The Education Secretary has made a rallying call today for
British education to be the envy of the world, marking the
start of a ‘post-Brexit education revolution’ (Monday 20
January).
delivered a speech at the Education World Forum in London,
which welcomes more than 100 education ministers from
around the world, stressing the importance of nurturing
international relationships as the UK prepares to leave the
EU, to help Britain be the best place for education in the
world.
Mr Williamson announced a one-year extension to a £2.5
million school exchange programme which allows children
from disadvantaged backgrounds to experience other
countries, cultures and improve language skills.
Mr Williamson also discussed ambitions for the Government’s
International Education Strategy, which aims to increase
international student numbers and strengthen the UK’s
collaboration on education with overseas partners.
Education Secretary
said:
“The UK has always been an outward-looking and global
nation, with a proud history and record when it comes to
education and innovation.
“Just over a week from now, the UK will leave the EU. This
is the perfect opportunity to march forward and be the
global leader in educating children, young people and
adults. Make no mistake, I want the UK to be the best place
in the world to educate your child and make the most of
people’s talents.
“As we step out into the world, our doors are open and our
ambitions are bold. We will continue to learn from those
countries excelling in areas like maths and will share with
others the lessons we have learned. We will place a bigger
focus on further and technical education and will continue
to welcome hundreds of thousands of the best and brightest
international students to our world-class universities.
“Achieving this comes by working in partnership with the
rest of the world and that will not change. With world
leading universities and one of the best school systems in
the world, we are and will continue to be a global leader
in education.”
The Education Secretary highlighted how education has long
been one of the UK’s greatest assets, and through an
ongoing education revolution, reforms have driven up school
standards, improved our curriculum and boosted literacy.
Mr Williamson also made clear that the UK’s doors are open
to international students who want to benefit from its
leading education. That goal was underlined in September
2019 by the creation of a new graduate visa route, giving
international students up to two years to find employment
after successfully completing their studies. This new route
will be launched in summer 2021.
Statistics published on 16 January showed that UK higher
education institutions hosted almost 486,000 students from
outside the UK in 2018/19, an increase of 27,000 on the
previous year. The figure moves towards the Government’s
ambition for 600,000 international students choosing to
study in the UK by 2030.
