Programme

World Schools Summit Programme

Our programme offers a variety of engaging and interactive sessions designed to deliver valuable insights, spark meaningful discussions, and strengthen networking opportunities. Each format is carefully crafted to provide unique experiences that encourage active participation, ensuring you gain practical knowledge and make lasting connections.

Plenary Sessions

Inspire & Engage: Our plenary sessions are designed to inspire and engage with dynamic discussions on the most critical topics in Education.

Debates

Engage & Challenge: Join us for sessions where thought-provoking ideas and diverse perspectives come together! Engage in dynamic debates on pressing topics, from Wellbeing to AI in Education. Hear from experts on both sides of the issues and leave inspired and enlightened.

Meet the Mentor

One-on-One Insights: Learn from experienced mentors driving real progress in education. Engage in focused conversations and moderated discussions, gaining practical insights on key educational topics.

Al Futtaim Panel Discussions

Global Perspectives: Join expert panels as they tackle major global education issues, offering perspectives that shape high-performance education.

Workshops

Hands-On Learning: Immerse yourself in interactive learning experiences tailored to enhance your skills and knowledge. Led by experienced facilitators, these workshops offer practical insights, group discussions, and hands-on activities for every level.

Scholastic EdTalks

Focused, High-Impact Sessions: Join expert-led talks centred on this year’s main theme. Each session provides practical insights from experienced leaders across the globe, followed by a Q&A to deepen your understanding.

AI Masterclasses

Master AI: Unlock the secrets of AI with our specialised masterclasses. Whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned professional, these sessions offer hands-on learning, practical examples, and cutting-edge knowledge to advance your AI journey. Don't forget to bring your computer devices!

World Schools Summit Programme 2024

23 November 2024

Time	Hour/Min	Session	Topic	Speakers
08:00 - 09:00	60 min	Registation
09:00 - 10:45	1h45min	Opening Plenary	Welcome by address Vikas Pota	Vikas Pota Founder & CEO, T4 Education, UK
			Introduction	Simon O’Connor Chairman, WSS Leadership Council & Director, Deira International School, UAE
			What we want from edcuation: the students voice	Three young students talk about their vision for the future
		Panel discussion	How do we unlock the hidden curriculum	Mike Fisher Chief Operating Officer, T4 Education, UK Mark Leppard Headmaster, The British School Al Khubairat, UAE Asha Alexander Principal & CEO, GEMS Legacy School, UAE
10:45 - 11:10	25min	Break

Breakout Sessions: 1

Time	Hour/Min	Session	Topic	Speakers
11:10 - 12:00	50min
		Debate	This house believes universities perpetuate a world that no longer exists	*For the motion:* Andreas Schleicher Director of Education, OECD, France *Against the motion:* Mosharraf Zaidi Founding Partner, Tabadlab, Pakistan Tristha Ramamurthy Provost, CMR University, India
		Scholastic EdTalk	How I’m building Malaysia’s first online school	Shahnaz Al Sadat CEO, School of Malaysia, Malaysia
		Scholastic EdTalk	What I Learned About Leading Educational Change: My Journey in Transforming Education in Bangladesh	Korvi Rakshand Founder, JAAGO Foundation, Bangladesh
		Meet the Mentor	What is the one skill that young people need to be ready for the future of jobs?	*Interviewer:* Ajay Shukla General Manager, IIT Delhi, UAE *Mentor:* Asheesh Advani CEO, JA Worldwide & Author of Modern Achievement.
		Panel Discussion	The future of Arabic education	*Moderator:* Farah Sarraj Chief Corporate Officer, Al Futtaim School Management Company, UAE *Panelists:* Amina Alkawari Senior Bilingual Inspector, KHDA, UAE Osama Obeidat CEO, Queen Rania Teacher Academy, Jordan
		Workshop	Best School to Work: building leadership inititaives in schools	*Facilitator:* Vijita Patel Principal, Swiss Cottage School, UK
12:00 - 13:00	60min	Lunch

