The theme of the virtual UKFIET 2021 conference was: ‘Building Back Better in Education and Training? Reimagining, Reorienting and Redistributing’. The conference week was opened and closed with plenary sessions of keynote speakers followed by discussion. The videos are available to watch on this page.
Monday 13 September 2021 – Opening Plenary
Susy Ndaruhutse, Chair of the UKFIET Trustees, opened the conference by setting the virtual scene and challenging all delegates to make the most of the full online experience. Ruth Naylor, Conference Chair, then introduced the format and members of the Conference Committee.
The first keynote speaker was Baela Raza Jamil, CEO of Idara-e-Taleem-o-Aagahi (ITA), Centre of Education and Consciousness and Commissioner with the Education Commission. She gave a presentation entitled: Education, Equity, Voice and Justice: the COVID Dividends?
Baela was followed by Dean Brooks, Director of the Inter-agency Network for Education in Emergencies (INEE). He presented on: Building Back Better: Framing and Inquiry
Friday 17 September 2021 – Closing Plenary
The closing keynote was by Alicia Herbert, Director of the Education, Gender and Equality Directorate (EdGE), at the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO). She presented on: Building Back Better in International Education and Development: FCDO’s Strategic Approach to ODA.
Alicia then joined a panel discussion chaired by Moses Oketch, with Becky Telford, Keith Lewin and Stephen Heyneman. The panellists reflected on the keynote presentation and the conference more broadly; and gave their perspectives on how to build back better in education and training globally.
Caine Rolleston, Chair of the UKFIET Executive Committee, closed the 2021 conference and thanked the full Conference Committee for their contributions to the first virtual experience. We all hope to be able to return in person (or at least in hybrid format) to Oxford for September 2023!
