The World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE) is an international initiative aimed at transforming education through innovation. WISE was established by

Qatar Foundation Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development ( ar, مؤسسة قطر) is a state-led non-profit organization in Qatar, founded in 1995 by then- emir Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani and his second wife Moza bint Nasser. Qatar Fo ...

in 2009 under the patronage of its chairperson, Sheikha Mozah bint Nasser. With a biennial Summit held in

Doha Doha ( ar, الدوحة, ad-Dawḥa or ''ad-Dōḥa'') is the capital city and main financial hub of Qatar. Located on the Persian Gulf coast in the east of the country, north of Al Wakrah and south of Al Khor (city), Al Khor, it is home to m ...

, and a range of year-round initiatives, WISE's mission revolves around promoting new approaches to education and investigating new ways to address pressing global education challenges.

The Biennial Summit

The 3-day WISE Summit is held every 2 years in

Qatar Qatar (, ; ar, قطر, Qaṭar ; local vernacular pronunciation: ), officially the State of Qatar,) is a country in Western Asia. It occupies the Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it sh ...

. It unites over 1,500 experts, researchers, and innovators from multiple sectors worldwide to foster new collaborations and develop solutions with the goal of inspiring creative changes in education. The summit is currently organized by Stavros Yiannouka and his team. Each summit has a distinct theme. The first summit was held in 2009 under the theme "Global Education: Working Together for Sustainable Achievements". The 2019 WISE Summit will be held on 19–21 November under the theme, "UnLearn, ReLearn: What it means to be Human."

The WISE Prize for Education

The WISE Prize for Education is an international prize that rewards an individual or a team for contributions to education which have been adjudged to be outstanding. The inaugural edition was launched in 2011 with a monetary award of $500,000. Selection criteria for the prize stipulates that the laureate's work should have had a significant and lasting impact at any level of education. The laureate is selected by an international jury of education stakeholders and announced at the annual Summit. The first WISE Prize was awarded to

Fazle Hasan Abed Sir Fazle Hasan Abed ( bn, ফজলে হাসান আবেদ; 27 April 1936 – 20 December 2019) was the founder of BRAC, one of the world's largest non-governmental organizations. Early life Abed was born on 27 April 1936 in the vi ...

, founder and chairman of BRAC (Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee). The second prize, in 2012, went to

Madhav Chavan Madhav Chavan (born 1954) is a social activist and entrepreneur. He is the co-founder and CEO of the educational non-profit, Pratham. He also started the Read India campaign, which aims to teach basic reading, writing and arithmetic to underpri ...

, co-founder and CEO of India-based NGO

Pratham Pratham is one of the largest non-governmental organisations in India. It was co-founded by Madhav Chavan anFarida Lambay. It works towards the provision of quality education to the underprivileged children in India. Established in Mumbai in ...

. The third WISE Prize laureate, announced at the 2013 Summit, was Vicky Colbert, founder and director of Fundacion Escuela Nueva in Colombia.

Ann Cotton Ann Lesley Cotton OBE (born 1950) is a Welsh entrepreneur and philanthropist who was awarded an Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2006 Queen's New Year Honours List. The honour was in recognition of her services to education of youn ...

, an advocate of girls' education, was awarded the 2014 prize. Dr.

Sakena Yacoobi Sakena Yacoobi ( fa, سکینه یعقوبی) is an Afghani activist known for her work for promoting access to education for women and children. She is the founder and executive director of the women-led NGO Afghan Institute of Learning. For he ...

was awarded the 2015 prize. Most recently, the 2017 prize was awarded to the founder and president of

Ashesi University Ashesi University ( ) is a private, non-profit university located in Accra, Ghana. The mission of Ashesi University is to educate ethical, entrepreneurial leaders in Africa; to cultivate within students the critical thinking skills, the concer ...

in Ghana, Dr. Patrick Awuah. The 2019 WISE Prize will be announced during the Summit on 19–21 November.

Other activities

The WISE Awards

Each year the WISE Awards recognize and promote six projects that address global educational challenges. A pre-jury composed of education experts assesses submissions and selects a shortlist of fifteen finalists. Following this, a jury chooses the six award-winning projects. Winners receive a cash prize of $20,000. The first WISE Awards were handed out in 2009.

WISE Research

The WISE Research Reports bring key topics to the forefront of the global education debate, and reflect the priorities of the Qatar National Research Strategy. The reports are produced in collaboration with recognized experts and organizations from around the world.

WISE Books

WISE Books are aimed at supporting innovative thinking in education. As of October 2014, WISE has published three books addressing educational topics. WISE Book authors and photographers travel to several countries in an attempt to identify the challenges and illustrate the impact of initiatives and practices that are making tangible differences. The third book to be released by WISE, ''Learning (Re)Imagined - How the connected society is transforming learning'' focuses on the link between technology and education.

WISE Learners' Voice

Learners' voice, inaugurated in 2010, is a program that aims to reshape students' perception of education. Each year, a selected group of young people, aged 18–25, participate at the annual summit by engaging in debates and making presentations. Workshop sessions are also held throughout the year. In late 2013, 36 new learners joined the existing network of 78 learners from previous years.

WISE Accelerator

The accelerator is a support and advisory program with the aim of developing early-stage projects in education. The program, founded in 2014, seeks to assist projects that have a high potential for scalability and a positive impact on the field of education. The program selects five innovative projects from a variety of countries every year. The past participants of the program, including country of origin and date of creation:

Partners

The WISE initiative has cooperation agreements with the following institutions in major education issues:

Agence universitaire de la Francophonie The ''Agence universitaire de la Francophonie'' (AUF; en, Association of Francophone Universities) is a global network of French-speaking higher-education and research institutions. Founded in Montreal, Quebec, Canada in 1961, as the ''Ass ...

(AUF), the

Association of Commonwealth Universities The Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU) was established in 1913, and has over 500 member institutions in over 50 countries across the Commonwealth. The ACU is the world's oldest international network of universities. Its mission is t ...

(ACU), the

Institute of International Education The Institute of International Education (IIE) is a 501(c) organization which focuses on international student exchange and aid, foreign affairs, and international peace and security. IIE creates programs of study and training for students, educa ...

(IIE), the International Association of University Presidents (IAUP),

RAND Corporation The RAND Corporation (from the phrase "research and development") is an American nonprofit global policy think tank created in 1948 by Douglas Aircraft Company to offer research and analysis to the United States Armed Forces. It is finance ...

, and the

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

(UNESCO).

References

External links

Official website for WISE

Official website for WISE Prize for Education

Official website for Qatar Foundation
{{DEFAULTSORT:World Innovation Summit For Education Education in Qatar 2009 establishments in Qatar Conferences Education events Events in Qatar