| Time | Aquarius | Jasmine | Sunflower | Tulip |
| 11:20 - 12:20 |
S&S - Panel Discussion
The Forgotten National Language
The Forgotten National Language
Main Question
How has Urdu become a forgotten language?
Dimensions to be addressed
• The status of Urdu in Pakistan
• The role of the government in promoting Urdu at a national level
• Measures that the Pakistani nation can take to promote its culture and heritage through its national language
ModeratorMr Qasim Jafri Mr Qasim Jafri was former chief Operating Officer, Nishat Hotels and Properties and also worked with Hilton International, Marriott International, Pearl Continental and Avari International Hotels in Europe, Canada and Middle East as well as in Islamabad and Lahore. A Cornell University graduate, he has also attended hotel schools in Europe and Asia.
Mr Jafri also represents Pakistan at the government-to-government India-Pakistan task force on Tourism and Culture, is President of Board of Governors of Goethe Institute Lahore, CFO of Lahore Heritage Foundation and Vice Chairman of Mashal.
Mr Jafri is keenly involved in the preservation and promotion of poetry, literature, calligraphy, music, environment and human rights. He speaks five languages, Urdu, Farsi, Punjabi, English and German.
PanellistMs Ruqqaya FarooqiMs Tahira Abdullah Ms Tahira Abdullah is an economic development practitioner focusing on poverty issues. She is a researcher, an author, a peace activist, a human rights defender and a humanitarian volunteer. Ms Abdullah has been a trustee and a volunteer worker with the Pehli Kiran schools in katchi abaadis of Islamabad since 1995. Mr. Usman Siddiqui Mr Usman Siddiqui has a degree in Industrial Engineering and Operations Research with highest distinction from Purdue University, Indiana, USA. Upon completing his education, Mr Siddiqui worked with Supply Chain Planning Software at i2 Technologies (now JDA software) in Dallas. Not one to shy away from a challenge, Mr Siddiqui quit his job to be closer to his family, moved back to Pakistan, and started exploring the possibility of building a start-up in the country.
Thus what started as a small idea in 2009 has evolved into three full-fledged services with the clear mission of making access to books easier and developing novel, more palatable forms of consumption especially for Urdu literature. Mr Siddiqui’s The Readers Club, Kitabain and Urdu audio books on Audible stand at the forefront of making literature accessible across the country through the utilisation of the digital platform.
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GEO - Panel Discussion
Educating for Peace: Schooling in an age of conflict
Educating for Peace: Schooling in an age of conflict
Main Question
What is the role of education in the creation and maintenance of peaceful societies?
Dimensions to be addressed:
• The dilemma between schooling and survival in situations of conflict
• Problems faced by schools in providing a safe and secure learning environment
• Transformational educational experiences to develop values, attitudes and behaviours for youth to live in harmony
ModeratorMs Sidra Iqbal A prominent Beaconhouse alumna, Ms Sidra Iqbal is an internationally acclaimed television journalist and development activist. She is the first Pakistani to be presented the GR8 Women Award for Journalism 2014 by the government of UAE and the Indian Television Academy. Ms Iqbal is an accomplished media communications strategist and has also served as vice president public relations at Ogilvy & Mather Pakistan. Her television career highlights include coverage of two national elections of Pakistan (2008 and 2013), special series of financial policy debates of Pakistan Federal Budgets through 2007 to 2014, covering and reporting the US-Pakistan and India-Pakistan strategic dialogues, among many others.
Ms Iqbal is a powerful advocacy voice and a youth icon with keen interest in youth education and women empowerment. PanellistDr. Ishrat Husain Dr Ishrat Husain is the Dean and Director of Institute of Business Administration, Karachi – the oldest graduate business school in Pakistan established in 1955. Dr Husain served as the chairman of the National Commission for Government Reforms for two years from 2006 to 2008. He was appointed the governor of Pakistan’s Central Bank in December 1999. He was conferred the prestigious award of Hilal-e-Imtiaz by the President of Pakistan in 2003. The Banker Magazine of London declared him the Central Bank Governor of the Year for Asia in 2005. He received the Asian Banker Lifetime Achievement Award in 2006. Dr Husain had a distinguished career at the World Bank for over two decades 1979-1999.
Since his retirement as governor, he has been actively involved in many national and international assignments.
Dr Husain has maintained an active scholarly interest in development issues. He has authored 18 books and monographs and contributed more than three dozen articles in refereed journals and 27 chapters in books. His book, Pakistan: The Economy of the Elitist State, published by Oxford University Press is widely read in Pakistan and outside.
Dr Husain obtained his Master’s degree in Development Economics from Williams College and Doctorate in Economics from Boston University in 1978. He is a graduate of Executive Development Programme jointly sponsored by Harvard, Stanford and INSEAD.
Mr Naeem Sadiq An industrial engineer by training, Mr Naeem Sadiq has been working as a consultant and a trainer in the field of occupational health and safety for the last 25 years. Prior to that, he spent four years as the principal of PIA's Training Centre, Karachi.
