Africa-Press – Mauritius. The Secretary General of the Commonwealth, The Rt. Hon. Patricia Scotland, paid a courtesy call on the Vice-Prime Minister, Minister of Education, Tertiary Education, Science and Technology, Mrs Leela Devi Dookun-Luchoomun, yesterday, at the MITD House in Phoenix.
The many challenges faced by the education sector during the COVID-19 pandemic were at the forefront of the meeting. Baroness Patricia Scotland affirmed that Mauritius did an amazing job in trying and ensuring that all Mauritian children had an opportunity to continue their education in those difficult times.
Highlighting that 60% of the 2.5 billion people in the Commonwealth were under 30 years old, she thus pointed out the critical need to support young people.
Talks with the Education Minister also focused on the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), which Baroness Patricia Scotland deemed, was an important area in a digital world.
She added that the COVID-19 pandemic underlined the importance of technology and of being able to use the digital space to continue deliver services, and to drive trade and opportunity.
The Secretary General indicated, too, that discussions purported to the other aspects of education such as sports and health, as well as the ‘Commonwealth Says No More Campaign’, to deal with ending domestic violence and sexual abuse.
Baroness Patricia Scotland was very appreciative of the support shown by the Education Minister for the different plans of the Commonwealth. She said that the courtesy call enabled both parties to come up with more suggestions on the way to work together.
Regarding climate change for Commonwealth Member States, the Secretary General stated that climate change posed an existential threat, particularly to Small State Islands State like Mauritius.
She thus spoke of the ‘1.5 to Stay Alive’ slogan, which called for limiting global temperature rise to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels to prevent the worst of climate change impacts. Baroness Patricia Scotland underscored that there was a huge amount that needed to be done in order to mitigate and to adapt.
Moreover, the Secretary General elaborated on the intervention of Minister Dookun-Luchoomun, made earlier at the Ministerial High-Level Breakfast Meeting in the context of the fifth Steering Committee of the Commonwealth Climate Finance Access Hub.
The intervention related to the impact of climate change on education and how to respond to this issue in a creative positive manner, which would effectively deliver the required changes to protect young people and the children.
According to the Secretary General, Mauritius was totally committed to assisting other Commonwealth countries and making a difference on climate change.
She welcomed the leadership of the country on climate change, and expressed her pleasure that the Prime Minister and the other Ministers that she met were committed to deliver on the Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Agenda on Climate.
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