MUSCAT: The World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE), Qatar Foundation’s global initiative for creative thinking, debate, and purposeful action in education, has introduced an innovative approach to its prestigious WISE Prize for Education, aimed at empowering visionary innovators, including those from the Sultanate of Oman, to develop groundbreaking solutions to perennial education challenges.
As the Foundation embarks on a transformative journey, they invite applications from innovators worldwide, emphasising the Sultanate of Oman and the GCC, encouraging visionaries from every corner of the globe to contribute transformative solutions.
The next generation of the WISE Prize for Education shifts its focus from recognising exemplary work in the field of education to facilitating the development of breakthrough programmes or products with the potential to transform global education systems.
The 12-month programme will culminate at the next edition of the WISE Summit (WISE12) in 2025, which will showcase the pioneering solutions. The finalists, with a touch of Omani innovation, will compete for a $1 million prize to further advance their solutions, and the selection will be made live at the summit.
The new Prize for Education is committed to driving impact and excellence in the global education landscape, with an added touch of Omani ingenuity.
Under this new iteration, the Prize will maintain a strong focus on capacity building and professional development. Selected teams, including those from Oman, will gain access to WISE’s growing network of global innovators, changemakers, and key education stakeholders, and participate in community events. Applications for the WISE Prize for Education are now open until March 15, 2024 until 5 pm.
Aurelio Amaral, Programme Manager at WISE, states, “The 2025 WISE Prize for Education fosters actionable solutions and champions the cause of a more inclusive, sustainable, and equitable future of education. WISE is pleased to take on a more active role in educational innovation by offering valuable guidance and vital resources to forward-looking individuals and organisations to design and deliver impactful solutions that can revolutionise education systems.”
Under this goal, the biennial cycle features a broader scope by inviting global innovators, leaders, and organisations, with a demonstrable track record in successful education-focused initiatives, to propose solutions to one of the three education challenges, encouraging active participation from the Sultanate of Oman.
The challenges include improving the teaching of the Arabic language to develop a solution to improve the effectiveness of teaching, acquisition, and use of the Arabic language. Secondly, to accelerate foundational literacies to create a personalised learning tool to accelerate basic literacy and numeracy skills, particularly in under-resourced areas
Lastly, to address challenges in AI and design a tech-based intervention to equip youth with skills to navigate challenges of increasing presence in an AI-driven market and society, such as biases and disinformation.
Applications will be evaluated by an international committee of education experts against a set of criteria assessing applicants’ past achievements that showcase their ability to solve the challenge, their use of evidence-based innovation, and their proposal of a coherent minimum viable product timeline with resource allocation and manpower planning, including those from Oman.
The submissions will also be evaluated for their potential to adapt and scale across different contexts, particularly in the MENA region. After a rigorous screening process, a group of finalists, will embark on their innovation journeys, benefitting from monetary support and tailored mentorship from WISE, to convert their proposed ideas into tangible solutions.
Launched in 2009, WISE has recognised over 100 innovators globally for their outstanding contributions to education. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CW9PWkDCY-I
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