Minister of Education Visits San Francisco
Georgian Minister of Education, Science, Culture, and Sport, Mikheil Batiashvili, is currently on a trip to the United States. Specifically, he is visiting Silicon Valley, in California’s San Francisco Bay area, meeting with representatives from the World Economic Forum, Stanford University, and Silicon Valley companies.
On Tuesday, June 4, Batiashvili met with Murat Sönmez from the World Economic Forum. Sönmez is a member of the Managing Board of the World Economic Forum, and Head of the C4IR Global Network. C4IR is the Center for the Fourth Industrial Revolution, an affiliated institution of the World Economic Forum. Its mission is to maximize the benefits of science and technology for society. C4IR is a self-proclaimed “global hub of expertise, knowledge-sharing and collaboration, based in San Francisco.” The center works closely with governments, leading companies, civil society, and experts from around the world to, they say, “co-design and pilot innovative new approaches to policy and governance in the Fourth Industrial Revolution.” The World Economic Forum explains the Fourth Industrial Revolution as having “the potential to raise global income levels and improve the quality of life for populations around the world.”
C4IR has formal partnerships with the governments of Azerbaijan and Turkey, among others, but so far not Georgia. The center works with governments to test and scale the projects developed in the Centre Network. Global local and national governments send fellows to be imbedded in C4IR project teams for 12 to 18 months. “Fellows act as a bridge to their governments, to help co-design new policy frameworks to be piloted in their home countries,” says the center.
During their meeting, Batiashvili introduced the directions of Georgia’s complex education reform plan.
The discussion focused on the ongoing transformation of Georgia’s education system, in particular, the introduction of technological and innovative approaches to the learning process and the importance of quality education for the country's economy, the ‘new school’ model, and changes in higher education. The sides discussed opportunities for future cooperation on technology.
Sönmez told the Georgian delegation, "I am excited about your reforms. In the direction of education, Georgia will become a success story for the rest of the world. As a citizen of this world, I am motivated by the fact that Georgia is a leader in rapidly developing reforms. That's why we believe in the success of education reform in Georgia and we will support it as much as possible…our door is open for Georgia's government, for Georgian people and we have strong cooperation.”
Batiashvili is accompanied by Mikheil Chkhenkeli, former Minister of Education and Sport, and current Advisor to the Prime Minister of Georgia on Education.
On Tuesday, Batiashvili met with Pete Ingram-Cauchi, CEO of Silicon Valley company iD Tech. iD Tech is a summer camp for youth ages 7 – 18, focused on computer technology education in a fun, engaging setting. They organize camps at more than 150 US universities and several international locations.
The meeting between Batiashvili and Ingram-Cauchi focused on technical education and the importance of applying modern technological methods to education. Ingram-Cauchi explained that the ongoing reforms in Georgia allow for effective transformation of the whole education system. “Here at Silicon Valley, we are known as the creators of effective transformation. Based on what I have learned, you have a huge opportunity to effectively transform the entire education system in Georgia. You start your pilots, and after their success, they will spread, and become a strategic advantage for your country. I think when the government is investing in education and technology, it's a guarantee of a successful future for a country,” said Ingram-Cauchi.
By Samantha Guthrie
Image source: Ministry of Education, Science, Culture, and Sport