WISE Director Shahin Ammane
Doha, Qatar: World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE) — a global education initiative by Qatar Foundation — has evolved into a powerhouse, fostering innovation in education over the years. It has nurtured a thriving community of multi-sectoral stakeholders.
In an interview with The Peninsula, WISE Director Shahin Ammane said WISE has impacted innovators, young change-makers, and decision-makers from about 190 countries who are actively working towards building the future of education through various productive partnerships that tackle pressing challenges.
“With more than 50,000 members in its network, WISE has become a global reference for new approaches to education and a distinguished global platform advancing research, innovation, and policy advocacy,” he said.
WISE is a response to the necessity of revitalising education and providing a global platform for developing new ideas and solutions. Since 2009, WISE has evolved into a thriving global community, which continues to generate fruitful dialogue and productive partnerships.
What began as a biennial event has now become a year-round platform, generating expertise and thought leadership. “WISE’s growth is best reflected in the community it has built over the years since its establishment in 2009. What began as a biennial event to gather global experts for debate and knowledge exchange has really expanded to generating expertise and thought leadership through the platform’s diverse year-round programmes and research endeavours,” said Ammane.
Central to WISE’s mission is its commitment to innovation, exemplified by programmes such as the WISE Edtech Accelerator. “WISE maintains a deep focus on facilitating and fostering innovation through its many programmes. An extension of this effort is our WISE Edtech Accelerator which supports startups to scale their solutions via mentorship, training, and access to investors and industry experts. Our accelerator is actively developing an edtech community focused on revolutionising the way we teach and learn,” said Ammane.
One notable success story from the accelerator is Kamkalima, an Arabic language learning platform. The success of Kamkalima underscores the effectiveness of WISE’s Edtech Accelerator in bridging the gap between global innovation and local education needs.
Kamkalima underwent rigorous coaching and mentorship to enhance its solution and expand its reach. WISE played a pivotal role by facilitating the measurement of learning outcomes using Qatar-based schools as a testbed. This initiative aimed to connect global innovation with the local education system in Qatar, supporting adaptation, capacity building, and contextualisation to impact local teachers and learners. “The Kamkalima platform has since been used by more than 58,000 students and over 1,300 teachers in as many as 11 countries, equipping students with 21st century-skills and inspiring teachers to embrace more efficient processes for enhanced learning outcomes,” said Ammane.
The 11th edition of the WISE Summit will be held on November 28 -29 at the Qatar National Convention Centre (QNCC), under the theme, ‘Creative Fluency: Human Flourishing in the Age of AI’. It will take an in-depth look into the implications of AI on the global education landscape.
