AGS Master's Candidate Robert Clarke to Present at a Conference on International Education in Athens, Greece

Robert Clarke, AGS Class of 2018, was invited to present a paper at the 18^th International Conference on Education to be held in Athens, Greece on May 16-19, where he will represent the government of Liberia. Hosted by the Athens Institute for Education and Research, this annual conference brings together scholars and graduate students from all over the world to discuss international education issues. Among the other conference speakers this year are scholars from Purdue University in the US, Université Pierre et Marie Curie in France, UCL in the UK, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, and other institutions in Canada, Russia, Taiwan, and South Africa, and other countries.

Robert Clarke’s paper is entitled “The implications of the lack of quality education on Liberian Youth and Economy”. It looks at such indexes as unemployment and higher mortality rates, crime, lack of standard health facilities, and imperatively education, and offers recommendations.

Robert Clarke will also attend two other conferences in the coming weeks: on June 6-10, he will attend the 25^th International Democratic Education Conference (IDEC) in Finland, on the theme of self-directed learning and democratic culture. On June 13-17, he will attend a conference on “Human Rights in Age of Ambiguity”. This conference is hosted by Fordham University and coordinated by the Human Rights sections of the International Studies Association (ISA) the American Political Science Association (APSA), the International Political Science Association (IPSA), and the European Consortium for Political Research.

When asked to comment on this already impressive scholarly track record for a first year Master’s student, Clarke says he was recommended by Professor Ruchi Anand to answer call for papers and submit abstracts. In order to encourage her students to present at conferences and gain scholarly experience, Professor Anand has made abstract submission a course requirement in her Theory and Factors of Analysis in IRD.

Robert Clarke is also very active on the professional and practice side. Since his arrival in Paris last October, ahead of the start of the semester, he has established a foundation in his country, Liberia, READ foundation – acronym for “Reforming Education and African Development”. The mission of the foundation is to empower young people (with prime focus on girls’ education) to bridge the gap between the youth population and the government of Liberia, by providing or supporting education opportunities to children and teenagers, providing career guidance, and forming partnerships with universities in the US, Europe, and Asia to negotiate fee waivers and scholarships for Liberian students. As founder of READ foundation, Mr. Clarke has partnered two executive members, both of which are females with an eye and passion for working with underprivileged children in Africa: Ms. Leda Knowlden, a Liberian national who is now based in the US, and Ms. Janice Johnson, a citizen of Ghana. Both have extensive professional experience in the humanitarian sector. The vision of READ foundation is not limited to Liberia but extends to other countries across the African continent, so as to enable children and young people across borders to benefit from the opportunities it seeks to create.

Robert Clarke joined the Master’s in International Relations and Diplomacy program at AGS in Spring 2016. “I look forward to returning to Liberia and focusing on building READ foundation as an institution of prominence, but importantly as a place of hope for children across Africa.”