2015 WISE Summit To Take Place in Doha From 3-5 November
Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, Chairperson of Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development (QF), will be joined by the First Lady of the United States Michelle Obama at the seventh World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE) on 4th November in Qatar.
Her Highness Sheikha Moza will speak on how education has come under attack, both regionally and globally, and confirm her commitment to Sustainable Development Goal 4, which calls for inclusive lifelong education. She will also officially inaugurate the WISE Summit and announce the 2015 WISE Prize for Education Laureate, and, following the keynote address at the opening plenary, the First Lady will deliver her remarks.
This year’s Summit will be held under the theme ‘Investing for Impact: Quality Education for Sustainable and Inclusive Growth’, and aims to explore the relationships among education, entrepreneurship, and economy; with participants addressing ways to strengthen education systems, develop ‘job-ready’ talent pools to counter persisting inequality, and support wider economic progress.
Established in 2009 by Qatar Foundation, WISE will bring together more than 1,500 innovators, including educational thinkers and practitioners, representatives of governments, NGOs, business leaders, and social entrepreneurs. Designed to address the challenges of education through innovation and collaboration, it is a testament to QF’s commitment to unlocking human potential and establishing a knowledge-based economy.
WISE 2015 will be the first global conference following the United Nations General Assembly and the ratification of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and will provide a platform for examining emerging innovations, scalable solutions, and emerging models of education financing. Education Above All (EAA), founded by Her Highness Sheikha Moza, will host the second day plenary session addressing the impact of violence and conflict on education and effective responses.
Confirmed speakers and attendees include Leymah Gbowee, 2011 Nobel Peace Laureate, Founder and President of Gbowee Peace Foundation Africa; Hon. Julia Gillard, Former Australian Prime Minister, and Board Chair of the Global Partnership for Education (GPE); H.E. Princess Mabel Van Oranje, Board Chair, Girls Not Brides; Dr Claudia Costin, Senior Director, Education Global Practice, The World Bank Group; and Khalid Alkhudair, Founder and CEO, Glowork.
Reflecting Qatar’s commitment to the global partnership for development, WISE 2015 will present three new features:
– The Learning Lab: In partnership with the Supreme Education Council, WISE will offer Qatar-based school children aged 12 – 14 years old, and their teachers, the opportunity to participate in the Learning Lab; an 2
area dedicated to innovative and interactive pedagogies. Located in the ‘Majlis’, the exhibition area at the centre of the event, the Lab will comprise three workshops, with hands-on activities facilitated by partnering institutions, including Lego.
– The WISE Research Reports: WISE has partnered with leading researchers from Qatar and around the world to produce a series of reports, which will be revealed at the Summit. The reports feature action-oriented policy research on key topics relevant to the theme of the 2015 WISE Summit. The reports are designed to bring key topics to the forefront of the global education debate, and reflect the priorities of the Qatar National Research Strategy.
– The Qatar Zone: Also located in the ‘Majlis’, the Qatar Zone has been conceived to encourage meetings and discussions among Summit participants and key Qatari education institutions partnering with WISE. These include Qatar Foundation, the Supreme Education Council, Hamad bin Khalifa University, Qatar University, and Teach for Qatar, among others.
A highlight of the Summit will be the announcement of the 2015 WISE Prize for Education Laureate at the Opening Session. Currently in its fifth year, the WISE Prize for Education will be presented at the Summit to an individual or a team in recognition of an outstanding contribution in education.
Additionally, this year, WISE 2015 will include a focus on the education challenges of the MENA region. It will feature a panel on closing the skills gap in the region, and a roundtable discussion on the challenges and opportunities of education reform.
