• Dr Charles CHEN Yidan, Founder, Yidan Prize 

• Professor Ju-Ho Lee, Professor, KDI School; former Acting President and Minister for Education, The Republic of Korea
   
• Andreas Schleicher, Director for the Directorate of Education and Skills, OECD; Head, Judging Panel, Yidan Prize for Education Research

Speakers:

• Professor Ju-Ho Lee, Professor, KDI School; former Acting President and Minister for Education, The Republic of Korea
   
• Andreas Schleicher, Director for the Directorate of Education and Skills, OECD; Head, Judging Panel, Yidan Prize for Education Research

Moderator:

• Professor Becky Francis, CEO, Education Endowment Foundation; Chen Yidan Visiting Global Fellows, Harvard Graduate School of Education

Advances in generative AI and edtech are accelerating education toward a new era — one that confronts us with pressing questions. As some education systems embrace AI and edtech integration, the risk is that technological capabilities determine educational needs, rather than the other way round. 

This panel will debate the importance of AI and edtech to augment education across contexts, not replace it. Positioning technology not as an endpoint, but as a provocation, surfaces a spectrum of pathways ahead. What principles should anchor us? What should guide our choice of path?

Speakers: 

• Baroness Martha Lane-Fox of Soho CBE, Chancellor, The Open University
• Dr Fengchun Miao, Lead on AI and Future of Education, UNESCO 
• HE Sayasat Nurbek, Minister of Science and Higher Education, The Republic of Kazakhstan 

Moderator:

• Christie Pang, CEO and Co-Founder, Lirvana Labs

To achieve lasting change, think global and act local. Through groundbreaking partnerships with local initiatives, firmly rooted in their communities, governments and the philanthropic sector are discovering new pathways toward education for all. 

Guided by local expertise, enhanced by innovative uses of technology and data, cross-sector collaboration and shared responsibility can make use of untapped assets, build resilient education systems, and keep education front and center in a world of competing priorities.

Speakers: 

• Dr Peter Materu, Chief Program Officer, Mastercard Foundation; Member, Advisory Committee, Yidan Prize 
• Dr Laura Savage, Executive Director, International Education Funders Group (IEFG) 
• HE Serigne Mbaye Thiam, High-Level Envoy, Global Partnership for Education; former Minister of National Education, Senegal 

Moderator: 

• Dr David V. Johnson, Deputy Editor, Print, Stanford Social Innovation Review (SSIR) 

• Stefania Giannini, Assistant Director-General for Education, UNESCO 

The success of innovative practices and emerging pathways depends not only on tools and technologies, but also on the people who lead us to implement and adapt them. Leadership at every level — in classrooms, schools, communities, households, and among policymakers — is essential to translate ideas into meaningful actions. We must nurture and sustain these leaders to realize the full potential of educational transformation. 

This conversation will recognize the potential of all to become agents of change. In spotlighting some of these possibilities, we will also explore how to support people to develop the skills and mindset to lead boldly and adaptively.

Speakers: 

• Bassem Saad, CEO, Queen Rania Foundation 
• Kiran Bir Sethi, Founder and Director, Riverside School; Member, Judging Panel, Yidan Prize for Education Development 
• Marjorie Yang, Chairman, Esquel Group 

Moderator: 

• Myra Anubi, Presenter, People Fixing the World, BBC World Service 

This interactive session sparks fresh thinking and collective action at the crossroads of innovation and collaboration. By sharing local insights and exchanging ideas, participants explore big concepts while connecting them to practical, adaptable strategies.

We invite reflection on how education can address complex global challenges by grounding solutions in local contexts, ensuring long-term impact and fostering meaningful human connections. This session will emphasize collaboration and mutual learning among diverse stakeholders: educators, policymakers, innovators, and community leaders.

• Professor Yongxin Zhu, Founder, New Education Initiative; 2022 Yidan Prize for Education Development Laureate

The second day of the Summit transitions from examining the crossroads facing global education to zooming into the turning points that changemakers experienced as they led transformation in education. While every changemaker’s path has been unique, they share moments of decision-making, milestones that extended boundaries, and, at times, failures that served as valuable lessons.

In this morning session, we hear behind-the-scenes stories from Yidan Prize laureates and future makers in education, as they share critical junctures in their journey, as well as the principles and practices that guided their transformative work during those moments.

Speakers: 

• Dr Rukmini Banerji, CEO, Pratham Education Foundation; 2021 Yidan Prize for Education Development Laureate 
• Professor Usha Goswami, Professor of Cognitive Developmental Neuroscience, University of Cambridge; 2019 Yidan Prize for Education Research Laureate 
• Angeline Murimirwa, CEO, CAMFED; 2020 Yidan Prize for Education Development Laureate 

Let’s turn to our guests in the room. Share with us a turning point on your journey to create a better world through education. This session is an open discussion where the Yidan Prize laureates and participants share the critical junctures they are navigating — grounding diverse sharing in personal contexts and experiences.

Speakers: 

• Dr Rukmini Banerji, CEO, Pratham Education Foundation; 2021 Yidan Prize for Education Development Laureate 
• Professor Usha Goswami, Professor of Cognitive Developmental Neuroscience, University of Cambridge; 2019 Yidan Prize for Education Research Laureate 
• Angeline Murimirwa, CEO, CAMFED; 2020 Yidan Prize for Education Development Laureate 

Moderator:

• Yvette Kong, Founder and CEO, Arelyx
• Yao Yi Lok (Anna), Fellow, Project Melo; Student, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology

• Lucy Lake, Director of Global Engagement, Yidan Prize Foundation; 2020 Yidan Prize for Education Development Laureate