It was with great delight that members were able to come together in London on Thursday 9th March for our Westminster Seminar.
As such an event had not been possible during the pandemic, it was fitting that the theme of our 2023 seminar was the education of girls and women in a post-pandemic climate.stances to make the day the success that it was.
The day began with lunch at the Grade II listed public house the Red Lion. Not only is the Red Lion conveniently close to Parliament, it is fitted with a division bell. Though thankfully the bell did not ring while we were there.
This historic pub has a long association with British politicians and their staffers. While there have been a number of public houses on the site, the current building is believed to have been built in or around 1890.
The Rt Honourable Baroness Morris of Yardley kindly agreed to sponsor our 2023 Westminster seminar and we are grateful to her. Baroness Morris of Yardley, who served as Secretary of State for Education and Skills, was a teacher before becoming an MP, and has a deep understanding of the benefits of education for girls and women and the global inequalities that continue to exist. Our President Jasmit Phull welcomed everyone to the House of Lords,
Our speaker, Khadija Fancy, who is a senior education advisor and published author, was able to share with us the brutal realities that many girls face when trying to access an education. Khadija’s involvement with international education brought alive to us how pandemics can seriously disrupt the education of girls and women, and the longer -term implications of this on individuals and their communities. What Khadija left us in no doubt about was the on-going need to promote the education of girls and women because of the positive impact of doing so. Vice President Margaret Middlemass gave the vote of thanks.
This year tea was taken in the Attlee Room and this offered members an opportunity to discuss points that our speaker had raised, speak with Baroness Morris of Yardley, and also to enjoy the friendship of fellow members of BFWG. The spirit of friendship is particularly important to us as a Federation and many members had travelled not insignificant distances to make the day the success that it was.
