Highlights from Going Global 2021

June 2021

“We are at a moment in time which requires us to take steps to transform how we connect and to do so in a sustainable way. From global research groups directly addressing issues related to the pandemic through to new ways of enabling global classroom activities, it has been a time of invention and change.” - Professor Dame Janet Beer, Vice-Chancellor University of Liverpool, UK

For the first time, the British Council hosted Going Global virtually in 2021. From 15 - 17 June 2021 we explored the theme Reimagining international tertiary education for a post-pandemic world with international education leaders from around the globe. Seventy three countries were represented by delegates, including Vice-Chancellors, Pro Vice-Chancellors, and Government Ministers.

Highlights

"Most importantly, what Covid-19 has taught us, definitely here in the global North, is about vulnerability -- and it has perhaps put us in a better position to understand the realities of people living in the global South who are coping with and managing various types of uncertainties more or less continuously. It provides a push for management systems that take this reality into account." - Solbjørg Sjøveian, Assistant Director, The Knowledge Bank, Section for Research, Innovation and Higher Education, Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation, Norway

Over three days packed full of sessions, plenaries, discussion groups, masterclasses, poster presentations and networking opportunities, our Going Global speakers and delegates met online to share their biggest challenges, ideas and solutions for international education under a post-pandemic lens. Discussions centred around three core themes - the changing student body, serving post-pandemic society, and protecting the planet.

Notable speakers included:

Dr Jeffrey Sachs, Director of the Center for Sustainable Development at Columbia University, USA and world-renowned economist and expert on global development
Professor Adam Habib, Director of SOAS University of London
Nigel Topping, UN High Level Climate Action Champion for #COP26

“Equity means being part of the discussion right from the beginning. We want to be part of addressing all of these issues from the start, and not to just be invited to the table after a grant has been made.” – Prof. Ernest Aryeetey, Secretary General, African Research Universities Alliance, Ghana

>> See all the highlights from Going Global 2021

Research launched

How are vocational institutions innovating, evolving and changing as a result of Covid-19? This British Council research examines how vocational institutions, having dealt with the initial crisis-management of the pandemic, are beginning to innovate and to evolve their thinking for the medium to long term. TVET practitioners and leaders from Ghana, India, Malaysia, South Africa and the UK provide insights and reflect on key questions.