The Education World Forum begins in London today and continues until Wednesday. But what is it and does it matter? Here’s what you need to know.
What is the Education World Forum?
The Education World Forum (EWF) styles itself as “the world’s largest gathering of education and skills ministers”. According to the organisers, the three-day conference attracts delegates from over two-thirds of the world’s population to debate education policy.
Where did it come from?
The conference is now in its sixteenth year. Originally known as Moving Young Minds, it was set up by the British government through its British Educational Communications Technology Agency (Becta) quango. In 2009, it was rebranded the Learning and Technology World Forum, and after the coalition government abolished Becta, it moved to the private sector, taking its current name in 2011.
Who’s behind it?
The forum is supported by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the Department for Education, the Department for International Trade and the Department for International Development, as well as the British Council. It has a number of other official supporters, such as Microsoft, the University of Cambridge and the controversial education company Bridge international.
Who’s appearing at this year’s conference?
The rationale for the EWF is to give education ministers from around the globe the opportunity to meet, share ideas and compare notes on education policy.
Conference speakers, and even the event’s location, have been shrouded in secrecy - something which the organisers say is necessary for security reasons, given the large number of government officials attending the EWF from all over the world.
However, the speakers on the first day of the conference can now be revealed. Damian Hinds delivered one of his first speeches as education secretary at the EWF last year, and he will formally open this year’s conference, too. Other speakers include Andreas Schleicher, director of education and skills at the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, and Princess Laurentien of the Netherlands, a Unesco special envoy on literacy for development, as well as the education ministers of Ghana, Nicaragua, Kenya and Vietnam.
Does it actually achieve anything or is it just a talking shop?
That’s hard to tell. Many of the sessions are closed to the press, so we don’t know what gets discussed.
Trade unions have criticised the EWF for its secrecy, but the organisers say it is necessary to give ministers a safe space out of the public eye where they can speak candidly about past mistakes and ask questions which reveal their doubts and uncertainties.
At last year’s event, attendees told Tes that the event was useful so that ministers can “learn from failures” and “avoid what some other countries did”. The organisers have claimed that one minister at the 2017 forum rushed home halfway through to immediately put a lesson she had learned into practice.
However, others might question how much ministers can learn from each other if they come from countries which vary massively in their culture and wealth. For example, a session at last year’s conference discussed global competence - the capacity to understand different perspectives and worldviews.
At the end of the discussion, delegates from developing countries questioned its relevance to them, when their priorities can be as fundamental as providing a school building for children to learn in and securing electricity and running water.
