Georgetown: The 24th meeting of Caricom’s Council for Human and Social Development (COHSOD) commenced under the theme “fostering innovation through education and culture,” Thursday at the Pegasus Hotel.
The Meeting will focus also on the Draft Regional Development Strategy for the Cultural Industries in CARICOM and its implications for education and culture; TVET; and promoting healthy lifestyles in the development of the ideal Caribbean person.
Senator Fazal Karim, Minister of Education and Training of Trinidad and Tobago, said the economic woes that are experienced within the Region are traced to a multiplicity of causes. He noted that the sustainable part of the environment is grounded in the Region’s ability to be creative, innovative and competitive and an inclination to nourish development in all spheres.
He said information and communication technology are embedded in the education system and has served to reshape every aspect of the Region’s existence.
Even as he pointed to the development of countries like Singapore, Switzerland and Sweden, he noted that it is crucial that the Region must be able to adapt, learn, re-learn and seek creative solutions and ways of doing things.
Karim in his address made reference to Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) which coupled with technology and higher education will adequately prepare workers for a refined working atmosphere.
He asserted that such a process should be holistic and system-wide. Underscoring that the escalating challenge of violence cannot be overlooked, he said “an opportunity for us to engage in focused conversations about innovation and the role of education and culture. But as a Region we need to expand these conversations to the entire Region’s stakeholders – Government, private sector and other civil society groups and to pursue in the context of functional cooperation, the development of a comprehensive, regional innovation strategy.”
Caricom’s Assistant Secretary General, Ambassador Colin Granderson said “we can take pride in our achievements as a Region. Over the past four decades we have made significant strides as a Community and in particular in the area of Human and Social Development.”
He said the capacity for innovation is fuelled by creativity even as he added that “fostering creativity from the earliest stages must be a deliberate strategy for our human resource development systems.”
Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport, Dr Frank Anthony said “we have seen this mechanism being utilised to focus attention on particular sectors such as education, health, youth, children, gender, sport and culture.”
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