Second Yidan Prize Summit Sets Forth Ideas for Educating for the Future

HONG KONG, CHINA - Media OutReach - 11 December 2018 - The second Yidan Prize Summit took place in Hong Kong on 10 December 2018, featuring the Prize's second cycle of laureates -- Professor Larry V. HEDGES of Northwestern University and Professor Anant AGARWAL of Harvard University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) -- as well as an impressive line-up of the foremost minds in education, policy, business and philanthropy, who discussed how innovative educational approaches can better equip students for the future.

Dr Charles CHEN Yidan, Founder of the Yidan Prize, gave a welcome remark on the Yidan Prize Summit 2018.

The opening keynote speaker, HRH Princess Laurentien of the Netherlands, delivered an opening speech "Co-creating the educational system: the power of shared learning", shared how to achieve co-creating and what is required for long lasting success.

Special keynote speaker Mrs Graça MACHEL, Child Rights Advocate and Humanitarian, said investment in girls' education is not optional. It is a national imperative and the responsibility of all.

Rt Hon Gordon Brown, UN Special Envoy for Global Education; Former Prime Minister and Chancellor of the Exchequer, discussed the importance of pushing education for girls, and addressed creating safe spaces for educating children in conflict zones and improving standards in education worldwide.

The 2018 Yidan Prize Summit, which was attended by over 400 delegates from 6 continents, had an overarching theme was "Educating for the Future: HOW?" in recognition of the great global challenge of ensuring that the students of today and tomorrow obtain the skills needed for life and work in the future. The Summit program included sessions focusing on evidence-based education policy, deploying innovative educational models and utilizing technology to improve educational outcomes, lifelong learning and effective education philanthropy.

The Yidan Prize Summit featured keynote addresses from distinguished speakers, including Dr Charles CHEN Yidan, founder of the Yidan Prize and core founder of Tencent; HRH Princess Laurentien of the Netherlands; Mrs Graça MACHEL, Child Rights Advocate and Humanitarian; and the Rt Hon Gordon BROWN, UN Special Envoy for Global Education and former Prime Minister and Chancellor of the Exchequer of the United Kingdom.

Dr Charles CHEN Yidan, founder of the Yidan Prize, said: "The education system for tomorrow needs to be more fair, more efficient and more inclusive. That is why we ask the question: HOW? How can we achieve better education outcomes? How do we ensure that education can be made to work for all? How should we leverage education research and put theory into practice? To answer these questions, we must learn from each other and act together. With that, I'd like to officially announce the commencement of the 2018 Yidan Prize Summit."

Princess Laurentien of the Netherlands said: "Children today are no longer the children of yesterday. The key question is whether educators can keep up with that change and adjust their approach according to what children need, not what they have always done. The roles of educators and pupils have become more interchangeable."

Mrs Graça MACHEL, Child Rights Advocate and Humanitarian, remarked: "Investing in education from early childhood has a lasting effect on the survival, development, protection and active participation of children in social, economic and political activities. Investment in girls' education is not optional. And it is not the job of government ministries of education or NGOs alone. It is a national imperative and the responsibility of all."

Gordon BROWN, UN Special Envoy for Global Education and former Prime Minister and Chancellor of the Exchequer of the United Kingdom, remarked: "Children should not be just learning to remember, they should be learning to understand. So the teacher becomes the guide, helping everyone to develop to their full potential."

Established in 2016, the Yidan Prize recognizes individuals whose work transforms education in innovative ways that can be scaled and adopted around the world, with a mission to create a better world through education.  

Nominations for the 2019 Yidan Prize are currently open, and will be accepted until March 31, 2019. To nominate, visit http://nomination.yidanprize.org.

About the Yidan Prize

Founded in 2016 by Dr Charles CHEN Yidan, a core founder of Tencent, the Yidan Prize has a mission of creating a better world through education. It consists of two awards, the Yidan Prize for Education Research and the Yidan Prize for Education Development. Yidan Prize Laureates each receives a gold medal and a total sum of HK$30 million, half of which is a cash prize while the other half is a project fund. To ensure transparency and sustainability, the prize is managed by Yidan Prize Foundation and governed by an independent trust with an endowment of HK$2.5 billion. Through a series of initiatives, the prize aims to establish a platform for the global community to engage in conversation around education and to play a role in education philanthropy.