Provincial and Territorial Ministers of Education Celebrate International Education Week

TORONTO, November 18, 2013 – Today marks the beginning of International Education Week 2013 (IEW 2013). IEW was first established in 2000 and is now celebrated in over 100 countries around the world, including Canada.

 

IEW serves to increase awareness and understanding of international education among participating countries through a variety of activities and events undertaken by governments, educational institutions, stakeholder groups, and individuals.

 

Canada's theme for IEW 2013 is “International Education Week: Celebrating Canada's Engagement with the World.” The theme underscores the importance that Canada places on international education in all its forms, from studying abroad and international service work to hosting international elementary, secondary, and postsecondary students and encouraging qualified foreign students to make Canada their new home.

 

“Our celebration of International Education Week is a reflection of our shared commitment to preparing young Canadians for success in a globally connected world,” said the Honourable Jeff Johnson, Chair of CMEC and Alberta's Minister of Education. “Whether we're sending our youth abroad or welcoming highly talented international students to our schools, Canada is fully engaged with international education and ready to meet the world.”

 

You can find more information about IEW events being held in Canada, and list your own events, at the CMEC-hosted Web site, www.iew-sei.ca.

 

CMEC is Canada's voice for education on the international stage and works on a variety of education-related international initiatives and projects, including the following:

 

  • CMEC is preparing for the third high-level meeting between ministers of education of the provinces and territories of Canada and education leaders of the People's Republic of China to be held in spring 2014. The objective of these high-level meetings is to facilitate greater cooperation on education.

 

  • CMEC is continuing with the implementation of the International Education Marketing Action Plan approved by premiers. The plan was developed by CMEC and provincial and territorial immigration ministers to promote Canada as a destination of choice for international students.

 

  • In keeping with its commitment to provide Canadians with timely, internationally comparable data on education, CMEC is participating in OECD's flagship assessment of adult skills and learning, the Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC). The first results from PIAAC were released on October 8, 2013. PIAAC data provide Canadians with one of the most complete portraits ever of adult skills in Canada, including literacy, and will inform policy development for years to come. More information on PIAAC can be found at www.piaac.ca.

 

About CMEC

Founded in 1967, CMEC is the collective voice of Canada's ministers of education. It provides leadership in education at the pan-Canadian and international levels and contributes to the exercise of the exclusive jurisdiction of provinces and territories over education. For more information, visit us at www.cmec.ca.

 

 

- 30 -

Information

Colin Bailey
Director, Communications
Cell: 416-777-4879
Tel.: 416-962-8100, ext. 259
E-mail: c.bailey@cmec.ca
Twitter: @CCMEC