Breakout Sessions: 2

Time	Hour/Min	Session	Topic	Speakers
13:10 - 14:00	50min
		Debate	This house believes existing curricula are not fit for purpose	*Moderator:* Kavita Sanghvi Principal, CNM School, India *For the motion:* Nik Kafka CEO, Teach A Man to Fish, UK *Against the motion:* Paul West CEO, Spencer Academies Trust, UK TBC
		Scholastic EdTalk	How girls are leading the change in Africa	Angeline Murimwira CEO, Camfed, Zimbabwe
		Meet the Mentor	Do we measure what really matters?	*Interviewer:* TBC *Mentor:* Andreas Schleicher Director of Education, OECD, France
		Panel Discussion	Forecasting trends in international school leadership	*Moderator:* Danielle West CEO, Inicio Partners, UK *Panelists:* TBC
		Workshop	Fostering a culture of school-based research: Empowering educators for evidence-informed practice - centre for education action research.	Simon O’Connor Chairman, WSS Leadership Council & Director, Deira International School, UAE
		AI Masterclass	Transforming leading and learning	Alex Gray Founder, DEEP Learning, UAE
14:00 - 14:10	10min	Break

Breakout Sessions: 3

Time	Hour/Min	Session	Topic	Speakers
14:10 - 15:00	50min
		Debate	This house believs that schools should prioritise students' mental well-being over standardised test scores	*Moderator:* TBC *For the motion:* Maggie Macdonnell Global Teacher Prize winner, Canada Student (TBC) *Against the motion:* Alex Crossman Principal, London Academy of Excellence, UK Student (TBC)
		Scholastic EdTalk	Three tips to get higher performance in our schools	Nargish Khambatta Principal & CEO, GEMS Modern Academy, UAE
		Scholastic EdTalk	How Can Schools Conquer the Triple Challenge of Training, Attracting, and Motivating Quality Teachers?	Hakeem Subair CEO, 1 Million Teachers, Canada
		Meet the Mentor	From teacher to CEO - insights on leadership in education	*Interviewer:* Duriya Aziz Senior Vice President, Scholastic Inc, Singapore *Mentor:* Sahar Cooper Aldar Education, UAE
		Panel Discussion	Placing the well-being agenda front & centre	*Moderator:* Nadim Saad Founder & CEO, The Happy Confident Company, UK *Panelists:* Andreas Schleicher Director of Education, OECD, France Funke Baffour‑Awuah Sandra Ospina
		Workshop	TBC	TBC
15:00 - 15:10	10min	Break
15:10 - 16:30	20min	Closing plenary
		Presentation: Lifetime achievement medal		Alex Crossman Principal, London Academy of Excellence, UK
		Keynote address		Andreas Schleicher Director of Education, OECD, France
		Closure of day one		Vikas Pota Founder & CEO, T4 Education, UK

24 November 2024

Time	Hour/Min	Session	Topic	Speakers
08:00 - 09:00	60min	Registration
09:00 - 09:20	20min	Opening plenary	Recap of day 1	TBC
09:20 - 10:00	40min	The world of work		Mayank Dhingra Senior Education Business Leader, HP, UAE TBC
10:00 - 10:10	10min	Break

Breakout Sessions: 4

Time	Hour/Min	Session	Topic	Speakers
10:10 - 11:00	50min
		Debate	This house believes taxpayers will demand AI replace teachers	*Moderator:* Ana Ligia Scachetti CEO, Nova Escola, Brazil *For the motion:* Carla Aerts Founder, Refracted, UK TBC *Against the motion:* Nkazimulo Zitha Head of Primary Schools, Spark Schools, South Africa TBC
		Scholastic EdTalks	How Can We Use Digital Tools to Support Teachers and Address Student Learning Gaps?	Pranav Kothari Education Initiatives, India
		Scholastic EdTalks	How to ensure the right to a quality meaningful education. Experiences from a nationwide movement in Pakistan	Baela Jamil CEO, Idara-e-Taleem-o-Aagahi, Pakistan
		Meet the Mentor	How do we activate student agency?	*Interviewer:* Leisa Grace Wilson Editorial Director of Teach Middle East *Mentor:* Kiran Bir Sethi Design for Change & The Riverside School, India
		Panel Discussion	Do we need a real-world learning revolution? A conversation on giftedness	*Moderator:* Saurabh Saxena CEO, Power Club, USA *Panelists:* Olli-Pekka Heinonen Director General, International Baccalaureate Organization (IB), Finland
		Workshop	Best School to Work: How we engender collaboration in our schools	TBC
		AI Masterclass	Creative teaching and learning - discover how AI can transform a classroom. This workshop will show you how AI can be integrated into teaching practice	Alex Gray Founder, DEEP Learning, UAE
11:00 - 11:30	30min	Break

