Festival of Education Christchurch Programme Revealed

Festival of Education Christchurch Programme Revealed

The programme for the inaugural Christchurch Festival of Education was revealed today at Waimairi School.

Inspired by the highly successful London Festival of Education, New Zealand’s Festival of Education has been developed by Cognition Education in partnership with the Ministry of Education, and supported by Education New Zealand and a range of commercial, central and local government organisations.

Mayor Lianne Dalziel attended Waimairi School as a student and returned today for the announcement of the event programme for the Christchurch Festival of Education.

The Christchurch Festival will take place at the Wigram Events Centre on Sunday, March 23. It will feature:

• A first-rate speaker programme featuring experts and opinion leaders from New Zealand and around the globe
• A series of dynamic workshops and panel sessions to provide interactive and detailed discussion on educational trends and issues
• A large performance schedule featuring the very best in performing arts from our local educational communities
• An exhibition area to showcase and celebrate educational innovation, collaboration and achievement

Keynote speakers will include global education thought leader, Michel Fullan, international education design expert, Christian Long and a suite of local experts.

Mayor Dalziel reflected on the importance of education in her own life.

“My parents always believed that their responsibility was to ensure their seven children had good health and a good education.

“My education has stood me in good stead throughout my life. I remember my German teacher who always encouraged me to excel. I think if a teacher believes in you, you can believe in yourself,” she said.

Education festivals will be delivered in Christchurch, Wellington and Auckland during the last ten days of March, complementing the OECD International Summit on the Teaching Profession being hosted in Wellington 28 and 29 March.

Chris Sullivan, General Manager of Knowledge and Growth for Cognition Education, says: “The Festivals of Education are all about celebrating excellence and innovation in our wider education system, and teachers play a crucial role in this.

“It’s important that we celebrate the enormous contribution our educators make to society,” he said.

The Christchurch Festival of Education is a free, open-to-the public event including inspiring speakers, interactive displays, activities, food and performance.

In the lead-up to the Festival, a number of influential New Zealanders have shared stories of the teachers who had the greatest impact on their lives.

The website ‘InspiredbyU’ was launched by Minister of Education, Hekia Parata on 10 February as part of a four year programme to raise the status of the teaching profession. Prime Minister, John Key shared his teacher story for the launch of the website. He has now been joined by sportsmen and women, musicians, broadcasters, politicians and business leaders in remembering the role that influential teachers played in their lives.

Using virtual postcards, thousands of New Zealanders will also have the opportunity to share the story of the teacher that had the biggest impact on their lives.

Members of the public are invited to create their own digital postcards, sharing their teacher story online, at www.inspiredbyU.org.nz. Large-scale postcards from around 200 prominent New Zealanders will also be exhibited at the Festivals.

Click here for more information.

ENDS

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