and collaboration, we are confident that we will overcome these challenges and achieve a better future."

Louis Zabaneh, pro-tempore president of the CECC/SICA and Minister of Education, Culture, Science, and Technology of Belize, highlighted the importance of this meeting, stating that "if we are successful in education and culture, we will be closer to being successful in other areas of sustainable development. Sustainable development consists of the economy, the environment, society, and institutions. In the social area, we must ensure that people achieve their goals and dreams, whatever they may be. That is why education and culture are relevant."

With an ambitious program, the meetings delved into crucial topics for educational and cultural development during these two days. The "2021/2 Education Monitoring Report" (UNESCO GEM Report) emerged as a main theme, shedding light on the path towards inclusive and quality education. This education monitoring report is published periodically by UNESCO.

"The Report has provided UNESCO and CECC-SICA with the opportunity to establish contact and work together with non-state actors in the educational field. Not only have we made their valuable experiences visible, but we have also promoted the importance of intersectoral cooperation and the participation of multiple actors to effectively achieve the right to education," stated Alexander Leicht.

Challenges such as overloaded curriculum, advances in strengthening learning skills, and the regional policy of recognition, validation, and accreditation were also addressed.

"These kinds of meetings are much needed, especially for us who are generating public policies in our countries. The messages make us reflect on the change that we are experiencing as a SICA region in the processes of transforming our curriculum. We are moving from historical and memoristic learning to meaningful learning," said Mauricio Pineda, Minister of Education of El Salvador.

In the field of culture, innovative proposals were presented to protect and promote the rights of artists and cultural professionals in the SICA region. The progress of the project on living Afro-descendant cultural heritage was also showcased.

This project, financed by the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Fund, focuses on strengthening the capacities of community leaders and representatives of government institutions from each of the SICA countries. Additionally, it seeks the involvement of these actors in the processes of safeguarding living heritage elements of the diverse Afro-descendant populations in the region.

As part of the Meeting of Ministers of Education and Culture of the CECC/SICA, UNESCO San José, in collaboration with the offices of Mexico and Guatemala, and the CECC/SICA, launched the "ODS4 - EDUCA Mesoamerica Academy for educational inclusion of all people throughout their lives."

The main objective of the ODS4 Academy is to strengthen the capacities of officials and promote the establishment of learning networks on strategic topics related to the right to education. Through a regional approach, innovative solutions will be sought to address educational exclusion in Mesoamerica, and collaboration and the exchange of experiences among participating countries will be encouraged.

"We want to offer an active, collaborative, and flexible training space that not only addresses challenges but also highlights the opportunities, learnings, and experiences accumulated by officials from the ministries of education. We want this knowledge to circulate and be democratized in strengthened regional integration spaces," stated Alexander Leicht during the presentation of the initiative.

This academy represents a unique opportunity to promote educational inclusion in the Mesoamerica region and work towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 4, which focuses on "ensuring inclusive, equitable, and quality education for all."