UNESCO. General Conference; 30th; Records ... - unesdoc - Unesco

elevance and capacity-building would be found in capacity-building. Logically, therefore, any major and
focused attention on it would greatly affect access and equity as well as relevance and quality.
14.17 The post-war educational reconstruction plan, in terms of targets, has been summarized as follows:
rehabilitation and refurbishment of 500 formal and non-formal basic education facilities; renovation, including
re-furnishing and equipping, of 61 senior secondary schools; in-service training for some 4,000 senior secondary
and post-basic teachers in order to upgrade their skills; rehabilitation and equipment of 11 vocational and
technical post-high school institutions; rehabilitation and reconstruction of post-secondary institutions, including
three rural teacher-training institutes, as well as the provision (production) and distribution of instructional
materials for the rehabilitated schools, and renovation and equipment of seven higher education institutions of
degree-awarding level. The above targets were included in the basic and post-basic reconstruction plan as well as
the national reconstruction programme. The extent of achievement of the targets is encouraging but requires
massive support. In post-war Liberia, decentralization of educational opportunities and facilities has been a
rallying cry, because most of these have been over-centralized near the capital.
14.18 In order to focus on the future of education in Liberia, the Ministry of Education, with its partners, is
presently undertaking a sectoral review with a view to obtaining a policy framework for the sector, a handbook of
policy, rules and regulations, and a master plan. Massive bilateral and multilateral assistance will be needed from
international and local NGOs to implement the above. There is high expectancy regarding education and hinging
on this development, the Government is desirous of prioritizing education even more than it already has. The
education environment or sector is innovation-friendly, a situation which is very supportive of reform of this
system. There has been an effort on the part of the sector to participate in continental and global efforts, such as
the ADEA Stocktaking Exercise, the OAU Decade for Education in Africa, the EFA Assessment and the Forum
for African Women Educationalists' efforts.
14.19 Madam President, the Liberian education sector places a high premium on education. Like UNESCO, it
believes in a future that rests firmly on Education for All. The mandate of Education for All makes education a
right. The right to education rests on the right to development, while the right to development rests on the right to
peace, which firmly rests on the most fundamental right, the right to live. We salute UNESCO for its quest to
help us all pursue and attain all of these rights, and be in full possession of them as we enter the twenty-first
century. Thank you very much.
15. The PRESIDENT:
I should like to thank Her Excellency the Minister for Education of Liberia. I think she made the specific
urgent needs of her country quite clearly understood and we wish her country stability and prosperity. I now give
the floor to His Excellency the Honourable Pius Y. Ng'Wandu, Minister for Science, Technology and Higher
Education of the United Republic of Tanzania.
16.1 Mr NG'WANDU (United Republic of Tanzania):
Madam President of the General Conference, Mr Director-General, Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen,
I am greatly honoured to address this distinguished gathering on the occasion of the 30th session of the General
Conference of UNESCO. This General Conference being the last in the millennium and the twentieth century
provides a turning point in the work of UNESCO. Madam President, first of all, allow me to congratulate you for
having been elected to preside over this historic General Conference. I would also like to congratulate the elected
members of the Bureau and I wish you all the best for the challenging tasks.
16.2 Madam President, please permit me further indulgence to pay special tribute to Mr Federico Mayor, the
outgoing Director-General whose commitment and dedication to UNESCO has been a great inspiration to all of
us. More importantly, what should go on record is our recognition of Mr Mayor's untiring and consistent effort to
effect the United Nation's call to give Africa a priority position in the sharing of the meagre resources of the
Organization. We know it has not been an easy task given the decreasing trends of the Organization's budget as
well as the complexity of problems in the continent. We want to believe that these efforts will be emulated by the
new Director-General. I wish Mr Mayor every success in his future endeavours, firm in the knowledge that he
will always remain an eloquent ambassador of this Organization.
16.3 Madam President, allow me also to say a word of special welcome to UNESCO's Director-General
designate Mr Matsuura of Japan who, once endorsed by this Conference, will lead the Organization into the next
millennium and the twenty-first century. I assure him of the support of the United Republic of Tanzania. We are
confident that he will build on and reinforce the achievements of his predecessor. Madam President, at this
juncture I would like to express my satisfaction with the preparatory work done by the Director-General and the
Executive Board on the Draft Programme and Budget. My Government will endorse the Draft Programme and
Budget 30 C/5 as long as it incorporates the Executive Board's recommendations in document 30 C/6 and the
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