Delegates from 46 countries attend Global Education Conference

The inaugural Global Education and Skills Forum will be held this week in Dubai on March 14-17. The Forum, jointly organized by UNESCO, The Commonwealth Business Council, The UAE Government and GEMS Education will examine ways to create real, sustainable and scalable change to education systems at global and local levels.

A particular focus will be on developing an environment that supports effective Public and Private partnerships, including a regulatory framework that ensures access, quality, relevance and equity in education provision.

Spokesperson for the Global Education and Skills Forum Chris Kirk, said, "It's time to revolutionise our approach to education. The world is witnessing unprecedented demand for quality education from Africa and Asia. The majority of the world's population is already living in emerging economies. While the debate between private versus public continues, millions of children are missing out on a quality education".

"Children and young people demand educational transformation, one which delivers efficient, high quality public provision globally in order to meet and raise the expectations of families and communities around the world. This type of intervention can only be achieved through co-operation between the public sector, private sector and non-governmental organisations."

The Director General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova said, "Global companies have their global interests. But there is something new coming about, and that's the common understanding that it's in the private sector's interest that people are well educated. It's in the private sector's interest that markets function, that people are solvent, that the countries are stable. And the private sector is very open to innovative methods of cooperation. Tackling complex, global challenges requires innovative and far reaching partnerships between the public and private spheres.

Around 67 million children do not have access to primary school education and another 72 children miss out on secondary school education.

The tangible outcomes of the education gap include high unemployment rates; top ranking jobs going to non-nationals; talented students moving abroad for better opportunities; low value qualifications and skills misaligned to the needs of the economy.

The Forum covers topics across the education sectors; including sessions on disruptive technologies, technical and vocational education and equity in education.

Attendees include E. Pierre Nkurunziza, President of Burundi, H.E. Maria Kiwanuka, Minister of Finance, Planning and Economic Development,Uganda, H.E. Olusegun Obasanjo, Former President of The Federal Republic of Nigeria, H, H.E. Cirino Ofuho, Minister of Youth, H.E. Chilundo Arlindo, Deputy Minister of Education, Mozambique, South Sudan, H.E. Reem Al Hashimy, Minister of State, UAE, Nick Fuller, Head of Education, Olympics 2012, UK, H.E. Shashi Tharoor, Minister of Human Resource Development, India and Lord Andrew Adonis, former Minister of State for Education, UK.