The winners of the 2017 edition of the GESS Education Awards have been revealed, putting the spotlight on some of the most innovative and inspiring teachers and community leaders in the region.

The awards are held in conjunction with the Global Educational Supplies and Solutions (GESS) Dubai exhibition and conference, the annual recognition programme has received thousands of entries from around the world including the UK, Denmark, Spain, South Africa, Colombia, Pakistan, Australia, India and Egypt; in addition to entries received from around the Middle East.

An esteemed panel of educators chose 23 outstanding initiatives and achievements by individuals, organisations and companies who have made significant contributions to the advancement of education in the Middle East.

The Lifetime Achievement Award, in partnership with Táaleem, was given to Rob Stoke (OBE), managing director of Al Futtaim Education Foundation, and former director of Jumeirah English Speaking School. He was selected by a prestigious panel of educators and recognised for developing and leading one of the most successful school groups in the UAE. He has been instrumental in curriculum design working with both the National Curriculum for England and the IB, and is a founder member of the KHDA-led What Works initiative in Dubai.

Among the big winners recognised in ceremonies held in Dubai were DTC School Bus System (SME Company of the Year), 21st Century Learning International (Start-Up Company of the Year), 3P Learning (Multinational Company of the year).

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Other notable winners given trophies were PASCO Scientific (Innovation Product Awards – STEM), WinjiGo by ITWORX Education (Innovation Product Awards – E-Learning / Software / Apps), Funzi (Best Free ICT / App Product), STEAM Craft Edu (Best Free ICT / App Product), Pobble (Best Paid for ICT / App Product) and BabNoor (Best Paid for ICT / App Product).

Companies supplying a variety of products and services for use in different school levels were also honoured for their effectiveness in helping teachers and students perform better. Winners include The Knowledge Hub – Learning A-Z (SEN Resource / Equipment Supplier of the Year), Connect Childcare (Early Years Resource / Equipment Supplier of the Year), PG Online Ltd (Primary Resource / Equipment Supplier of the Year), Extramarks Education Singapore Pte Ltd. (Secondary & Higher Education Resource / Equipment Supplier of the Year), Kalemon Arabic Language Learning (Best resource or equipment – non ICT), Seppo (Best Product to Promote Health and Fitness in the Classroom), Pomegranate Language Institute (Judges Commendation Award – Supplier)

Bindu Thankappan Vijayamma received the Innovation in Education Awards for successfully getting students to become more interested and proficient in mathematics with his unique methodologies.  Annie Barrows – Clarion School won the Best use of ICT / eLearning in the Classroom award for her untiring commitment to the better utilisation and application of ICT tools and technologies in the classroom.

Other individual awardees honoured for their achievements were Asha Alexander – The Kindergarten Starters (Ambassador for the Environment), Mohamed Mohtady Mohamed (Community Award for Citizenship), Shougat Nazbin Khan (Outstanding Contribution in Education Awards) and Rasha Al-Najjar (Judges Award – Educational Professional).

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Education leaders from around the world have called for stronger and innovative reforms to build a better future for all.

Several UAE cabinet members were in attendance, to highlight the importance education has on the future growth of the UAE. Among the high-level UAE ministers who made keynote presentations at the Global Education conference include HE Hussein Al Hammadi, Minister of Education for the UAE; HE Eng. Hussain AlHammadi, Minister of Education, UAE; HE Dr. Majid AlNuaimi, Minister of Education, Bahrain; HE Dr. Ali AlNuaimi, Member of the Executive Council of Abu Dhabi, UAE, Director General of Abu Dhabi Education Council (ADEC), Chancellor of the UAE University; HE Jameela Bint Salem Al Muhairi, Cabinet Member and Minister of State for Public Education; HE Dr Ahmad Belhoul Al Falasi – Minister of State for Higher Education; and HE Dr  Mohammed AlAhbabi, Director General, UAE Space Agency.

