Declaration of the APEC Education Ministerial"Toward Education Standards for the Twenty-First Century"Washington, D.C.--August 6, 19921. Education Ministers and other senior education officials (hereinafter referred to as "the Ministers") from Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Canada, the People’s Republic of China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, the Republic of Korea, New Zealand, the Republic of the Philippines, Singapore, Chinese Taipei, Thailand and the United States of America, met in Washington from August 5-6, 1992. The Ministers came together at the invitation of the President of the United States to discuss education standards and related issues of mutual interest.2. The Ministers noted that this occasion is a recognition of the importance of education as a topic of international discussion and cooperation, and an affirmation of the direct link between education and economic development. The Ministers agreed that high-quality education for all has a positive impact on the level, growth, and distribution of income in the region, and on the quality of life of the region’s people. Notwithstanding the importance of education for economic development, the Ministers emphasized the crucial role played by education in human development. In particular, the Ministers noted that primary- and secondary-level education is a key to instilling qualities such as flexibility, creativity, and adaptability, that will be required in the Twenty-First Century. They affirmed that education plays a valuable role in developing students who are tolerant and respectful of others, view learning as a lifelong pursuit, possess a sense of their own cultural identity, and are responsible citizens of their communities, their societies, and the world.I. Need for Cooperative Action in Education3. The Ministers declared that there is a need for APEC participants to continue to work cooperatively to identify strategies for addressing the challenges presented to their education systems by the growing interdependence of economies and peoples in the Asia-Pacific region and the world. These challenges include the need for students to develop the skills required in a technologically sophisticated world and a better understanding of the cultures and economies of the Asia-Pacific region. The Ministers noted that the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum is an appropriate and attractive arena within which to discuss these issues, due to APEC’s ability to relate education to the broader economic, social, and cultural environment of the Asia-Pacific region.II. Toward Education Standards for the Twenty-First Century4. The Ministers declared that the unifying theme for APEC cooperation in education would be "Toward Education Standards for the Twenty-First Century." The Ministers noted that developing and maintaining education standards appropriate to the needs of the Twenty-First Century is a high priority for every education system in the Asia-Pacific region. The Ministers agreed to define "Education Standards for the Twenty-First Century" as those levels of achievement, performance, and personal development that each APEC member determines that its students must attain in order to prepare for productive and fulfilling lives in a rapidly changing world.5. The Ministers noted that education standards for the Twenty-First Century must be set at high levels if societies are to ensure that students are well-prepared to be successful learners, workers, and citizens. At the same time, the Ministers acknowledged the importance of harmonizing such goals as striving for high levels of achievement, meeting the needs of a student population with a range of abilities and interests, and stimulating students’ inpiduality, creativity, and capacity for independent thought.6. The Ministers declared that standards of educational excellence are determined within each inpidual APEC member in order to meet its particular needs and consistent with its particular situation and culture. They agreed that, at this point in time, it probably is neither possible nor desirable to define common standards in all areas of education across the APEC region. Nevertheless, the Ministers agreed that in a limited number of specific curriculum areas such as mathematics, the natural sciences, and some technical subject areas, it may be possible, appropriate, and desirable to develop comparable standards. They expressed their interest in exploring the feasibility and desirability of such an undertaking.7. Further, the Ministers affirmed that there are broad common interests in the Asia-Pacific region such as economic growth and cooperation, development of new technologies in the service of human well-being, protection of the environment, mutual understanding, and promotion of world peace. In addition, the Ministers declared that, as we approach the Twenty-First Century, the internationalization of the world economy has
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