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The 20th Annual International Education and Resource Network (iEARN) International Conference and the 17th Youth Summit, organised by Reach Out To Asia (Rota), concluded at the Qatar National Convention Centre yesterday.
Around 700 educators and students from nearly 50 countries took part in the conference that started on July 1.
During the closing ceremony, Rota executive director, Essa al-Mannai presented certificates to all participants. A number of cultural programmes were performed by the participants on the occasion. There was a short video presentation about the conference.
Speaking on the occasion, al-Mannai observed that the world was getting smaller and the iEARN conference had helped the participants come closer on many aspects.
He said: “Many historic developments are happening in many countries and the world is witnessing so many changes. Qatar had a historic transition recently and Egypt is witnessing many changes now.”
Al-Mannai exhorted the participants to be socially and environmentally committed so that they could be agents of change for a better world. “Even a small group with deep commitment could effect great changes in a society and the world at large,” he added.
Virginia Tim, one of the members of the iEARN executive council, pointed out that the conference had been highly beneficial for the participants. She said: “Everyone has made most out of the conference by making a number of new contacts and a large number of friends. As in the true culture of the iEARN, they will all be in touch online hereafter and will benefit from the vast experience that they will carry from the conference.”
The theme for this year’s conference was “ICT for Education: Reaching Out, Building Bridges”, and focused on the use of technologies in education to reach out, learn and build a better world together. The programme had eight plenary sessions, two panel discussions, and more than 90 workshops and presentations. In addition, there was an exhibition for students and teachers to showcase their projects as well as their cultures.
The venue for the next conference has not yet been decided.
iEARN is a non-profit organisation made up of over 30,000 schools and youth organisations in more than 130 countries. iEARN empowers teachers and young people to work together online using the Internet and other communications technologies.