Top international names to participate in discussion at Educa

More than half of the children and young people in the world do not learn basic skills in reading, writing and mathematics. Furthermore, at least 750 million people cannot read or write. This global learning crisis is preventing entire nations from reaching prosperity, because nations are only as strong as their human capital. What solutions, policy measures, practices and innovations are needed to ensure inclusive, equitable, high-quality education and lifelong learning opportunities for everyone?

Solutions for the global learning crisis will be explored in a panel discussion entitled "Seeking solutions to the global learning crisis", which is part of Educa’s international programme. The international discussion with four panellists (on Friday 24 January at 12:45 on the Equity stage) will be led by Jaana Palojärvi, director of international relations at the Ministry of Education and Culture. Representing extensive international expertise on the topic will be Mr. Robert Jenkins, chief, education and associate director, programme division, UNICEF headquarters and Mr. Borhene Chakroun, director of the division for policies and lifelong learning systems, UNESCO. The Finnish representatives in the panel discussion will be the Minister of Education, Li Andersson, and CEO of Omnia Education Partnerships Ltd, Mervi Jansson.

Sustainable Development Goals – Agenda 2030

Saturday’s international panel discussion will focus on the topic "Education supporting sustainable development – thinking globally". The panel discussion will explore the role of education when pursuing the concrete goals of sustainable development and the current status of our journey towards achieving the goals set by the UN for 2030.

The role of global education in supporting sustainable development will be discussed by Olli-Pekka Heinonen, director general at the Finnish National Agency for Education; Mr. Michael Stevenson, senior adviser at OECD; Mr. Simon Anholt, governmental policy adviser and publisher of the Good Country Index; and Jonna Rönn of the Finnish Agenda 2030 youth group. The discussion (on Saturday 25 January at 10:30 on the Equity stage) will be moderated by Anneli Rautiainen.

On Saturday, offering his take on how to repair the world, will be Mr. Simon Anholt (on Saturday 25 January at 13:00 on the Equity stage). The benefits of Apple’s new technology will be discussed by Mr. Peter Thompson, head of education strategic engagement, (Apple Inc.) (on Saturday 25 January at 14:30 on the Equity stage).

View the full  programme in English

More information:

Messukeskus, communications manager Taira Sjöblom-Tallus, taira.sjoblom-tallus@messukeskus.com

Educa, Finland’s largest educational event for professionals in the teaching and education sector, will be held at Messukeskus from 24 to 25 January 2020. Last year, 18,400 professionals in the teaching and education sector attended the event. The international programme of the Educa event is co-organised by the Trade Union of Education in Finland (OAJ), the Finnish National Agency for Education, and the Ministry of Education and Culture together with Messukeskus Helsinki.