Education Councils and Ministries to Attend Building Future Education MENA

ABU DHABI, UAE, October 23, 2011 -

Education ministries and councils from the Middle East and North Africa will be in attendance at Building Future Education (BFE) MENA 2011, underscoring the high level of interest from government authorities to improve education standards across the region.

Building Future Education MENA, in partnership with Abu Dhabi Education Council (ADEC), will be held at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre on 25-26 October 2011; and will feature renowned experts and investors to help identify opportunities for collaboration in upgrading the quality and delivery of education in this part of the world.

The high profile gathering highlights the urgent need for reforms in the education sector in the Middle East, where 25 percent of the youth population is unemployed, and a situation which has resulted in an economic loss of between $40 - $50 billion dollars annually for the Arab world.^[1]

“There is a critical need to equip young people throughout the region with the right skills for the job market, hence our decision to adopt the theme ‘Modernising education to create tomorrow’s workforce,” said Andrew Pert, Regional Director, UBM Middle East, organisers of BFE MENA 2011.

This and many other factors have led to a situation, according to Pert, where the region has become ripe for massive investments in education. “Our knowledge partners - Booz & Company, the Parthenon Group and RAND will be presenting research studies that will reveal investment opportunities available in the private education sector in the region,” he added.

As well as an interactive exhibition floor, this year’s Building Future Education MENA will include a full free-to-attend conference including world-renowned speakers from the field of education, the public awareness programme, high-level roundtable forums and design my learning space competition.

The main conference will bring together those at the forefront of education from ministries, institutions, operators, architects and investors. The conference features in-depth panel discussions, based around specific research studies from BFE MENA’s Knowledge Partners Booz & Company, Parthenon and RAND Qatar Policy Institute (RQPI), assessing the education market in the GCC and areas of potential investment.  

The conference will also cover key topics such as world-class facilities and learning environments, curriculum and school improvement, quality assurance, special education needs and sustainable education facilities.

Visitors can register now free at www.buildingfutureeducationmena.com.  Building Future Education MENA will also have strong representation from the MENA region’s education ministries and councils including United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Bahrain, Qatar, Oman, Kuwait, Jordon and Lebanon.

^[1]Education for Employment: Realizing Arab youth potential (International Finance Corporation, the World Bank Group and Islamic Development Bank Group, 2011)

About Building Future Education MENA

Building Future Education (BFE) MENA in partnership with the Abu Dhabi Education Council (ADEC) is a free-to-attend international exhibition and conference covering educational spaces, management, reform, investment and operation of all educational institutions and programmes in the MENA region; and covers all tiers of education.

BFE MENA attracts strong representation from the MENA region’s education ministries and councils including the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Bahrain, Qatar, Oman, Kuwait, Jordon and Lebanon and is organised by UBM Middle East.

Media, for all enquires including the knowledge partner reports and to register to attend please contact:

Anthon Garcia, press@buildingfutureeducationmena.com or +971-50-139-8661

For other marketing related enquiries:

Bryan Espie, Marketing Director, UBM Middle East, bryan.espie@ubm.com or +971-2-406-4471.

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