May 19, 2022 – Education Secretary Leonor Magtolis Briones is set to address the plenary session of the Education World Forum (EWF) on equity and resources in basic education in the world’s largest gathering of education and skills ministers in London, United Kingdom on May 22 to 25.

Secretary Briones will join over 125 ministers in the EWF and discuss challenges in access to and quality of education in the plenary.

The Forum aims to discuss strategies on planning and developing education to support individual and collective resilience, economic progress and the contribution education can or should make.

“We will advance our accomplishments and challenges in basic education in the Philippines, especially in attaining quality education. Our participation is aligned with our commitment to globalize the quality of our education and establish stronger partnerships with international communities,” Sec. Briones said.

Briones will be joined by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Director of Education and Skills Andreas Schleicher, who initiated and oversees the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). The plenary session will be moderated by English journalist Mr. David Aaronovitch.

The session will also discuss social and emotional learning, girls education, and trends shaping education that are relevant to all levels of education.

With the theme, Education: building forward together; stronger, bolder, better, the four-day event will feature sessions in learning from education and how responses by all its stakeholders have strengthened, changed, and improved.

The Education chief will be accompanied by Undersecretary Nepomuceno Malaluan, Director Margarita Consolacion Ballesteros, and Director Nina Bianca Sanglay.

 

Briones in international forums

Secretary Briones has a vast portfolio of international and intergovernmental engagements in public policy and education. Briones has already addressed the United Nations (UN) General Assembly in 2005 and 2017.

She is the Vice President of the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Council (2021-2022) and was the Chairperson of the ASEAN Education Ministers Meeting (2020-2021).

As Department Secretary, she has represented the Philippines in various ministerial meetings, high-level debates and discussions with the UN and its other specialized agencies, such as the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), and the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO).

In 2019, Briones joined fellow ministers of education from around the world to discuss the challenges and share good practices and successes in the delivery of quality education during the Global Education and Skills Forum (GESF) in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

She also participated in various multilateral high-level meetings such as the Economic and Social Council High-Level Political Forum for Sustainable Development, Global Education Meeting High-Level Segment, and APEC Education Ministers Meeting, among others.

Due to her efforts and with the support of the Department of Foreign Affairs, the Philippines was elected to UNESCO’s Executive Board and earned UNICEF’s five-star rating recognition for the Philippines’ readiness to deliver remote learning in response to school closures.

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