Press Release: 4TH Annual Bett Asia Leadership Summit and Expo cultivates global coll

Leaders from around the world to discuss trends, challenges, and innovations in the education sector over 15-16 November, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

KUALA LUMPUR, 1 November 2017 – In its 4th year of powering new ways of advancing education, Bett Asia, the world’s leading education technology event, will bring together over 1,700 education policy makers, leaders and experts from around the world to discuss the transformation of education and discover innovations that will inspire change. Supported by Malaysia’s Ministry of Education, this packed 2-day event will feature addresses from Y.B. Dato' Seri Mahdzir BIn Khalid, Minister of Education, Malaysia; Y.B. Dato’ Seri Idris Jusoh, Minister of Higher Education, Malaysia and H.E. Vicki Treadell CMG MVO, British High Commissioner to Malaysia. The event will also be attended by H.E. Mme Sengdeuane Lachanthaboun, Minister of Education and Sports, Ministry of Education and Sports, Laos and Dr. Sophon Napathorn, Vice Minister for Education, Ministry of Education, Thailand, alongside delegations from Ministries of Education in Vietnam, Indonesia, Brunei, Sri Lanka and beyond.

Set to take place on 15-16 November 2017 at the Mandarin Oriental, this year’s theme is Cultivating Global Collaboration in Education, in honour of the 50th anniversary of ASEAN, and will address key opportunities to support collaboration and improve education systems across the Asia Pacific region.

Returning to Kuala Lumpur for the second year, Bett Asia supports Malaysia’s Economic Transformation Programme (ETP) where Education is identified as one of the 12 National Key Economic Areas (NKEAs). Events like Bett Asia falls under the Education NKEA which undertakes initiatives that develop the education spectrum in the country, and leverages Malaysia's strategic location and accessibility throughout Southeast Asia.

“With Malaysia’s strong commitment and well-defined strategy to achieve educational excellence, we are proud to bring this world-class event to Kuala Lumpur for the second consecutive year.” says Eve Harper, Event Director.

“By bringing together innovators in education and technology, and creating a platform for collaboration, we hope to contribute in shaping the advancement of education through technology across the Asia Pacific region.”

During the Bett Asia Leadership Summit, delegates hear from leading education authorities and international experts who will discuss topics nominated by policy and decision makers from K-12, Higher Education and Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) which address key opportunities to further student outcomes.  It will be followed by afternoon breakout streams of workshops, roundtable discussions and presentations.

Visitors are also invited to discover and experiment with the most innovative technology and resources at the Bett Asia Expo. This exclusive exhibition will host over 50 exhibitors including Dell, Kinteract, Blackboard and Canvas by Instructure, all showcasing the latest tools and solutions with the potential to revolutionise today’s classrooms.  

Furthermore, Bett Asia will present awards to deserving individuals, institutions and organisations who champion creativity and innovation to improve learning outcomes. The awards, categorised under Collaboration, Game Changer, Innovation, and Leadership, showcase inspirations and solutions to everyday challenges faced across the education sector.

Bett Asia’s long-standing worldwide partner Microsoft will also be bringing the latest innovations in their device lines and solutions which seek to elevate classrooms in the future. Vice-President of Microsoft’s Worldwide Education, Anthony Salcito foresees that educators would need to innovate and adopt technologies that will prepare students for the demands of the future.

“By popular estimates, close to two-thirds of students today will be working in jobs that do not exist in the future”, says Salcito. “Asia’s education sector needs to equip the future generation with the right skills in order for them to succeed in the new digital economy, skills like creativity, critical thinking and collaboration. This means that educational institutions and educators need to be able to grasp and adopt digital transformation strategies, which include optimizing the use of emerging technologies in order to develop a future ready workforce for Asia’s rapidly developing economy.”

Over 100 esteemed speakers from more than 25 countries will take to the stage during the summit, including Mr. Graham Brown-Martin, Educator and Founder of Learning Without Frontiers UK; Mr. Naser Jaafar, CEO, National Innovation Agency Malaysia and Genovasi Foundation Malaysia; Prof. TS Andy Hor, Vice-President and Pro-Vice Chancellor, The University of Hong Kong, Mr. Justin Reich, Executive Director of the MIT Teaching Systems Lab, Research Scientist, MIT Office of Digital Learning USA; Dr. Keijo Sipilä, Chief Digital Officer, City of Kaarina and Department of Education Finland and Dr. Philippe Gnaegi, Chairman of the Board, Swiss Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training (SFIVET) Switzerland.

For more information, visit Bett Asia’s website at https://asia.bettshow.com