The eighth World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE) closed with a global call to education leaders to prepare future generations for a changing world by placing knowledge at the centre of society.
More than 2,000 participants from over 100 countries attended the biennial summit, which has become a premier international education gathering since its establishment in 2009.
The theme of WISE 2017, ‘Co-Exist, Co-Create: Learning to Live and Work Together’, sparked debate around the crucial role that education must play in times of global disruption and economic uncertainty. Key speakers included journalist and commentator Fareed Zakaria, Dean Kishore Mahbubani of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, entrepreneur Sebastian Thrun, and the celebrated Nigerian writer Chimamanda Adichie.
Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, Chairperson of Qatar Foundation, opened WISE 2017 with a passionate call for greater international effort to address a range of education challenges today. She presented the 2017 WISE Prize for Education to Dr Patrick Awuah, founder of Ashesi University in Ghana. Full story here.
The Education Above All Foundation, established in 2012, featured sessions on refugee issues, new learning models, and education leadership.
The WISE Majlis featured experiential learning sessions for nearly 700 12 to 14-year-old local students and teachers. The Majlis also included an exhibition space for WISE research authors and opportunities to interact with Qatar-based education organisations. The two-day event also featured diverse networking opportunities for delegates to interact and share experiences on their interests, projects, and education visions.
The WISE Summit, an initiative of Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development (QF), closed with a discussion entitled: From Knowledge Economies to Knowledge Societies.
Replays of plenary sessions at WISE 2017 available for viewing through this link.
