Mission and Priority Topics
The mission of the Office is to support the 34 OAS Member States in their efforts to ensure quality education for all and to protect and draw on their rich cultural heritage to promote economic, social and human development.
The Office carries out this mission through four main strategies: fostering policy dialogue; promoting capacity building; creating and strengthening networks and alliances; and facilitating technical cooperation. Policy Dialogue and Technical Cooperation:
Education policy dialogue (within the framework of the Organization of American States) takes place at two main levels: political and technical. The political forums are the Summit of the Americas , the OAS General Assembly, and the Inter-American Meetings of Ministers of Education that are convened every two years to review progress on Summit and ministerial mandates, discuss current issues in education policy and practice, and set priorities for the two years ahead. At the technical level, delegates from 34 Member States convene at the Inter-American Committee on Education (CIE) to translate Ministerial mandates into concrete actions. For more information, please click on:
Capacity Building:
OEC's capacity-building activities are based on a two-pronged strategy that leverages the hemispheric and multilateral nature of the OAS. This strategy focuses on a) the development of online courses and knowledge-sharing workshops and b) the development and dissemination of publications, policy briefs, and news bulletins that highlight key research findings and innovations in the field.
Networks:
Finally, the Office of Education and Culture fosters the exchange of information, research and experiences within networks of experts and individuals from governments, civil society, universities, and the private sector at local, national, and regional levels. These networks allow participants to enrich their own perspectives and future actions with research and know-how derived from programs implemented in other countries and in different contexts. In addition, these networks aim to facilitate the efficient allocation and employment of limited human and financial resources, creating synergies and preventing the duplication of efforts. In education, OEC is presently fostering the following networks: