DOHA - Raising its global profile, Qatar has unveiled a major world prize to be presented starting next year for an individual making significant contribtion to enhance education. The 500,000 dollar prize was announced by Abdullah bin Ali Al-Thani, the chairman of the World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE) and vice chairperson of Qatar Foundation, a non-profit, private organisation concerned with education research and community development. Nominations for the award, the first of its kind in the world, will be received from February 1, 2011 to April 30, and the winner would be selected by a five-member jury, according to Al-Thani. He made the announcement late Thursday at a closing ceremony of the World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE), attended by over 1,200 delegates from around the world to explore the future of global education. The prize, named after WISE along with a gold medal to the winner, will be presented to the winner, at the third edition of the conference next November. "The establishment of the WISE Prize for Education demonstrates our determination to accelerate the development and transformation of education by bringing to light the most eminent leaders and drawing the world's attention to their outstanding contributions in a spirit of competition," said Mouza bint Nassser, the chairperson of Qatar Foundation, which initiated the WISE conference more than one year ago. "This new prize is a milestone in the development of international education. While other major international prizes celebrate such disciplines as physics, chemistry, economics or peace, there has until now been none for education, which is a prerequisite for achievement in all those areas," added Sheikha Mouza, the wife of Qatar's Emir. "It is our aim that this prize should raise global awareness of the crucial role of education in all societies, and create a platform for innovative and practical solutions that might help alleviate some of the challenges, which education faces around the world."
