The
build-up of Doha as an intellectual capital is very striking, renowned
journalist and writer Fareed Zakaria stated in his keynote address at
the opening session of the World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE)
2017 yesterday.
“I visited Doha several years ago. I am impressed by
the build-up of the physical capital such as the new buildings,
skyscrapers and new hotels. What is more striking about Qatar is the
build-up of Doha as the intellectual capital,” said Zakaria, a CNN
presenter.
“To see a conference like this, an organisation like WISE
and the great centres of education from the Western world, is truly
fascinating. This has been the result of a great and visionary
leadership and will leave an everlasting legacy,” he added.
In
his address, Zakaria stressed that education faces many enormous
challenges presently. “How to educate people in an age of technological
revolution? What should a student master in an age of computer that can
outsmart him in so many things? These are all important questions and I
don’t have the answers for them. The new era of digital tools presents a
number of opportunities but at the same time several challenges,” he noted.
Quoting
a doctor from India, Zakaria said that hospitals in India use computers
for diagnosis as they don’t have enough doctors. “So now computers can
diagnose much better than human beings. The computers can remember so
many more things than humans and the quality of the diagnosis is much
better,” he noted.
“Education has to teach the human beings to
become more human to emphasise the qualities that machines will never be
able to emphasise. The education system has to be designed - radically
redesigned- to highlight human and social skills,” he stressed.
The
opening session was followed by a panel discussion that had Zakaria as
well as Prof Kishore Mahbubani, dean Lee Kuan Yew School of Public
Policy, National University of
Singapore.
The discussion focused
on the topic ‘Education in the Post-truth World’, which highlighted how
should education respond to the challenges of the post truth world and
be reimagined to strengthen fundamental values and social cohesion.
The panel was moderated by Yalda Hakim, international broadcast journalist, BBC World News, Australia.
The panel discussion at the opening plenary. PICTURE: Noushad Thekayil