On 19–21 June 2026, the International Conference entitled “Migration, the Global Quest for Educational Equity and Intercultural Education” was held in Athens with outstanding response and success. The Conference was organised by the Hellenic Open University (HOU) (www.eap.gr) and the Master of Arts Programme “Language Education for Refugees and Migrants” (L.R.M.) (https://www.eap.gr/en/language-education-for-refugees-and-immigrants/), in collaboration with the International Association for Intercultural Education (IAIE) (www.iaie.org). Conference Chair: Professor Nektaria Palaiologou, School of Humanities, Hellenic Open University, Honorary Vice President of IAIE; Co-Chair: Dr. Barry van Driel, President of IAIE.
The Conference honoured World Refugee Day (20 June), was held under the auspices of the Ministry of Education, Religious Affairs and Sports.
The Conference, with the acronym HOU & IAIE 2026, brought together 270 participants from around the world — 240 of whom attended in person — forming a dynamic international community of researchers, academics, educators and professionals committed to intercultural and multicultural education, inclusion, human rights and social justice for migrants and refugees.
Professor Emeritus James Banks, the “Father of Multicultural Education”, was the keynote speaker — an inspiration to all. Also, special thanks to Professor Emerita Cherry A. McGee Banks, University of Washington, Bothell — a distinguished scholar in the field of Multicultural Education. Professor Banks’s new book, Standing Strong in Undemocratic Times: Supporting Diversity and Enhancing Democracy in Education (Teachers College Press, April 2026), with an epilogue by Professor Cherry A. McGee Banks, is a source of inspiration for all international colleagues in these challenging times.
Distinguished representatives of HOU, Ministries and International Organisations honoured the Opening Ceremony of the Conference: the Rector of the Hellenic Open University, Professor Emmanouel Koutouzis; the Deputy Minister of Education, Religious Affairs and Sports, Professor Nikolaos Papaioannou; the Head of the Department of Interculturality, Directorate of Social Integration, Ministry of Migration and Asylum, Ms. Fani Keramida; the National Coordinator for the R.R.F. Programme of the International Organization for Migration (IOM), Mr. Giannis Baveas; the Head of the UNICEF Office in Greece, Dr. Giorgos Simopoulos; the President of SIRIUS, Dr. Rory Mc Daid, Marino Institute of Education, Dublin; as well as representatives of NGOs with significant contribution to Refugee Education.
Special thanks to the official international delegation of the Korean Association for Multicultural Education (KAME), distinguished colleagues from the National University of Seoul and from Education University of Hong Kong.
Special thanks to the distinguished Professors from the Americas, Australia, Asia and Europe for their valuable contribution, as well as to all members of the IAIE Board of Directors (https://iaie.org/iaie-board/).
During the Conference, four awards were presented to international colleagues for their outstanding presentations — awards in memory of Professor Jagdish Gundara, Institute of Education University of London, and Professor Michèle Kahn, University of Houston Clear Lake.
A special feature on the Conference was broadcast on ATHINA 9.84 radio on 20 June, with journalist Maria Pavlou, the Conference Chair Professor Nektaria Palaiologou and the Scientific Advisor to the Deputy Minister of Education, Dr. Georgia Gavriilidou.
The Master of Arts Programme “Language Education for Refugees and Migrants” (L.R.M.) of HOU is a pioneering programme, exclusively online, in English language, attracting students from abroad, offering high-level knowledge and expertise for teaching in multicultural and multilingual classrooms. The graduates of the L.R.M. Programme work in formal education and in non-formal education settings. It is worth noting that the L.R.M. Programme remains and will continue to remains at the forefront, given the ongoing migration and refugee crisis as well as the needs for social integration and active participation of migrants and refugees in the Greek society.
