Thursday 26 May 2011

Thousands of educators to gather in Vancouver for conference


VANCOUVER - Thousands of educators and entrepreneurs from around the world will gather next week in Vancouver to discuss the latest trends in international education.

The annual conference of the NAFSA: Association of International Educators will feature sessions on a variety of topics, including the impact of international learning on a globalized world, the flow of international students, recruitment practices, academic ethics across cultures and the future of higher education.

Plenary speakers include Naif Al-Mutawa, creator of the comic book series The 99, which features superheroes inspired by Islam, and Anand Sudarshan, chief executive officer of Manipal Education, a leader in education and health-care in India.

Also featured during a session on entrepreneurship are Hammad Hammad, whose nonprofit organization provides academic, athletic and arts education to Palestinian refugee youth in the West Bank, Kristin Hayden, founder of a global leadership program for underserved high school students and Jessica Lax, who established an organization to train cycling theatre troupes to promote global change through consumer choices.

More than 8,000 people from 100 countries are expected to attend the four-day conference, which starts Tuesday. It's billed as the world's premier meeting, networking and learning opportunity for those engaged in international education.

Almost 200,000 international students studied in Canada in 2008, contributing $6.5 billion to the economy, according to the federal government.


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