At the Clinton Global Initiative annual meeting in New York on Sep. 22, the ’10,000 Principals Leadership Program’ was announced by President Clinton. The Varkey GEMS Foundation, which is a not-for-profit education organization and The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, UNESCO, have announced this training program. In the entire history of UNESCO this would be the largest school Principals training program to be conducted with a private institution.
President Bill Clinton, who is the honorary Chair of the Varkey GEMS Foundation, said the program was ‘commitment to action.’ Gems Foundation, which happens to be the world’s largest kindergarten to grade 12 private education provider, supports Varkey GEMS Foundation.
Kenya, Ghana and India will benefit in the first phase of this program. Here, over a period of four years, 10,000 school principals will be trained. Most of the developing countries do not provide any kind of leadership training to school Principals, due to which they lack the skill to take initiatives,and to effectively lead others. However, through this program, many school Principals will be able to develop and hone their leadership skills, thereby having a positive effect on their subordinate teachers, and almost 10 million children.
UNESCO and the Varkey GEMS Foundation have been urging the private sector to assist NGOs, IGO’s and Governments in supporting the UN Millennium Development Goals. The present program is a reflection of the same effort.
Irina Bokova, the Director General of UNESCO, said, “This partnership between UNESCO and the Varkey GEMS Foundation (including GEMS Education) is an excellent example of the new platforms for cooperation the world needs today. Tackling complex, global challenges requires also innovative and far reaching partnerships between the public and private spheres. GEMS Education works for education as a force for development, for individual realization, for tolerance and dialogue and indeed as a basic human right.”
At the launch of the program, Sunny Varkey, the Founder of the Varkey GEMS Foundation and Chairman of GEMS Education, said, “I believe the private sector can work with intergovernmental organizations, NGO’s and Governments, powerfully, to provide more education to those less fortunate. The fact that 67 million children around the world have no access to education is intolerable. Education is the most important issue in the world today. For us to confront, collectively, some of the world’s biggest challenges such as poverty, conflict, prejudice and intolerance we need to lift the standards of education worldwide.”
Countries like Kenya, Ghana and India realize the importance of the role of a Principal in transforming the education system.
UNESCO and Varkey GEMS Foundation Announce Program to Train 10,000 School Principals at Clinton Global Initiative
At the Clinton Global Initiative annual meeting in New York on Sep. 22, the ’10,000 Principals Leadership Program’ was announced by President Clinton. The Varkey GEMS Foundation, which is a not-for-profit education organization and The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, UNESCO, have announced this training program. In the entire history of UNESCO this would be the largest school Principals training program to be conducted with a private institution.
President Bill Clinton, who is the honorary Chair of the Varkey GEMS Foundation, said the program was ‘commitment to action.’ Gems Foundation, which happens to be the world’s largest kindergarten to grade 12 private education provider, supports Varkey GEMS Foundation.
Kenya, Ghana and India will benefit in the first phase of this program. Here, over a period of four years, 10,000 school principals will be trained. Most of the developing countries do not provide any kind of leadership training to school Principals, due to which they lack the skill to take initiatives,and to effectively lead others. However, through this program, many school Principals will be able to develop and hone their leadership skills, thereby having a positive effect on their subordinate teachers, and almost 10 million children.
UNESCO and the Varkey GEMS Foundation have been urging the private sector to assist NGOs, IGO’s and Governments in supporting the UN Millennium Development Goals. The present program is a reflection of the same effort.
Irina Bokova, the Director General of UNESCO, said, “This partnership between UNESCO and the Varkey GEMS Foundation (including GEMS Education) is an excellent example of the new platforms for cooperation the world needs today. Tackling complex, global challenges requires also innovative and far reaching partnerships between the public and private spheres. GEMS Education works for education as a force for development, for individual realization, for tolerance and dialogue and indeed as a basic human right.”
At the launch of the program, Sunny Varkey, the Founder of the Varkey GEMS Foundation and Chairman of GEMS Education, said, “I believe the private sector can work with intergovernmental organizations, NGO’s and Governments, powerfully, to provide more education to those less fortunate. The fact that 67 million children around the world have no access to education is intolerable. Education is the most important issue in the world today. For us to confront, collectively, some of the world’s biggest challenges such as poverty, conflict, prejudice and intolerance we need to lift the standards of education worldwide.”
Countries like Kenya, Ghana and India realize the importance of the role of a Principal in transforming the education system.
