Finnish National Board of Education, Save the Children and Private Sector Heads of Industry Added to Speaker Line-up for Global Education Initiative in Bahrain

MANAMA, Bahrain -

- More Than 200 Education Professionals From Around the World Will Share Insights, Best Practices and Game-changing Ideas at October Conference

Leaders of European industry will join ministerial representatives and non-profit organisations at The Education Project, a global education conference in the Kingdom of Bahrain on October 15-17.

Among the strong European speaker contingent are: Francois Barrault, former CEO, BT Global Services and BT Group board member; Kari Pitkänen, Director of Administration, Finnish National Board of Education; Bahram Bekhradnia, Director, Higher Education Policy Institute UK; Helen Pinnock, Education Advisor, Save the Children UK; Dan Shine, President, 50×15 Foundation and Senior Advisor, Corporate Global Citizenship, World Economic Forum, and Professor Ralph Tabberer, former Director General of Schools for England, will speak at the conference.

The Education Project will begin with a lively televised debate on ‘The state of educational outcomes’. The discussion will be chaired by Tony Wagner, of Harvard Graduate School of Education ‘Change Leadership Group’, and will ask the question why education levels fail to meet expectations and why reform programmes designed to resolve the problem often do not have the desired effect. Joining Dr Wagner as a moderator will be James Rubin, international broadcaster and former policy advisor for US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright.

Shaikh Mohammed bin Essa Al Khalifa, Chief Executive of the Bahrain Economic Development Board, which is supporting the event, said: “The Education Project will bring together leading experts from across the globe and from all facets of education. Most have spent a lifetime committed to the cause; they understand what works and what does not. And they are passionate about identifying concrete solutions to one of the greatest challenges facing the world today; education is the single most important factor in bringing stability, productivity and prosperity to all societies.”

The inaugural conference aims to identify practical solutions for the gap in the quality of the global education system. Organisers hope to encourage commitment from both the private and public sector to adapt proven models of innovation for wider roll-out, matching donors with projects to enable real outcomes. The Education Project is free to attend for educational professionals. For further information visit: www.educationprojectbahrain.org

Further information Katie Bergius, Bell Pottinger Tel: +44 (0)207-861-3105 / +44(0)7979-701-689 Email: kbergius@goodrelations.co.uk

Source: The Education Project

Further information: Katie Bergius, Bell Pottinger, Tel: +44 (0)207-861-3105 / +44(0)7979-701-689, Email: kbergius at goodrelations.co.uk