FWE holds 1st annual conference at OECD HQ, eyes future of global education

The Forum for World Education (hereinafter referred to as "FWE") kicked off its first annual conference under the theme "the Future of Education: Where do we go from Here?" at OECD headquarters in Paris, France on December 3.

More than 300 global business leaders, education policymakers, and well-known scholars from more than 10 countries and regions participated in this 2-day event, and launched an ambitious and far-reaching dialogue on the future of global education.

Andreas Schleicher, OECD Director for Education and Skills opened up the forum. He said: "The Forum for World Education provides a unique platform for global leaders and young people to discuss the future of education. It is clear that to transform education at scale we need not just a radical vision of what is possible but also make education everybody's business."

In her speech, Dr. Cheng Davis, co-founder of The Forum for World Education paid tribute to Victor Hugo, one of the greatest French novelists.

"Victor Hugo is a true humanitarian and global citizen." Said Dr. Davis, "His philosophy, character, and posture towards outsiders is the spirit we want to carry on for today's education. Education is the only way to build world citizens like him -- and we will find the way together to achieve that and make education a priority by gathering experts such as all of you here. "

This invitation-only event brought together global leaders from all over the world, including Princess Laurentien of the Netherlands; Jack Ma, Founder of Jack Ma Foundation; Wang Guangfa, Chairman of Fazheng Group and principal of the Beijing Royal School; Dhanin Chearavanont, Senior Chairman of CP Group in Thailand; former education ministers and policymakers such as Olli-Pekka Heinonen of Finland; Hekia Parata of New Zealand; Maria Helena Guimarães de Castro of Brazil; and world-renowned academics such as Dr. Eric Hanushek of Stanford University; Dr. Oon Seng Tan of Singapore; Dr. Christoph Metzger of the University of St. Gallen in Switzerland; Dr. A. Lin Goodwin, the Dean of the Faculty of Education at the University of Hong Kong; and Dr. Pam Grossman, Dean of the Graduate School of Education at the University of Pennsylvania.

The forum began with keynote speeches by Princess Laurentien and Jack Ma, in which they discussed the developments and challenges of 21st -century education.

Ma said innovation in education is crucial to keep pace with today's fast-changing world. "In the current digital era, two things are increasingly important: not only should we give everyone the chance to receive an education but, first and foremost, it's about offering students the right type of education and skillset that can prepare them to cope with the challenges the future poses."

Ma also called for better recognition of school personnel, from headmasters to teachers. "Education is about the future. We should give teachers the best recognition, and equip headmasters with the proper training and resources to identify and retain the most capable educators. A good teacher can help 200 students in their lifetime at least. Being a teacher was my first job, and I hope my last job is working together with you, to do something to improve education globally."