I had a great honour to give the Mohamed bin Zayed Majlis Lecture on Thursday 21st September in Abu Dhabi. Majlis Lecture is a distinguished intellectual forum, grounded in the belief that through understanding other points of view, a deeper appreciation of the world can be realised and better solutions to challenges can be achieved. The Majlis has become an emblematic marker of the openness of Abu Dhabi to diverse ideas. Previous speakers include eminent intellectuals, scholars, scientists, economists, business leaders, and statesmen from all over the world and across a range of disciplines, including “Education Reform” by Louis Gerstner (ex-CEO and Chairman of IBM), “Creative Schools” by Sir Ken Robinson, “Global Economic Downturn” by Mohamed El Erian (Chief Economic Adviser at Allianz), “National Development Strategies” by Tony Tan (President of Singapore), and “Catalytic Philanthropy” by Bill Gates.
Every year, the Ministry of Presidential Affairs (MOPA) in Abu Dhabi curates this lecture series to an audience of UAE government officials, business leaders, academics, diplomats and students. The lectures are by invitation only and delivered to an audience of about 400 people. My lecture was titled “Parents as partners in education” discussing topics of why parents involvement in their children’s schooling is now more important than ever, how locus of learning is changing, and what parents and schools together can do to help all children learn better and be well in school. Summary of my talk is HERE.
Majlis lectures are recorded and shared in Youtube. Watch the lecture and Q&A that followed HERE.
ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES – September 21, 2023: Professor Pasi Sahlberg at Majlis Mohamed bin Zayed in Al Bateen Palace with moderator Dr May Laith Al Taee, Vice Chancellor, Emirates College for Advanced Education. (Abdulla Al Neyadi / UAE Presidential Court )