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Mr. Oscar Mejía,
Departmental Director of Education;
Ms. Lea Azucena
Cruz, Vice Rector for Academic Affairs of The National Pedagogical
University "Francisco Morazán";
Ms. Celfa Bueso,
Head of the Department of Languages and Literature;
Conference
presenters and participants;
Good morning.
I am very honored to be here today to participate in the opening
ceremony of the III National Conference for Teachers of English,
"The Joy of Teaching Foreign Languages," organized by
the English Department at the National Pedagogical University. Since
its inception, the American Embassy, through the Public Affairs
Section, has been co-sponsoring this worthwhile event in support
of English teaching in Honduras.
I was very
pleased to be told that I should deliver my remarks in English,
as this demonstrates the success of your organization in promoting
English language teaching and study. I am also pleased that this
year's conference is being held at the binational center, the Centro
Cultural Sampedrano. This Center has long been dedicated to promoting
not only the language, but also the cultural tradition rooted in
the language. This center, as do all Binational centers, provides
a place where Hondurans can learn about American culture, values
and society through history and literature.
First of all, I want to thank each and every one of the conference
participants and presenters for the great effort you made to be
here. Many of you have traveled long distances to share your expertise
with colleagues and students and to learn about the latest techniques
in teaching English. Because of your efforts and your commitment,
your students will be in a better position to contribute to the
development of Honduras. They will be prepared to be leaders in
the public and private sectors and to contribute to building and
strengthening democracy in this country. As a former teacher myself,
I know the value that learning a language gives to really understanding
a culture.
At the Third
Summit of the Americas in Quebec, leaders of the 34 Western Hemisphere
democracies concluded that, "Progress towards more democratic
societies, growing economies, and social equity relies on an educated
citizenry and a skilled labor force." They agreed to a series
of policies to improve access to quality education through teacher
training, education in civic values and the use of information technologies.
The Government
of the United States is committed to promoting education as a key
to peace, prosperity and mutual understanding. As we all know, the
English language is the most widely taught foreign language in the
world, chosen most often as the first foreign language of study.
Therefore, your teacher-training programs are of vital importance
to the future of Honduras. As professional educators, you are charged
with preparing well-educated students who can compete in today's
global economy. This is especially important with the upcoming implementation
of the U.S.-Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA). The Honduran
private sector is increasingly demanding a staff that is fluent
in English. In addition, information technology that much trailed
world of cyberspace is in great measure English language-based making
English even more important each day.
The Office
of English Language Programs at the Department of State creates
and implements English language programs that are administered through
out local American embassies. These programs have enabled us to
bring four outstanding presenters to this conference: U.S. Fulbright
Scholar Dr. Neil Anderson; English Language Specialist Dr. Joan
Friedenberg; Regional English Language Officer Michael Rudder; and
English Language Fellow Jennifer Aly. That office also produces
the English materials we donated for your "goodies bag."
I want to congratulate
the conference's organizing committee and thank them for inviting
me to participate in this event. I am truly proud to be among a
group of teachers committed to preparing colleagues and students
to meet the challenges ahead. I urge everyone in this hall to continue
working to improve the education level of all Hondurans especially
that important 50 percent that is under 18 years old. Education
is the key to a more peaceful, prosperous and tolerant world. I
read several month ago that by year 2010 - some large percent of
the Western Hemisphere will be speaking English - as English Teacher
will have played a major role in that transformation.
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