There’s a popular meme on Instagram showing two perplexed looking chameleons looking to camera, under the tag line, ‘When you explain your job in social media to your grandparents’. It may be a joke, but the sentiment is real—the world has changed so drastically with the advent of the technological revolution that a large proportion of millennial jobs would be completely unrecognisable to the older generations.
But while our careers may have transformed, our education system hasn’t—and a number of people are questioning why our school subjects have barely been updated since the 1950s, thereby leaving young people ill-equipped to deal with the modern world. This is even more true in developing countries, where a tech-friendly education could be particularly beneficial. Equally, we need to address why most schools still employ the same teaching methods they have for the last century, instead of using technological advances to educate children.
Enter the Yidan Prize Summit. Now in its second year, this Hong Kong-based forum brings together global thought leaders to formulate strategies to ensure today’s education meets the needs of tomorrow. Some of the world’s leading policymakers, CEOs, philanthropists, politicians, educators and innovators will gather in Hong Kong to discuss practical steps to close the skills gap in the workforce and ensure our educational systems are tailored to the modern world.
The Yidan Prize Summit will be held at the Grand Hyatt Hong Kong on 10 December—and is essential viewing for anyone with an interest in our future. Here are six discussions, among many more, not to miss.
1. In Conversation with Yidan Prize Laureates 2018
Above Professor Larry Hedges and edX CEO Anant Agarwal
Time 8.45am
This year’s award winners open the day by presenting their plans to educate future generations. They discuss how statistical analysis can take politics out of the debate about ‘what works’ in education and how the internet has the power to democratise quality education. One of the two laureates is Professor Larry Hedges—one of the most influential applied statisticians in the world. His work in educational policy allows politicians to see, in an unbiased and scientific way, the most successful educational approach. The second winner is Anant Agarwal, CEO of edX, an online learning portal founded by Harvard and MIT.
2. Policymakers’ Debate
Above Naledi Pandor and Yaneth Giha (Source photos: Wikimedia Commons)
