Educators, parents, students have to be more responsive to changing society, experts say

The 'Education and the Challenges of the Next Decade' symposium, hosted by GEMS Education at the Wellington International School, said educators, parents and students need to be aware of the coming challenges and work together to face them in the next decade to come.

Led by Sir Tomlinson, the symposium focused on solutions from proactively forming relationships with the corporate world to readying school systems to react quickly to changing times.

The symposium, part of GEMS' strategy of developing forward-thinking educational strategies throughout its network, was attended by GEMS heads of schools and other UAE-based education professionals, in addition to parents and members of the general public.

"We at GEMS believe that teachers and parents are the best ambassadors in educating the future generation, which is why we like to keep our parents informed with current educational news," said Tomlinson. "GEMS education seeks through these events to prepare develop and equip teachers and parents alike to tackle prevailing challenges and help students achieve their future goals," Sir Tomlinson said.

Other speakers during the morning symposium included GEMS Director of Education Ann McPhee, speaking about the 'The Global Challenge for Education Providers,' and Jeff Wornstaff, elementary school principal at the Dubai American Academy, speaking on 'Implementing Forward Thinking in Schools'.

Dubai-based Business Breakfast host and correspondent of The Financial Times and The Economist, Richard Dean, addressed the issue of industry relevance in his talk: 'On the job: what does your future boss want you to study?'

This symposium was the final event in a three day long series of training and workshop sessions to GEMS education professionals led by Sir Tomlinson.