Speaking at the Global Educational Supplies and Solutions (GESS) Dubai conference held at the Dubai World Trade Centre, government leaders from across the region and education experts from around the world highlighted the need for education systems to foster more positivity in students’ learning experiences, because it is in schools where they spend more than three-quarters of their growing life.

Her Excellency Ohood Al Roumi, Minister of State for Happiness, UAE, said “The school environment is such as a critical element in shaping the students’ personality and so education in the UAE is putting more focus on positive learning.”

According to Dr Ilona Boniwell, a well-known consultant in happiness who also spoke at GESS, “The UAE can draw on a wealth of experience of evidence-based positive education programmes internationally, which has focused on addressing many causes of unhappiness in the world today, such as bullying, discrimination, and other challenges that have affected the students’ enjoyment of learning in many ways.”

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For the UAE, one significant goal that will have a massive impact on the future of education in the Emirates is its aspirations to have a human colony in Mars under its Mars 2117 vision.

His Excellency Dr Mohammed AlAhbabi, Director General, UAE Space Agency, says the Emirates sees itself becoming a major player in the space exploration industry, pouring in $20bn into its space programmes, the biggest investment of its kind in the Middle East. “We will be needing a new generation of scientists and space engineers, for which we need to be preparing now. This future generation of thinkers and innovators will help us find answers and solutions to the many challenges we are currently facing; not just as one country, but as the entire human race.”

The penultimate day of GESS Dubai 2017 put the spotlight on higher education, paving the way for the show’s vertical expansion to include the full-spectrum of education – from primary school to the university level.

“I believe it is a natural progression as we continue to explore ways to enhance what we can offer to the education sector in the Middle East,” said Matt Thompson, Director, F&E Education, organisers of GESS Dubai and the Global Education Forum. “Looking ahead, we will continue to strengthen our position as an effective platform connecting suppliers from around the world to key decision-makers throughout the Gulf to ensure the best products and solutions for the education market are available for use by teachers and students to raise the standards further for quality education in the region.”

iBoardTouch, a leading UK technology company which has been a long-time exhibitor at GESS Dubai says they are constantly in search of partners around the world. “As UAE and Middle Eastern governments begin to appreciate the importance of interactive devices in the classroom to improve teaching methods and learning results, we are delighted to have found an ideal partner in the UAE through the networking opportunities afforded by GESS,” said Zulfi Baig, Operations Director of iBoardTouch.

A2S, a well-known furniture supplier from Germany, believes the market is about to grow bigger in the long term. “We expect the market to rebound in the next two years, but long-term we see the market providing enough opportunities for companies like ours,” said Jens Richling, Project Manager.

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GESS Dubai returns next year for the show’s 11^th edition scheduled on February 27 to March 1, 2018 at the Dubai World Trade Centre.

Among the various companies that thronged the Dubai World Trade Centre where the GESS Dubai 2017 was being held, we met Mohamed Issa, Regional Alliance & Channel Manager at Rosetta Stone. He discussed about Rosetta Stone, their solution and how technology is benefitting education besides the difference between free apps and a complete learning solution for schools.

ScooNews:

Please tell us something about Rosetta Stone.

Issa:

Rosetta Stone started twenty years ago, as a software company (just for the languages).

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We started with the English language and then we added more languages, now we have over twenty-five languages. We have customers all over the world and millions of users but specifically for this event today which is much more about K-12 and higher education we have 22,000 institutions that are using our system. 

ScooNews:

Other than what your company is doing, where else do you find the role of technology in education?

Issa:

Technology is everywhere now when we're talking about education and it's not only by taking the school books and transferring it into digital as a media file; it's much more about engaging the students and really having it design as a tool that they're currently using when they're playing. That’s where we saw that since the mobile and tablet segment is a booming industry and students are using it in their day to day life, so why don’t we also use the device as a learning tool and that's why we incorporated all our technology into mobile so anyone can really prepare for English.

