A brand new initiative comprising of globally diverse education experts, known as the ‘Atlantis Group was launched at the Global Education & Skills Forum (GESF) in Dubai this year. chief executive Vikas Pota, Chief Executive of Varkey Foundation said that the group comprising 20 former Education Ministers and Heads of State will have a powerful impact on the current global education debates. “Members of the group will provide current government’s recommendations on global education issues using their deep experience and unique perspectives and the fact that they can speak freely as they’re no longer tied to particular government positions will be of immense help.
Education Stalwarts in the Atlantis Group
Prominent globally-diverse names in the group include former United States Secretary of Education under President Obama, Arne Duncan, former Lebanese Minister Elias Bou Saab, former United Kingdom Education Secretary Michael Gove, former Peruvian Minister and incoming Head of the World Bank Education team, Jaime Saveedra, and former Greek President George Papandreou. Advising the Atlantis Group are Professor Fernando Reimers, Faculty Director, International Education Policy at Harvard University, Andreas Schleicher, Director of Education and Skills, OECD, and Irina Bokova, Director-General, Unesco.
Helping the Education Ministries
The Atlantis Group will act as an advisory body to the education ministries around the world, coping with issues of relevance to state of education in their own country. Subsequently, the Group will provide the highest quality expertise and recommendations, by drawing upon the particular views and experiences of members. Initially, the group will work on a year-long piece initiative to consider the issue of the future of education leadership at all levels. The secretariat for the group will be provided by the Varkey Foundation, that’s also responsible for establishing the GESF and the Global Teacher Prize. The GESF debates new ways for education to transform our world, and is widely referred to as ‘the Davos of Education’,
