HONG KONG, CHINA - Media OutReach - 11December 2018 - The second Yidan Prize Summit took place in Hong Kong on 10 December 2018,featuring the Prize's second cycle of laureates -- Professor Larry V. HEDGESof Northwestern University and Professor Anant AGARWAL of HarvardUniversity and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) -- as well as animpressive line-up of the foremost minds in education, policy, business andphilanthropy, who discussed how innovative educational approaches can betterequip students for the future.

Dr Charles CHEN Yidan, Founder of the Yidan Prize, gave awelcome remark on the Yidan Prize Summit 2018.

The opening keynote speaker, HRH Princess Laurentien of the Netherlands, delivered an opening speech"Co-creating the educational system: the power of shared learning", shared howto achieve co-creating and what is required for long lasting success.

Special keynote speaker Mrs Graça MACHEL, Child Rights Advocate andHumanitarian, said investment ingirls' education is not optional. It is a national imperative and theresponsibility of all.

Rt Hon Gordon Brown, UN Special Envoy for Global Education; Former Prime Minister and Chancellor of the Exchequer, discussed the importance of pushing education for girls, and addressed creating safe spaces for educating children in conflict zones and improving standards in education worldwide.

The 2018 Yidan Prize Summit, which was attended by over 400 delegates from6 continents, had an overarching theme was "Educating for the Future: HOW?" inrecognition of the great global challenge of ensuring that the students oftoday and tomorrow obtain the skills needed for life and work in the future. TheSummit program included sessions focusing on evidence-based education policy,deploying innovative educational models and utilizing technology to improveeducational outcomes, lifelong learning and effective education philanthropy.

The Yidan Prize Summit featured keynote addresses from distinguishedspeakers, including Dr Charles CHEN Yidan, founder of the Yidan Prizeand core founder of Tencent; HRH Princess Laurentien of the Netherlands;Mrs Graça MACHEL, Child Rights Advocate and Humanitarian; and the Rt HonGordon BROWN, UN Special Envoy for Global Education and former PrimeMinister and Chancellor of the Exchequer of the United Kingdom.

Dr Charles CHEN Yidan, founder of the YidanPrize, said: "The education system for tomorrow needs to be more fair, moreefficient and more inclusive. That is why we ask the question: HOW? How can weachieve better education outcomes? How do we ensure that education can be madeto work for all? How should we leverage education research and put theory intopractice? To answer these questions, we must learn from each other and acttogether. With that, I'd like to officially announce the commencement of the2018 Yidan Prize Summit."

Princess Laurentien of the Netherlands said: "Children today are no longerthe children of yesterday. The key question is whether educators can keep upwith that change and adjust their approach according to what children need, notwhat they have always done. The roles of educators and pupils have become moreinterchangeable."

Mrs Graça MACHEL, Child Rights Advocateand Humanitarian, remarked: "Investing in education from early childhood has alasting effect on the survival, development, protection and activeparticipation of children in social, economic and political activities.Investment in girls' education is not optional. And it is not the job ofgovernment ministries of education or NGOs alone. It is a national imperativeand the responsibility of all."

Gordon BROWN, UN Special Envoy forGlobal Education and former Prime Minister and Chancellor of the Exchequer ofthe United Kingdom, remarked: "Children should not be just learning toremember, they should be learning to understand. So the teacher becomes theguide, helping everyone to develop to their full potential."

Established in 2016, theYidan Prize recognizes individuals whose work transforms education ininnovative ways that can be scaled and adopted around the world, with a missionto create a better world through education.  

Nominations for the 2019Yidan Prize are currently open, and will be accepted until March 31, 2019. Tonominate, visit https://nomination.yidanprize.org.

Aboutthe Yidan Prize

Foundedin 2016 by Dr Charles CHEN Yidan, a core founder of Tencent, the Yidan Prizehas a mission of creating a better world through education. It consists of twoawards, the Yidan Prize for Education Research and the Yidan Prize forEducation Development. Yidan Prize Laureates each receives a gold medal and atotal sum of HK$30 million, half of which is a cash prize while the other halfis a project fund. To ensure transparency and sustainability, the prize ismanaged by Yidan Prize Foundation and governed by an independent trust with anendowment of HK$2.5 billion. Through a series of initiatives, the prize aims toestablish a platform for the global community to engage in conversation aroundeducation and to play a role in education philanthropy.