We're talking about English.  So, using the mobile for learning is not only by listening or reading it's also for communicating using an advanced speech recognition technology. The use of technology is increasing in education and we see that in the future virtual reality in learning will help.  

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ScooNews:

You just spoke of Virtual Reality and Augmented reality which the world is talking about, but there are no refined examples in terms of using it in education. So, do you think there are areas in technology that are yet left out in education? 

Issa:

Of course and we're developing each and every year and not only education but the whole aspect of our lives but to answer your question , yes virtual reality will be an important technology to engage the students from anywhere , even if they're not located in the same country we can see that also with the solution that we design. So our solution is not one hundred percent digital but we can have communication that can be done with the native speakers via Skype or via a Web call so we can have that kind of human interaction. at the end of the day even when we're talking about the educational side and students they need a little bit someone to drive a little bit push and we need that to be done by a human either they would be viewing their administration and know exactly how they are using the system to feed them or by engaging with them directly by also having a part that can be communicated by them.

ScooNews:

How do you see Rosetta Stone, 10 year down the line?

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Issa:

We will be having much more flexibility in the content.  Because there are some countries that are doing it and we would be seeing much more about Project based learning and not the standard curriculum that we traditionally have. Sometime we also need to learn different languages but until now education has been providing dead content; it's not really project based and that's why we see some universities providing the flexibility to students. Our solution not only specifically from one language but giving him our solution and telling him you can learn by your own Arabic or you can read by your own French or Spanish It depends what your goals are in the future and that's what we see coming and even if they would be learning English they would be learning English for IT or they would be learning English for Medical. Students are flexible for it so now we're seeing much more in the future project based curriculum.

Incorporating eLearning with the current schools is a challenge and not all the current providers really know about eLearning. The good news is that new companies coming into the market are hundred percent focused on eLearning.

ScooNews:

Which gap do you think events like GESS fulfil?

Issa:

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This is the first time I am attending GESS, Dubai so it's not easy for me to say. For the last 11 years, we have been attending GITEX, which is more about technology. While GITEX is where all the technology and development buzz is. However, this event (GESS Dubai 2017), is more about the customer i.e. higher education and K-12.

ScooNews:

Have you seen any traction at your stand here, I mean some conversions?

Issa:

Yes, because it's not about acquisitions but working with the partners so here we are working on accepting partners.

ScooNews:

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Just one more thing, Issa.  I am sure you are aware of Duolingo and Hello English Apps, these are free apps which teach English to about fifty-sixty million plus users so what’s your take on this competitive landscape? Here you're looking for partnering with schools but at the same time you see these free apps in the market so how does that sound to you in terms of competition.?

Issa:

I agree with you one hundred percent.  But at the same time there is no comparison as we're not competing with the free apps that have much lesser content. Also, these competitors don't have a built in LMS. This enables the school administrator to know how each user is using the system and how much time is he using it for along with the marks scored.  So, the LMS is very important, the certification part is very important, the content part is very important so free apps don't have the scope or sequence exactly mapped to the current curriculum.

As you know when we're talking about the English language we can map it to the current curriculum because it's grammar lessons but dealing with it's much more as an absolute is very hard for these apps to be sharing that curriculum and that content that we have; we have been twenty years in the market we started as just a box (a yellow box) and now we have moved completely to the cloud

Yes, there are new apps but their solution is completely different (from what Rosetta Stone has to offer).

ScooNews: Thank You!

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Issa: Thank You!

To know more about Rosetta Stone, please visit http://www.rosettastone.co.uk/ and know more on how this solution can add value to your school.

Dubai, United Arab Emirates; 15 March 2017 – Local and international suppliers of products and solutions geared for the education market are optimistic about their business prospects in the Middle East.

Exhibiting companies at the ongoing GESS Dubai exhibition and conference at the Dubai World Trade Centre see the growing demand for schools and increasing student population as massive growth drivers for their business throughout the region.

