The Secretary-General will challenge universities to increase the number of scholarships they make available to Commonwealth students when she speaks at a universities conference tomorrow in Ghana.
Ghana, 27 July 2016: The Commonwealth Secretary-General will challenge universities to increase the number of scholarships they make available to Commonwealth students when she speaks to top academics at a universities conference tomorrow in Ghana.
Secretary-General, Patricia Scotland, will focus on the value of public and private sectors, as well as international and grassroots organisations, working together to address issues such as funding and access to higher education. She will also stress the importance of ensuring students are fit to lead on solutions for global crises such as climate change.
SG @commonwealthsec: universities need to be ahead of curve - must anticipate problems of 22nd century and work on solving them #ACULeaders
— The ACU (@The_ACU) July 29, 2016
The Secretary-General will join high level speakers, including former Secretary-General of the United Nations, Kofi Annan in addressing the Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU) Conference of University Leaders in the Ghanaian capital of Accra. The theme of the event is ‘Defining the responsible university: society, impact and growth’.
During the conference Secretary-General Scotland will sit on a ministerial panel. She will discuss a range of Commonwealth Secretariat education initiatives, one of which, an Education Hub, facilitates inclusive online collaboration between professionals and policy-makers in Commonwealth member states.
Congratulating the ACU for their ongoing efforts to improve education in the Commonwealth, she said: “The ACU, the world’s first and oldest international university network, is one of our key partners. They exemplify Commonwealth spirit and value by connecting vice-chancellors and other university leaders in our 53 member states, together with international organisations and advocates at the highest level such as Kofi Annan, and alumni of Commonwealth universities so that we can work together on tackling emerging challenges in education for the benefit of all our citizens.”
The ACU Secretary-General, Professor John Wood, expressed delight that the conference had attracted some 250 delegates from across the Commonwealth. “The size and diversity of our membership provides a wonderful platform to discuss how universities can address the major issues facing Commonwealth countries, such as economic prosperity, governance, equity and intolerance. All of these will be addressed during our time together,” he said.
