Wise Prize for Education Jury convenes in Doha

The World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE), a global initiative of Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development (QF), honoured a jury of internationally distinguished individuals, including the Hon. Ms Julia Gillard, Former Prime Minister of Australia, who are tasked with selecting the 2015 WISE Prize for Education Laureate.  The Laureate is to be announced at the WISE Summit in Doha, set to take place 3-5 November 2015.

The gathering at the Four Seasons Hotel, Doha, on Tuesday evening, presented a special opportunity for local educators and dignitaries to exchange views on key challenges facing education with members of the WISE Prize for Education Jury.  

First awarded in 2011, the WISE Prize for Education was established by Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, Chairperson of Qatar Foundation, to recognise an individual or a team for outstanding achievement in any field of education.  Among the most prominent awards of its kind, the WISE Prize for Education raises global awareness of the crucial role of education in all societies.  As a testament to QF’s commitment to establishing a knowledge-based economy, it aims to build the future of education through unlocking human potential.  

The inspirational role models that make up the WISE Prize for Education Jury include Hon. Ms Julia Gillard, Former Prime Minister of Australia and Chair of the Global Partnership for Education; Dr Madhav Chavan, President of Pratham Education Foundation, India; HE Dr Michèle Pierre-Louis, Former Prime Minister of Haiti; Prof Tan Oon Seng, Director of the National Institute of Education, Singapore; and Ms Androulla Vassiliou, former European Commissioner for Education, Culture, Multilingualism and Youth, Cyprus.

A number of local educators and dignitaries were in attendance, including Mr Stavros N. Yiannouka, CEO, WISE, who commented about the importance of the jury.  “It is a great honour to have such eminent thought leaders committing their time and expertise to help us identify, recognise, and promote today’s education pioneers, and to join us in the dialogue around education. Their valuable insights are important in helping us build the future of education, inspire educators here in Qatar and worldwide, and to meet the challenges ahead,” said Mr Yiannouka.  

Among others attending the event were Mr Marcio Barbosa, CEO, Education Above All Foundation, Qatar Foundation; and Dr Hissa Sadiq, Dean of the College of Education, Qatar University. Several deans from Hamad Bin Khalifa University and Qatar Foundation’s partner universities also attended, as well as members of the WISE Team.