The Conference on Education And Innovation For Inclusion And Productivity, organized by CAF, ended successfully.

(Buenos Aires, March 31^st, 2014).  Invited by CAF, Development Bank of Latin America,  the Ministry of Education, and the Ministry of Science, Technology, and Productive Innovation of the Nation, representatives from different countries of Latin America, who are experts on the subjects of education and technology, met in Buenos Aires to share the best practices regarding public policies, the challenges of providing services to an increasing number of youths who demand opportunities, and the need for a productive transformation in the region.

The event included the presence of the Minister of Science and Technology of Argentina, Lino Barañao, the Minister of Education of Uruguay, Ricardo Ehrlich, and several other Vice-Ministers of the educations and communications sectors in Argentina. Ecuador, And Peru.

Jose Carrera, CAF's Vice-President of Social Development, stated the challenges that Latin America and the Caribbean will face in the immediate future "we have to understand that the world changed, and that the factors that  allowed the region to reduce poverty and inequality in the past decade will no repeat themselves. As a developing region, we must work to achieve productive transformation,  and the development of competitive advantages based on knowledge for which education, innovation, and entrepreneurship are fundamental pillars".

Lino Barañao, Minister of Science, Technology, and Productive Transformation, highlighted the need to encourage interdisciplinary work and research. "We need to have a space for interaction where students and teachers in Latin America work together with people from other countries". We are talking about a Latin American Center for Inter-Disciplinary Training, explained Barañao, starting from the vision that science must be developed not only to increase competitiveness, but also , even in asymmetric conditions, because science and research are spaces for inclusion.

At the same time, Minister Ehrlich showed how the use of ICTs in educational processes has had a positive influence on equality, motivation, and the study of new languages, through his programs such as the audiovisual classrooms to learn foreign languages, and the Ceibal Plan, thoroughly described by its national director Dr. Miguel Brechner.

The Vice-Minister of Ecuador, Dr. Jaime Roca Gutierrez, highlighted the structural changes offered by the Millennium Schools Program, related to the new model of offering comprehensive high quality education through the consolidation of several single teacher schools in vulnerable and rural areas.

At the same time, the Vice-Minister of Communications of Peru, Dr. Raul Perez Reyes, informed about the efforts to provide high quality connectivity to educational facilities as a State policy within the national wide band plan promoted by Peru, especially in those areas where the market has not received the necessary incentives.

In addition, Ruben Ramirez, CAF's Director Representative in Argentina, showing the synergic effects between education and innovation, highlighted the importance of seeking sustainable practices on subjects related to school infrastructure and technology to improve investments in education. "Our goal is to show, share, and present the lessons learned associated with these subjects that may be successfully taken to different countries where we are developing joint actions with the governments that are part of CAF's shareholder countries".