Cuba's Minister of Education, Ena Elsa Velázquez

Havana, Feb 2 (RHC) With a call to build regional consensus for quality education in the post-Covid-19 pandemic context, Cuba's Minister of Education, Ena Elsa Velázquez, opened a forum for ministers of the Group of 77 plus China.

The meeting ongoing in a hybrid mode, during the sessions of the International Congress Pedagogy 2023, has as central axis the dialogue on “the challenges of nations to meet Sustainable Development Goals in education” after the impact of the new coronavirus on education systems.

Velázquez pointed out that in Cuba the Constitution states that education must be free, universal, of quality and affordable, which is further supported by the allocation of 25% of the state budget to this sector.

She explained that the Antillean nation is carrying out a third improvement of its system, which becomes a space for analysis, through experimentation and collective construction, proposing a more contextualized and flexible education, with the preparation of teachers as its fundamental pillar.

Those attending the meeting also reflect on learning experiences in the digital transformation, inclusive, equitable, safe and healthy schools, the quality of teaching, and the insertion of science and innovation in education.

The opening of the forum was also attended by the Deputy Prime Minister of Cuba, Jorge Luis Perdomo, the Minister of Higher Education, José Ramón Saborido, the Deputy Foreign Minister Anayansi Rodríguez, and the Director of UNESCO’s Regional Bureau of Education for Latin America, and the Caribbean in Chile, Claudia Uribe. (Prensa Latina)