World Conference on the Right to Education and Rights in Education

World conference in brief  

Declatarion of Amsterdam
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What is the goal of the conference? 

The World Conference 2004 aims at assessing the current state of education in the world. Convened under the auspices of the Ministry of Education of the Netherlands, holding at that time the Presidency of the European Council of Ministers of Education, the Conference will bring together education law experts, political leaders, key members of governments and civil society worldwide. 
The World Conference will also honour the memory of Professor Dr. Piet Akkermans, Rector of the College of Europe, with the Piet Akkermans Memorial Lectures. The “Piet Akkermans Memorial Lectures” are held as a recurring activity the purpose of which is to strengthen the discussions on fundamental European challenges.

How does the Conference work? 
Reports of high level experts, along with a companion volume on Comparative Education Law, will be presented in parallel symposia and workshops. The sessions will include discussions by top decision-makers at ministerial levels in addition to top officials from European and international organisations. Due to budgetary considerations, these workshops will be accessible by invitation only. 
The World Conference will thus assemble key decision-makers – both from Europe and abroad. Informal sessions will allow participants to exchange information and generate ideas, opinions and initiatives about the implementation of the right to education and rights in education.

How to register? 
Please complete this subscription form, arrange payment for the correct amount, and send the registration form to the World Conference Organisers
by fax  +32-(0)3-238 58 45or send to
European Association for Education Law and Policy
Arthur Goemaerelei 52
B-2018 ANTWERPEN
Belgium

You will receive acknowledgement by email that we have received your registration. If you do not receive acknowledgement, please email
gracienne.lauwers@ua.ac.be

Conference Programme  

Opening Session      

Thursday 25/11 – Amsterdam 
Opening of the Conference at Restaurant David en Goliath Historisch Museum Kalverstraat 92
    

19.00   Arrival Guest be seated    
19.30     Guest be seated    

Opening Lectures    
Jan De Groof – President of ELA, College of Europe, TIAS  (Belgium)
Job Cohen – Mayor of Amsterdam (Netherlands)

Opening Addresses     
Friday 26/11
9.00
Amsterdam  University of Amsterdam Herengracht 180-182  

Chair   
Jan De Groof (Belgium) President of ELA, College of Europe, TIAS  

Opening Address   
Ján Figel’ European Commissioner for Education  
Mohammed Bedjaoui  Member Executive Board  – UNESCO  Former President of the International Court of Justice    

Presentation of the Conference Publications 
Willem-Jan van der Wolf (Wolf Legal Publishers)

Session 1 – EDUCATION AS A HUMAN RIGHT  
Friday 26/11
Amsterdam
University of Amsterdam Herengracht 180-182
  

Lecturer 
Katerina Tomashevski (Denmark) – Former Special Rapporteur on the Right to Education    

Panel    
Romain Murenzi (Rwanda) – Minister of Education    
Aziz Polozani (Republic of Macedonia) – Minister of Education and Science  
André Keet (South Africa) – South African Human Rights Commission   
Viktoria Mohácsi (Hungaria) – Former Ministerial commissioner for Roma and impoverished children at the Ministry of Education, Member of the European Parliament     
Hermann Avenarius (Germany) – Deutsche Institut für Internationale Pädagogische Forschung  
Paul Zoontjens (Netherlands) – Tilburg University  
Charles Russo (USA) – Dayton University  

Rapporteur   
Walter Berka (Austria) – University of Salzburg
Compilation and editing of the report on the session
Gracienne Lauwers (Belgium)

Session 2a – ACCESS AND EQUITY IN EDUCATION 
Friday 26/11
Amsterdam  University of Amsterdam Herengracht 180-182    
14.00 – 16.30
      

Chair   
Philip TK Daniel (USA) – Ohio State University, President US-ELA  

Lecture   
Naledi Pandor (South Africa) – Minister of Education     

Panel   
Scott Ferrin (USA) – Brigham Young University  
Abraham Yogev (Israel) – Ministry of Education + School of Education (Dept. of Sociology)
Tim Kaye (U.K.) – School of Law, University of Birmingham
Ingo Richter (Germany) –  Irmgard Coninx Foudation

