The Honourable Joan Burke, Minister of Education, will attend the 16^th Conference of Commonwealth Education Ministers from December 11-14 in Cape Town, South Africa. Minister Burke is attending in her role as chair of the Council of Ministers of Education, Canada (CMEC), and is leading a Canadian delegation appointed by the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade. The delegation includes Winston Carter, past president of the Newfoundland and Labrador Teachers� Association and current president of the Canadian Teachers� Federation, and other teachers and youth.

The theme of this year�s conference is Access to Quality Education: For the Good of All. "Improving affordability of, and accessibility to, education is one of the hallmarks of the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador," said Minister Burke. "From the elimination of school fees, to the tuition freeze and improved debt reduction grants, to the expansion of Adult Basic Education programming, we have improved access to education at both the K-12 and post-secondary levels. I anticipate that this conference will put the issue of access to quality and affordable education in a global perspective, and I hope to present our successful initiatives to our international partners."

Work of the conference will be carried out, in large part, through eight plenary sessions. The ministerial forum will run concurrently with three other meetings for stakeholders, youth and teachers. Minister Burke will chair the stakeholders� forum, Education and the Labour Market.

In addition to the scheduled sessions, there will be bilateral meetings with other countries. "Commonwealth meetings are known for being excellent venues for free and open discussion," said the minister. "We are living in a global society and this international conference provides an opportunity to not only promote Canada, but Newfoundland and Labrador as a prime destination for economic and business investment."

The Council of Ministers of Education, Canada (CMEC) was formed in 1967 by the provincial and territorial ministers responsible for education to provide a forum to discuss issues of mutual interest, to work cooperatively on educational initiatives and to represent areas of interest for the provinces and territories with the federal government, foreign governments and national educational organizations.

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Media contact:
Jacquelyn Howard
Director of Communications
Department of Education
709-729-0048, 689-2624
jacquelynhoward@gov.nl.ca