Impérialisme linguistique : Gordon Brown récidive

Britain can be a global education superpower: Gordon Brown

2010-01-11 19:01:48 GMT2010-01-12 03:01:48 (Beijing Time)  Xinhua English

LONDON, Jan. 11 (Xinhua) -- Education will be one of the biggest global growth industries for Britain in the 21st century, and Britain can be a global education superpower, said Britain's Prime Minister Gordon Brown in an international education forum on Monday.

In the opening speech for the Learning and Technology World Forum 2010, which is held in London from January 11-13, Brown said that the global demand for education will grow exponentially as the global economy grows.

"With our world-class universities, our leadership in creative and digital industries, and the benefit of English language itself, we believe Britain can offer ourselves as one of the global education superpowers -- placing Britain's strengths at the service of learning and educational advancement throughout the whole world", said Brown.

He added: "Today I want to make this bold claim, that education will be one of the biggest global growth industries for Britain in the 21st century."

It is estimated that UK education and skills exports are worth around 28 billion pounds annually, making the UK a world leader in meeting the accelerating demand in this dynamic sector.

The Learning and Technology World Forum 2010 attracted participants from more than 100 countries, including 75 ministers and some 1,000 experts on learning technologies. They will share experiences and make discussions under the overarching theme "Re-imaging Education."

Brown said this Forum is an invaluable opportunity for countries to learn from one another, and he is proud that the UK nurtures and attracts so many learners who benefit from the expertise of its teachers and lecturers.

In the forum, the Prime Minister also announced the national roll out of Home Access, a scheme to give 270,000 low income families a free computer and free broadband access, under a major drive to close the digital and educational divide between rich and poor.

Britain's Secretary of State for Children, Schools and FamiliesEd Balls said: "This is all about making sure no child is left behind because of their background, getting parents more involved in their child's learning, and helping them get the skills they need to get back into employment or training."

Source:http://english.sina.com/world/2010/0111/299038.html