Experts estimate the current supply requirement for new schools by 2020 is at 50,000 across the GCC alone, with student population reaching close to 13 million in four years’ time.

“I am very optimistic about the prospects for our business in the region. Over the last three or four years we have seen sustainable growth. There is a lot of demand from the market about what we are doing and how they can be utilised by teachers and students in classrooms throughout the region and so we are confident going forward,” said Steen V. Lund, Head of Emerging Markets, Lego Education.

The demand for new schools is also a boon for Rediker Software, a US-based company exhibiting at GESS. Toni Jacobs, Business Development Manager, said “There are a lot of schools that are being built now and more are in the pipeline in the years to come, and they will be looking at student information systems to help manage their operations so we are quite optimistic about this market being very big in terms of opportunities as well as looking at sustainable growth over a period of time.”

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Lego Education and Rediker Software are just two of the many international companies that have set their sights on growing their Middle East business due to an anticipated increase in demand. According to recent studies, more than $150bn will be spent technology related investments in the education sector, to enable schools and universities to develop and implement programmes that will boost innovation and their capability to hone students’ readiness for the future.

“More and more companies are looking at the Gulf region for future growth. With billions of dollars budgeted for new school buildings as well as investments on smart tools and digital devices and applications, local and international companies are benefiting from the networking platform offered by GESS that connects them to decision makers in schools and governments throughout the GCC,” said Matt Thompson, Director, F&E Education, organisers of GESS Dubai which will culminate today at the Dubai World Trade Centre.

Future trends

Looking at the future, many of the companies are looking at developing trends such as STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math), digitisation the learning process and developing students to become future-ready, capable of gaining employment in a much more competitive global environment.

“The UAE has to get STEM right. So many people talk about 21^st century skills for students, but the key is to how to make them come to life in the classroom. Now is the time to get it right and make it right in the classroom. The other trend we see happening more and more is the digitalization of the learning process, which is not just about adding a tablet or smart board, but actually digitizing the learning environment with these things as important tools,” added Lund.

For Shameema Parveen, CEO, edutech having a new mindset is critical for students to become more innovative and to be ready for a challenging future. “Robotics has been here for a while now, as a breakthrough in getting students more interested in STEM. But more needs to be done to help students have an invention mindset, and we are edutech are helping schools create the right environment for this invention-thinking to thrive. Looking into the immediate future, we need to be able to enable students to develop coding skills and create things from scratch and get more immersed in the IoT which will make them more future-ready by way of having skills that will allow them to function properly in a highly digital world,” she added.

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GESS Dubai is still ongoing and is free to attend for education professionals. Further information may be obtained at www.gessdubai.com.

Take your students on a European adventure, sampling different cultures, architecture, food and language all from the comfort of your classroom.

Immersive Interactive, a Merseyside Innovation Awards Finalist, are the UK’s leading experts in immersive classrooms within primary, secondary and special needs education. Their multi-sensory environments, engaging content and vast experience provide the most innovative learning spaces.

Immersive Interactive provides a complete 360 degree solution from initial site survey, building your immersion space, to lifetime training and support. The in-house software allows you to add, create and manage your own content all from a tablet device with ease.

Features of the 360 degree immersive solutions from Immersive Interactive:

• Control your environment by interacting with every surface and add sounds, scents, wind, fog and other effects.
• Choose from our library of curriculum based content or create your own content with ease.
• Our intuitive template based software and fully integrated system allows you to easily create and edit content.
• Receive full training on our in-house software, content creation and immersive space operation

Immersive learning environments enrich the learning experience across key stages 1 & 2, helping young pupils develop core skills in reading, writing and spoken word. With a huge variety of content and ways to interact, pupils can experience a myriad of lessons presented in an engaging and simulating way.

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To discover more about the complete 360 degree solution from Immersive Interactive, please visit http://immersive.co.uk/

If you happen to be in Dubai, you may visit them at GESS Dubai 2017 at Halls 5-8, World Trade Centre. GESS Dubai is free of charge to visit.
 

