Rt Hon William Hague, First Secretary of State and Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs and Hon. Anne Tolley, Minister of Education for New Zealand at the Education World Forum 2011.

Hon. Anne Tolley, Minister of Education, New Zealand meets Rt Hon William Hague in the UK for global education summit

The largest gathering of education and skills ministers in the world once again took place in London, last week [Note: January 10-12 -- Scoop Ed]. Hon. Anne Tolley, Minister of Education for New Zealand was welcomed to the forum by the Rt Hon William Hague, First Secretary of State and Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, Rt Hon Michael Gove MP, Secretary of State for Education and David Willetts MP, Minister of State for Universities and Science.

In recognition of the challenges facing education systems around the world, over 50 ministers from more than 65 countries shared thoughts, experiences and ideas on the central theme, ‘Education for Economic Success’. Presenters included Irina Bokova, Director General of UNESCO, Dr Elizabeth King, director of education at the World Bank, Andreas Schleicher, head of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development’s (OECD) Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), Professor Sir Michael Barber of McKinsey and Company and Michael Fullan, Professor Emeritus, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education.

Dominic Savage, Director General BESA and Forum Director, comments: “Education is a crucial factor in national and global economic health; a country’s strongest resource for its future economic stability and success lies with its young people. In the shadow of a global economic crisis there can be no better time to focus our best efforts on education and collaboration. The Education World Forum 2011 gave us a platform to share expertise and establish a cooperative, future-proof approach to education.”

Martin Davidson, chief executive, British Council, agrees: “It is essential that the economic and social benefits of education are realised for as much of the world’s population as possible. Having so many ministers in one place at the Education World Forum gave us a unique chance to understand the challenges we all face and to share knowledge between countries to ensure that we make the most of the opportunities ahead.”

ENDS

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