Monday 27 January 2014

The British Council and Pearson collaborate to support the development of Higher Education in East Asia

The British Council and Pearson announce a collaboration to support the development of higher education in East Asia through the British Council Global Education Dialogue (GED) event series.

The two leaders in global education and learning will work with key policy-makers and influencers in the region to propose ways that education policy and delivery could be further supported and improved in a region that encompasses more than 800 million citizens under the age of 25, and already accounts for around a third of global GDP.

From legislative proposals to revitalise higher education (HE) in Myanmar to developing public-private partnerships in tertiary education in Indonesia, East Asia is home to a rapidly evolving HE sector that presents unique challenges and opportunities.

Sir Michael Barber, Pearson Chief Education Adviser, and Saad Rizvi, Senior Vice President, Efficacy, will advise on the British Council East Asia GED series, and collaborate on research and publications in association with the British Council.

Sir Michael Barber said: “Asian Pacific countries will increasingly play a leadership role in the global economy, which requires significant improvements in education systems. We hope that this collaboration on research and policy between Pearson and the British Council can help support the region to meet the challenges of the 21st century.”

Saad Rizvi, co-author of ‘An avalanche is coming’ and ‘Oceans of Innovation’ with Sir Michael, was a keynote speaker at November’s GED in Ho Chi Minh City. “Pearson’s commitment to efficacy and the British Council’s focus on creating opportunities go hand in hand. Through partnering on research and policy we hope to improve outcomes for learners across the region” Rizvi said.

Halima Begum, British Council Director of Education in East Asia, added: “Working with Pearson shows international partners and leaders the tremendous power of British education, expertise and influence. This collaboration is intended to bring long-term benefits to individuals and communities across the region.

Caroline Chipperfield, British Council Deputy Director of Education in East Asia, oversees the GED series. “Global Education Dialogue events are bringing together the key policy-makers to debate the challenges and opportunities facing international higher education. These events, attended by representatives from governments, universities and industry, are providing a high-level platform for developing and testing ideas and policies” she said.

Notes to Editor

Contact

Caroline Chipperfield

British Council Deputy Director Education in East Asia (based in Malaysia) Caroline.Chipperfield@britishcouncil.org.my 

Ivan Broadhead

British Council External Communications, East Asia Ivan.Broadhead@britishcouncil.org.hk

Saad Rizvi

Pearson Senior Vice President, Efficacy Saad.Rizvi@pearson.com

About the British Council

The British Council is the UK’s international organisation for educational opportunities and cultural relations. We create international opportunities for the people of the UK and other countries and build trust between them worldwide.

We work in more than 100 countries and our 7000 staff – including 2000 teachers – work with thousands of professionals and policy makers and millions of young people every year teaching English, sharing the Arts and in education and society programmes.

We are a UK charity governed by Royal Charter. A publically-funded grant-in-aid provides less than a quarter of our turnover which last year was £781m. The rest we earn from English teaching, UK exams and services which customers around the world pay for, through education and development contracts and from partnerships with other institutions, brands and companies. All our work is in pursuit of our charitable purpose and creates prosperity and security for the UK and the countries we work in all around the world.

For more information, please visit: www.britishcouncil.org. You can also keep in touch with the British Council through http://twitter.com/britishcouncil and http://blog.britishcouncil.org

About Pearson

Pearson is the world’s leading learning company, providing educational materials and services and business information through the Financial Times Group. Pearson serves learners of all ages around the globe, employing 41,000 people in more than 70 countries.

For more information, visit http://www.pearson.com.

About the Global Education Dialogues Series

The Global Education Dialogue series brings together key policy-makers and influencers to analyse the challenges and opportunities facing international higher education. It is a facilitated dialogue between governments, universities and industry with contributions and fresh perspectives from our network of leading thinkers. Each Policy Dialogue features the latest thinking in thematic areas with new research and input from government and industry leaders. Papers and research from the policy dialogue will be published so that they can contribute to evidence-led policy developments.