Breakout Sessions: 5

Time	Hour/Min	Session	Topic	Speakers
11:30 - 12:20	50min
		Panel Discussion	Learning from the Best. Meet Schools that won and were finalists in the World’s Best School Prizes.	*Moderator:* Maggie MacDonnell Global Teacher Prize winner, Canada *Panelists:* TBC
		Scholatic EdTalk	How a tower garden can improve test and attendance scores	Stephen Ritz Founder, Green Bronx Machine, USA
		Scholatic EdTalk	How to motivate teachers in challenging circumstances. My experiments in Nigeria.	Professor Josiah Olusegun Ajiboye CEO, Teachers Registration Council, Nigeria
		Meet the Mentor	What can we learn from Chinese schools?	*Interviewer:* Leticia Lyle Principal, Camino School, Brazil *Mentor:* Shiny Wang Assistant Principal, Tsinghua University High School, China
		Panel Discussion	How to build ecosystems for education reform	*Moderator:* Aashti Zaidi CEO, Global Schools Forum, UK *Panelists:* Olli-Pekka Heinonen Director General, International Baccalaureate, Switzerland Naghma Mulla CEO, Edelgive Foundation, India Simon Sommer Co-CEO, Jacobs Foundation, Switzerland
		Workshop	How to teach entrepreneurship	TBC
		AI Masterclass	A Student’s Perspective: In this workshop, we will explore the potential of AI for student learning. Discover how AI can support.	Alex Gray Founder, DEEP Learning, UAE
12:20 - 13:15	60min	Lunch

Breakout Sessions: 6

Time	Hour/Min	Session	Topic	Speakers
13:15 - 14:05	50min
		Scholastic EdTalks	Championing Girls' Education: Insights and Strategies for Success	Nankunda Hope Central Region Coordinator Girls Not Brides: The Global Partnership to End Child Marriage Uganda
		Scholastic EdTalks	The future of digital skills	Yuhyun Park CEO, DQ Institute, Singapore
		Meet the Mentor	The future of school leadership in MENA	*Interviewer:* TBC *Mentor:* Osama Obeidat CEO, Queen Rania Teacher Academy, Jordan
		Panel Discussion	Building bridges and breaking barriers - supporting women's rise to the top	*Moderator:* Fiona Cottam Principal, Hartland International School, UAE *Panelists:* Sandra Ospina Head of School, SEK International School, Saudi Arabia TBC
		Workshop	Best School to Work: Promoting professional wellness in school	TBC
14:05 - 14:15	10min	Break

Breakout Sessions: 7

Time	Hour/Min	Session	Topic	Speakers
14:15 - 15:05	50min
		Scholastic EdTalks	Join dynamic talks led by experts, focusing on this year’s theme: "Unlocking The Hidden Curriculum." Each session includes a 10-minute presentation and a 10-minute Q&A, featuring innovative leaders and thinkers from across the globe.	TBC
		Meet the Mentor	TBC	*Interviewer:* Vikas Pota Founder & CEO, T4 Education, UK *Mentor:* HE Aisha Miran Director General, KHDA, UAE
		Panel Discussion	The power of EdTech - how far can it take us in our schools?	*Moderator:* Carla Aerts Founder, Refracted, UK *Panelists:* Paul Skidmore Executive Chairman, Rising Academy, Ghana Lasse Leponiemi Executive Director & Co-Founder, HundrED, Finland Dr. Jesús Jara New K-12 Global Practice Leader, Prometric
		Workshop	Exploring Coaching Models: Discover coaching frameworks, teacher-school leader partnership models, and effective team reflection practices.	*Facilitators:* Tamara Philip Director of Networks and Programs Adhishree Parasnis Communications Director, Global School Leaders
15:05 - 15:30	15min	Break
15:30 - 16:45	60min	Closing Plenary	In conversation with Omar Al Futtaim, Vice Chairman & CEO, Al-Futtaim Group, UAE
			Closing remarks by Vikas Pota, Founder & CEO, T4 Education, UK
Summit Closure

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