The Symposium is to be held in conjunction with the 15th Conference of Commonwealth Education Ministers (15CCEM) and will take place between 27–29 October 2003 at the Edinburgh International Conference Centre in Edinburgh, UK.

Are you an education professional with an interest in the Commonwealth?
The Parallel Symposium is an opportunity to:

• share knowledge, understanding and experience
• explore and evaluate possible solutions to challenging problems
• influence emerging educational policy and practice throughout the Commonwealth.

What is the purpose of 15CCEM?
The theme of 15CCEM is 'Closing the Gap'. Delegates to both the Education Ministers' Conference and the Parallel Symposium will meet to discuss how best to close the gap both between and within countries, in terms of access, inclusion and achievement.

The focus is access to high-quality education, which offers an inclusive ethos, offering opportunity for all to achieve their potential. 15CCEM is about setting achievable, specific goals to close the gap in equality of opportunity.

15CCEM will conclude with an Edinburgh Communiqué (a summary of the main priorities in Closing the Gap) and set targets for implementation.

The conclusions gathered from the attendees of the Parallel Symposium will be forwarded to the Ministers' Conference for consideration in the Edinburgh Communiqué.