LAHORE: (Tuesday, November 16, 2021): Speakers at a conference have said that since the past two decades, we are continuously facing a world of hyper accelerated change in the diverse avenues of economy, culture, social structure, education, health and governance. They said education lies at the core of all these avenues, hence bringing us to the crossroad, where we need to solemnly address ways to live up to this change by initiating intellectual debates which provide a lead towards developing the 21st century skills in our generation.

They were addressing the 9th International Conference on Research in Education organized by Punjab University Institute of Education and Research. The theme of the conference was ‘Globalization and Internationalization of Education’, which holds special importance in current times. The three day conference ICORE 2021 is being held from 16th to 18th November at the Institute of Education and Research, which welcomed and acknowledged participation from both national and international intellectual circles. Addressing the participants, Prof Dr Rifaqat Ali Akbar said that the institute calls upon a national imperative through ICORE 2021, that ‘Globalization and Internationalization of Education’ should first and foremost be inculcated in the institutions of teacher education in the country for a positive and sustainable socio economic impact on our generations. He said that the effect of globalization and internationalization is undeniable, hence intellectual discourse and research is necessary for the systematic and successful integration of this change in education. The opening ceremony of the conference started with the welcome address by Conference Chair Director IER Prof. Dr. Rafaqat Ali Akbar, Conference Co-Patron, Dean Faculty of Education, Prof. Dr. Abid Hussain Chaudhary, while Mian Imran Masood, Vice Chancellore University of South Asia Lahore, Prof. Dr. Saiqa Imtiaz Asif, Vice Chancellor, Govt. Sadiq College Women University Bahawalpur, Prof. Dr. Rauf-i-Azam Vice Chancellor, Punjab University of Technology Rasul and Ms. Sumaira Samad Secretary Govt. of Punjab for Literacy and Non-Formal Basic Education Department were the guests of honor. Conference Secretary Prof. Dr. Muhammad Shahid Farooq Chairman, Department of Advanced Studies in Education, IER presented a vote of thanks. The conference was hosted with the revered participation from many national and international experts in the field of education. More than fifty two national experts in the field of education presented twenty six research papers in the conference along with eight international key note speakers in three major plenary sessions. The conference was attended by more than five hundred participants. A total of eight international speakers from USA, UK, Canada, Australia, Sweden, and Turkey participated by addressing the sub-themes of role of international agencies (World Bank, OECD, UNICEF etc.) in promoting education, international school climate & educational challenges, lifelong learning in global competitive environment, human development & globalization, challenges of globalization, working with international educational communities, internationalization of curriculum, educational developments & international collaboration, educational standardization and international mobility, latest technologies & internationalization of education, inclusive education approaches and globalization, globalization of values & education, global practices of education, barriers in global education and lessons for pakistan: international & global perspectives. Prof. Tim Loreman, President and Vice Chancellor, Concordia University of Edmonton, Canada, Prof. Donna Pendergast, Dean and Head School of Education and Professional Studies, Griffith University, Australia, Prof. Dr. Timothy E. Jester from Teaching and Learning School of Education, University of Alaska Anchorage, USA, Prof. James O’ Meara, Dean College of Education, Texas A&M;International University, USA, Alastir Creelman, E-learning Specialist from Linnaeus University, Sweden, Prof. Maria Tsouroufli from Department of Education, Brunel University London, UK, Prof. Mike Watts from Department of Education, Brunel University London, UK and Prof. Ayse Aypay from Eskisehir Osmangazi Univerity, Turkey shared their insights with reference to the conference theme. The international and national level participation from prestigious universities reflected a very promising picture of the manner in which the Institute of Education and Research celebrates social and cultural diversity at the global level.
The International Conference on Research in Education (ICORE 2021) has revived the debate of Globalization and Internationalization of Education in global context and the recommendations made in the conference are expected to generate a dynamic movement toward a more sustainable and global future of education for the generation of Pakistan.