27-09-16 Deputy Education Minister Pelegrinis explores education cooperation with Israel

Deputy Education, Research, and Religious Affairs Minister Theodosis Pellegrinis held bilateral talks with Israeli Education Minister Naftali Bennett, while on a two-day visit to Israel. The meeting was exceptionally cordial, with Greece’s Ambassador to Israel, Konstantinos Bikas in attendance.

At the meeting, Deputy Minister Pelegrinis underlined the Greek education ministry’s proposal to establish a trilateral educational cooperation between Greece, Israel, and Cyprus, as a priority in the immediate future. That would entail a trilateral meeting between the ministers.

Israeli Education Minister Bennett received the idea very positively, and indeed offered to host the meeting in Israel.

Ministers Pelegrinis and Bennett expressed a mutual interest in two areas - promoting new technologies in education, and also exchanging experiences in integrating into the educational system of the host state children from different cultural backgrounds, and providing them with equal opportunities.

Also on the agenda were developing prospects for organising educational exchange programmes between Greece and Israel for school students, university students, and educators.

Finally, Deputy Education Minister Pelegrinis represented Greece at the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development’s Conference of Education Ministers in Jerusalem, on 26-27 September. The conference focused on ways to link education and innovation, and it highlighted the multi-faceted role of educators in the 21^st century.