WISE calls for innovative solutions for education

Doha: WISE Summit 2021’s closing plenary, ‘Fixing School, Fixing the Planet’, addressed the next generation’s fight with an increasingly uncertain future, defined by climate change and growing social inequalities pervasive in many societies today. 

Speakers pointed to the role of education, but also sports and arts, to strengthen the intrinsic values that unite peoples, generations and cultures. 

“Over the past decade, we have seen a lot of change in the way we work, particularly around the digitisation of education. The pandemic has only accelerated this change. It is our responsibility to prepare our students for the future and, before that, to prepare our teachers,” said H E  Buthaina bint Ali Al Jabr Al Nuaimi, Minister of Education and Higher Education, in her address to the plenary.

“It is very important to address the holistic development of the child, prioritising their mental health, to enable learning. We need a framework that places equal emphasis on the socio-emotional development of the student as well as their academic development,” she added. 

Education leaders, policymakers, innovators, and practitioners took part in the third and final day of the WISE Summit 2021, hosted by Qatar Foundation’s global education think tank, which spotlighted novel research on edtech and fresh youth perspectives on education. Education Above All’s participation at the WISE Summit culminated in a plenary, which highlighted its Zero Out of School Children (OOSC) strategy, with the goal of ensuring that every child can have access to a quality primary education. 

Spotlighting the transformations needed to create modern learning ecosystems, the WISE Studio featured sessions on the evolution of edtech, wellbeing, women as trailblazers in education, and emotional intelligence. The 2021 WISE Awards winners shared their perspectives as part of two ‘Innovation Station’ fireside chats, dissecting innovative, practiced approaches to current matters both in and outside of the classroom.

The ‘AI in Education: How Will Artificial Intelligence Impact the Human Factor?’ masterclass was hosted by Sir Anthony Seldon, former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Buckingham, educator, and contemporary historian. He explored how AI is now disrupting the way we live and work and will impact our schools and universities. The discussion looked at how we must shape this revolution so that our systems still reflect our humanity, including being creative, having beliefs, and loving others.

Young changemakers took the reins at the Youth Studio, the Summit’s first-ever platform curated by youth to amplify their voices as part of an inclusive approach to reimagining and reshaping education systems. Topics ranged from entrepreneurship education and 21st century skills to raising and supporting young changemakers. A fireside chat entitled ‘Learning to Dare: Girls in STEM’ highlighted the gender gap in all STEM-related studies and featured inspirational stories from the Afghan Girls Robotics team. It discussed how the lack of awareness and some recurrent self-limiting beliefs keep girls away from STEM education, but through boldness and courage some individual journeys can set an example and pave the way for change.

‘Raising Changemakers: Equipping the Young Leaders of Today’ examined how current education systems are responding poorly to the needs of the youth who want to be changemakers in their own communities and beyond. It showcased some new initiatives that are addressing obstacles to innovation and disrupting the existing educational models to better serve the needs and aspirations of students, and gave examples of bold approaches to youth empowerment in order to better educate and equip changemakers. 

Over the past three days, more than 300 thought-leaders in education, world-class experts, and influential young voices led over 200 sessions at the WISE Summit 2021, inviting global audiences to a timely and crucial dialogue on the future of education.