Ottawa, November 13, 2018 – As institutions around the world mark International Education Week, there is a growing call for more young Canadians to experience learning abroad. The Study Group on Global Education, co-led by Margaret Biggs and Roland Paris, has shone a light on Canada’s need for a more strategic and ambitious approach to global education.
“In a world that is becoming more complex and more competitive, young Canadians will increasingly need 21st century skills,” says Margaret Biggs, the Matthews Fellow in Global Public Policy at Queen’s University. “These skills include problem-solving, being comfortable working with people from different backgrounds and knowledge of the world.”
“Global education fosters these skills,” adds Roland Paris, Professor of International Affairs in the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs at the University of Ottawa. “There is a compelling national interest in significantly expanding the number and diversity of young Canadians who go abroad for study and work-integrated learning.”
In their Study Group report Global Education for Canadians: Equipping Young Canadian to Succeed at Home & Abroad, Biggs and Paris call for a pan-Canadian action plan for global education with ambitious national targets, led by the Government of Canada in partnership with provincial and territorial governments, educational institutions and the private sector.
“As the national voice advancing Canadian international education, we have long advocated for more young Canadians to study abroad,” says Larissa Bezo, Interim President and CEO, Canadian Bureau for International Education (CBIE). “We are delighted to recognize Margaret Biggs and Roland Paris with the Catalyst Award for bringing cutting-edge knowledge to the field of international education through the Study Group on Global Education.”
CBIE will present the Catalyst and additional Excellence Awards at its annual conference taking place November 18-21 in Ottawa. The meeting place for international education professionals from across Canada and around the world, the event will draw some 900 participants from 40 countries this year.
The national voice for international education since 1966, CBIE’s pan-Canadian membership comprises 150 colleges, institutes, cégeps, universities, school boards and language schools.
Media contact:
Lorraine Hudson
Communications Officer
[email protected]
613-237-4830 ext. 341
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