International education conference Going Global 2011 opens in Hong Kong
11 March 2011
The British Council’s fifth annual conference explores the globalisation of higher education.
As countries across the world battle to emerge from recession, higher education is seen by governments and businesses as central to driving economic growth and securing global position. The skills agenda (further and vocational education) is also critically important. Going Global will analyse the challenges this poses to the traditional roles of universities and colleges. An expanding middle class in the developing world, growing demand for an internationalised workforce and tighter government budgets have all prompted academic institutions and leaders to look beyond geographic borders for growth. We are seeing a wide-spread – and rapid – internationalisation of education. These connections are creating new global and regional networks, and drawing a new landscape.
Going Global 2011, one of the world’s largest international education conferences, is taking place on 11-12 March at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. Hosted by the British Council with the support of the Education Bureau of the Hong Kong SAR, it will bring together industry leaders and policy makers to help shape the future landscape of the sector. The Honourable Donald Tsang JP, Chief Executive of Hong Kong SAR will deliver the opening speech at the conference and Rt Hon David Willetts MP, Minister of State for Universities and Science, will also speak at the opening session.
This is the British Council’s fifth annual Going Global conference and it is the first time the conference has been held outside the UK. More than 20 ministers, vice ministers and other national figures from 15 countries will contribute a wealth of information about the education sector of their home countries. 140 speakers will participate in 35 sessions attended by more than 1,000 delegates from more than 60 countries.
Conference sessions, which revolve around the theme ‘World Education: the new powerhouse’, will tackle questions such as:
- Many countries aspire to be international or regional education hubs, but what is the reality?
- Is India equipped to meet challenges in higher education?
- Which countries are investing the most in education?
- Who are the investors in education, what do they contribute and what do they expect in return?
- How do we maximise return on investment in education and skills for governments, businesses and individuals?
Over the last decade, the UK, the USA and Australia have continued to increase their numbers of international students. Yet there has been only a modest growth in the numbers of their students studying in Asia. How can we change this ‘one way’ mobility?
Martin Davidson, Chief Executive of the British Council, said: “Nations around the world expect education to play an important part in economic recovery. Going Global is a fantastic opportunity to debate the opportunities and challenges that this presents as well as a platform for the development of partnerships and collaboration worldwide.”
Notes to Editors
For more information, please contact:
Alex Bratt
British Council Press Officer
alex.bratt@britishcouncil.org
HK Mobile: (852) 63094619
UK Mobile: 44(0)7798840876
About the British Council
The British Council is the UK’s international organisation for educational opportunities and cultural relations. We work in over 100 countries worldwide to build opportunity and trust for the UK through the exchange of knowledge and ideas between people. We work in the Arts, English, Education and Society, including science and sport - and in the process contribute to the security and prosperity of the UK and the countries where we work. Last year we engaged face to face with 18.4 million people and reached 652 million. We are a non-political organisation which operates at arm’s length from government. Our total turnover in 2009/10 was £705 million, of which our grant-in-aid from the British government was £211 million. For every £1 of government grant we receive, we earn £2.50 from other sources. For more information, please visit www.britishcouncil.org
