ES
Nieves Segovia, President of SEK Education Group, took part in a panel discussion on educational innovation at WISE, the international education event organised annually by Qatar Foundation and held in Doha. In this twelfth edition, Segovia shared the stage with George Werner, former Minister of Education of Liberia, and Fahad Hamad Hassan Al-Sulaiti, CEO of the Qatar Fund for Development.
Segovia opened her remarks by proposing solutions to close the gap between innovation and classroom practice. “We need everyone’s willingness to learn. Our system is currently too fragmented: we have schools, universities, regulators, the start-up ecosystem… and these actors do not always engage with one another or strive to learn from each other. This creates a divide that I do not think we can afford.”
The President of SEK recalled that “we are living through a change of era, and we want change to happen — but to happen in the classroom, with teachers and students, who are the heart and soul of educational transformation. We all need to be part of the same educational ecosystem, break down the barriers between us and share our innovations with one another in the classroom.”
Finally, Segovia emphasised that “innovations and the solutions they bring must first respond to the most pressing challenges — and, unfortunately, we have many. We need to take fragments from all the solutions proposed at WISE and apply them to our own educational practices. We do not need to adopt any solution in full; there are fragments of information and narratives we can put to use.”
George Werner, for his part, praised the platform, noting that “WISE provides solutions and visibility for international education. It sends a signal to others that these solutions work, and makes them available to all who wish to access them, especially children in low-resource countries.”
Fahad Hamad Hassan Al-Sulaiti concluded by calling for attention to the smaller details when addressing change in education, such as health and even school meals. “We should not compartmentalise changes and solutions; all actors and all factors must go hand in hand.”
WISE, a global forum where the future of education is shaped
The WISE Summit, organised annually by Qatar Foundation, has become one of the world’s most prominent platforms for educational innovation. Since its creation in 2009, this global initiative has brought together participants from more than 200 countries, including policymakers, academics, educators, entrepreneurs and young people, with the goal of revitalising education systems and adapting them to the challenges of the 21st century.
The philosophy of WISE is grounded in the conviction that education must serve both as a transformative social force and as a tool to confront global crises such as poverty, unemployment, inequality, conflict and climate change. To this end, it promotes a multisectoral approach, integrating public policy, research, educational leadership, technology, innovative classroom practices and international cooperation.
The 2025 edition, WISE 12, has chosen as its central theme “Humanity.io: Human Values at the Heart of Education”, highlighting that technological innovation —no matter how advanced— only makes sense when built around human values, equity, accessibility and dignity.
