Going Global, the world’s largest open education conference, will open on 2 May in Kuala Lumpur - the first time the conference is being held in the ASEAN region. This year’s conference will be co-hosted by the British Council and Ministry of Higher Education Malaysia.
Going Global is an annual conference offering an open forum for global leaders of tertiary education to discuss and debate issues facing the international education community.
This year’s theme is ‘Global Connections, local impact: Creating 21st century skills’, knowledge and impact for society-wide good’ and will be discussed across 40 sessions over three days.
Speaking at the press launch in Kuala Lumpur, Director British Council Malaysia, Sarah Deverall said:
‘Malaysia is a natural choice of venue for this year’s Going Global with its strong global connections, growing reputation as a regional education hub, and one of the fastest growing economies in the world. We are proud to be able to deliver this year’s conference with co-hosts the Ministry of Higher Education Malaysia, and the ASEAN Secretariat as supporting partners. This is a very fitting way to celebrate 70 years of continuous British Council presence in Malaysia”.
Also in attendance at the launch event was Guest of Honour, YB Dato’ Seri Idris Jusoh, Minister of Higher Education Malaysia. He said:
‘This year’s theme is timely as it reflects the importance of establishing global connections in the higher education space in order to effect meaningful, beneficial and sustainable change within our respective local communities. This is especially so as we prepare to face the challenges of the 4th Industrial Revolution. At the same time, Malaysia is currently home to over 1.25 million students including 170,000 international students from over 150 nations which creates an imperative to nurture future-proof global talent. Going Global 2018 will enable important discussions to take place on these issues’.
The Minister added, ‘the Ministry of Higher Education is proud to co-host Going Global 2018 with the British Council. We believe this synergy is indicative of the important collaborative nature required within the education space to raise the nation and region’s education ecosystem to the next level’.
Up to 150 expert speakers will address questions around how leaders and policy-makers can develop a well-understood role for institutions, what the priorities are in ensuring national tertiary education is fit to shape societies of the future and how they can meet the future needs of students, employers and communities.
Since 2004, Going Global has become an annual event alternating between the United Kingdom and major international cities, including Dubai, Miami and Cape Town.
More than 800 education leaders, government ministers and chief executives from around 75 countries are expected to convene in Kuala Lumpur to attend the conference and other fringe events.
The conference programme features keynote speeches, plenary and panel discussions, workshops and masterclasses from leading experts in the tertiary sector, industry and government agencies. Students will also feature in parts of the programme and fringe events to provide an opportunity to engage in wider discussions outside of the main conference or for delegates to enjoy Malaysian and ASEAN cultural activities.