10 July 2007 Mayor of Misgav seeks strategic partnership with World ORT The Mayor of Misgav, Erez Kreisler, has visited ORT House in London for a meeting with top World ORT officials. Mr Kreisler, accompanied by the Head of the Education Department of the Misgav Regional Council, Batya Rechavy, discussed the possibility of a long term strategic relationship between World ORT and his part of the Galilee. The Misgav High Schools 1,600 students are already benefiting from World ORTs $7.4 million Kadima Mada (Science Journey) programme: a state-of-the-art, custom-made science and technology laboratory has been installed and the needy among them have received vouchers to help them buy text books, sports kit, school supplies and uniforms. In addition, there are plans to provide the school with a WOTEC, a World ORT Teachers Empowerment Centre a staff room fully equipped with everything teachers would need to prepare lessons and course work. This is just the beginning of the change that we want to make in Misgav, Mr Kreisler said. Were most grateful to World ORT for the resources that have already been committed; theyre improving the conditions of teaching and learning. But what weve been speaking about is the wider picture, to change peoples mindsets so that they recognise the importance of technology education. One aspect of implementing this wider change could be the creation of a national pedagogic centre of excellence in scientific and technical education in Misgav, Ms Rechavy said. Erez Kreisler and Robert Singer at ORT House, London. We want Misgav to be a model, Mr Kreisler explained. To create an island of excellence in Misgav would influence the whole Galilee. But, he added, that would be just one aspect of implementing change. World ORT has lots of experience all over the world and Misgav Regional Council has had its own successes over the past 25 years. So we want to create a win-win situation: a long term partnership bringing new ideas and creating new models, this would be a big help in our development of the region, he said. World ORT Director General Robert Singer said Misgav was a vibrant, multicultural community and shared with World ORT an enthusiasm for innovation. This is a situation where the World ORT network can learn from the education system in Misgav no less than they can learn from us, Mr Singer said. We can see the potential of a strategic partnership with this region. He said that there was agreement on brainstorming on three levels: firstly, a practical partnership with the management of a school; secondly, at a national level, cooperating within the framework of Kadima Mada; and thirdly, working with the Mayor of Misgav to explore partnership in an international context. We look forward to the next step, Mr Singer said. World ORT is the worlds largest Jewish education and vocational training non-government organisation and has benefited more than 3 million people Jewish and non-Jewish in 100 countries since its foundation in 1880.