UWC Dilijan Headmistress pondered the question of the authorities’ role in providing education for all children, especially those affected by poverty, war and displacement, and stressed out that sometimes a little push from the society was needed for the change to happen. “We all agree that education is the answer, but how do we get governments to also understand how crucial education is?”, asked Denise Davidson.
UWC International Executive Director Jens Waltermann also stressed out the importance of education and explained to the audience the mission of the UWC movement, which is to use knowledge as a uniting tool. “We pick the most talented students from across the globe but we don’t just pick the privileged. We find the kids from disadvantaged backgrounds, we bring them together and we try to forge a common sense of humanity,” said he.
Haifa Dia Al-Attia, CEO of the Queen Rania Foundation for Education and Development, told the audience about her fund’s work and encouraged everyone to step up and take responsibility for solving the problem. “I think there are lots of places around the world that are dealing humanly with the crises as they erupt. There are ways of galvanizing that kind of support. It does work,” declared Haifa Dia Al-Attia.
Global Talent EY Partner and One Degree Academy Chair Riaz Shah reminded everyone of the contribution the refugees can make when it comes to better education. “There is a huge amount of benefits we can have from immigrants and refugees coming into our schools and creating a more diverse group of people. I think we are all to consider the real power and positivity of refugees and celebrate that as well,” said Shah.