BURLINGTON--In remarks delivered today to educators, businesspeople and policy makers gathered for the Vermont Summit on International Education, Lt. Governor Brian Dubie called for a “shared vision of the importance of an international education.” Dubie is a member of the Governor’s Council on International Education. The event was sponsored by the University of Vermont’s Asian Studies Outreach program.

Dubie said, “Travel has been a part of my career as an airline pilot, in the military, and now, as Vermont’s Lt. Governor.” He said there are three reasons why international education is important. First, “Today’s kindergarteners will inherit a world different from the one we all know,” he said, “where economic opportunity will go to a workforce with a proficiency in foreign languages and knowledgeable about world cultures and markets.”

“In a world filled with conflict,” he continued, “we must learn foreign languages and travel to other countries in the pursuit of peace.” And an international education, he said, “is a means to a better world.”

Before leading delegations to China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Canada, and Cuba, the Lt. Governor said, he always asks three questions. “Will the effort serve social justice and human rights concerns? Will it serve environmental concerns? And will it make sense from a business perspective?”

Dubie declared, “The most professionally satisfying feedback I have ever received as Lt. Governor was from (former political prisoner and Cuban dissident) Vladimir Roca, when he stated that my meeting with him was a ‘magnificent statement of solidarity.’”

Dubie praised efforts in schools around Vermont to advance the role of international education, citing the Global Schoolhouse at Brattleboro’s Academy School, and exchange programs like Maria’s Children, Project Harmony and Vermont Intercultural Semesters. He also highlighted work by Whitingham High School’s Lisa Brooks, Colchester Middle School’s Bill Rich and Brad Blanchette and Leland and Grey’s Steven John and Tom Conner.

In closing, Dubie offered three proposals for improving international education in Vermont. First, he called for the creation of an international education clearinghouse, to connect schools, parents, teachers, policymakers and businesspeople and offer a means for sharing programs, resources and ideas.

He also called for the state to partner with post-secondary institutions to establish “a clear policy for K-16 international education.” He emphasized foreign language learning as a prime component. “Learning a foreign language is a gateway to understanding culture. Currently, about half of Vermont students study foreign languages in high school. We must do better. We must start in elementary grades.”

Thirdly, Dubie spoke of a proposal he shared with state senator Don Collins, (D-Franklin County), who in turn will sponsor legislation in 2006 to expand foreign exchange opportunities to more Vermont high school students by allowing a student’s state block grant to be credited to the exchange program.

“We need to send a clear message from this summit: Vermont school children will receive the skills and experience they need to succeed in the world,” Dubie declared.