The 10^th edition of the GESS Dubai kicked off today organised by F&E Education under the patronage of  His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai; and supported by His Excellency Hussein Al Hammadi, Minister of Education, United Arab Emirates.

Over 550 companies came armed with their latest innovations and solutions for the educational market which will be showcased over the course of the next 3 days.

Among the various companies that thronged the World Trade Centre where the expo is being held we came across the company Hey! and met the CEO Mr. Miguel Garcia who was gracious enough to show us their technology.

Hey!U is pedagogical tool that facilitates communication and creates a bond between the teacher and the class via an extra screen (external LED panel connected to the laptop or tablet). With this little gadget that is attached to your laptop/tablet allows students to express their viewpoint on a subject in real-time.

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The teacher on the other hand can be sure that the students are on the correct application and have understood the lesson without being distracted. This enables instant feedback between the students and the teacher and is useful specifically for flipped classrooms and personalized learning.

You can meet Team Hey! at Stand # R22 at GESS Dubai. Besides the wonderful technology, they also offer delicious Date palms to their guests !

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GESS Dubai 2017 started today with companies like Microsoft, Pearson, Edutech, Extramarks being some of the few companies among the 550 companies that were present, were all discussing their technology and innovations when we noticed a little gem among the stalls where a gentleman was selling not big technology but pencils.

We wondered why was someone there selling pencils? We walked up to the stall and met Ghulam Hussien Jhanjharia, the founder of the TREEWISEPENCILS^TM. You might ask what was so special about these pencils? Well, on a closer look we saw that these were no ordinary pencils (usually made from wood) but was made from 100% recycled Newspaper.

Manufactured in India, hand packed and shipped off around the world, these pencils are environment friendly. When we can’t stress enough about the problems we face about global warming, products such as TREEWISEPENCILS^TM gives us hope that a better tomorrow is in our hands.

You can get more information on this innovative and eco-friendly product by visiting their website at www.treewisepencils.com

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The day witnessed twice the numbers of visitors compared to yesterday. Exhibitors passionately explaining their products to visitors was a common sight, some exhibitors even had designated meeting rooms to discuss and seal deals. The event was a smorgasbord of different technologies, ideas, ethnicities, workshops, sessions, interactions and B2B networking. The sheer number of visitors thronging the massive four-tiered venue made even the sprawling halls seem small. The attention to detail was impressive with catering staff strolling with handcarts full of cookies, snacks, coffee etc to be partaken by exhibitors as moving out from their stands could mean a potential loss of clients.

The Edutech and ExtraMarks stands saw some serious buzz through the day, with stern looking men holed up in their glass walled meeting rooms with visitors. The Edutech stand offered pretty much everything a 21^st century school would need, from Virtual Reality tools to STEM Solutions to Digital and mobile learning solutions and more, It was a one stop shop for all school needs.

Indeed the most beautiful and not to be missed stand was that of LEGO where one could spot a lot of students trying their hands on Blocks, Robotics, Aerial Selfie etc There was  huge wall built with just their trademark blocks and surely caught everyone’s attention, one could pick up a variety of blocks and make anything they wished to.

TES Global stand was right in the middle of the Hall and a smiling Man called Mark welcomed me and explained how TES Global has been supporting educators worldwide for over 100 years and is the world’s largest online community of teachers, with over 8 million registered users.

Byju’s, India’s most rated and talked about Star Start-up was also present at GESS. They were sharing their ideas on Online learning which means no boundaries and barriers in today’s digital world.

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Arpit Badjatya, CEO & MD, Serosoft Solutions who was also a speaker at GESS Dubai 2017 shared his insights on the ERP business and how it is not the need but the necessity of any education institution today across the world.

