Education ministries and councils from the Middle East and North Africa
will participate in the Building Future Education MENA 2011 and
stress the high level of interest from government authorities to
improve education standards across the region.

This endeavor is a  collaboration with Abu Dhabi Education
Council (ADEC) and featured experts and investors to help
identify opportunities in upgrading the quality and
delivery of education in this part of the world.

The high profile gathering highlights the urgent need for reforms in the
education sector in the Middle East, where 25 percent of the youth
population is unemployed. It is a situation which has resulted in an economic
loss of between $ 40 – $ 50 billion dollars annually for the Arab world.

“There is a critical need to equip young people throughout the region
with the right skills for the job market, hence our decision to adopt the
theme ‘Modernising education to create tomorrow’s workforce.” – Andrew
Pert Regional Director UBM Middle East

This and many other factors have led to a situation, according to Pert,
where the region has become ripe for massive investments in education.

“Our knowledge partners – Booz & Company, the Parthenon Group and RAND will be
presenting research studies that will reveal investment opportunities
available in the private education sector in the region,” he added.

This year’s Building Future Education MENA will include a full free-to-attend conference including
world-renowned speakers from the field of education, the public awareness
program, high-level roundtable forums and design my learning space
competition.

The main conference will bring together those at the forefront of
education from ministries, institutions, operators, architects and
investors. The conference features in-depth panel discussions, based around
specific research studies from BFE MENA’s Knowledge Partners Booz & Company,
Parthenon and RAND Qatar Policy Institute (RQPI), assessing the education
market in the GCC and areas of potential investment.

The conference will also cover key topics such as world-class facilities
and learning environments, curriculum and school improvement, quality
assurance, special education needs and sustainable education facilities.