Midion G. Neth Deputy Secretary, Department of Health, Education and Social Affairs On November 27 1999, the Honorable Midion G. Neth was appointed Deputy Secretary of the Department of Health, Education and Social Affairs of the Federated States of Micronesia. Prior to this, Mr. Neth served in the National Government as Disaster Coordinator, and in the Pohnpei State as Director of Commerce and Industry and as State Senator. Born in 1951, he obtained higher education degrees from the University of Guam and the College of Southern Idaho in the United States of America. Bringing to his Ministry pedagogical experience at both the secondary and primary level, Minister Neth has actively participated on diverse Boards and Committees addressing societal concerns such as education, culture, health and the environment.

Quality of Education: Education Underpins Economic Growth and Social Development

The Federated States of Micronesia's Education Sector has been continuing to promote the theme that Education Underpins Economic Growth and Social Development. In this role the Education Sector must not just provide the traditional academic skills in various content subjects, but must ensure that all youth are receiving an education that provides the needed skills for the FSM to develop economically while maintaining and building on its traditions, values and cultures.

The FSM Education Sector has adopted an improvement framework that focuses on 1) accountability for the quality of education, 2) linkages between education and life long learning experiences and 3) quality of teachers and support staff. Priorities have been established that first begin to focus on what is needed to improve the quality of the teaching staff and the support services and assistance that the teaching staff receives. Recent assessments have shown that teacher' strengths and weaknesses in content areas roughly mirror the strengths and weakness of students. Our immediate concern is that to improve the quality of student learning, we must improve the overall quality of our teachers.

As FSM is a small island developing nation with 104,000 citizens inhabiting 87 islands and islets spread over 2,500,000 square kilometers of the Western Pacific with four major island groups and 17 different languages and dialects, providing a quality teaching and support system is not without challenges. However, the FSM is putting is place a stronger teacher certification system that is coupled with an intensive teacher training and improvements in the teacher support system. The FSM is also looking at support systems that maximize the expertise of the teaching staff in its own improvement and to set up systems that allow for continuous improvement in teacher quality.