UNESCO MGIEP inaugurates 3rd Edition of Transforming Education Conference for Humanity (TECH) 2019
UNESCO MGIEP inaugurates 3rd Edition of Transforming Education Conference for Humanity (TECH) 2019
Attracted a group of over 1000 participants across a range of disciplines to deliberate on importance of Social Emotional Learning (SEL)
Vizag, December 10, 2019: The UNESCO Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Education for Peace and Sustainable Development (MGIEP) concluded the first day of its, annual global Ed-Tech conference, Transforming Education Conference for Humanity (TECH 2019). The inaugural ceremony took place with lamp lighting in the presence of Vinay Chand, IAS, District Collector Visakhapatnam, Prof. Anantha Duraiappah, Director UNESCO MGIEP, Prof. Richard Davidson, Member, Governing Board UNESCO MGIEP and Shigeru Aoyagi, Director, UNESCO Bangkok. TECH is held in partnership with the State Government of Andhra Pradesh and the Ministry of Human Resources Development, Government of India.
TECH 2019 (Day 1) saw participation from over 1000 diverse stakeholders covering students, lawyers, scientists, educators, entrepreneurs, teachers and policy makers to deliberate on how digital pedagogy can be harnessed to mainstream Social Emotional Learning in education systems, curricula, and teacher trainings to build both intellectual intelligence and emotional intelligence of learners. The discussions centered around the following themes – Transformative Pedagogies for Social and Emotional Learning (SEL); Reimagining Learning Spaces for Planetary Citizenship & Data, Learning & Education – Role of Artificial Intelligence (AI).
Speaking at the opening ceremony of TECH 2019, Prof. Anantha Duraiappah said “It is imperative to mainstream Social Emotional Learning(SEL) across education systems with the use of emerging technologies such as AI and Machine Learning that have the potential to drive behavioral change for future change makers”. He stressed on the need of listening to the younger generation and acknowledging them as key stakeholders in today’s world. Vinay Chand, IAS, District Collector Visakhapatnam, emphasised on the government’s focus on “providing quality education at scale through technology.”
The conference brought together some of the world’s foremost experts who spoke about the significance of emotional intelligence in their respective domains. Prof. Richard Davidson, University of Wisconsin-Madison touched upon key components of well-being. He emphasized that human brain can be and should be trained through holistic education. Jon Ramer, Founder of Compassion Games International, talked about the importance of behavioral change by spreading the fire of compassion. Dan Shefet, Founder, Association for Accountability and Internet Democracy shared his insights on hate speech and the obligations of teachers to educate students in consideration of the moral and regulatory framework.
The chief guests of the day were five young students who confidently shared their perspectives and expectations from the education system. UNESO MGIEP invited these young leaders with the aim of breaking age barriers and learning from young learners.
Transforming Education Conference for Humanity (TECH) is an annual event that delves into the role of games and digital learning technologies to create more peaceful and sustainable societies. In 2019, it is being held on December 10 – 12th, in partnership with the State Government of Andhra Pradesh.
About UNESCO MGIEP:
The UNESCO Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Education for Peace and Sustainable Development (MGIEP) is UNESCO’s Category One Research Institute that focuses on Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) Target 4.7 towards education for building peaceful and sustainable societies across the world. In line with its vision of ‘Transforming Education for Humanity’, the institute’s program is designed to mainstream Social and Emotional Learning in education systems, innovate digital pedagogies and to put youth as global citizens at the center of the 2030 agenda for Sustainable Development. For more information, please visit the website.
