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With a focus on contemporary approaches to empowering school leaders and teachers, British Council’s Partner Schools Network (PSN), a global network of schools, will organise the ‘Schools Now! Conference’ from March 1 to 2, 2016, in Abu Dhabi under the theme ‘Empowering Leaders, Teachers and Students’
The two-day event will be attended by HE Hamad Al Dhaheri, Executive Director of Private Schools and Quality Assurance, Abu Dhabi Education Council (ADEC); Dr. Sakena Yacoobi, CEO, Afghan Institute of Learning (AIL), Afghanistan; Ros Marshall, Trustee British Council & CEO of Taaleem, UAE; Mr. Essa Al Mulla, Executive Director, Emirates Nationals Development Programme (ENDP), UAE; and Marc Jessel, Country Director, British Council, UAE, among other education decision makers from across the world.
“Hosting this major conference in Abu Dhabi is a reflection of our appreciation of the efforts of the UAE government to raise the bar of education in the country,” said Marc Jessel, Country Director, British Council, UAE.
“Major participants from UK, UAE, Pakistan, Ghana, Egypt, and various parts of the MEA region will be sharing their case studies and expertise, as part of efforts to come up with solutions to the challenges schools face in meeting the expectations of students, parents, examining bodies, employers and society in general,” emphasised Jessel.
“We at British Council strive to empower students worldwide,” added Jessel. “Empowering leaders, teachers and students to develop and transform their schools requires deep understanding of the current situation at the schools. Our forthcoming conference in Abu Dhabi will serve this purpose.”
“Around 200 delegates from countries across the globe will be attending the conference that will offer a unique opportunity to engage with global schools leaders on the pressing issues facing the international education community today and are likely to face in the future,” added Jessel.
The latest Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) survey on ICT in schools has revealed consistent and widespread access to technology both within schools and in homes. 93% of secondary schools make use of an online learning platform; while as many as 97% of secondary school children and 94% of primary school children now have access to the internet from their home.
“However, according to numerous studies, internet access does not necessarily translate into success in the classroom and might not improve learning outcomes, because revolutionising learning technology in classrooms won’t yield fruits if traditional teaching methods are misused or under-utilised,” added Jessel.
The conference agenda will feature keynote speeches, plenary papers, panel discussions and short paper presentations. The 6 Plenary sessions will be: “Schools Now! Empowering leaders, teachers and students”, “Mind the (skills) Gap – are Schools fit for purpose in the new world?”, “Hope or Hype? – Rethinking technology and new models of delivery in schools”, “Redefining School Leadership– Challenging the status quo”, “Measuring Effectiveness, Improving Outcomes – what do examinations tell us?” and “Student Insight”.
Among the participants are global leaders and experts from the British Council offices from across the globe, as well as prestigious international organisations such as Pearson, Cambridge International Examinations, UK; Royal Society of Arts (RSA), UK; Presidium Group of Institutions, India; HSBC Bank Middle East Limited plus many others. Local entities from the UAE will also take part in the event, including Taaleem, UAE; Emirates Nationals Development Programme (ENDP); INJAZ – UAE and Heriot-Watt University Dubai.
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