İstinye University is hosting the 7th International Conference on the Education of the Future, organized in collaboration with the World Academy of Art and Science (WAAS) and the World University Consortium. The conference began on December 10 with the session “Challenges and Opportunities in Global Higher Education.”
Between December 10-12, İstinye University is hosting the 7th International Conference on the Education of the Future. The conference, which is being held at the İstinye University Congress Center in both in-person and online webinar formats, is attended by renowned scientists and UNESCO officials from around the world. The first day of the conference began with the session “Challenges and Opportunities in Global Higher Education.” The conference will continue today and tomorrow. During the opening session, Garry Jacobs, President of the World Academy of Art and Science, Irina Bokova, Former Director-General of UNESCO, Ralph Wolff, President of the World University Consortium, Grant Schreiber, Executive Director of WAAS, Erkan İbiş, Rector of İstinye University, and Türker Kılıç, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, delivered their speeches.
“We must keep up with changes and bring their positive outcomes into our lives.”
In his speech, Prof. Dr. Erkan İbiş, Rector of İstinye University, stated: “We are experiencing a rapid process of change, especially in the last quarter. Issues, perceptions, goals, technologies, and practices are changing very quickly. We must keep up with these changes and bring their positive outcomes into our lives, education system, and social structure. To reduce potential risks and make rapid progress, accurate predictions, re-planning, and new action plans must be made for higher education. A few years ago, UNESCO published a document predicting the future of higher education until 2050. The document emphasizes that higher education institutions must take responsibility for many issues regarding the future. In this conference, many important speeches and discussions will be held in line with UNESCO’s vision. I would like to thank everyone who contributed to this event, especially the distinguished speakers, our members, deans, and university staff.”
“This important meeting is about how the new science is shaping our new understanding of education.”
Prof. Dr. Türker Kılıç, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine at İstinye University, emphasized that the conference is about how the new science shapes our new understanding of education, and said: “Life is not based on jointly produced materials, but knowledge itself forms the foundation of life. And this is, of course, related to education. We are concerned with the primary concept of knowledge, which is the material that forms life itself. We are now in the age of new scientific methodology, and our new concept is not induction or deduction, but the mutual connection between knowledge itself, which is the foundation of life. Therefore, this important meeting is about how this new science is shaping our new understanding of education. The main question is, how can we create a better and more beautiful world? The new methodology of science should be developed with the awareness that the cornerstone of life is not atoms, but information. When our approach to knowledge, the cornerstone of life, changes, the education of the future will take shape.”
“The world is changing, and we need to keep up with these changes.”
Garry Jacobs, President of the World Academy of Art and Science, spoke about the necessary transformations in the education system: “WAAS’s founder, Einstein, was famous for the expression that problems cannot be solved with the same thinking that created them. So, it seems like we are creating problems as quickly as we are solving them. Therefore, we need not only more education but also higher levels of education, a higher level of knowledge and understanding about ourselves and the world we live in.
The challenges faced by today’s youth are how to cope with everything we need for a better future in such a rapidly changing world, how to absorb, access, and learn them. Because those who do not learn how to harness the power of artificial intelligence and use it correctly are falling behind. Whether they are 25, 40, or 50 years old, they must quickly catch up. Because the world is changing, and we must keep up with these changes. Education is not only our strongest tool but also, in today’s society, faces the greatest challenges. Today, with the increasing speed of information, how will we keep up with the rapid changes in education? These are the issues I am bringing up here. We are grateful to the university for inviting us and to the scholars from other regions of the world for their contributions. We want to create a global education system that will be accessible to anyone who truly desires to learn more and develop themselves.”
“Fair Quality Education and Lifelong Learning form the main focus of the 7th WAAS Conference.”
Irina Bokova, Former Director-General of UNESCO and FWAAS member, stated that the 4th Sustainable Development Goal of “Fair Quality Education and Lifelong Learning” forms the main focus of the 7th WAAS Conference: “Education should be accessible to everyone in the world, and this means it should be available in many languages across the globe. So, how can we do this? This is the question that the World Academy poses to its colleagues, members, and partners, and we have come here to discuss and explore this, to hear the opinions of experts from various fields who are asking a difficult question that I don’t think anyone has answered yet. No matter how great the challenges are, we believe that the opportunity for a radical revolution in higher education is now possible for the first time. We have the opportunity to pass on knowledge to future generations. We believe that emerging technologies are making this possible. It is a pleasure to be here. I thank the university again for hosting this meeting.”
“Global economy and education are rapidly transforming with artificial intelligence technology.”
Ralph Wolff, President of the World University Consortium, stated that only 17% of the Sustainable Development Goals have been achieved: “There are 800 million people in the world who cannot read or write, and 2.2 billion people who do not have internet access. When we talk about technology, we talk about equality, we talk about equal opportunity. There are many unfinished tasks. I believe we need to reaffirm the fourth goal of the Sustainable Development Agenda. Because at the Future Summit convened by the UN Secretary-General last September, a full assessment was made. Only 17% of the Sustainable Development Goals have been achieved. I would like to point out that each of these has a great relevance to our current discussion. Now, with artificial intelligence technology, we know that economies are changing very rapidly, and skills are changing very rapidly, and education must change to keep up with this transformation. These days, we must once again look at universities and their social responsibility, such as educating you, the young people, and contributing them to lifelong learning and society. I hope we will have more opportunities to discuss the contributions of artificial intelligence and how it offers tremendous opportunities.”
The WAAS Conference on the Education of the Future, which began with opening speeches, continued with parallel sessions attended online, covering various topics. The conference will conclude on the evening of December 12, Thursday.
