A Fortnight of Fascinating Learning and Work
Alice Albright, the Global Partnership for Education's new CEO, shares her experiences from her first two weeks at the Partnership.
March 04, 2013 by Alice Albright, GPE Secretariat
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5 minutes read
© GPE/Natasha Graham

First Impressions as New CEO of Global Partnership for Education

After two weeks as the new Chief Executive Officer of the Global Partnership for Education (GPE), I continue to feel honored and privileged to work on one of the most important and challenging problems of our time: getting millions of kids in school and learning so they can improve their own lives and their communities.

On my first day I met with our GPE Secretariat staff, a group which continues to impress me with their deep experience in our 55 developing country partner nations, as well as broad technical expertise vital to our work. Their efforts are testament to the passion my predecessor Bob Prouty brought to his work at GPE, a passion I am certain he will continue to demonstrate as he returns to the World Bank and beyond.

The following day I left for London to meet with GPE Board Members to discuss implementation of the Partnership’s Strategic Plan, our blueprint for helping all children get a good quality education. I also met officials from the United Kingdom’s Department for International Development (DFID), as well as representatives of several civil society organizations and non-governmental organizations. Later that same week I travelled to Brussels for additional meetings with civil society and the European Commission.

During these meetings I was struck by the evident commitment all our partners show toward our common mission as well as their sense of urgency to get it done better and more quickly – a commitment that I share and which will motivate me each day here at GPE.

I have also met with many officials from the World Bank which hosts GPE, including President Jim Yong Kim, who brings an unmatched passion for ending poverty. I look forward to working with Dr. Kim and his staff to make education a central focus of that quest since it contributes to many of our mutual goals to improve health, incomes, food production, governance, gender equality, and security.

Yet after just a fortnight I am even more anxious to learn more about our work, particularly by visiting our developing country partners, and I plan to do so in the months ahead. Because what matters most is that we are working together with ministries of education and our other partners to demonstrate results on the ground.

Results.

Measurable results for real people: Real children, teachers and parents, and communities.

More children in school. More children reading and able to do math. More children exploring their world and contributing to their nations’ own development.

They live in some of the toughest environments of the world – in war zones, remote rural areas, and in every type of climate and culture – yet each child deserves the same opportunities for a better life as our own children. A good, quality education can make the difference.

I look forward to working with all our partners – and anyone who can help make a real difference in the lives of these children – to get it done.

We hope you’ll get involved in helping children learn and grow, and join our conversation on Facebook and Twitter.

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