H H Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, Chairperson of Qatar Foundation, touring the WISE Majlis, an interactive space for participants to discuss and showcase innovations in education and network with fellow participants. Pic: A R Al-Baker
The World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE 2019) concluded yesterday with a global call to rethink about the approach to education in the changing world, in the presence of H H Sheikha Moza bint Nasser.
The Summit held under the theme ‘UnLearn ReLearn: What it means to be Human’ saw a record 3,500 participants, including almost 900 students. The closing plenary session of the WISE 2019 was attended by a number of Their Excellencies Ministers, dignitaries, policymakers, global education leaders and others.
The Closing Plenary focused on ‘Rediscovering the purpose of education’ featured a special address by 2019 WISE Prize for Education Laureate, Larry Rosenstock, CEO and Founding Principal of High Tech High (HTH), who was presented with the accolade by H H Sheikha Moza during the opening ceremony of the Summit. “Our children need us. We need to help them. We need to listen to them. And we need to do this together,” said Rosenstock.
The closing plenary was moderated by Yalda Hakim, Presenter-International Correspondent, BBC World News, and speakers included Jason Silva, Futurist, National Geographic; Steven Van Zandt, Founder, Rock and Roll Forever Foundation; Emtithal Mahmoud, Poet and UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador and Stavros N. Yiannouka, CEO, WISE.
H H Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, Chairperson of Qatar Foundation, during the closing session of WISE 2019. Pics: A R Al-Baker
Yiannouka highlighted the importance of continuing WISE’s advocacy work around the world.
“Humanity is engaged in a race to become wise enough to make judicious use of the incredibly powerful technologies that we have at our disposal. I believe that we can win this race. An educated world is a healthier, a more prosperous, a more peaceful, and a fairer world. We cannot leave anyone behind,” said Yiannouka.
“We want to continue running programs that celebrate innovation in education and empower education entrepreneurs and innovators. WISE wants to continue making things happen at multiple levels; we want to continue with research that informs policy and practice,” he added.
Yiannouka said that the next WISE will take place in Bogotá and Medellín, Colombia in May 2020.
WISE 2019 topics featured plenaries, roundtables, workshops, and panel discussions ranged from youth identity in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, to increasing student engagement in learning, empowering youth through experiential learning, and migration and displacement in the MENA region.
The WISE Majlis, based on the traditional Arabic majlis gathering space, remains one of the main features of the summit. This year, the WISE Majlis was geared towards interactive sessions such as Pitch It, a start-up talent show where innovators had the opportunity to present their projects to a jury made up of a journalist, an educator, a youth, and a business leader. The hands-on learning labs and creative installations drew 820 pupils from schools around the country.
The Meet the Author sessions at the WISE Majlis was also the focal point for the authors of the eight WISE Research reports recently unveiled, among them Promoting Youth Well-Being Through Health and Education: Insights and Opportunities; Global Sports Development Systems and Athletes’ Access to Education; and The Pursuit of Institutional Excellence: Case Studies from Qatar.
WISE, a biennial summit, has become a premier international education gathering since its establishment in 2009.
