UNESCO Official Says Jamaica Should be Proud of Investment in Education

Director of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Cluster Office for the Caribbean, Katherine Grigsby, says Jamaica and other Caribbean states should be proud of the investment they have made in education.

Speaking at the recent UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning Conference at the Hyatt Ziva Hotel in Rose Hall, St. James, Ms. Grigsby added that significant progress has been accomplished in both youth and dedicated adult learning across the region.

“Caribbean states have made substantial improvement in crafting policies, strategies and programmes and streamlining resources to ensure quality education for all and to improve life conditions of youth and adults,” she noted.

The Director said that today’s young people are growing up in a world rich with possibilities and they have the extraordinary potential to be a force for progress and potent agents of positive social change that will yield greater economic and social well-being.

However, she noted that there are still too many young men and women globally who continue to face daunting obstacles to develop their full potential.

“Especially here in the Caribbean, we should continue to do what we are doing in giving young people the skills, resources and opportunities so that they are better able to access economic and social opportunities, live healthy lives, and contribute to family, community and national well-being,” Ms. Grigsby suggested.

She said UNESCO would love to see a renewed commitment by all nations to promote inclusiveness and to help reach more persons through a broader vision of literacy and youth and adult learning and education.

“Let us take advantage of this forum to explore ways to promote creativity in the Caribbean, through relevant youth and adult learning opportunities as a source to promote sustainable socio-economic development and to open up new opportunities for youth employment and development,” she urged.