Focusing on the global education scenario in the aftermath of Covid-19 and deliberating on the acceleration and integration of technology in education as well as looking to reclaim the future through education, the 10th global summit of the World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE), one of the largest international educational conclaves, will be held from December 7-9 in a hybrid format: in-person and online.
“With more than 10,000 attendees online, and over 800 participating in person at Qatar National Convention Centre, the summit will have 190 plus sessions and more than 300 speakers who are educational leaders, practitioners and innovators,” Dr Ameena Abdul-Majeed, director of programmes and the chief curator of the summit announced at a press conference Tuesday.
With the topic , ‘Generation Unmute: Reclaiming our Future through Education’ WISE, Qatar Foundation’s global initiative to transform education through innovation, offers a major platform for thought leaders, academics and policy makers to discuss global educational challenges especially in the aftermath of a global pandemic, one of the all-time biggest disruptions on education.
The press conference was also attended by Dr Ibrahim bin Saleh al-Naimi, undersecretary at the Ministry of Education and Higher Education; Dr Asmaa al-Fadala, director of Research and Content Development, WISE; and Elyas Felfoul, director of Policy Development and Partnerships, WISE.
There will be a new youth-curated programme at the summit addressing questions in global education and 10 WISE research reports will be published in the lead up to the summit.
Dr al-Naimi, highlighted the WISE Summit as one of the creative and inspiring initiatives of Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser and noted its continuity despite the far-reaching impact of the pandemic. “The summit represents an opportunity for our students, teachers, school administrators, academics, practitioners and academic leaders in Qatar to interact with their young peers from different countries around the world to discuss global education challenges, thus enhancing their benefit from the summit,” he said.
Stavros N Yiannouka, CEO of WISE, said: “It is paramount that we empower our younger populations to become voices of change and assume their role as advocates for education in all its forms. This year’s WISE Summit recognises youth as rights-holders, who must not only be included in our dialogue about the future, but play a defining part in shaping public policy, engagement and sustainable progress following the disruption caused by Covid-19. It is also a step towards a future that balances creativity with a can-do attitude. The first hybrid WISE event is designed to forge connections and provoke a rethinking towards what is possible when we prioritise our collective future.”
Dr al-Fadala highlighted the research focus of WISE to face the educational challenges while Felfoul spoke about the integration technology in education as well as the Edtech programme of WISE.
Aiming to create a platform for youth, the summit will introduce a new Youth Studio as a key stage for dialogue and discussion, curated by young changemakers to facilitate intergenerational dialogue. By addressing issues including climate education, fake news, students’ wellbeing and transitioning to the job market, WISE 2021 aims to provide the next generation with agency to find innovative solutions to today’s key global challenges.
The Summit will bring together over 300 thought leaders in education, world-class experts, and influential young voices from around the globe to address current education challenges across more than 190 sessions, ranging from in-person to fully virtual and hybrid platforms. Global audiences will have the opportunity to participate in live sessions at the Qatar National Convention Centre as well as in online discussions via the WISE virtual platform.
WISE will also release 10 new research reports in the leadup to this year’s Summit. Their authors will come together as part of several research presentations and ‘Meet the Authors’ events during the Summit to offer an in-depth look into their findings, many of which examine and use case studies specially from Qatar’s own education ecosystem.
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