Leading International Experts To Convene In Dubai At Regions Premiere Education Exhibition And Conference

Leading international experts will gather in Dubai for the 7th annual Global Education Forum (GEF) conference and Gulf Education Supplies and Solutions (GESS) exhibition on March 4-6, 2014 at the Dubai World Trade Centre.

Organised under the patronage of HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, and supported by His Excellency Humaid Moh’d Al Qutami, Minister of Education for the United Arab Emirates, this year’s edition of GEF and GESS will feature the most comprehensive line up of international and regional experts sharing the latest trends and insights on education in 11 world-class keynote speeches, over 70 abstract presentations, more than 20 workshop sessions as well as 100 conference, panel and roundtable discussions.

Key topic streams include some of the most challenging issues confronting the education system in the Gulf today, such as special needs education, research for learning, language learning, leadership and management, e-learning and educational apps and eSafety.

This year, educators will gain maximum benefit from attending both the exhibition and the conference as the whole event is CPD-certified. “This means a great deal as simply attending the event gives them CPD accreditation that they can use for professional advancement. This is a significant benefit, in addition to the wealth of insights they will gain from attending the various sessions that seek to develop solutions for enhancing the quality of education in classrooms throughout the Gulf region,” said Sharief Fahmy, CEO, F&E Group, organisers of GESS.

Among the highly anticipated speakers include Dr Khalifa Ali Alsuwaidi, Assistant Professor, UAE University whose keynote presentation, How to Become a Star in Your Profession, will present research-based insights on how educators can achieve excellence in the classroom.

The issue of youth unemployment in the Arab world will be tackled in numerous sessions and discussions, focusing on equipping young people with the right skills that make them productive members of society. Skills drive economic growth and influence how those benefits are shared within societies. In countries where large proportions of adults have poor foundation skills, it proves difficult to introduce productivity-enhancing technologies and new ways of working. This, in turn, stalls innovation and improvements in living standards.

The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Skills Strategy provides a useful framework for countries to build effective and integrated skills policies that develop relevant skills, activate skills supply and make effective use of skills – this will be discussed comprehensively by Barbara Ischinger, Director of Education and Skills, OECD on the first day of the conference through a presentation entitled Skilled for life? Getting the foundations right.

This year’s conference will also feature the exclusive launch of the Research for Learning (RFL) Practical Conference in the Middle East, where educators stand to benefit from learning how to transform evidence-based research into realistic classroom practice. The course aims to identify classroom interventions that have the biggest effect, give practical examples of how each one can be delivered, offer tried and tested strategies that really work, and showcase how to actually implement the best interventions.

Another important addition to this year’s conference is the Spark @ GESS Teach Meet, a free CPD programme that is based on teacher collaboration. SPARK follows the hugely successful TeachMeet concept which is fast becoming globally renowned. The SPARK model involves organised and informal gatherings of teachers aiming to share good practice, provide personal insights and discuss practical innovations that work in the classroom.

GESS and GEF 2014 are free to visit with online registration now possible at www.gesseducation.com

Emirate:  Dubai

Date: Feb 19, 2014

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