Education and Development Minister Paula Cox will this weekend head off to Scotland as part of a Bermudian delegation to play an integral role in the 15th Conference of Commonwealth Education Ministers.

The Council for Education in the Commonwealth hosts the conference every two years and Ms Cox has been invited this year to be a panellist on Sunday at a discussion about the challenges faced by education ministers.

She said: "This year's meeting is designed so that ministers from Commonwealth countries in education can actively collaborate on identifying, addressing and proposing solutions to some of the challenges that occur when delivering an educational product to a nation.

"This is a hands-on conference, not merely a meeting of the minds. There will be action plans developed and interim reports submitted to assess the effect of the decisions made.

"The theme of the 2003 conference is `Access, Inclusion and Achievement: Closing the Gap'. Clearly, these are very topical issues for education authorities around the world and I am pleased to be able to present our position on these matters."

Ms Cox said that among the many issues to be discussed at the conference, she would be highlighting the challenges faced in the public system in Bermuda by the high number of students in private education, as well as the level of achievement by both boys and girls.

Other topics raised by Ms Cox are likely to include the challenge faced by the Ministry in changing the perception of public education and its students.

Throughout the conference in Edinburgh next week, Ms Cox will be accompanied by permanent secretary Michelle Khaldun, who will take part in a parallel civil servants' symposium, and two public school students, who have been selected to attend the youth summit as representatives of Bermuda.

Ms Cox said she was particularly excited that students Tricray Astwood, from CedarBridge Academy, and Atiyyah Talbot, from Berkeley Institute, would be attending the conference to put forward their views on where public education could be improved.

Ms Cox added: "This is a wonderful opportunity for them to not only meet young people from other countries, but also for them to compare notes on education and on others aspects of life in different parts of the world.

"It is also planned that the delegates from the youth council will also meet with the ministers in order to share their views. I look forward to this exchange because it is also important for ministers to listen and to heed the advice from those who are directly affected by the decisions we make and the policies we deliver.

"I welcome the opportunity to once again share with an international audience some of the many and varied accomplishments of the Bermuda public school system, and also to bring back information which may be of use as we continue to try to deliver quality education for all."

Atiyyah, who is head girl at Berkeley, said she was looking forward to meeting students from around the globe, as not only would she be able share in educational experiences, but she would also see and hear for herself how lucky people in Bermuda were.

She said while students in Bermuda complained about not having enough shoes, there were many students in poorer countries who did not have books.

"For me, it's an opportunity to be a voice for Bermuda. Often, there is too much talk and not enough resolution to problems," she said.

She said she believed it was time for people to stop complaining and, instead, improve on what they had.

But she said she felt Bermuda needed to ensure that people succeeded at public school at all levels because there was too much of a difference between those that did well and those that failed.

And also on her agenda was the issue of gender disparity, as she said she felt, globally, girls were performing well, while many boys were being left behind.