'African culture was totally ignored'
Pandor, a keynote speaker at the event, expressed disappointment that only prominent male leaders, like former UN secretary-general Kofi Annan, former UK prime minister Tony Blair and Senegalese President Abdoulaye Wade were invited to send messages of support to delegates at the World Innovation Summit for Education in Doha.
"What about prominent women leaders such as [Liberian President] Ellen Johnson Sirleaf?" she asked to loud applause.
Mike Baker, a veteran British journalist, broadcaster and author who moderated the session, was taken aback by Pandor's biting comment.
Her suggestion, that "wise pioneers" be appointed to monitor progress in education internationally through monitoring a sample group of pupils and following their achievements, was adopted as one of the summit resolutions at the end of the event.
Meanwhile, African delegates said they were disappointed that the summit did not address the dire education crisis in Africa.
Cameroonian representative Gilbreth Namuena said the summit reflected Western culture, but "African culture was totally ignored". "For the African continent as a whole, it was a waste of time because our views were not heard."
French president Nicolas Sarkozy's wife, Carla Bruni, attended the event's gala dinner on Tuesday night.
Speakers included former German chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, and Kiyotaka Aka-saka, the UN's under-secretary-general for communications and public information.
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