Address   
Marc Rutte – Secretary of State – OCW (Netherlands)  

Rapporteur   
Charles Russo (USA) – Dayton University  

Compilation and editing of the report on the session 
Cristina Rotar (Romania) – Gerhard van der Schyff (South Africa)

Session 2b – THE RIGHT AND THE OBLIGATION TO BE EDUCATED 
Friday 26/11
Amsterdam  University of Amsterdam Herengracht 180-182    
14.00 – 16.30
      

THE RIGHT AND THE OBLIGATION TO BE EDUCATED

(LEERRECHT EN LEERPLICHT)
PARALLEL  WORKSHOP
 

Nederlandse Vereniging voor Onderwijsrecht  Dutch Association for Educational Law
Discussion on the necessity of new rules on compulsory education
Examples from comparative educational law   
14.00 – 16.30
      

Chair   
Dick Mentink, Erasmus University Rotterdam (Netherlands)

Lecture   
14.00
Naledi Pandor (South Africa) – Minister of Education
14.45  
Welcome and Introduction by Dick Mentink, Erasmus University Rotterdam, President of the Dutch Association for Educational Law (NVOR), chair    
15.00 
The right to education and the right of teaching
Theo Storimans, Inspector of Education, Boardmember of NVOR     
15.20  
Homeschooling, comparison between Belgium and the Netherlands
Joke Sperling, LL M lawyer, member of the NVOR-study group on Compulsory Education and the Right to Education    
15.40  
Exchange of views and Discussion  
16.00  
Conclusion 

Address   
Marc Rutte – Secretary of State – OCW (Netherlands)  

Session 3 – THE COST OF EDUCATION 
Saturday 27/11
Amsterdam De Rode Hoed  Keizersgracht 102 1015 CV , Amsterdam        
9.00 – 12.00
  

Chair   
Stanislav Tkatsjenko  (Russian Federation) – Vice-rector of the State University of St. Petersburg  

Lecture   
María Jesús San Segundo (Spain) – Minister of Education and Science  

Panel   
Helge Ole Bergersen (Norway) – Vice-minister of education  
Kurt Larsen – OECD
Ariranga Govindasamy Pillay (Chief Justice,  Supreme Court Mauritius)
Antonio Barbas-Homem (Portugal) – University of Lisbon    
Frank Brown (USA) – University of North Carolina    
John Panaretos (Greece) – Athens University of Economics and Business  

Rapporteur   
Hans-Peter Füssel (Germany) – Hochschule Bremen

Compilation and editing of the report on the session: 
Daniele Vidone (Italy)

Session 4 – ENSURING EQUAL EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES
Saturday 27/11
Amsterdam De Rode Hoed  Keizersgracht 102 1015 CV , Amsterdam 
14.00

Address   
Sijbolt Noorda (Netherlands) – President of the Board of the University of Amsterdam   

Chair     
David Ford (Australia) – President of ANZELA  

Lecture   
Albi Sachs (South Africa) – Justice of the Constitutional Court  

Panel   
Virginia Bonoan-Dandan (Philippines) – University of the Philippines Chairperson, United Nations Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, OHCHR, Geneva  
Azaz Polozani – Minister of Education of Macedonia  
Olöf Olafsdottir – Head of Department of School and Out-of-School Education, Council of Europe  
Mareks Gruskevics (Latvia) – Deputy Director of the Department of Education Policy  
Charles Glenn (USA) – Boston University  
Tayseer Mandour (Egypt) – El-Azhar University
Xiao Yanhui (China) – Hunan University  
H.W. Okoth-Ogendo (Kenya) – Commissioner of the Constitution of Kenya Review Commission   
Kishore Singh Division of Basic Education, Education Sector, UNESCO and Secretary of the Joint Expert Group UNESCO/ ECOSOC on the monitoring of the Right to Education  
Lilla Farkas (Hungaria) – Hungarian Helsinki Committee  

