Doha: The World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE) has revealed the names of the 15 finalists for 2016 WISE Awards.
The awards identify and promote the most innovative and effective approaches to key global education challenges and help build a network of change-makers to inspire others around the world.
Selected by a pre-jury of international education experts, the finalists offer creative solutions in access, quality education, the teaching of STEM — science, technology, engineering, and mathematics — and entrepreneurial skills. Together, they address issues that represent common global challenges.
This year’s projects are Geekie; Ideas Box; Sports for Sharing; Smart Robot Coding School; Glowork; Tara Akshar Literacy Programme; Lights for Learning; Partners for Possibility; Little Ripples; Jump Math; Youth for Technology Academy; Sonidos de la Tierra; 1Kgbox; Education for Growth and Value Creation in Lebanon; and From Puppets to Empowerment.
The finalist projects were selected based on criteria requiring them to demonstrate innovative thinking and a concrete, positive impact on their communities, as well as the potential to be replicated in other contexts and regions.
The jury will determine the six winners to be announced in September. In addition to publicity and networking opportunities, each winning project will receive $20,000.
The pre-jury included Kamel Braham, Programme Leader, World Bank Human Development Programme for the Maghreb; Dr Rajika Bhandari, Director, IIE Centre for Academic Mobility Research, US; Dr Joyce Akumaa Dongotey-Padi, Executive Director, Mama Zimbi Foundation and a 2009 WISE Awards winner from Ghana; Adel Boseli, Head, Incubation Department, Qatar Business Incubation Centre; Dr Rana Dajani, Founder and Director, We Love Reading, Associate Professor, Hashemite University, and 2014 WISE Awards Winner from Jordan; Professor Sara de Freitas, Pro Vice-Chancellor, Learning and Teaching, Murdoch University, UK; Xueqin Jiang, Deputy Principal, Tsinghua International School, China; Sheetal Mehta, Trustee and Executive Director, K C Mahindra Education Trust; Anna Penido, Director, Inspirare Institute, Brazil; Gabriel Sanchez Zinny, Founder and CEO, Kuepa, US/Argentina; and Dr Florence Tobo Lobé, Founder and President, Rubisadt Foundation, Cameroon.
The WISE was established by Qatar Foundation in 2009 under the guidance of Chairperson H H Sheikha Moza bint Nasser.
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