Chairperson of Qatar Foundation H H Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, Vice Chairperson of Qatar Foundation H E Sheikha Hind bint Hamad Al Thani, other dignitaries and participants during the opening of the WISE 12 Summit yesterday. RIGHT: Minister of Education and Higher Education H E Lolwah bint Rashid bin Mohammed Al Khater speaking during the summit. Pics: Rajan Vadakkemuriyil/The Peninsula
Doha, Qatar: Chairperson of Qatar Foundation H H Sheikha Moza bint Nasser opened the WISE 12 Summit yesterday with a powerful call to ensure that “human values are at the heart of education,” urging the international community to rethink the purpose of learning in an era defined by rapid technological transformation.
“Today we begin our summit with an open invitation for innovation and creativity in education,” she said, emphasising that WISE was created as “a space to rouse our minds and ignite our thinking… inspiring us all to think outside the box when it comes to education.”
The biennial global gathering of Qatar Foundation’s global education initiative World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE) opened its 12th edition at the Qatar national Convention Centre in the presence of Vice Chairperson of Qatar Foundation H E Sheikha Hind bint Hamad Al Thani and over 4000 participants including ministers, dignitaries, experts, policy makers, educators and innovators under the theme ‘Humanity.io: Human Values at the Heart of Education.’
WISE 12 aims to advance dialogue on how education can remain relevant and equitable while serving humanity amid unprecedented technological shifts. Over two days the summit highlights key areas of culturally aware innovation in education, AI in K–12, fresh strategies for higher education and lifelong learning, emerging edtech, and education’s role in economic and community strength.
Chairperson of Qatar Foundation H H Sheikha Moza bint Nasser delivering the opening speech at the WISE 12 Summit yesterday.
In her opening speech H H Sheikha Moza reaffirmed that “Here at the WISE Summit, we believe that education is not a public sector service like any other; instead, it is an indisputable and inalienable right. It is a fundamental pillar upon which humanity, justice and progress are built. Education should not be treated as a commodity, nor as a privilege, nor as a favor granted from one person to another.”
H H Sheikha Moza urged the global community to act decisively rather than waiting for technology to dictate the future of learning.
She said, “By placing human values at the heart of the educational process, we embark on a restoration project, both for science and for humanity: for science, by ensuring it does not become a force for harm; and for humanity, by reclaiming the essence of our humanity and dignity. Our shared commitment is an education that strengthens the values of truth, justice, and beauty, and our ultimate goal is a science in service to humanity – science that liberates, not enslaves.”
She announced the upcoming WISE Education Index, a new global tool that goes beyond academic metrics to integrate social and cultural values into assessments of educational quality. This, she said, aligns with WISE’s mission to continually improve education and promote innovative solutions such as the WISE Prize.
H H Sheikha Moza and H E Sheikha Hind also toured the booth of Education Above All (EAA) Foundation, a global education and development organization and WISE Majlis in the exhibition area.
During the opening session of WISE 12, Minister of Education and Higher Education H E Lolwah bint Rashid bin Mohammed Al Khater emphasised that rapidly advancing technologies are not separate from humanity but are rooted in our ongoing pursuit of knowledge and innovation. She highlighted that true progress depends on keeping human values at the center of national visions and decisions, transforming global changes into opportunities for growth, understanding, and collaboration.
“No matter how the world changes, the ability of nations to progress remains dependent on their ability to keep humanity at the heart of their vision and decisions,” she said.
The opening session also featured a performance by Syrian singer-songwriter Faia Younan which reflected on being an artist in the age of AI; in a keynote speech former Chief Business Officer at Google X and now a bestselling author Mo Gawdat traced the evolution of human knowledge from books, to the internet, to the transformative rise of AI. He explained that while many people see AI as a simple tool for tasks like writing messages, its true power lies in its ability to redefine mathematics, accelerate scientific breakthroughs, and understand human biology at extraordinary speed.
In conversation with the WISE 12 opening plenary’s moderator, filmmaker and journalist Amjad Alnour, acclaimed Moroccan-American author Laila Lalami highlighted that fiction offers a powerful way to examine the moral dilemmas posed by artificial intelligence.
She emphasised that fiction helps us enter another person’s consciousness, enabling us to better understand ourselves and safeguard human voices at a time when AI is increasingly shaping narratives. “One of the advantages of fiction is that it creates a small world where we can imagine ourselves and enter another human being’s consciousness,” she said.
WISE 12 will conclude today with the announcement of the WISE Prize winners.
