Meeting of OECD Education Ministers 2006

More people in OECD countries are going to university, taking a wider range of courses than ever before. But standards need to be maintained and improved, and courses must match todays needs for individuals and for society at large. How best to ensure quality, equity and efficiency in all aspects of higher education will be the theme of a meeting of Ministers of Education from OECD countries in Athens on 27-28 June 2006.

The meeting will open at 1.30 p.m. on Tuesday 27 June with addresses by Greeces Minister of National Education and Religious Affairs, Marietta Giannakou, and OECD Secretary-General Angel Gurra, followed by a Forum on the Future of Higher Education to discuss how technology, globalisation, demography and new approaches to governance may impact higher education.

On the morning of 28 June, discussions will focus on "The purposes, governance, and sustainable provision of higher education", with break-out groups on three themes:

• Who should pay for higher education?
• Measuring the quality and impact of higher education.
• Higher educations contribution to research and innovation in a global knowledge economy.

Over a working lunch, Ministers will discuss the challenges and opportunities of the global market for education, while their afternoon discussions will address the theme of Improving the quality, relevance and impact of higher education.