May 16, 2011 – Miami, Florida, United States…Libna Stevens/IAD
As the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Inter-America aggressively focuses on education strategies to improve its educational system, board members met to vote on initiatives and curriculum programs and to discuss concerns regarding Adventist education in its 13 universities and hundreds of primary and secondary schools across the territory. Dozens of educators and church leaders gathered for the Board of Education K-12 and Board of Higher Education meetings which took place today at the Inter-American Division (IAD) headquarters in Miami, Florida.
“One of our main goals is to bring awareness to our church members that Adventist education is a matter of life or death, it’s a matter of salvation,” said Dr. Gamaliel Florez, education director for the church in Inter-America as he addressed board members.
Increase enrollment
Florez said one of the goals is to increase enrollment at Adventist primary and secondary schools with more than just 25%-30% Adventist students attending. “We want every child, every young person to have the opportunity to receive Adventist education, so aggressive marketing campaigns are in the works.”
He said leaders are also focused on increasing teachers’ salaries, which is a major concern.
Teacher’s salary
“We know that there are places in our territory where teachers’ salaries in our schools are below the normal scale,” said Florez. “This is not the church’s plan,” he added.
Increasing the number of Adventist teachers was also highlighted in the meetings. Leaders also voted to make October 13, 2012 the day of the Adventist Educator in Inter-America.
Spiritual emphasis
Creating a more spiritual environment for students and teachers across institutions was another issue presented to board members. The plan is to have an increase in the reading and study of the Bible among students, teachers, and parents. Leaders want more bible bowl competitions to be held in the primary and secondary levels. They also voted to designate March 7 as a special day of spiritual emphasis and prayer across all educational institutions in the IAD.
Focusing on the bible will also take center stage in university campuses across Inter-America where a series of programs promoting the reading of the bible will take place. Students will also be given the opportunity to participate in artistic expression through poetry, music, and paintings on the inspiration they draw from studying the bible.
In addition, plans are in place to purchase thousands of Ellen G. White’s book The Great Controversy and make it available to students over the next two years. The book will also be available to download as smart phone applications.
Textbooks
Special committees are already in place to review school textbooks for first and second grades.
A special committee based in Montemorelos University reported that the bible textbooks for secondary grades are completed and the committee will soon present the budget for printing and distribution.
Leaders also discussed the possibility of fully certifying chaplains serving at Adventist campuses to tend to the rising needs of students.
University Consortium
A request was made to Inter-America’s University Consortium made up of educators from the territory’s 13 universities to investigate the status of education. “We want a special diagnosis a study of the strengths and weaknesses of our institutions so that the board can have an objective overview of the progress and challenges facing our institutions today,” said Dr. Florez.
Approval of programs
New undergraduate and graduate degrees from several universities in the IAD were approved during the morning’s meeting.
Programs approved:
A new bachelor’s degree in nursing at Dominican Adventist University in the Dominican Republic.
A master of arts in nursing at Antillean Adventist University in Puerto Rico.
A master of arts in communication with emphasis on administration, and two additional specialties in ophthalmology at Montemorelos University in Mexico.
Three bachelor degree’s in physical therapy, occupational therapy and technical orthoprosthesis at Haitian Adventist University, in Haiti, under the supervision of Loma Linda University.
Two additional campus online extensions were approved at the Central American Adventist University in Costa Rica.
Accreditation of schools
Board members also reported on secondary schools evaluated and accredited for 2010-2011 as well as schools pending interim visits for full accreditation during the 2011-2012 term.
Educators honored
Twenty-one educators were honored with a pin of service excellence for their committed work in education. Pins were distributed to mark 15, 20, 30, and 40 years of service.
For updates on issues voted by IAD Executive Committee members this week, visit us at www.interamerica.org
