The Papua New Guinea Education Ministry has officially begun welcoming delegates from 19 pacific countries for the highly anticipated 2025 Conference Pacific Education Minister (CPEM) meeting to be held in the nation’s capital. Minister for Education Lucas Dawa Dekene said, Papua New Guinea is honoured to bring together ministers, senior officials, civil society, teaching and learning communities, faith-based organisations and private sector amongst other stakeholders from across the world to engage in critical discussions on shaping the future of education in the Pacific. Scheduled from March 18-20 March 2025, this will be the second Conference of Pacific Education Ministers (CPEM) with the theme; “Transforming Edukesen for a Better Pacific” and reflects the importance of Pacific nations needing to shift their focus and adopt innovative approaches, particularly in embracing global educational changes. “The inaugural CPEM in 2023 was hosted in Auckland, New Zealand. "The reframing of this Ministerial forum from the Forum Education Ministers Meeting (FEdMM) to the CPEM reflects the transition of the hosting of the meeting from the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat (PIFS) to the University of the South Pacific (USP) where the Pacific Regional Education Framework Facilitation Unit (PacREF PFU) is hosted.” “CPEM also reflects a more active and formal engagement with civil society organisations (CSOs) who are important stakeholders in education development in the Pacific. "Education Ministers and senior officials from 19 Pacific Island countries and territories as well as Australia and New Zealand will participate in the three-day meet”, said Minister Dekena. As the cohost of the 2025 СРЕM, the University of the South Pacific Vice Chancellor and President, Professor Pal Ahluwalia acknowledged the warm welcome from the PNG team and also recognized the late and former Education Minister for Auckland who pushed for PNG to host the CPEM this year and to make education a national agenda. “The importance of this conference is not only to bring together the 19 minister and delegates together but, its the commitment by the ministers to say that there is something about sharing best experiences best practiced.” “This meeting is to create those regional goods and many experts who will be coming to speak, and they will be halping us think through, rather the difficult challenges that we face, like the size of our island nations and cultural challenges.” He added that despite all these challenges we face as pacific island nations, all Ministers must ensure that no child is left behind in the education system.