"Pedagogy 2007" is an open event; its delegates will be able to visit Cuban schools, talk to students and teachers, and exchange ideas and experiences with Cuban families. In the conferences work sessions, participants will be able to witness first hand how much the island has advanced in terms of educational development, said Luis Ignacio Gomez, Cubas minister of education, speaking at a press conference in Havana on Wednesday.

The minister said that the traditional biannual conference will have special features this time because it will be held in a moment when Latin America is undergoing deep changes.

"There will be Venezuelan educators coming to the conference with their experiences. There will also be Bolivians educators who are carrying out a process of teaching in their indigenous languages using the Cuban 'Yes I Can method," he said.

Gomez highlighted that this meeting is essentially an opportunity for pedagogical-scientific exchange. There will be a record of 2,411 works to be presented, which requires excellent organization so everyone can present their work, discuss them and exchange experiences.

The main topic of Pedagogy 2007 will be the quality of education, said the minister. In this respect, Cuba will present its experience in the transformation of elementary education, the implementation of new technologies in teaching, teacher training, the promotion of vales in the search of a comprehensive and general culture, and attention to kids with special educational and their integration into society.

There will be also the analysis of teaching campaign, such as the experience of Cuba with the "Yes I Can" teaching method and its implementation in several countries around the world.

A total of 5,500 educators from 30 countries are expected to attend the event. The Cuban delegation will be made up of a thousand teachers and twenty students from the Higher Pedagogical Institute.

Among nine special conferences, presentations will be given by Brazilian intellectual Frei Betto, Venezuelan Minister of Education Adan Chavez Frias, Cuban National Assembly president Ricardo Alarcon, and the Cuban ministers of Health and of Higher Education and the president of INDER.

Also at the meeting will be representatives of international organizations such as UNICEF, UNESCO and the Andres Bello Agreement.

Source: Juventud Rebelde