Qatar Foundation Affirms Global Education

Her Highness Sheikha Mozah Bint Nasser Al Missned

SHEIKHA MOZAH Bint Nasser Al Missned, Chair of the Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development says the time has come for educational possibilities to be placed in its global context rather than confining it to keep up with technological advances aimed at meeting market and competition demands.

For her, such innovation could neither be imported nor implanted in a foreign body, adding that it is a social culture which appreciates the human mind, a culture which develops   when it meets the necessary requirements of the hosting environment.

Addressing participants on her vision towards education at opening of the World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE) in Doha, Qatar on Monday, Sheikha Mozah indicated “Innovation should be at the heart of the education which is the force which exerts human energy and guides it wisely for the purpose of expanding human intelligence and creativity to serve the objectives of just and equitable human societies.”

The Doha summit which started from November 16 is on the theme “Global Education: Working Together for Sustainable Achievements.” It is aimed at nurturing a free space and a fertile ground for producing innovative thoughts and initiatives for the sustenance of human dignity.

One thousand leading education stakeholders, opinion leaders and decision-makers from 120 countries and spheres of education, politics, international institutions, NGOs, grassroots movements, the private sector, media and multimedia, culture and the arts are currently attending the summit.

WISE is a global, groundbreaking collaborative initiative established by Qatar Foundation under the patronage Sheikha Mozah and it seeks to monitor and contribute to 21st century challenges and their impact on education.

The Qatar Foundation was founded in 1995 by a decree of Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani, Emir of Qatar. It is a non-profit organization which focuses on education, scientific research and community development.

Innovation in education, which is the focus of this summit,  she conceded should become achievable and an executable process, noting therefore that  “this summit requires us to debate deeply and discuss a series of issues at the core of the right to education in order to draft an agreement on which we can build our next steps.”

“We will strive to ensure that this inaugural summit and the annual meetings that follow will assertively renew our commitment to education as a basic right in shaping our identity in line with Qatar's strategic vision for the year 2030.”

The newly appointed UNESCO Director-General, Irina Bokova, on her first official intervention abroad told participants the world is undergoing a profound and rapid transformation with the economic and financial crisis bringing education sharply into focus. “Education is a lifetime pursuit and an investment for the future,” she emphasized.

Dr. Abdulla Bin Ali Al-thani, Chairman of WISE and Qatar Foundation's Vice-President of Education also urged participants to make the most out of the unique dialogue opportunity, expressing hope for meaningful debates which eventually would lead to a global collaboration to help identify the strategic educational priorities for the coming years.

“We hope WISE will become a medium - a global education forum where all actors can meet, reflect, consider and ultimately enact them. Through this collaborative process, we can identify major educational challenges and explore innovative and sustainable ways to address them. The priorities identified over the next three days, will be formalised in a declaration, a universal call for action, to be announced at the end of the Summit,” Dr. Ali Al-thani said.

From Nathaniel Y. Yankson, Doha, Qatar