Six projects from around the world have been selected by the World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE) for innovative and impactful approaches to today’s most urgent education challenges.
September 26, 2017 – The World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE), a leading international initiative for innovation and collaboration in education, has named the six winning projects of the 2017 WISE Awards, recognizing and promoting innovative education initiatives around the world.
The 2017 WISE Awards winners:
42 (France / US) – a free computer programming training program open to anyone between the ages of 18 and 30, whether they possess an academic degree or not. The program focuses on project-based, peer-to-peer learning.
Lights to Learn (Spain / Latin America) – a program led by the Organization of Ibero-American States for Education, Science and Culture (OEI) providing electricity to support quality education and community development in rural and marginalized regions of Latin America.
PhET Interactive Simulations (US/global) – an engaging education solution promoting science and math literacy through interactive simulations, founded by Nobel Laureate Carl Wieman and housed at University of Colorado Boulder.
The Learner Guide Program (Tanzania/UK) – a mentorship program led by Camfed Tanzania to support education and employment opportunities for young women in rural areas.
The Speed School project (US/global) – an intensive, child-centred program run by the Luminos Fund to enable out-of-school children to catch up to their grade level at government schools.
Ubongo Edutainment (Tanzania) – a Dar-es-Salaam-based initiative providing fun learning to millions of kids in Africa through animated educational content across multiple platforms including TV, radio, SMS and smartphones.
Stavros N. Yiannouka, CEO, WISE, remarked: “From rural Tanzania and South America to Silicon Valley and Paris, our six WISE Awards winners reflect the wide range of what can be achieved in advancing education –whatever the social or geographical context– when there is a creative solution and a determination to see it through. We look forward to showcasing our winners and runners-up at the WISE Summit in Doha in November, and to supporting their progress as they grow.”
The six winners were selected from a group of 15 finalists by a panel of expert judges.
To be selected, the winning projects were required to show success and innovation, demonstrating a transformative impact on individuals, communities and society. They must be financially stable, have a clear development plan and be scalable and replicable. The judging process, as well as on-site due diligence, was overseen by independent education consultants from Parthenon-EY.
The six WISE Awards winning projects, as well as the runners-up, will be celebrated at the eighth World Innovation Summit for Education, November 14-16, 2017, in Doha, Qatar. The application process for the 2018 WISE Awards will be launched at this time.
In addition to publicity and networking opportunities, each winning project receives $20,000 (US).
For further information, visit http://www.wise-qatar.org/wise-awards.
—-
About the WISE Awards:
Each year, the WISE Awards recognize and promote six successful innovative projects that are addressing global education challenges. Since 2009, WISE has received over 3,000 applications from more than 150 countries. To date, 54 projects from a wide variety of sectors and locations have won the WISE Awards for their innovation, positive contribution and potential for scalability and adaptability. These projects represent a growing resource of expertise and sound educational practice. Year by year, WISE is building a community of education innovators which offers a fertile environment for ground-breaking collaboration. Today, the WISE Awards network comprises pioneering projects that are helping bring real change to societies and communities.
The six winning projects for 2017, along with the runners-up, will be invited to attend the eighth World Innovation Summit for Education, November 14-16, 2017, in Doha, Qatar.
