| Dr Christine Fox (left) from UOW’s Faculty of Education is the ... Dr Christine Fox (left) from UOW’s Faculty of Education is the Secretary General of the World Council of Comparative Education Societies. She is pictured with Professor Crain Soudien (right) from the University of Cape Town who is the President of WCCES and Dean of Education Professor Paul Chandler. |
UOW plays starring role in global education society
3 Dec 2008 | Kate McIlwain
The President of the World Council of Comparative Education Societies (WCCES), Professor Crain Soudien from the University of Cape Town, visited Wollongong this week to recognise that UOW is the administrative home of the important international Council.
WCCES an international educational council which has strong links to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) and is involved in promoting educational cooperation worldwide.
Dr Christine Fox from UOW’s Faculty of Education has been the Secretary-General of the Council since 2005, and was this week (Monday December 1) visited at UOW by the current President of WCCES Professor Crain Soudien.
It was the first time Professor Soudien had visited Wollongong, and he came to thank Vice-Chancellor Professor Gerard Sutton and Dean of Education Paul Chandler (as well as past Dean of Education Barry Harper) for the establishment and support of the WCCES Secretariat at UOW.
During his visit Professor Soudien said that UOW is a leading institution globally in internationalisation and intercultural issues, so it is fitting that the WCCES Secretariat and the WCCES website has found a home in UOW.
The Secretariat has been at UOW since Dr Fox was elected Secretary-General in 2005 for a five-year term. The honorary position requires assistance both from the Council and UOW. In return, UOW gains a high profile in international education forums.
With an academic interest in international and intercultural education, Dr Fox said it has been an honour to serve the WCCES as Secretary-General.
“It is so satisfying to have the opportunity to be involved in shaping its international educational research, publications, projects, and triennial Congresses,” she said.
Various roles in WCCES, including the role of Vice-President, over the past 12 years have taken her to US, Europe, South Africa, Cuba, Korea, China, Taiwan, India and the UK.
During her time as Secretary General Dr Fox has represented WCCES and UOW globally, including the UNESCO General Conference in Paris in 2006, and in January next year will conduct a site visit for the next Congress venue, in Istanbul, for 2010.
Dr Fox said that the main highlight of her role was working towards holding the 13th World Congress of WCCES in Sarajevo in 2007.
“We had over 800 presentations and nearly 1000 members came from universities in some 75 countries and from UNESCO, World Bank, and international Non-Government Organisations.”
“The Congress itself was very exciting, with proposals for new policies and practices for Education for All in poorer nations, European Higher Education, education in post-conflict societies, and many other global concerns,” she said.
In the next two years, Dr Fox said she looks forward to working with Professor Soudien to tackle new issues in education.
“Our issues are global issues, so it will be interesting to see if the financial crisis will diminish or increase the capacity for basic education to be a positive force for change, and for higher education to expand its internationalisation vision,” she said
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