Dr Charles Chen Yidan, founder of the world’s biggest education prize – the Yidan Prize – addressed leading global academics and educators on key issues facing the sector at the Yidan Prize Cambridge Conference on 29-30 January, 2018. Also speaking alongside Dr Chen was one of the two inaugural laureates of the Yidan Prize, Vicky Colbert, founder and director of Fundacion Escuela Nueva in Colombia.
Opening keynote by Dr Charles Chen Yidan, Founder of the Yidan Prize
Closing keynote by Vicky Colbert, Yidan Prize for Education Development inaugural laureate
A meet-and-greet session between Dr Charles Chen Yidan, Founder of the Yidan Prize, and Prof Stephen Toope, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cambridge
Convened at the University of Cambridge and titled “Educating for the Future”, the conference examined the global economic and social challenges driving the need for transformational education reform and the changes needed for education systems – and teachers and education practitioners in particular – to adapt to the rapid pace of change in our world today.
Dr Charles Chen Yidan said: “Educating for the future is a very broad topic covering issues ranging from changes in educational models to making sure students get the necessary skills to thrive in an
automated world. It is also a topic that is so critical that more informed discussions are needed around the world in order for the transformation to happen at a global scale.
“I am honoured to have had the opportunity to join our inaugural laureate, Ms Vicky Colbert, together with many other outstanding educators, at the Yidan Prize Cambridge Conference to deep dive into exploring the actions that need to be taken as we move forward.”
Following the huge success of the Yidan Prize Summit in Hong Kong in December 2017, which
brought together over 350 world leaders on education for an interactive dialogue on “Education Redefined: The Future is Now”, the Yidan Prize Foundation took this much-needed debate to one of the world’s leading universities for another round of thought-provoking discussions at the Yidan Prize Cambridge Conference, held at the Frankopan Hall in Jesus College.
In addition to celebrating the achievements of the recent Yidan Prize recipients, Vicky Colbert and Dr Carol S. Dweck, Lewis and Virginia Eaton Professor of Psychology at Stanford University, the Cambridge conference brought together leading figures from the worlds of education research, education practice, psychology and international development to debate what high-quality education looks like and how it can become reality for all children globally.
The Yidan Prize is founded by Dr Charles Chen Yidan, the core founder of Tencent Holdings. The prize
aims to recognise and support change makers for their most forward looking innovation that can create sustainable impacts on education systems for a better future. The prize comprises two categories – the Yidan Prize for Education Research and the Yidan Prize for Education Development.
The prize is financed and governed by a HK$2.5 billion independent trust. Each prize carries an award of HK$30 million, with a cash award of HK$15 million, a further HK$15 million project fund and a gold medal. Through a series of initiatives, the prize serves to provide a platform that allows the global community to engage in conversation around education and to play a role in
education philanthropy.
