2015 WISE Summit "Investing for Impact: Quality Education for Sustainable and Inclusive Growth"

The World Innovation Summit for Education convened November 3-5, 2015 in Doha under the theme: “Investing for Impact: Quality Education for Sustainable and Inclusive Growth.”


Global investment in education in the last century has contributed significantly to economic growth helping lift billions of people out of poverty. Despite this success, there are still large pockets of neglect, underperformance and underinvestment.

Stronger global action is needed to reinforce weak education systems, to open opportunities to new players, to develop a “job-ready” talent pool amid persisting inequality and marginalization, to nurture global citizens and support wider economic progress.

Furthermore, WISE 2015 was the first global education conference following the ratification of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in September 2015. The annual Summit was an ideal opportunity for the global education community to identify practical and concrete ways to achieve the new education priorities of the SDGs.

WISE 2015 Sessions and Plenaries were designed around three main pillars:

• The UN Sustainable Development Goals
• Education and the economy
• Fostering innovation in education systems

Each pillar further examined a variety of key topics including:

• The linkages between education, employment, and entrepreneurship
• Education reform and innovation in the MENA region and Qatar
• Emerging models of education financing
• Attracting, rewarding and retaining quality teachers
• The importance of investing in early childhood development

Enhanced Networking for Stronger Collaborations

Each year, more than 1,500 delegates from over 100 countries gather at the annual WISE Summit. This year, WISE was introducing a new, more compact format to enhance networking, offer participants more time to work together and a chance to discover Doha.