Walter T. Sandriman Minister of Education and Community Development In August 2000 Mr. Walter Sandriman was appointed as Minister of Education and Community Development having previously served as Director of the Regional Health Services. Mr. Walter Sandriman holds a graduate degree from the Suriname Law School; and was member of the Supervisor board of the Institute for advanced Teacher Training.

Quality Education for all young people: Challenges, Trends and Priorities

The Government of Suriname regards education, which focuses on humankind as the core of development, as an irrefutable top priority. Education is the key to the necessary economic any recovery of a country. An adequately functioning education system is also an effective mechanism to reduce poverty and to minimize differences in income. In an era of globalization, the removal of economic boundaries, mergers, endangered jobs, internet and other inevitable developments in the field of information and communication technology, the Government deems it as its responsibility to address the many challenges in the education sector as soon as possible.

In line with Education For All, stakeholders in the education sector have been involved in discussions aimed at formulating a Surinamese Education Plan for the next 15-20 years. After a process of national mobilization and consultation this Plan was adopted in November 2002 and derived from this Plan, a first five year Plan has been formulated with the vision that the entire education system must be reformed so that all educational institutions will be able to offer every Surinamese individual –young and old- modern, high quality, flexible and affordable school and training facilities, enabling them to meet national and international challenges in economic, social and cultural areas, and preparing them to make a substantial contribution to further development of the nation.

In the light of the new requirements which, more in particular, are set by the knowledge- based society and globalization against the background of sustainable growth and elimination of poverty, it should be endeavored to change the system, that is to transform the overall educational system. The most immediate actions will aim at improved quality and increased efficiency of the basic education system by updating the educational contents and processes, providing inputs to schools, and supporting institutional reforms to strengthen the Ministry and build-up management capacities at school level

The following actions in this framework will be executed within the coming years:

• Revised basic education cycle and quality improvement through the development of a new curriculum, reform of the tracking and examination system, reorganization of the schools, better provision of textbooks and teaching materials, improved teacher education and training, and the development of a new education model for the interior.
• Renovation and upgrading of school and Ministerial infrastructure
• Strengthening of management capacities at the school level. For this purpose, actions will be taken in order to: strengthen the leadership capacity of school principals; give better access to teachers and schools to educational resources; support school improvement initiatives and build school-level autonomy, decision making and planning capacity; strengthen the administrative capacity within schools; and develop a management model for schools in the interior of the country, consistent with its geographical and cultural characteristics.

For me as Minister of Education and Community Development, it is essential to lay a solid foundation for development of education in Suriname. Therefore we seek close cooperation with regional and international institutions and organizations such as UNESCO, CARNEID, CARICOM, OAS, IDB and the World Bank, to achieve the goals for Education for All. Cooperation, in particular in the framework of regional linkages should be strengthened and used, not only at the political level, but more in particular at professional level.

Networks should be established between national and regional institutions and with international counterparts for the exchange of knowledge, information and programmes. This process is made possible by the information technology.