GOVERNOR PROMOTES INNOVATION AT PACIFIC EDUCATIONAL CONFERENCE

Governor Lingle addressed educators who gathered in Hawai`i to focus on the needs of Pacific island schools, teachers and students at the 2007 Pacific Educational Conference.

"Hawai`i and nations across the Pacific are united in geography, culture and issues," the Governor told delegates. She further explained that land and natural resources are finite in all areas of the world - especially in island economies.

"We can't depend on development," she said. "With a global market changing to technology and innovation, education is key issue for all of us."

The Governor explained Hawai`i's focus on innovation in education, which includes significantly increasing the number of Hawai`i students with world-class analytical and problem solving skills developed through science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education. "Education isn't just about information," she said. "It's about inspiring students to be innovative."

Delegates to the conference represented Hawai`i, American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia (Chuuk, Kosrae, Pohnpei, and Yap), Guam, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and the Republic of Palau.