The Yidan Prize Foundation, the global philanthropic foundation behind the world’s highest education honors, hosted the Yidan Prize Summit 2024 in Hong Kong on December 9. Under the theme “Future-proofing education: the essential role of resilience,” this year’s summit provided a robust platform for researchers, policymakers, philanthropists and education leaders worldwide to exchange ideas about innovative means of building resilience in a rapidly changing world.
In his welcoming speech, Dr. Charles CHEN Yidan, the founder of the Yidan Prize, what resilience means to him. He said: “In today’s world, where civilization and technology advance in parallel, where conflict and cooperation coexist, resilience is rooted in hope. Hope drives us to strive for a better life, realize our potential and never give up.” He emphasized: “Resilience is critical to the future of education. Resilient people create resilient economies and thriving societies.”
Alicia Herbert, Director of Education, Equality and Gender and Special Representative for Equalities at the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, gave a keynote address on the need to systematically promote resilience in education to prepare for an uncertain future. “While there is an upsurge in high-quality research and evidence on how to improve student learning outcomes in low-income areas, the priority now is to ensure that these interventions are embedded into state systems and that they are sustainable at scale ” said Alicia. “More effective investments are important, but money alone is not enough. Collaboration is key to strengthening the resilience of individuals, educators and the entire system to ensure lasting change.”
In a guest lecture, Professor Zongkai Yang, President of the Wuhan University of Technology, showed what AI-driven learning looks like. He explained that AI supports educators in collaborative teaching, data analysis and problem solving, while students can benefit from enhanced skills development to develop future-ready skills.
In three panels, the role of resilience in education was discussed from the perspective of learners, teachers and systems. The main conclusions are:
1. Resilience is about giving students the skills to thrive in systems created with them
Promoting dialogue with students, leveraging new digital education platforms, and creating a learning environment outside of the classroom are critical to fostering effective student engagement and a resilient mindset. A panel of learners who have experienced higher education during the Covid program discussed what can enable learners to face a changing future with confidence.
2. Resilience grows with trust, autonomy and the ability of educators to act
Adrian Piccoli, former Education Minister of New South Wales (Australia), discussed with other panelists how we can engage teachers in education reform. The panel emphasized the importance of creating a supportive environment that promotes teachers’ emotional and social skills. An environment that gives teachers space to express their ideas and allows them to play a greater role in education is key to building a system that, in turn, supports and promotes their resilience.
3. Resilience is about integrating diverse perspectives to strengthen education systems for all learners
Linking research, policy and practice is essential for designing resilient education systems. Dr. UNHCR’s Becky Telford and her fellow panelists emphasized the need to include marginalized groups such as refugees in developing effective solutions. Their discussion highlighted the importance of governance, international partnerships and integrating education with public health and environmental efforts in the face of challenges.
The summit also featured fireside chats with this year’s Yidan Prize winners Professor Wolfgang Lutz as well as Professor Mark Jordans, Marwa Zahr and Luke Stannard from War Child Alliance. Wolfgang drew on his demographic research to highlight the benefits of education in building climate resilience. He emphasized that addressing climate change is not only limited to physical infrastructure, but also requires investment in human capital to develop climate adaptability. The War Child Alliance team shared that “Can’t Wait to Learn” not only expands access to quality education for students affected by conflict and climate shocks, but also improves their well-being, resilience and empowerment of normality and hope for the future. The team emphasized that building teacher capacity and contextualizing learning content in collaboration with children, partners and education ministries are crucial to the success of educational technology programs.
At the conclusion of the summit, Lucy Lake, Director of Global Engagement at the Yidan Prize Foundation, highlighted the relationship between education and resilience. “Education is the key to promoting resilience – both at an individual and societal level. But we also need to ensure that education itself is resilient. “We all have a part to play in this,” said Lucy. “That means taking collective responsibility for education – recognizing that education is a common good. And if it is to be resilient, it must be adequately funded by public resources, and it There must be collective responsibility for the results.”
At the Awarding of the Yidan Prize 2024 on December 8th The 2024 Yidan Prize winners were honored for their work to ensure equitable and high-quality education in diverse contexts. You are part of the Yidan Prize Foundation’s global community that is driving change in education.
Nominate leaders in education for the 2025 Yidan Prize
Nominations for the 2025 Yidan Prize are open until March 31, 2025. If you would like to learn more about this opportunity or nominate changemakers, please visit the Yidan Prize website: https://yidanprize.org/the-prize-and-nominations/nominations.
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Information about the Yidan Prize Foundation
The Yidan Prize Foundation is a global philanthropic foundation. Their goal is to create a better world through education. Through its prize and its network of innovators, the Yidan Prize Foundation supports ideas and practices in education – especially those that can positively transform lives and society.
The Yidan Prize is the world’s highest honor in education, honoring individuals or teams who have made significant contributions to the theory and practice of education. It consists of two prizes that work harmoniously together: the Yidan Prize for Educational Research and the Yidan Prize for Educational Development. They are designed to have an impact: the winners will receive an unrestricted project fund of HK$15 million over three years to help them expand their work, as well as a gold medal and a cash prize of HK$15 HKD million. The project fund and the cash prize are awarded equally to the teams.
For more information visityidanprize.org or contact media@yidanprize.org.
You can find us at @yidanprize Facebook, Instagram, TwitterandLinkedIn.
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