Qatar Foundation conference: The future of education will be online 

COVID-19’s impact on education has resulted in disruption and changes to academic institutes across the world. 

While many have adapted to a new normal by either going virtual or trying other innovative learning approaches, some have been unable to cope with the challenges that the pandemic has presented. 

The World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE), a global initiative of Qatar Foundation, recently convened educational experts from different backgrounds and industries for an online event titled Education Disrupted, Education Reimagined Part II to discuss the future of education and how schools can prepare for upcoming challenges. 

One of the sessions at the event discussed ways of making educational institutions more resilient to crises such as a global pandemic.  

Chelsea Waite, a Research Fellow at Clayton Christensen, Daniel Dotse, CEO and Co-Founder of Lead for Ghana, and Amira Yahyaoui, CEO and Founder of mos.com stressed the importance of making both students and teachers comfortable with technology. 

‘Schools are trying to adapt to virtual learning by keeping their old ways of working intact that are not compatible with current circumstances.

“You cannot do the old thing and the new thing at the same time. Policies need to allow schools to let go or retire old processes for the new ones to be able to compete,” said Waite.  

Having goals instead of plans would allow educators to test the plans and assumptions and adjust it if the initial setup were to prove ineffective.  

“This moment seems ripe for change. But lasting change comes from deep inside schools’ models, not just the circumstances they operate in,” added Waite. 

Daniel Dotse said, A group of students sitting in a classroom listening to a teacher as a one-way form of knowledge transfer does not work in the modern world, “That level of education is not helpful, as it doesn’t create a partnership between the students and teachers.” 

According to Dotse, educators need to learn about their students outside the classroom so they can adjust their teaching based on individual needs.  

In what he called a “student-centered approached,” Dotse recommended that education systems be completely overhauled to make teachers understand the socio-economic background, lifestyle, and family circumstances of their students, and have teachers know how to reach out to students outside the classroom. 

Such flexibility would allow learning to continue, such as through home visits, in communities where normal schooling is disrupted but access to technology is not an option. 

According to Dotse, students in Ghana are not allowed to bring mobile devices to schools, and that culture needs to change. “Tech devices should be the new textbooks,” stressed Dotse, adding that technology-driven learning will also help to make education accessible to a larger number of students. 

Amira Yahyaoui, CEO and Founder of mos.com, who also spoke at the event, said “If Generation Z and the kids of today have to choose between going to school and YouTube education, they would pick YouTube education,” said Yahyaoui, adding that correct use of technology is what will make educational institutions more resilient for the future.   

Make sure to check out our social media to keep track of the latest content.

Instagram - @qatarliving

Twitter - @qatarliving

Facebook - Qatar Living