Thousands of students will gather in Barcelona from May 16 to 20 for the World Higher Education Week, during which the World Higher Education Week and the UNESCO World Conference on Higher Education will be held, the authorities have notified.
According to the Spanish official news site, approximately 2,000 people will attend the event in person while another 8,000 in virtual format, SchengenVisaInfo.com reports.
During the World Higher Education Week 2022, various events to discuss the future of tertiary education will be held across Barcelona.
Applauding the occasion, the Secretary-General of Universities, Jose Manual Pigarron, said that the collaboration climate has existed between institutions to organise these events, while a priority objective for all institutions is to place higher education in a central place for a week in order to offer better service to our changing society.
On the other hand, the Minister for Foreign Action, Victoria Alsina, said that for a week, Barcelona would serve as a capital of education for a week.
“The will is to serve as a first stone to ensure that Barcelona, and Catalonia, is a reference centre of knowledge for its wide network of universities and research centres. We want to take advantage of the drive and effort to crystallise new projects, such as the creation in Barcelona of a UNESCO Institute specialising in Higher Education. Rest assured that if UNESCO is looking for a partner to develop this initiative, it will find one in the Government of Catalonia,” Alsina noted.
Other participating institutions include the Union for the Mediterranean, the Ibero-American General Secretariat (SEGIB), Menéndez Pelayo University, Times Higher Education magazine, La Caixa Foundation, several international university networks, the Ministry of Universities, the Generalitat de Catalunya, the Barcelona City Council, the ACUP and the Conference of Rectors of Spanish Universities (CRUE).
As per the World Conference on Higher Education, the representatives believe this event enables for the city to show its protentional as a global benchmark for a university city.
“After a few years of forced and sudden changes, it is a good time to rethink education The world conference organised by UNESCO in Barcelona next week is a great opportunity to reflect and debate how higher education should be and what it should do to meet the demands of a knowledge society,” Jaume Puy, a Rector of the University of Leida said.
Puy also pointed out that the work of the universities intends to lead to a more sustainable, open, inclusive society, concerned about the well-being of people.
>> Tourism Minister: Spain Is a Pioneer in Implementation of Social Sustainability Plans
