Coming from trouble-torn Afghanistan where peace has been no more than a pause between two wars in the last few decades, Sayed Qudrat epitomises how education can transform people’s perception and is important to usher in stability to a country besides promoting the individual’s well-being. [...] “I studied in Rehman Baba school in Kabul. When studying in Afghanistan, I used to think only of my country and Islam. Having come to India and on completion of my education, I think only of humanity.

About two dozen municipalities, mainly from the region, have partnered with most of Guam’s villages throughout the years to form sister-city relationships. The bond is meant to be mutually beneficial as the two cities from different nations share business, cultural and educational ideas. The relationship is often established through an agreement with elected officials, such as mayors. [...] The council’s latest travel record showed that teams of village mayors attended festivals in the Philippines in recent months.

Campaigners who believe funding for schooling in the world’s poorest countries has hit crisis levels say next month’s G20 meeting will be a “make or break” moment for education. The share of aid funding spent on education has fallen for the past six years, from 10% in 2009 to 6.9% in 2015, according to new figures from the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (Unesco). Education now receives as little in aid funding as transport.

Put simply, a lack of education is a driver of extremist ideologies; in a world where there are so many conflict zones, it’s more urgent than ever that foreign aid is allocated for education that gives young people the resilience and critical skills to reject hate and violence. Schools have become targets of war. The Global Coalition to Protect Education from Attack has noted that there has been a series of attacks on schools in at least 21 countries experiencing armed conflict and insecurity since 2013. These are not accidents.

Multilingualism and the ability to understand cultures helps in solving global crises such as climate change and military conflicts, said Obama administration official Mohamed Abdel-Kader May 10 as part of the Mario Einaudi Center for International Studies’ Distinguished Speakers Series. Abdel-Kader, an Egyptian-American who speaks fluent Arabic and basic Spanish, said that although learning a foreign language is often considered a luxury, it is in fact a highly marketable skill in the modern job market.

A new national curriculum for primary grades based on the Estonian experience will upgrade pre-school and general education in Georgia. The three year partnership between Georgia and Estonia aims at transforming education in Georgia by introducing innovations and digital technologies in education process. [...] This cooperation will consist of technical support, capacity development and exchange of experts and experience sharing.