Olli Vallo, Co-founder of Kokoa Education Standard, Finland made sense when he said that there is a urgent demand of independent Quality certification in the education field when the market is overflowing with products of varying educational quality . Kokoa Education Standard is a detailed Edtech quality verification based on Finnish pedagogical knowledge. Edtech industry stakeholders around the world trust Kokoa to ensure solutions are independently certified in line with high-level quality standard.

The last stop for the day was at eTeach International, eTeach is globally the leading specialist provider of education recruitment solutions. Jonathan Price, Managing Director, eTeach told us that the education recruitment landscape is changing and finding the best candidates is becoming increasingly difficult as the competition for talent grows and candidates become ever more sophisticated in how they choose their next job. eTeach works with over 11,000 schools and colleges and last year advertised more than 70,000 jobs to their 1.3 million registered candidates, who made 5 million job searches.

To sum up, the second day of GESS 2017 was a must attend event for anyone related to education.

As Brad Currie once said “Networking is the most overlooked and important part of attending educational events. Informal conversations matter!" You still have the day 3 to network and connect with a variety of people with various interests.

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The 10^th edition of GESS Dubai begins today at the Dubai World Trade Centre, with over 10,000 education professionals from around the region expected to attend over the course of the three-day event.

Organised by F&E Education, GESS Dubai is held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai; and supported by His Excellency Hussein Al Hammadi, Minister of Education, United Arab Emirates.

The biggest education conference and exhibition in the Middle East will host more than 550 companies from all over the world, showcasing the very latest production innovations and solutions for the education market.

Over 130 experts on education, technology as well as leadership management, including renowned speakers on motivation, wellness and happiness are also confirmed to attend to share their insights in more than 200 sessions aimed at improving teacher and student performance and raising the quality of education delivery in schools throughout the region.

“We are privileged to have been a part of the growth of the education sector in the Middle East, helping schools and other type of academic institutions to be progressive and keep in step with changing technology and curriculum advancements,” said Matt Thompson, Project Director, F&E Education, organisers of GESS Dubai.

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Among the most anticipated workshops include sessions on Computer Science Technologies, Engineering for Kids, Google Apps for Education, as well as building app and creating simple robots from scratch.

NLP presentations and Leadership Workshops from the world’s leading experts are also a favourite among teachers because of the practical insights and tips for improving teacher performance and enhancing student learning abilities.

Strong international contingent

Many of this year’s exhibiting companies come from different parts of the world, with country pavilions representing suppliers from the U.K., Germany, U.S.A., Korea and China.

The British Educational Suppliers Association (BESA), which today represents more than 400 UK-based education suppliers with combined revenues totalling £2.2 billion, will be accompanying over 70 British companies along with the UK Department for International Trade at the exhibition.

Caroline Wright, Director General of BESA said, “BESA is delighted to be attending GESS 2017 and this year we are excited to celebrate 10 years of the show.  BESA and F&E’s alliance has made GESS the premier focused, professional event of its kind in the region and whether you are a teacher, government official or from the educational business community, you are sure to receive a warm welcome from our exhibitors and from the BESA information stand.”

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From Dubai to the world

The Dubai home-grown brand has since ventured beyond the Gulf’s borders to expand to emerging education markets in Mexico and Indonesia. This year, the show will launch its 3^rd country edition in Turkey, scheduled on October 19 to 21, 2017 in Istanbul.

“Education has been a key pillar of development for many first world nations, and is the key factor for the growth of emerging markets. Our expertise in the education sector and contacts with education stakeholders from all over the world led us to explore the potential of the show to contribute to the advancement of education in key emerging nations to hopefully assist them in their development agendas,” continued Thompson.

For 10 years now, GESS Dubai has been the leading platform for leading suppliers of educational products and solutions to showcase their wares, including some of the most cutting-edge innovations that are critical to enhancing the quality of teaching and learning across schools in the Middle East.

