A host of stars including comedian Trevor Noah applauded the Global Education and Skills Forum and Global Teacher Prize held in Dubai in March 2018. Stars including Oscar-winning actress and singer Jennifer Hudson; Charlize Theron, Nicholas Hoult, Taron Egerton, Priyanka Chopra and Formula 1 champion Lewis Hamilton were joined by Olympic gold medallist Sir Mo Farah, heavyweight boxing champion Wladimir Klitschko; cricketers Brian Lara and Wasim Akram; comedian Rory Bremner and world-renowned historian, Simon Schama, as well as, Al Gore, former Vice-President of the United States; Nicholas Sarkozy, former President of France; Tony Blair, former British Prime Minister; George Osborne, former British Chancellor of the Exchequer; Julia Gillard, former Prime Minister of Australia and Tariq Al Gurg, CEO of Dubai Cares, in sharing their vision on the theme of how to prepare young people for 2030 and beyond.
Tomorrow Summit
Given the future facing theme of the conference, GESF hosted the Tomorrow Summit to bring together innovative education technology startups to compete for the inaugural Next Billion Ed-Tech Prize. These pioneering companies also displayed what they do in the GESF Start-Up Souk.
Click here to read more about the Next Billion Ed-Tech Prize winner
Alongside the Next Billion Prize, GESF hosted the Future Talks stage where delegates had an opportunity to listen to some of the foremost thinkers and innovators on key trends and breakthroughs to expect in the technology space that will revolutionise the way we live, learn and work. The conference also hosted four immersive experiences which showcased how technology could transform our communities.
The Boardroom
“I’m often surprised with the divergence in discussions held in our schools and education systems from the boardrooms of the most prestigious companies. That is why this year we have created a new format called ‘The Boardroom’”, said Vikas Pota, Chief Executive of The Varkey Foundation, organisers of GESF. Delegates had the opportunity to be that fly on the wall and listen to how corporate leaders think about issues that we all face, but always ask: ‘How did they arrive at that decision?’ The Boardroom hosted discussions on how they unlock the diversity dividend, what the key skills of the future are, and how they get them, how they predict and plan for the future, and many more subjects like this. The aim was to give educational leaders a better understanding of how business leaders think of these key issues and what they do about them.
GESF Live!
At this year’s Global Education & Skills Forum, organisers produced their very own chat show, GESF Live! Set up very much like an entertainment show on TV, the legendary BAFTA winning comedian, Rory Bremner anchored five shows where delegates met famous people and heard them talk about education in a way that they would never had the opportunity to in their everyday life.
Global Education & Skills Forum a convening platform
Now in its sixth year, the Global Education & Skills Forum is being used as a convening platform by others on substantive issues. There was a meeting on the G7 Presidency’s priority on girls education, and the first meeting of the Education Workforce Initiative High Level Steering Group convened by the Education Commission. There was also meeting at the conference on the G20 education agenda which will result in a coalition of organisations contributing to the Argentine Presidency’s thinking on the big issues and how education leaders can increase their priority in the Heads of Government meeting later this year. The Atlantis Group (launched at the Global Education & Skills Forum 2017) launched their guide on how to be an effective education minister.
Philanthropy is in strengthening public education
The Varkey Foundation also convened, for the first time, approximate fifty other foundations and funders to meet in a closed door learning session during GESF with the aim of exploring how best to collaborate with each other.
The Global Teacher Prize
The Global Education and Skills Forum culminated with the announcement of the winner of the $1 million Global Teacher Prize which is part of the Varkey Foundation’s long-standing commitment to improve the status of teachers.
Click here to learn more about the Global Teacher Prize 2018 winner.
GESF Next Billion EdTech Prize 2018
GESF Evening Soiree
GESF Welcome Reception
Global Teacher Prize 2018 Presentation
Global Teacher Prize 2018 After Party
Further information
For information about the Global Education & Skills Forum, visit: https://educationandskillsforum.org
For further information on the Global Teacher Prize, visit: http://www.globalteacherprize.org
For further information about The Varkey Foundation, visit https://www.varkeyfoundation.org