E ngā mana, e ngā reo, e ngā hau e whā. Tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou katoa.

Greetings from Aotearoa New Zealand.

We are delighted to host the fourth International Summit on the Teaching Profession 2014 (ISTP) to be held in Wellington on 28 and 29 March 2014. The Summit is jointly organised by our Ministry of Education, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development and Education International.

The event brings together education ministers and leaders of national teachers’ federations and teachers’ unions from jurisdictions that, according to the OECD’s 2012 PISA survey results, have high-performing or rapidly-improving school systems. At the 2013 Summit, many education leaders mentioned the impact the previous Summits have had on their thinking about teacher policy. Indeed, several countries have already implemented new teacher-focussed programmes or initiatives based on the outcomes of previous Summits.

The theme for the Summit is “Excellence, Equity and Inclusiveness – High quality teaching for all”. The main sessions will be roundtable discussions. There will also be ample opportunity for informal contact.

The informal and conversational setting is intended to encourage candid and extensive discussion on key questions and developments on teacher policy in delegates’ countries.

The three questions that this Summit will focus on are:

• How can high quality teachers and leaders be attracted into and retained in schools of the greatest need?
• What are the levers for achieving equity in increasingly devolved education systems?
• How are learning environments created that meet the needs of all children and young people?

As the host country, New Zealand will make your attendance as rewarding as possible and we are very aware that attendees have busy schedules, and that coming to New Zealand involves a significant travel commitment. We want to make that commitment worthwhile and memorable. We will be very happy to provide opportunities to visit other parts of our beautiful country.

Thank you for registering and we look forward to seeing you at the fourth International Summit on the Teaching Profession in Wellington next year.

No reira, nau mai, haere mai - welcome, welcome, welcome!

Honourable Hekia Parata
Education Minister of New Zealand

 

Dr Barbara Ischinger
Director for Education and Skills, OECD

Fred van Leeuwen
General Secretary of
Education International

Education Minister of New Zealand Hon Hekia Parata on the upcoming International Summit on the Teaching Profession 2014.