In the 20th century society valued compliance and conformity, where corporations dominated and people expected to work for the same company for decades and the education system prepared students for that reality. Although the 21st century brought with it a greater demand for flexibility, creativity, and agility, the education system lagged behind.
In 2020, with hard lockdown restrictions being enforced as an effort to curb the spread of the Covid-19 virus, education as we know it was brought to a halt, which would ultimately change the landscape of learning and spearhead the revaluation of the education system.
To ensure that learners did not miss out on the rest of the academic year, the majority of schools opted for e-learning as an aid to continue classes. This should prove to be a challenging transition, even more so for pupils from lower-income households who did not have access to the necessary resources to do home-based education.
As we reflect over the past year, it’s important to address the challenges the education sector has faced, exploring the current stance of education in a world still reeling from the effects of the pandemic. On the 29th of July, from 10h00 CAT, through a series of expert panel discussions, talks, and one-on-one interviews, led by prominent academics and leaders in business from Africa and the globe, CNBC AFRICA in partnership with FORBES AFRICA, and leading sponsors across the education and tech industries, will be hosting their second virtual and 7th Annual Future of Education Summit.
“We must equip young people to step into the workforce not only with the hard and soft skills that they need to succeed, but with an innovative and pro-active approach to their roles. We must work with existing managers to develop the leadership and management skills that are critical to leading high-performing teams and ensure that they remain up-to-date with shifts in technology and the context in which their organisations operate.
“At a senior level, we must help senior leaders from the public and private sector to use a high-level, strategic approach to develop their vision - and provide them with a truly global perspective, that will allow them to see risks and opportunities that no one else has and successfully lead through change and uncertainty,” says Dr. Catherine Duggan, Director (Dean), Graduate School of Business University of Cape Town.
This year’s summit will encompass a plethora of thought-provoking topics, which will seek to analyse, encapsulate and dissect the international education climate.
Education is to help each individual reach their potential in whatever field brings them joy, to teach people how to learn and equip them for lifelong learning, and to develop people into citizens and workers who can contribute to society, it, therefore, demands the necessary interventions to ensure it remains current.
“Educators should be making decisions on how technology can be harnessed to best serve their teaching and development goals. To achieve this, educators have to guide the conversation on what EdTech innovation should be achieving for them and their students as opposed to being mere stakeholders in the decisions around which technology is used and how it is applied.
“Edtech promises greater outcomes, increased performance, and simpler administration after all, but it should stay true to its aims by putting educators in the driving seat when deciding what’s best for their learners and programs.” says Myles Thies, Director of Digital Learning Services; Eiffel Corp.
The panel topics to be covered include
Panel 1: The purpose of education in the 21st century
Panel 2: Closing the skills gap & building capacity – The 21st-century curriculum
Panel 3: Is lifelong learning becoming more imperative in the new world of work and skills development?
Panel 4: The latest technologies transforming the face of education
Panel 5: Prioritising education in financing decisions
Speaker line-up
Rakesh Wahi, Founder of The Future of Education Summit and Co-Founder; ABN Group
Professor Mark E. Smith, Vice Chancellor; Southampton University
Professor Malcolm McIver, Provost; Lancaster University: Ghana
Professor Seth Kunin, International Deputy Vice Chancellor; Curtin University: Perth
Professor Mamokgethi Phakeng, Vice Chancellor; The University of Cape Town (UCT)
Busi Mabuza, Chair of the Board; Industrial Development Corporation of South Africa (IDC)
Will Fan, Co-Founder and CEO; NewCampus: Singapore
Dr. Catherine Duggan, Director (Dean); University of Cape Town Graduate School of Business
William Mzimba, Chief Executive Office; Vodacom Business
Myles Thies, Director of Digital Learning; Eiffel Corp
Professor Andrea Nolan, Principal and Vice Chancellor; Edinburgh Napier University
Professor Gary Martin, Chief Executive Officer; Australian Institute of Management: Western Australia (AIM WA)
Dan Adkins, Group Chief Executive Officer; Transnational Academic Group (TAG)
Kumeshnee West, Executive Education Director; University of Cape Town Graduate School of Business
Dr. Felix Panganayi, Founder and Director; Windsor School of Excellence in Science and Technology, Zimbabwe
Dean McCoubrey, Founder; My SociaLife
Tom Bennett, Director and Founder; researchEd
Dr. Kingsley Nyarko, Member of Parliament: Kwadaso Constituency and Former Executive Secretary; Ghana NAB
Eric Idiahi, Co-Founder & Partner; Verod Capital
Gary Kirsten, International Cricket Coach, Leadership Consultant, Philanthropist and Entrepreneur; CoachEdCricket
Professor Puleng LenkaBula, Vice Chancellor; University of South Africa (UNISA)
Professor Mohammed Salifu, Director-General; Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC)
Sean Lewis, Manager, Asset Lifecycle Management; Vodacom
Professor Zeblon Vilakazi, Vice Chancellor; Wits University
This half-day summit will be free to attend, virtually, on Hopin. People who wish to register for the event can visit https://hopin.com/events/future-of-education-summit-2021.
The Future of Education Summit is proudly sponsored by the University of Cape Town Graduate School of Business, Vodacom Business, Eiffel Corp, The University of Johannesburg, Vuma, Transnational Academic Group, Lancaster University: Ghana, as well as Curtin University: Dubai.
For more event updates, follow @cnbcafrica and @forbesafrica using the hashtags #FOE2021 #RedefiningEducation
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