Culture & Education | Monday 2 April, 2018 2:13 am |

The Gulf Comparative Education Society (GCES) is holding its Eighth Biannual Symposium April 7-9, 2018 at the Hilton Garden Inn in Ras Al Khaimah, United Arab Emirates.

The Symposium’s theme, “Public, Private, and Philanthropy: Exploring the Impact of New Actors on Education in the GCC,” seeks to engage individuals and organizations from a variety of sectors that are increasingly involved in education across the Gulf region. The event will highlight more than 40 presentations from around the world addressing relevant education topics for the Gulf, such as new education partnerships, philanthropy and education, promising new pedagogies, and regulatory frameworks. It will also feature prominent academics in the education sector, including Professor Bob Lingard (University of Queensland), Dr. Megan Tompkins-Stange (University of Michigan), Dr. Antoni Verger (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona), and Ms. Alexandra Draxler (NORRAG).

In addition, the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER), a UK-based organization that conducts education research and evaluation, will lead a pre-conference workshop focused on the use of international large-scale assessments, such as the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), to inform education policy in the Gulf region.

“This year’s presenters provide nuanced and critical analyses of the current trends in Gulf education,” says Dr. Abdullah Alajmi, a Kuwaiti academic who currently serves as the President of GCES. “I look forward to insightful presentations and open discussions about the effects of private, and international actors, and how to create inclusive, sustainable best practices in the field of philanthropy in education in the Arab Gulf region.”

Through bringing together academics, policymakers, and educators to compare educational policies and practices across the Gulf, the Symposium hopes to provide a space for exploring the promises and pitfalls of embracing rapid transformations in today’s society and reflect on the trends within the region.

The Eighth Biannual GCES Symposium is sponsored by the Sheikh Saud bin Saqr Al Qasimi Foundation for Policy Research. For more information, including official schedule, detailed program, and to register for the Symposium and/or pre-conference workshop, please visit: http://gces.ae/gces-symposium-2018-2/. Registration closes April 1, 2018.