The Ministry of Education (MoE) will organise the first edition of the Future Education Forum under the theme “Foreseeing the Future of Education” on Tuesday, February 14.
The forum is being organised as part of MoE’s participation in the World Government Summit 2023 (WGS2023), which is being held under the directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, from 13-15 February under the theme “Shaping Future Governments”.
Dr Ahmad Belhoul Al Falasi, Minister of Education, emphasised the vital role of WGS in building a better future for countries and societies, as it brings together elite leaders, officials, experts, and specialists to a global platform to exchange expertise and experiences and explore means of improving various areas of government work.
He noted that including “Prioritising Learning and Work” in the six main themes of WGS2023 indicates the importance of emphasising education as the main engine for building a more prosperous future. It also reiterates the UAE’s leadership in foreseeing and building the future of education.
Dr Al Falasi said:
“The Ministry of Education works in accordance with the leadership’s directives to develop a pioneering and cutting-edge educational system based on the latest international practices. This is in order to build future leaders who can carry on the country’s march towards comprehensive and sustainable development, and thus contribute to strengthening the UAE’s leadership and global competitiveness in the field of education. Launching the Future Education Forum during WGS2023 showcases the ministry’s leadership in the education sector, as it will bring together experts, specialists, and decision-makers to discuss the future of the sector and mechanisms for its development.”
The forum will discuss three key areas, namely improving the education system, investing in workforces and the wellbeing of educators capable of preparing tomorrow’s generations, as well as deploying technology as a key tool for developing an educational system that goes beyond the traditional concept and builds on modern technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI).
Six sessions will be organised during the forum; the first, titled the “Future of Higher Education and Lifelong Learning”, aims to re-envision the education system to be focused on the skills needed for the future of work and to leverage technological and pedagogical innovation to put learners at the centre of learning throughout all stages of life. Dr. Abdellatif Miraoui, Minister of Higher Education, Scientific Research and Innovation in the Kingdom of Morocco, Anant Agarwal, CEO of Edx, Jeff Maggioncalda, CEO of Coursera, Manuel Muñiz, Provost of IE University, and Sebastian Thrun, Co-founder and CEO of Udacity, will participate in the session.
The second panel discussion, titled the “Future of Assessment in ECE and K-12”, will envision the future of assessing education systems and individual skills by leveraging modern technologies and big data. Her Excellency Sarah Musallam, Minister of State for Early Childhood Education, Amit Sevak, CEO of ETS, Hadi Partovi, CEO of Code.org, and Janet Godwin, CEO of ACT, will participate in the panel discussion.
In the third panel discussion, titled “The role of tech companies in shaping the future of education”, participants will identify opportunities to utilise and adapt new technologies in education and understand the role tech companies play in supporting more inclusive and skills-based learning. Dr. Robert A. Brown, President of Boston University, Clayton Naidoo, Senior Director of Country Digital Acceleration at Cisco, Mark East, Global General Manager for Education at Microsoft, and Marc Sanz Lopez, Head of Google for Education, will participate in the discussion.
The fourth panel discussion is titled “Edtech start-ups: investments and trends”, and will provide a perspective on the investment trends and future of the edtech industry as a sub-sector of education investment emerged to close the skills gap and shape the future of education. Dr. Darem Tabbaa, Syrian Minister of Education, Rabih Khory, Managing Director at MEVP, Philip Bahoshy, Founder and CEO of MAGNiTT, Bader Ward, Co-founder and CEO of Lamsa, and Fares Samara, Co-founder and CTO of Ostaz, will participate in the panel discussion.
In “Preparing and empowering the education workforce” panel discussion, participants will identify strategic investments and changes to ensure that teachers have the skills, tools, and resources needed to improve educational outcomes. Sarah Al Amiri, Minister of State for Public Education and Advanced Technology, Saadia Zahidi, Managing Director at World Economic Forum, Dr Sonia Ben Jaafar, CEO of Alghurair Foundation, and Anna Molero, Chief Government Officer at Teach for All, will participate in the discussion.
The Ministry of Education will organise the sixth panel discussion in cooperation with The Digital School, which was launched under the umbrella of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives. The discussion will explain the concept of digital schools, their application models, and their role in improving societies by adopting digital or hybrid learning in a smart and flexible way. Huda AlHashimi, Deputy Minister of Cabinet Affairs for Strategic Affairs, Dr. Reda Hegazy, Egyptian Minister of Education, and Dr. Walid, Consultant at the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives, will participate in the discussion.
Held in Dubai, WGS2023 will highlight six main themes across more than 110 sessions and forums. The summit will bring together more than 10,000 government officials and international experts from more than 140 countries and more than 80 international, regional, and governmental organisations.
News Source: Emirates News Agency