African youths shortlisted as thought-leaders for global education summit

Ahead of this year’s World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE) scheduled to hold in November in Doha, Qatar, a new cohort of 33 outstanding young education advocates, have been selected by organisers to participate in the Summit’s 2015-2016 Learners’ Voice Programme. Four African students made the list.

In a correspondence with Ganka Peykovska, a public and media relations official for the summit, organisers listed the Africans, among them a Nigerian, to include Mr. Stephen Daniel from Uganda, Mr. Muzabel Welongo from Congo, Mr. Mothusi John Ramaabya from Botswana and Ms. Olaoluwa Abagun from Nigeria. The shortlist was drawn from over a thousand applications and nominations received across the world.

By her selection, Abagun joins Faith Abiodun, another Nigerian who made the list in 2013, in an international community of over 100 Learners with diverse backgrounds and disciplines, who would engage in global dialogue on pressing issues in education.

Since 2009, WISE has brought together decision makers, influential experts and practitioners at an annual Summit in Doha, to explore groundbreaking innovations and take concrete steps to make significant improvements to education worldwide. The annual Summit is dedicated to innovation and creative action in education with top decision-makers sharing insights with on-the-ground practitioners and collaborating to rethink education.

On another hand, the WISE Learners’ Voice Programme brings the perspectives of young people to the challenge of rethinking education, and equips them to take on leading roles in their fields and in the world of education.

The Programme is based on the idea that when learners are co-creators of their learning environments, they become active participants invested as stakeholders in the progress of their communities. The Programme focuses on building knowledge of education, social entrepreneurship, leadership, and communication skills.

“Ramaabya, Abagun, Daniel and Welongo will start their journey with the Learners’ Voice programme at the WISE Summit, which will take place between November 3 and 5, 2015, in Doha. In addition to the WISE Summit, the Learners participate in two intensive residential sessions delivered by expert faculty and various online and on-site activities. In a key component of the programme, the learners form teams to conceive and design grassroots projects that address critical education challenges. The selected teams are invited to present their ideas to an audience of potential partners and funders at the next WISE Summit,” the organisers said.