GESS Dubai 2017 is being held alongside the Global Education Forum. Entry is free with professional certifications offered to education professionals who will attend CPD-certified sessions. Visitors are encouraged to register online at www.gessdubai.com.

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Leading global education experts will share insights on how to build the future of education at the forthcoming GESS Dubai, to be held on March 14-16 at the Dubai World Trade Centre.

Organised by F&E Education, with the support of the UAE Ministry of Education, GESS Dubai has gathered the world’s foremost authorities and specialists on education transformation, learning, and curriculum development as keynote speakers of the plenary sessions taking place at the Global Education Forum (GEF) happening alongside the region’s premier education exhibition and conference.

Expected to attend the plenary sessions include leaders and key decision makers from the education sector throughout the Gulf region.

Among those who have confirmed participation are Ella Björnsdóttir, Senior Global Consultant-Keynote Speaker, FranklinCovey Education Worldwide; Graham Brown Martin, founder of Learning Without Frontiers; Ilona Boniwell, positivity expert and CEO at Positran; and Dr Khalifa Al Suwaidi, Assistant Professor at the Department of Curriculum & Instruction, Faculty of Education, UAE University.

In its 10^th year, GESS Dubai and GEF have adopted the theme “Educate…Inspire…Build the Future” to reflect its long-standing commitment to be a platform for change and growth for the education sector in the Middle East.

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Brown will speak on The Future of Learning and how education systems, supported by technological platforms can empower students to create a future society that is sustainable, happier and embraces diversity. “The children who are either entering the school system today or are already in the system will, in their lifetime, witness the greatest challenges that our species as ever faced. Climate change, population, antibiotic resistance, diversity, an ageing population and ideological conflict are just a few of the significant challenges of the 21st century. Our children will need to be equipped with the skills and knowledge to reimagine society. There has been much talk in education circles about “21st century skills” and yet without placing these skills within context they are meaningless,” he added.

Boniwell, another keynote speaker, will talk about Building children’s resilience and emotional wellbeing, using insights from positive education that brings together the findings of positive psychology and education to equip students with the knowledge and skills that will enable them to become more resilient and productive.

Meanwhile, Dr Al Suwaidi keynotes three presentations, including Schools without Thinking, which looks at mistakes schools make in teaching their students how to think; as well as the Extinction of the Teacher, which hopes to inspire teachers to keep in step with the evolving education landscape, to make them more relevant and their profession more responsive to the needs of schools and students in today’s rapidly changing world.

“These experts have been invited to share their expertise on how the teaching and learning experience can be positively transformed to ensure they are responsive to the needs of teachers and students, as well as to make education relevant to the needs of the Arab world as a whole,” said Matt Thompson, Project Director, F&E Education, organisers of GESS Dubai.

Aside from the plenary talks, education professionals visiting GESS Dubai will also learn from other experts featured in over 200 sessions, workshops and presentations that will dissect some of the most pressing challenges confronting the education sector in the region, as well as the latest trends on pedagogy and teaching methodologies, curriculum advances, and other important issues shaping discussions on quality education, learning improvements, future learning, health and wellness, among others.

GESS Dubai’s exhibition component, meanwhile, will continue to showcase the very latest products, services and solutions covering a broad spectrum of business categories – from books and uniforms, to gadgets and technologies as well as furniture that can significantly impact the delivery of instruction, improve student learning and performance, enhance teacher effectives.

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“These exchanges not only contribute to business growth, but ultimately have an impact on raising education standards and developing the education market in this part of the world,” added Thompson.

This year, GESS Dubai will have over 550 suppliers representing 39 countries, with several country pavilions grouping exhibiting suppliers from the U.K., Germany, U.S.A., Korea and China.

GESS Dubai is also thrilled to provide attendees a brand new and exclusive training concept to the event this year. The GESS Leadership Lab, powered by NoTosh, has never before been seen in the Middle East, Africa and Asia and will provide a creative training space where active participants can tackle their own leadership challenges with NoTosh’s innovative tool kits.