WISE 2011

WISE 2011 Concludes with Action-Oriented Outcomes Four key announcements were made by H.E. Dr. Abdulla bin Ali Al-Thani, Chairman of WISE, at the Closing Session today: From 2012, one of the six annual WISE Awards will recognize achievements towards realizing the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) on universal primary education Learners' Voice will become a full-year program, making students fully-recognized advocates of education The WISE Haiti Taskforce will become a catalyst for action, creating synergies between existing local initiatives and international best practices WISE will commission a new publication, following the release of Innovation in Education: Lessons from Pioneers around the World by Charles Leadbeater WISE 2011 Concludes with Action-Oriented Outcomes Four key announcements were made by H.E. Dr. Abdulla bin Ali Al-Thani, Chairman of WISE, at the Closing Session today: From 2012, one of the six annual WISE Awards will recognize achievements towards realizing the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) on universal primary education Learners' Voice will become a full-year program, making students fully-recognized advocates of education The WISE Haiti Taskforce will become a catalyst for action, creating synergies between existing local initiatives and international best practices WISE will commission a new publication, following the release of Innovation in Education: Lessons from Pioneers around the World by Charles Leadbeater What Happened at WISE Today? The final day of WISE mapped out present challenges and future models for education. In a powerful speech that received a standing ovation and triggered a global response on Twitter, former UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown MP called for a global fund for education. He said the MDG on universal primary education could be achieved by 2015 "if we work hard and change policy, and make sure that everyone is mobilized to that effort". Mr. Brown said the establishment of such a fund would allow people in the private sector and the public sector, philanthropists and people in charities, private companies and others to create a focus for momentum towards 2015. He called on technology companies including Microsoft, Apple, Facebook and Google to become involved in this global fund project. Regarding the MDG on universal primary education, Mr. Brown stated: "We can reinforce in people’s minds that when the world makes a promise, it is not a promise that is casually set aside and betrayed for millions of children of future generations, but a promise that we do everything in our power to keep." It was important, Mr. Brown said, to "hold national governments to their promises…and where countries fall behind, we should be telling them that this is not acceptable because it is not simply about them and their generation - it is about future generations." Also today, ACU and IIE announced innovative partnerships. ACU, in collaboration with the EU Erasmus Mundus program, launched a project to enhance awareness of European higher education in Africa. IIE unveiled a permanent endowment supported by public and private sectors to assist students worldwide with emergency support for tuition, books and living requirements. Did you know? Non-communicable diseases cost $2.3 trillion per year. Reducing this demand would release more funds for education. Around 300 million children are working who should be at school. The majority of these are girls. Furthermore, one in every seven girls in the developing world is a child bride before the age of 15. We don't have the equivalent of an educational Red Cross or an educational Médecins Sans Frontières. This means that nobody has yet taken responsibility for education, and it has a lower priority than areas such as health. 3 Questions for Reza Founder, Ainaworld; photojournalist, National Geographic What do you expect to get out of the WISE Summit? "To be inspired to help create a network for the spreading of ideas. I also hope that WISE can progress the ideas of educational change-makers here and around the world and be a platform to get support for both financial and human resources." How do you define innovation in education? "When I envisage innovation in this particular context, I feel that we have to re-think a revolution in educational tools and minds. Traditional education is largely based on a 19th century mindset and approach." What role can the arts play in bringing change to education? "Simple. Art is the solution." Quotes and Ideas "We have been energized by many new ideas, practices and experiences." - H.E. Dr. Abdulla bin Ali Al-Thani "The education system is the slowest learner in the world. The real challenge for transforming education is unity: we need a charter of common will." - Prof. Marwan Awartani "Particular 'sensitive periods' exist for different types of learning: it is actually possible to teach an old dog new tricks!" - Bruno della Chiesa "We have technology to change education but we always wait for the next version, and don’t make the changes necessary to use technology properly." - James Garner Ptaszynski Coming Up The next WISE Summit will take place in Doha, Qatar, November 13-15, 2012. Over the next 12 months, WISE will continue to develop through a series of programs and also through MyWISE, the online collaborative platform that acts as a knowledge base for best practice in education and enables members to connect, network, share and participate. The nomination window for the 2nd WISE Prize for Education will be announced on the WISE online platform early in 2012.  of the Day Rt. Hon. Gordon Brown MP, former UK Prime Minister

What Happened at WISE Today? The final day of WISE mapped out present challenges and future models for education. In a powerful speech that received a standing ovation and triggered a global response on Twitter, former UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown MP called for a global fund for education. He said the MDG on universal primary education could be achieved by 2015 "if we work hard and change policy, and make sure that everyone is mobilized to that effort". Mr. Brown said the establishment of such a fund would allow people in the private sector and the public sector, philanthropists and people in charities, private companies and others to create a focus for momentum towards 2015. He called on technology companies including Microsoft, Apple, Facebook and Google to become involved in this global fund project. Regarding the MDG on universal primary education, Mr. Brown stated: "We can reinforce in people’s minds that when the world makes a promise, it is not a promise that is casually set aside and betrayed for millions of children of future generations, but a promise that we do everything in our power to keep." It was important, Mr. Brown said, to "hold national governments to their promises…and where countries fall behind, we should be telling them that this is not acceptable because it is not simply about them and their generation - it is about future generations." Also today, ACU and IIE announced innovative partnerships. ACU, in collaboration with the EU Erasmus Mundus program, launched a project to enhance awareness of European higher education in Africa. IIE unveiled a permanent endowment supported by public and private sectors to assist students worldwide with emergency support for tuition, books and living requirements.

Did you know? Non-communicable diseases cost $2.3 trillion per year. Reducing this demand would release more funds for education. Around 300 million children are working who should be at school. The majority of these are girls. Furthermore, one in every seven girls in the developing world is a child bride before the age of 15. We don't have the equivalent of an educational Red Cross or an educational Médecins Sans Frontières. This means that nobody has yet taken responsibility for education, and it has a lower priority than areas such as health. 3 Questions for Reza Founder, Ainaworld; photojournalist, National Geographic What do you expect to get out of the WISE Summit? "To be inspired to help create a network for the spreading of ideas. I also hope that WISE can progress the ideas of educational change-makers here and around the world and be a platform to get support for both financial and human resources." How do you define innovation in education? "When I envisage innovation in this particular context, I feel that we have to re-think a revolution in educational tools and minds. Traditional education is largely based on a 19th century mindset and approach." What role can the arts play in bringing change to education? "Simple. Art is the solution."

Quotes and Ideas "We have been energized by many new ideas, practices and experiences." - H.E. Dr. Abdulla bin Ali Al-Thani "The education system is the slowest learner in the world. The real challenge for transforming education is unity: we need a charter of common will." - Prof. Marwan Awartani "Particular 'sensitive periods' exist for different types of learning: it is actually possible to teach an old dog new tricks!" - Bruno della Chiesa "We have technology to change education but we always wait for the next version, and don’t make the changes necessary to use technology properly." - James Garner Ptaszynski Coming Up The next WISE Summit will take place in Doha, Qatar, November 13-15, 2012. Over the next 12 months, WISE will continue to develop through a series of programs and also through MyWISE, the online collaborative platform that acts as a knowledge base for best practice in education and enables members to connect, network, share and participate. The nomination window for the 2nd WISE Prize for Education will be announced on the WISE online platform early in 2012.