Eighth WISE Global Summit to Gather 2,000 Participants From 100 Countries

Some of the world’s most creative leaders in the fields of education, technology, social entrepreneurship, global development, media, and philanthropy will convene in Doha for the eighth World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE) from November 14-16.

Up to 2,000 participants from 100 countries are expected to attend the biennial global summit, which has become a premier international gathering on the future of education since it was established in 2009. The theme of the 2017 WISE Summit, ‘Co-Exist, Co-Create: Learning to Live and Work Together,’ is designed to spark debate around education challenges in times of global disruption and economic uncertainty. 

Central to these discussions will be the role of education in a post-truth world, with sessions focusing on media literacy, artificial intelligence and virtual reality, social entrepreneurship, design thinking and direction for best education choices, among others.

Among some of the 100 confirmed speakers and moderators include:

• Professor Sebastien Thrun, chairman and co-founder of Udacity, innovator, edu-preneuer, and founder of Google X Labs (USA)
• Mr. Fareed Zakaria, writer and columnist, CNN host (USA)
• Dr. Amel Karboul, commissioner of the International Commission on Financing Global Education Opportunity (Tunisia)
• Ms. Wendy Kopp, CEO and co-founder, Teach for All (USA)
• Sir Michael Barber, founder and chairman of Delivery Associates (UK)
• Ms. Noella Coursaris Musunka, founder, Malaika (Democratic Republic of Congo)
• Professor Kishore Mahbubani, dean, Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy of the National University (Singapore)
• Ms. Sarah Borgman, director and curator, Skoll World Forum (USA)
• Ms. Vivian Onano, youth leader and advocate, Women Deliver (Kenya)
• Mr. Samir Saran, vice president of the Observer Research Foundation, New Delhi (India)

A highlight of the program will be the announcement of the 2017 WISE Prize for Education Laureate. The WISE Prize for Education is the first distinction of its kind to recognize an individual or a team of up to six people for an outstanding, world-class contribution to education. Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, Chairperson of Qatar Foundation (QF), will present the WISE Prize for Education to the Laureate during the opening plenary session on Wednesday, November 15. The Laureate will receive the WISE Prize for Education gold medal and $500,000 (US).

The 2017 WISE Summit provides an opportunity to meet the people behind pioneering international projects championed by WISE initiatives all year round. These include the WISE Awards for proven, high-impact education solutions; the WISE Accelerator program, which supports promising edtech projects in education; the WISE Learners’ Voice, a mentorship program for young leaders in education; and the WISE Research series of reports, authored by experts with leading international institutions.

Participants will also attend hands-on workshops run by organizations including: LEGO, working jointly with Ashoka; IDEO; the Organisation of Economic Co-operation and Development; the Brookings Institution; Meetpro, China; and the National Education Opportunities Network, UK.

There will also be an interactive lab for adults and children run by C2 (Montreal), questioning participants on their vision for the future of education. The outcomes will serve as guidance to policy-makers. Twelve to 14-year-old students from Qatar’s schools will also take part in four experiential learning labs aimed at fostering fun and collaborative learning, run by The Little Engineer, Lebanon; Cultural Infusion, Australia; ibTECHar, Qatar; and the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (Qatar).