XVI World Congress of Comparative Education Societies
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22 August, 2016 Monday
26 August, 2016 Friday
The World Council of Comparative Education Societies (WCCES) was firstconceptualized by Joseph Katz of the University of British Columbia and a handful of other comparative education scholars in the 1960s. It was formally established in 1970 during the first World Congress held in Ottawa, Canada as the World Council of Comparative Education, and a year later the name was changed to its present status.
The WCCES serves as an umbrella organization comprised of comparative education societies and UNESCO. Beginning with only five comparative education society members in 1970, the Council has grown to 36 constituent member societies in2007 and 47 in 2015. Most members are national comparative education societies, but some are organized around global regions (e.g., Australian and New Zealand Comparative and International Education Society) and languages (e.g., Association Francophone d'éducation Comparée).
The Council has retained its original organizational structure and overall purposesince it was first organized in 1970. The WCCES leadership is comprised of fiveofficers, namely the President, Secretary-General, Treasurer, and two Vice Presidents. Member societies have single representation within WCCES on the Executive Committee. UNESCO has also traditionally had representation on the Executive Committee. Additional leadership roles have been formed over theyears, including the organization of standing committees around various themes related to specific Council-sponsored projects and activities (e.g.,publications, finances, and special projects). The Historian role was added inthe 1990s, with Vandra Masemann serving as the Council’s first Historian. A WCCES historical archive was established and originally housed by Kent State University until 2014, when the WCCES Archive was transferred to the University of Pittsburgh.
At best, the Council has maintained a loosely-coupled organizational structure, where the traditional physical home or Secretariat of the Council has been atthe same location as where the Secretary-General resided. The first Secretariatwas housed at the University of Ottawa, Canada, and afterwards at several different locations, including the UNESCO International Bureau of Education in Geneva, Switzerland; Institute of Education at the University College London,UK; and Comparative Education Research Centre at the University of HongKong.
World Congresses are generally held once every three years, and rotate locations. Fifteen congresses have been held since the original meeting in Ottawa. In August 2016, the 16th World Congress will be held at Beijing Normal University in China.
No. |
Year |
Place |
Theme |
1 |
1970 |
Ottawa, Canada |
Education and the Formation of the Teaching Profession; Educational Aid to Developing Countries |
2 |
1974 |
Geneva, Switzerland |
Efficiencies and Inefficiencies in Secondary Schools |
3 |
1977 |
London, United Kingdom |
Unity and Diversity in Education |
4 |
1980 |
Tokyo, Japan |
Tradition and Innovation in Education |
5 |
1984 |
Paris, France |
Dependence and Interdependence in Education: The Role of Comparative Education |
6 |
1987 |
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil |
Education, Crisis and Change |
7 |
1989 |
Montreal, Canada |
Development, Communication and Language |
8 |
1992 |
Prague, Czechoslovakia |
Education and Democracy |
9 |
1996 |
Sydney, Australia |
Tradition, Modernity and Postmodernity |
10 |
1998 |
Cape Town, South Africa |
Education, Equity and Transformation |
11 |
2001 |
Chungbuk, Republic of Korea |
New Challenges, New Paradigms: Moving Education into the 21st Century |
12 |
2004 |
Havana, Cuba |
Education and Social Justice |
13 |
2007 |
Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina |
Living Together: Education and Intercultural Dialogue |
14 |
2010 |
Istanbul, Turkey |
Bordering, Re-Bordering and New Possibilities in Education and Society |
15 |
2013 |
Buenos Aires, Argentina |
New Times, New Voices |
16 |
2016 |
Beijing, China |
Dialectics of Education: Comparative Perspectives. |
WCCES Past Presidents and President
Presidents |
Time |
Joseph Katz |
1970-1974 |
Brian Holmes |
1974-1977 |
Masunori Hiratsuka |
1977-1980 |
Erwin H. Epstein |
1980-1983 |
Michel Debeauvais |
1983-1987 |
Vandera Masemann |
1987-1991 |
Wolfgang Mitter |
1991-1996 |
David N. Wilson |
1996-2001 |
Anne Hickling- Hudson |
2001-2004 |
Mark Bray |
2004-2007 |
Crain Soudien |
2007-2010 |
Wing On Lee |
2010-2013 |
Carlos Alberto Torres |
2013- |