Mr Sadiq also writes on issues of social and environmental concerns. Deweaponisation, freedom of information, electoral reforms and environmental protection are his areas of special interest, research and advocacy.
He is also the author of two books, A Practical Guide to ISO 14001 and OHSAS 18001 Occupational Health and Safety Management System, published by IT Governance Limited.
Dr. Paul Beedle Mr Paul Beedle is a social anthropologist by training. After completing his PhD at Cambridge, Mr Beedle became a research fellow in Social Policy and Administration at the University of Kent at Canterbury. He then worked at City and Guilds of London Institute, the leading vocational assessment and certification body, as Senior Researcher on policy, planning and innovations. Mr Beedle holds a M. Ed. in Educational Assessment from the University of Bristol.
Mr Beedle joined Cambridge Assessment in 1987. He has had a wide range of roles there over the years, e.g. directing skills assessment and developing curriculum and qualifications. He is now currently the Head of Professional Development Qualifications (PDQs) at Cambridge. In this capacity, he leads the strategic development and management and supervises the quality of assessment, centre support and resources, working hand in hand with UCL Institute of Education (IOE).
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S&S - Interactive Workshop
Robotics and Societies
Robotics and Societies
This workshop examines how Robotics affect the evolution of society. It will explore topics such as artificial intelligence, autonomous cars and cyborgs, amongst others. Intelligent technology is undoubtedly intertwined with our future - this workshop brings that to the fore.
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| 12:30 - 13:30 |
S&S - Panel Discussion
Is Shakespeare still relevant in 21st century education?
Is Shakespeare still relevant in 21st century education?
Is Shakespeare still relevant in 21st century education?
Dimensions to be addressed:
• The significance of Shakespearean themes in the digital world
• The relevance of Shakespearean language (blank verse) for effective communication in the 21st century
• Links between the `in depth` understanding of Shakespeare`s works and the knowledge and skills required by corporations and organisations today
ModeratorMr Omair Rana Mr Omair Rana graduated with an honours degree in Economics and Management from the London School of Economics and Political Science. Besides being a professional actor, he has worked in a vast variety of sectors of the economy ranging from entertainment, education and hospitality to ICT, event management and manufacturing. With eight years of professional training experience, Mr Rana has been driven by setting people up for excellence. His contributions in the education sector include training principals of Beaconhouse School System’s Central Region, giving lectures and talks at numerous institutions including LUMS, Kinnaird College, LGS, Young Entrepreneurs Forum and being a member of the Debating Society of Pakistan among others.PanellistDr Lawrence Bernard Michael Burke Dr Lawrence Burke is Chief Education Advisor for Beaconhouse School System. Prior to taking on his role with Beaconhouse, Dr Burke taught undergraduate and postgraduate courses in education and liberal studies with the Higher Colleges of Technology in the United Arab Emirates. He has held senior posts in international schools in Papua New Guinea, Singapore, Argentina, Saudi Arabia and the Fiji islands. Dr Burke has researched, written and published widely on a number of themes and ideas on education in the 21st century. These include values-based education, educational technologies, approaches to teaching and learning and reading and writing in an age of digitalised and online learning. Dr Burke is a New Zealand national and resides in Lahore, Pakistan.Mr Salman Tarik Kureshi Mr Salman Kureshi was born in Lahore and educated in Lahore, Multan and London. His adult life, with the exception of three years overseas, has been spent almost entirely in Karachi. Mr Kureshi is a retired corporate executive and presently works sporadically as a marketing consultant and management trainer. He is also an Editorial Consultant with Oxford University Press.
Mr Kureshi has been writing in English since his teens, principally poetry. His poems have been published in magazine in Britain, the US, India and Pakistan. They have also appeared in a few anthologies, including Pieces of Eight (Pakistan, 1971), Legacy of the Indus (USA, 1974), The Blue Wind (UK, 1985), Dragonfly in the Sun (Pakistan, 1998), and Journal of Postcolonial Writing (UK, 2011). A solo anthology of his poems, Landscapes of the Mind, was one of the titles in Oxford University Press’s jubilee series on Pakistan’s 50th anniversary. He is also a regular newspaper feature writer and his currently working on a series of connected short stories, another volume of poetry, and perhaps a novel.
Ms. Shahnaz Ahsanuddin Ms Shahnaz Ahsanuddin has served at Karachi Grammar School in various capacities since 1971. She has been the head of the A Level section since 1994. She is also the Senior Guidance Counsellor and is in charge of training and leading senior school college counsellors for local and foreign colleges. Ms Ahsanundin monitors and supervises all the school’s societies and clubs. She is a member of the Senior School Professional Development Team, which is responsible for teacher training and development.
Ms Ahsanundin has been teaching English Language and Literature to O and A Level students since 1971.
She has two master’s degrees in English Literature, one from the University of Cambridge and one from Government College, Lahore.
