Dubai, UAE (Expo 2020), 15 December 2021 – At the global education summit hosted by Dubai Cares, representatives from Schools2030 – the Aga Khan Foundation (AKF)’s flagship education programme – shared its approach to catalyse teacher and school-driven holistic learning innovations and achieve SDG4.
Rewiring education means thinking differently. For many years the global community has worked tirelessly towards the Sustainable Development Goals, yet the very best of intentions and millions of dollars spent has not changed the education landscape significantly enough for many marginalised learners across the world.
Now in the face of conflicts, climate change and the ongoing pandemic, ensuring access to quality education means rethinking – or rewiring – the sector’s approach to tackle these challenges head on in coordination with communities, as well as at the global level.
"The quality of education for our next generation remains the key ingredient to global progress,” remarked Michael Kocher, AKF General Manager. “That’s why I very much look forward to joining RewirEd Summit partners to think differently, plan more inclusively and act more boldly to ensure quality education for all."
His Excellency, Dr Tariq Al Gurg, Chief Executive Officer and Vice-Chairman of Dubai Cares said: “The future of education needs a complete rewiring of our existing systems and models that have remained unchanged for decades… The goal of the RewirEd Summit is to provide entities like the Aga Khan Foundation [the opportunity] to come forward and share their views and insights on what the roadmap for the future of education looks like.”
Working for long-term education systems change, Schools2030 is a 10-year programme in 1,000 government schools in 10 countries, supporting schools and teachers to become “the centre of social change, not the target”, said Dr. Bronwen Magrath, Schools2030 Global Programme Manager. “We believe educational change can only happen when it is initiated and owned by teachers, learners and school communities.”
With this flipped mindset, the AKF delegation at RewirEd included global leadership, country-level staff and teachers from Schools2030 communities, all in dialogue with partners and education organisations about how best to support teachers and learners to drive the much-needed change. During the three-day summit (12-14 December), sessions focused on a future of learning that is school-driven, holistic, climate-resilient, equitable and pluralistic.
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Summit host Dubai Cares is a founding member of the consortium behind Schools2030, alongside AKF and nine other donors – LEGO Foundation, Jacobs Foundation, Porticus, Oak Foundation, IKEA Foundation, Education Cannot Wait, Itau Social, Wellspring Philanthropic Fund and USAID. Part of the unique approach of Schools2030 is not just in driving innovation from the bottom-up, but also rewiring collaboration and partnerships – leveraging as it does not only financial support for its mandate but also the technical expertise of its partners.
Against the backdrop of continuing uncertainty wrought by COVID-19, innovation in the education sector – and indeed every sector – is certainly the zeitgeist, and the RewirEd Summit provided the perfect opportunity for advancing that timely agenda.
For more information, please contact:
Sarah James at sarah.james@akdn.org
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