Dubai: The fifth annual Global Education and Skills Forum (GESF) has announced its line-up of key speakers, including Thomas Friedman, New York Times columnist and Pulitzer Prize-winning author, and Julia Gillard, former prime minister of Australia.
The event, held under the patronage of His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, will take place from March 18 to 19 at Atlantis, The Palm, in Dubai.
GESF is an initiative of the Varkey Foundation. This year’s theme is “How to make real global citizens”.
Among key speakers spearheading the sessions are Sadhguru, a yogi and a bestselling author; Irina Bokova, director-general of Unesco; Andreas Schleicher, director for the Directorate of Education and Skills, OECD; Tariq Al Gurg, CEO of Dubai Cares; and Jim Ryan, 11th Dean of the Harvard Graduate School of Education.
Widely referred to as ‘the Davos of Education’, GESF will debate “new ways for education to transform our world”, with the event culminating in the announcement of the winner of the $1 million Global Teacher Prize 2017.
In an opening plenary session, Sadhguru aims to share his decades of learning with the various leaders, gathering to deliberate on some of the biggest global education challenges.
Sadhguru said: “Education needs inspiration, not just information. Only inspired human beings can transform their own lives and lives around them.”
Sunny Varkey, founder of the Varkey Foundation, said: “We are honoured that Sadhguru will be joining us as we try to weave together the best way to help children become true global citizens. In a world that can look increasingly divided, Sadhguru’s combination of traditional wisdom and modern scientific methods have never been more relevant to help bring us together.”
