Education to Contribute to Alternative Models

HAVANA, Cuba, Feb 12 (ACN) Cuba's Higher Education Minister Jose Ramon Saborido Loidi said on Monday in Havana that to achieve a model of alternative, sustainable and inclusive development, it is important to mobilize human, scientific and technological potential and human values promoted by higher education.

During the inaugural ceremony of the 11th International Congress of Higher Education, Universidad 2018 held at the Karl Marx Theater in Havana, Saborido Loidi offered a conference "The university and Agenda 2030 of sustainable development in the Centennial of the Cordoba Reform. Vision from Cuba."

Cuba's First Vice President Miguel Diaz-Canel and the General Secretary of the Workers Confederation and other figures participated in the opening event.

Saborido highlighted that university education in the region has been able to reconcile advanced common positions and defend them with relative success, but there are still challenges, among them, achieving higher education as a public and social reality and a human and universal right.

He mentioned that the higher educational centers must be more integrated into societies, productive, territorial and community sectors.

He urged in extending the formation of more competent professionals; have major and better use of the information and communication technologies to improve education in all its spheres.

Regarding Cuba, Saborido pointed out that the country has a mature system of evaluation and accreditation of the programs and institutions whose effectiveness depends on that today there is close to 70 percent of the pre-grade degrees and the masters and PhD programs are certified.

The Executive Secretary of the Congress, Omar Herrera Martinez, said during the activity that the event has the participation of over 2 thousand foreign representatives, several guests and 900 Cuban delegates.

He emphasized that the international representatives come from some 60 countries among them with the most delegates are Nicaragua, Mexico, Panama, Brazil, Ecuador, Angola, Colombia, United States, Argentina, Peru, Spain, Germany and France.