Educational Leaders Gather at Going Global in Edinburgh

Recently, Edinburgh has hosted the Going Global event 2023, which was held between November 20th and November 23rd. It was set to bring together educational leaders worldwide to discuss scalable partnerships in the higher-education sector.

Some of the most notable figures to attend included:

• Gillian Keegan: Secretary of State for Education.

• Beatrice Muganda Inyangala: Principal secretary of the Kenyan State Department for Higher Education and Research.

• Matias Marin: Director of international relations at the Universidad Catolica de Manizales and chair of the Colombian Network for Internationalisation of Higher Education.

• Christopher Maiyaki: Acting executive secretary of administration at the National Universities Commission in Nigeria.

• Andrea Nolan: Vice-chancellor of Edinburgh Napier University.

Some of this event’s most important statements included Keegan’s statements, backed up by research analytics expert Jonathan Adams’ research, where she stated: “Adams showed that we were collaborating more and that those countries and institutions that developed international collaborations increased their impact. "It made us all richer—if you’re better connected, then you react quicker, and you pull ahead in the global race. She also stressed how this knowledge-sharing and collaboration will continuously improve education systems worldwide as well as people’s lives all over the world. 

Following Keegan’s statements, Beatrice Muganda Inyangala addressed gender diversity at Kenyan universities. She stated that universities in Kenya are reaching gender parity. In addition, she added that universities must be more purposeful by paying more attention to labour market needs.

Matias Marin addressed how partnerships would benefit his home country; however, the strong values Colombians hold can bring tension if no equity in partnerships is held. Many representatives from Latin American countries have also weighed in on the lack of reciprocity, saying that "they're sending students and not receiving them back.”

This is why Maddalaine Ansell, director of education at the British Council, has stated that “partnerships have got to be real; they’ve got to be trust-based; they’ve got to be equal; they’ve got to be sustainable in the sense that both sides are committed to something for the long term."

Many agreements have also been struck, such as those between the University of Aberdeen and Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University in Riyadh, as well as talks between Keegan and Nigerian officials discussing the expansion of the country’s relationship in the higher education sector.

In short, some of the focal points discussed in the event included having more equal partnerships in the higher education sector as well as more focused goals for higher education with regard to market needs. It also focused on looking at higher education worldwide as a holistic system that strengthens collaboration and avoids the waste of money.

Ever since its creation in 2004, the Going Global event by the British Council has brought together international education leaders from around the world. Over the years, this event has proven successful in forging alliances, connecting, sharing knowledge, and networking. These conferences have continuously enhanced further and higher education, and will continue to do so in the future.