From left are: Ms. Tricia Teekah, CSA Caribbean Representative/Moderator; Ms. Marvis Kamanga, Youth Advocate from Malawi; Dr. Edward Bethel, Director of Distance Education, The College of The Bahamas; Ms. Ofure Ruth Idialu, Commonwealth Scholar; and Dr. Qian Tang, Assistant Director General Responsible for Education at UNESCO.

Paradise Island, BAHAMAS - Although the idea of students having unlimited access to electronic resources which enable them to learn outside traditional classroom settings continues to gain momentum globally, there is a challenge with students’ completion rates as it relates to this learning platform, according to the Director of Distance Education at The College of The Bahamas Dr. Edward Bethel.

Dr. Bethel was addressing the 19^th Conference of Commonwealth Education Ministers (19CCEM) on Wednesday, June 24^th at the Atlantis Resort on Paradise Island. This conference is the largest ministerial meeting in the Commonwealth and the main forum in which members discuss key issues and priorities in education.

“The ‘Flipped Classroom’, a relatively new concept, will change the day-to-day classroom interaction into a time of debriefing, reflection, discussion, interaction and feedback,” explained Dr. Bethel as he contributed to a plenary of youth representatives on "Effective Pathways to Quality Education".

Dr. Bethel is a strong advocate for the use of distance education in connecting the Bahamian archipelago. He expressed a desire for Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) to be supported and fine-tuned to allow remote islands to easily access education. For instance, as The College of The Bahamas transitions to the University of The Bahamas, the distance education platform is being extensively developed as a priority.

"ICTs have facilitated the explosion of distance learning opportunities and has made this a realistic educational pathway for millions. And despite concerns, studies have repeatedly shown that distance education is of the same quality, on average, as face-to-face studies. Moreover, given the increasingly easy-to-use, web-based learning platforms and the focus on quality delivery, more and more people will benefit," Dr. Bethel said.

However, he also identified a challenge in using web-based learning platforms.

"Completion rates continue to be low...Apparently the knowledge that there is someone waiting for me in a classroom three times a week motivates me to attend and complete the course," he said. "So while distance education provides the promise of increasing access to those who cannot take advantage of traditional education, until the completion question is answered, it will not be as effective as it could be."

Also during the youth plenary, Assistant Director General Responsible for Education at UNESCO Dr. Qian Tang referred to the relevance of the proposed Sustainable Development Agenda which will be adopted in New York in September by the United Nations.

“There will be 17 goals for the world to reach in the next 15 years because they say by year 2030 we should have eliminated allpovertyof thisworld so everyone can live in a peaceful and sustainable development situation," explained Dr. Tang.

Ofure Ruth Idialu, a Commonwealth scholar, shared her frank views on the importance of providing safe environments for children, especially young girls, to learn.

“They need to have a peaceful and safe environment to learn, the environment has to be gender sensitive especially for girls because there are a lot of studies that have shown many male teachers have harassed their female students sexually and in these cases if the female student does not feel comfortable she might actually not want to go to school,” she said.

Marvis Kamanga, a youth advocate from Malawi, shared how she and others fought to end child marriages. In February, legislation was passed which increased the legal marital age to 18.

"Being involvedin theproject made me feel important like we are being listened to and did something really important," says Ms. Kamanga. "I think it also helped girls to stay in school and continue their education. Despite this achievement, girls still face a lot of challenges in their education. As a youth advocateI have submittedrecommendations to the government.I would like to see clubs in every schoolwhere we can meet to discuss issues, learn about our rights and meet role models like female doctors, nurses and even pilots."