Governor General, His Excellency Dr. Sir Cuthbert Sebastian is among Presidents and Prime Ministers from the Caribbean attending the meeting of CARICOM Heads of State in Trinidad.

The Heads of State from the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) began their weeklong meeting in Port of Spain on Monday, hoping to share their perspectives on the region's education system.

The nine Governors General and two Presidents are attending the summit, until October 7, at which presentations are been made by leading Caribbean scholars and business experts on topics ranging from "Business Development"

to "Education and Development - the Cultural Factor."

Presenters included Principal of the St. Augustine campus of the University of the West Indies, Dr. Bhoendratt Tewarie; the Chief Secretary of the Tobago House of Assembly, Oville London and BWIA Chairman, Arthur Lok Jack.

The weeklong sessions are being chaired by the Governor General of Jamaica and former Pro Vice Chancellor and Principal of the Mona Campus of the UWI, His Excellency Professor Kenneth Hall.

Trinidad and Tobago President, His Excellency George Maxwell Richards, himself a former educator, told  delegates the theme "Education and Development" was chosen not because it was a new idea "but in these times of globalisation it has become even more imperative for us in the West Indies to recognise that without an educated people, we can have no meaningful development."

In his address to the opening ceremony on Monday, Prime Minister Patrick Manning said it was important for the region to place much emphasis on education for its own development.

"This must be seen as part of the long term solution to many of the problems including unemployment and underdevelopment, the increase in criminal activity, environmental degradation, the spreading of diseases and the decline in life and values," Manning, who believes the annual Presidents and Governors General conference is of significant value, since it acts as a vehicle to create a reality check on the socio-economic aspects of individual societies.

Delivering the feature address at the conference's opening at the Trinidad Hilton yesterday, Manning said the theme chosen for the conference:

"Education and Development," was a testimony to the seriousness of the conference.

~~Adz:Right~~"We are now in the global information society where knowledge based economies are becoming indispensable for viability. Lap tops could eventually replace bookbags and there are now unprecedented new demands for individual and national competitiveness in today's globalised environment,"

Manning said.

Emphasising the need by CARICOM leaders to place emphasis on education for continued growth, Manning said having abundant resources do not automatically mean enduring prosperity, adding that, in fact, it could mean no prosperity at all.

"There are outstanding examples of resource rich countries whose exploitation of their natural wealth have not benefited the vast majority of the people in a sustainable way. This is because the people were not empowered to take advantage of any opportunities that may have arisen,"

Manning said.

"It is a solution to the many deviances found within Caribbean societies. We are all small societies, some very small, most lacking adequate natural resources and all therefore needing to develop, to the maximum, their human potential... Education can in fact reduce our vulnerability."

Noting that the Caricom Single Market and Economy has an important role to play in this process, he said current measures are being taken to ensure education and development are prioritised.

~~Adz:Left~~"The Ministerial Sub Committee of Ministers of Education has implemented a mechanism to examine ways by which we could cooperate in the strengthening of our education systems throughout the integration movement," he said.

"This is absolutely important if we are to achieve, for example, the even development envisaged by the establishment of the Single Market and the coming One Economy. This we know is already creating the opportunity for free movement of labour with particular emphasis on skilled labour among others," the Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister said.