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Education forum to tackle social problems
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Posted on Sep 21 2000
By MARIAN A. MARAYA
Staff Reporter
Various community sectors are to gather next month for a CNMI-wide education forum set to tackle social problems confronting the local educational system and the youth.
Board of Education member Roman Benavente said the forum’s main thrust is to restructure and strengthen character education in schools.
The education meeting, spearheaded by the CNMI Council of Parent-Teacher Associations and the Public School System, will feature off-island guest to talks about parents’ role and its impact on a child’s learning growth.
“We are pressured with a lot of social problems in our schools. These problems somehow reflect on the parents. This is a community call to advise parents to be more sensitive to their kids’ needs. . .we should talk to our kids, encourage them to strive for their dreams and instill motivation in them,” said Mr. Benavente, who chairs the BOE Parent Involvement Committee.
The board member underscored the need for character education as a significant part of student achievement, saying it is as important as academic learning.
“Reaching high academic standards without instilled moral values, integrity, and respect is not education to me. A person must possess both aspects before he/she can be called educated,” he said.
The event next month will also tackle the length of school days, team teaching, accountability of teachers, among others.
BOE member Esther Fleming said education leaders should continue to address these areas of concern and seek the community’s input.
“I think it is important that the community be given the voice to air out their sentiments on exactly how they want us to function for the system and for their children,” she said.
The forum is already eyed to alleviate miscommunication between education leaders and community residents.
Still on preliminary planning stages, the education summit is targeted to take place sometime early October, according to Mr. Benavente.
“For sure this will be a very interesting forum for everyone to attend. It’s main goal is to find ways to enhance and make CNMI’s educational system better,” he added.
