Global issues at the core of inaugural World Innovation Summit for Education - WISE

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Doha, Qatar: November 17^th 2009: The first World Innovation Summit for Education - WISE, officially launched by Her Highness Sheikha Mozah Bint Nasser AL-MISSNED, Chair of Qatar FoundationQatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development, has marked the start of an exciting new international, multidisciplinary, collaborative drive on addressing global education challenges. A formidable sense of community, coupled with a strong determination among all participants to engage in meaningful debate towards achieving measurable progress in strategic educational areas, has been in evidence throughout the first day's activities.

In her opening speech, Her Highness Sheikha Mozah shared her vision on education through the Summit's overall theme of "Global Education: Working Together for Sustainable Achievements" with 1,000 opinion leaders attending from diverse sectors across the globe.

Addressing the opening plenary session were Guest of Honour, Mrs Irina BOKOVA, newly-appointed UNESCO Director-General and Dr Abdulla bin Ali AL-THANI, Chairman of WISE and Qatar FoundationQatar Foundation's Vice-President of Education.

In his address, Dr. AL-THANI described the WISE Summit as "the beginning of a long-term commitment to the cause of concerted innovation in education on a global level".

• The Hon. Ruth Dreifuss, Chancellor, University for Peace and former President of the Swiss Confederation, who said that "education can assist children to acknowledge and recognise the role of conflict and understand the skills of mediation".

• Dr Allan E. Goodman, President and CEO, Institute of International Education, who observed: "Those of us involved in the field of international education tend to forget how unconnected most of our citizens are to the world. Most people still do not travel and the majority of those who do are forced into it by adverse conditions and events. Of the nearly 150 million students in higher educational institutions around the world, moreover, less than two percent are studying abroad. And in only 20 out of 200 countries does the proportion of international students exceed one percent of enrolment."

• Professor Georges Haddad, Director, Division of Higher Education at UNESCO, who stressed "It is important to appreciate the human desire to learn, to understand and to discover, which constitute the bedrock for one's survival and sustainable development. In addition to research activities on creation and innovation, we must also focus on the evaluation of these outcomes".

• Dr. Claudie HAIGNERÉ, President, Cité des Sciences et de L'Industrie, former Minister Delegate in charge of Research and New Technologies of France, who highlighted the need to transcend traditional barriers existing between the teaching of disciplines such as science, literature, natural history and humanities. Dr HAIGNERÉ also called for the establishment of a long-term, youth-oriented initiative at WISE, taking the form of a think tank for 15-20-year-olds. She added that "the 21^st Century is the younger generation's century".
• Mrs Naledi PANDOR, MP, Minister of Science and Technology and former Minister of Education of South Africa, echoed Dr. HAIGNERÉ's call for a dedicated programme for young innovators. Mrs PANDOR agreed that a 'WISE Pioneers' initiative could provide potential young innovators from around the globe with ongoing mentoring, opportunities to study abroad and access to advanced technology through their education. The progress of the 'WISE Pioneers', it was proposed, would then be monitored over a period of 20 years to assess level of progress and emerging trends.

Day 1 of WISE also covered a number of diverse policy areas in a series of breakout sessions along the contrasting themes of 'Global Education' and 'National Policies'.

The topics covered in the 'Global Education' sessions ranged from 'Globalisation of Education: Preparing Students for a Global Economy and Society' and 'Bridging Global Inequalities'; to 'Higher Education for A Sustainable World'; and 'Funding Education in the 21^st Century: Who Pays for the Education of the Global Citizens?'.

"Globalisation poses questions about the excellence, equity and content of our education systems, which we must take into account if we are to adequately prepare our students for tomorrow," according to Ms. Vivien STEWART, Vice-President for Education, Asia Society, speaking at the 'Globalisation of Education: Preparing Students for a Global Economy and Society' breakout session.

The 'National Policies' breakout sessions discussed strategic areas such as 'Every Child Matters'; 'Civil Rights and Minorities in Education', 'A Fully Integrated Education Policy' and 'Technology and E-Learning'.

Addressing the 'Technology and E-Learning' breakout session, Professor Bob Moon, Professor of Education, The Open University said: "There is a pressing need to exploit communication technologies progressively, as bricks and mortar institutions are insufficient for 21^st century needs".

Subsequent days of this three-day Summit will focus primarily on the WISE Summit's two remaining sub-themes, namely Sustainability and Innovation in education. The outcomes generated from the discussions and debates over the three days will be collated and formally structured as a declaration of commitments on the final day of the WISE Summit.

-Ends-

ABOUT WISE
WISE (World Innovation Summit for Education) is a global, groundbreaking collaborative initiative established by Qatar FoundationQatar Foundation under the patronage of Her Highness Sheikha Mozah Bint Nasser Al Missned. WISE seeks to monitor and contribute to 21^st century challenges and their impact on education. With 1,000 leading education stakeholders, opinion leaders and decision-makers from 120 countries and from the spheres of education, politics, international institutions, NGOs, grassroots movements, the private sector, media and multimedia, culture and the arts. WISE endeavours to propose visionary thinking on education, offer new ways of addressing current global challenges and untapped opportunities and anticipate future education models. The WISE Forum will take place in Doha, Qatar, from November 16^th to 18^th, 2009. Full details on the WISE website: www.wise-qatar.org

ABOUT QATAR FOUNDATION FOR EDUCATION, SCIENCE AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
Founded in 1995 by decree of His Highness Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani, Emir of Qatar, Qatar FoundationQatar Foundation is a non-profit organization focusing on education, scientific research and community development. Under Qatar FoundationQatar Foundation's umbrella are Education City, which comprises elite universities, several academic and training programs and Qatar Science and Technology Park, which boasts more than twenty-one world-class companies involved in scientific research and development.

Chaired by Her Highness Sheikha Mozah Bint Nasser Al Missned, Qatar FoundationQatar Foundation also aims to enhance lives through community development initiatives including Doha Debates, Reach out To Asia and Al Jazeera Children's Channel.

Joint venture partnerships in the areas of design, ICT, telecommunications, policy studies and event management contribute to fulfilling the objectives of the Qatar FoundationQatar Foundation.

For more information, please visit: www.qf.org.qa

Source: World Innovation Summit for Education - WISE

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© Press Release 2009