Rapporteur 
Antonio Barbas-Homem (Portugal) – University of Lisbon    

Compilation and editing of the report on the session 
Gracienne Lauwers (Belgium) – Veronica Spasskaja (Russian Federation)

Session 5 – SAFETY IN EDUCATION 
Sunday 28/11 – 16.00 – 19.30 
Tilburg
“Villa 4 Jaargetijden” Noordstraat 36 5038 EJ Tilburg
   

Chair   
Dick Mentink (Netherlands) – Erasmus University,     

Lecture   
Cyrille Fijnaut (Netherlands) – Tilburg University, New York University 

Panel    
Yisa Claver (Rwanda)- Director of Planning of the Ministry of Education, Rwanda
Ralph Mawdsley (USA) – Cleveland State University    
Johan Potgieter (South Africa) – University of South Africa    
Sally Varnham (New Zealand) – Massey University    
Anatoly Kapustin (Russian Federation) – Peoples’ Friendship University     

Rapporteur   
Ingo Richter (Germany) – Irmgard Coninx Foundation     

Compilation and editing of the report on the session 
Cristina Rotar (Romania) – Bengt Verbeeck (Belgium)

Session 6 – RELIGION IN EDUCATION
Monday 29/11
Tilburg Tilburg University Warandelaan 2 Building E, room 4 (TIAS)    
9,30 – 14.00

Chair  
Hermann Avenarius (Germany) – Deutsche Institut für Internationale Pädagogische Forschung  

Lecture     
Godfried Kardinaal Danneels (Belgium) – Cardinal  

Presentation 
Beverly Mc Lachlin (Canada) – Supreme Court Chief Justice  

Panel   
Kurt Graulich (Germany) – Judge at  Bundesverwaltungsgericht  
John Dowd (Australia) – Judge of the Supreme Court of New  South Wales  
Rassie Malherbe (South Africa) – Rand Afrikaans University  
Tayseer Mandour (Egypt) – El-Azhar University
Ben Vermeulen (Netherlands) – Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam  

Rapporteur   
Charles Russo (USA) – Dayton University  

Compilation and editing of the report on the session
Jurgen Neuts (Belgium)

SOLEMN HEARING OF THE ACADEMIC COUNCIL OF THE UNIVERSITY OF TILBURG
“No person shall be denied the Right to education in Freedom”
Reception AULA
Universiteit Tilburg – Warandelaan 2 – Tilburg 
Afternoon 16.00

Jan De Groof (Belgium) – President of ELA, College of Europe, TIAS    

Piet Akkermans Memorial Lecture 
Paleis Raadhuis (Stadhuis) – Willemsplein – Tilburg
19.00h.

Chair  
Jan De Groof (Belgium) President of ELA, College of Europe, TIAS  

Presentation Of The Recommendations      
Gracienne Lauwers (ELA – University of Antwerp)
Daniele Vidoni (Boston University)

Lecturers 
J.S. Verma, Former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of India, Chairman of the National Human Rights Commission of India 
Maria J.A.van der Hoeven, Minister Of Education, Culture and Science of the Netherlands, Chairperson of the European Council of Ministers of Education

Session 7 – optional programme 
Tuesday 30/11
The Hague International Court of Justice Peace Palace  2517 KJ The The Hague    
11.00
  

Chair   
Johan Beckmann, Past President of SAELPA

Lecturers 
Ben Vermeulen (the Netherlands) – Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam    “Immigrants and educational policies”
Stan Meuwese (Netherlands) – executive director of Defence for Children International, section The Netherlands  

“Education and children’s rights”

Visit of the International Court of Justice (The Hague), Mayoral reception    
14.00   Transfer to Schiphol (Airport)
 
   

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