From its beginnings in 1984 in a school library in Guam, the annual Pacific Educational Conference (PEC) has grown into one of the largest education conferences in the Pacific region.
The PEC is organized for Pacific educators by Pacific educators. It is hosted in turn by different island communities in conjunction with local departments or ministries of education.
The focus at the PEC is on professional development, with a wide variety of activities to choose from. Intensive skill-building workshops for teachers and principals are supplemented by shorter awareness and networking sessions. Sessions are organized in strands aimed at providing intensive professional development in areas of special interest to educators.
Conference themes and locations are selected by the Pacific Resources for Education and Learning (PREL) Board of Directors, which consists of chief state school officers and community representatives from PREL’s constituents.
One quality sets the PEC apart from other professional education conferences: the Pacific way. Professional development sessions are followed by evening receptions that promote cultural understanding through song, dance, stories, and gifts.
Delegations to the conference come from the following Pacific island communities:
Asia, Australia, and the continental U.S. are represented as well.
During the 3-day conference, participants select from dozens of different workshop sessions. Skill-building sessions are intended to develop abilities that participants can immediately put to use in the work setting. These sessions are structured in 3- or 6-hour blocks and may take place over 1, 2, or 3 consecutive days.
Awareness sessions provide information on best classroom practices and current education legislation and programs, while networking sessions provide opportunities to exchange ideas and develop professional relationships. Awareness and networking sessions run 90 minutes.
Other activities include:
The Student Forum is sponsored by the Close-Up Foundation.
Contact PREL