WISE Awards 2011: 6 Winning Projects Announced

DOHA, Qatar, September 28, 2011 /PRNewswire/ --

- Recognizing On-The-Ground Innovations in Education

A Jury appointed by The World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE) has announced the winners of the 2011 WISE Awards - the third round of these awards. The following six projects have been selected under the theme Transforming Education: Innovation, Investment and Inclusion because they are deemed to be efficient, replicable, locally adaptable, measurable and economically sustainable.

Project: BBC Janala
Activity: Providing English language lessons through mobile devices
Country: UK
Reach: Bangladesh
Project holder: Mohammad Ashrafuzzaman
Organization: BBC World Service Trust
More about BBC Janala

Project: Connexions
Activity: Sharing educational materials through an open source platform
Country: USA
Reach: Global
Project holder: Richard Baraniuk
Organization: Rice University
More about Connexions

Project: Creative Partnerships
Activity: Developing the creative skills of young people
Country: UK
Reach: UK
Project holder: Paul Collard
Organization: Creativity Culture and Education (CCE)
More aboutCreative Partnerships

Project: Al Jisr School-Business Partnerships 
Activity: Involving the business sector in order to improve the quality of education
Country: Morocco
Reach: Morocco
Project holder: Mhammed Abbad Andaloussi
Organization: Al Jisr
More about the Al Jisr School-Business Partnerships

Project: SueñaLetras
Activity: Supporting literacy learning for children with hearing disabilities
Country: Chile
Reach: Chile, Mexico, Uruguay, Costa Rica and Spain
Project holder: Ricardo Rene Rosas Diaz
Organization: Center for the Development of Inclusion Technologies - CEDETI
More about SueñaLetras

Project: Teacher Education in Sub Saharan Africa (TESSA)
Activity: Improving teacher education in Sub-Saharan Africa
Country: UK
Reach: Sub-Saharan Africa
Project holder: Freda Wolfenden
Organization: The Open University
More about TESSA

2011 Main Trends

Every year the WISE Awards give an overview of the main trends in innovative educational practices. This year's trends include:

• An increased use of Information Communications Technology (ICT), multi-media approaches and a focus on open-source platforms
• The spread of holistic, comprehensive learning approaches to ensure sustainability
• The emergence of inter-sectoral and multi-stakeholder strategies involving public-private partnerships

Commenting on the winning projects, H.E. Sheikh Abdulla bin Ali Al-Thani,Chairman of WISE and Chairman of the WISE Awards Jury, says: "Innovation is crucial for continuing to improve both access to and quality of education. The WISE Awards aim to showcase inspiring projects and give them the exposure they deserve. The 2011 WISE Awards Winners have often had to overcome pre-conceived ideas and find creative solutions to break down barriers to innovation in education. They have already been rewarded by the positive results of their projects. I would like to congratulate them all for their perseverance and worthy achievements. They are genuine role models for the entire WISE community."    

About the WISE Awards

Since 2009 the WISE Awards have been identifying, showcasing and promoting innovative educational projects from around the world. To date, 18 projects have been awarded and 98 finalists have been shortlisted from 116 countries. These "real world" initiatives are progressively building a global community of educational innovators.

The WISE Awards 2011 winners will be presented during a Gala Dinner on November 2^nd and will receive a prize of $20,000. The winners will also have the opportunity to exhibit their projects to 1,200 leading international influencers at the WISE Summit.

To find out more about the WISE Awards, please visit the website http://www.wise-qatar.org and the WISE Awards blog: http://awardsblog.wise-qatar.org/

About the World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE)

WISE is dedicated to building the future of education through innovation. This global collaborative initiative was inaugurated in 2009 by Qatar Foundation under the patronage of Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser. Its mission is to address the challenges facing 21st century education, to expand dialogue around the world, and to implement practical and sustainable solutions. To this purpose, WISE holds an annual international summit that is a unique platform and meeting place for thought leaders and experts to share best practices in education. WISE is also a year-round initiative devoted to reaching beyond the traditional circles of the education community in order to promote innovation and implement concrete actions. The WISE 2011 Summit will take place in Doha, Qatar, 1-3 November 2011.

Full details on: http://www.wise-qatar.org