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S&S - Panel Discussion
Brave New Digital World: Dream or nightmare?
Brave New Digital World: Dream or nightmare?
Main Question
• What are the pros and cons of living in a digital world?
Dimensions to be addressed
• The positives and negatives of over reliance on digital technology for educational purposes.
• Identify the speed and scope of transformation triggered by technology on our life (social interactions, communications, relationships and overall human wellbeing)
• Examine the effects of digital technology on our local and global culture
ModeratorDr. Awab Alvi Dr Awab Alvi is a dentist by profession and practices in Karachi at Alvi Dental Hospital. He has specialised in the field of Orthodontics from Saint Louis University and Microscopic Root Canal Treatment from University of Pennsylvania. He is also a TED Senior Fellow.
Dr Alvi has maintained a political blog under the pen-name Teeth Maestro, which has become a blog challenging the rampant corruption and terrorism in Pakistan. He has emerged as a very committed civil society activist in Pakistan being the founding member of Peoples Resistance which was at the forefront challenging the martial law in 2007. Dr Alvi has extensively used online social media tools, blog, Twitter and Facebook to spread the message for a positive change in Pakistan. In 2011, he joined the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf and has become the lead social media strategist for the party to help bring a clean and dedicated leadership in Pakistan.
Dr Alvi has spoken at a number of conferences, Free Expression in Asian Cyberspace and Asia 21 in 2006, GV Summits in 2008 and 2010, TEDIndia in 2009, TED 2011 and 2012, TEDGlobal 2011 and 2012, and also at the UK Conservative Party Conference in 2011.
He is an elected member of Communications and Technical Committee at FDI World Dental Federation, the global body of dentists.
PanellistMr. Afaque Ahmed Mr Afaque Riaz Ahmed is the founder and chairperson of The Karachi Institute of Technology and Entrepreneurship (KITE).
Before coming to Pakistan to explore new entrepreneurial opportunities and reunite with family, Mr Ahmed occupied several senior engineering and sales roles in the US and Canada. In September 2003, he founded Fonebooth Networks, Inc, a telecommunications company based in the Silicon Valley. The philosophy and business model for this venture eventually became the basis for a similar business, the Breezecom Group of Companies, with companies based in Malaysia, Pakistan and the UAE which he founded in 2007.
In 2011, Mr Ahmed's passion for science and education drove him to establish the Robotics Labs, an interactive platform designed to inculcate a love of science and computer programming in young Pakistanis. This became the founding philosophy of his first higher education venture, KITE in 2012/2013.
Mr Ahmed holds an MBA (Finance) from McGill University, Canada and a Bachelor's Degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin, USA. He has also completed various professional development courses and executive programmes at Singularity University, Stanford University and at The University of California-San Diego.
Mr. Ameen Jan Ameen Jan is the founder and CEO of EDeQUAL. EDeQUAL’s turnkey and customised solutions in Math enable schools to effectively implement technology-enabled learning with the assurance of results for their students. EDeQUAL’s demonstrated results are four times more effective than normal classroom based learning methods. Ameen has over twenty years’ experience as an entrepreneur and strategy advisor to governments and private companies in Europe, North America and Asia. He has worked with the UK Prime Minister’s Strategy Unit, McKinsey & Company, and the United Nations. Ameen graduated with an MBA from Stanford University and a BA from Princeton University.Ms Jehan Ara Ms Jehan Ara is the President of the Pakistan Software Houses Association for IT & ITES (P@SHA). She has been spearheading efforts at P@SHA for the past 14 years during which time she was responsible for developing the P@SHA brand and for creating linkages between P@SHA and local and international partners.
Ms Jehan Ara has vast experience in marketing, communications and interactive new media. She is a motivator, an entrepreneur, a social activist and a strong propagator of extending the power and use of information and communication technologies beyond pure traditional business. She is a regular speaker at seminars and conferences and at colleges and universities across Pakistan and the region. Ms Jehan Ara also writes for various industry publications.
She sits on the advisory boards of the Punjab IT Board, Plan 9 Incubator, LUMS Center for Entrepreneurship incubator “The Foundation” and several universities including Habib University, IBA, IBA Sukkur and NED University. She is also the President of Bolo Bhi, a research-based civil society organisation that focuses on open access.
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S&S - Panel Discussion
Story as a Vehicle for Learning
Story as a Vehicle for Learning
Main question
How can stories drive learning across the curriculum?
Dimensions to be addressed:
• The many types of stories that exist i.e. tales, myths, fables, folklore, news stories, legends, parables etc
• The learning possibilities that stories present
• Ways to foster skilful delivery of a story
ModeratorMs. Roohi Haq Mrs Roohi Haq joined Beaconhouse as a primary school teacher in 1984. Later, she served in the capacity of School Head and Academics Coordinator for the Northern Region. In 1996, she took on the role of Director of Studies, before retiring in 2013. She trained to be a teacher trainer and received accreditation for this by two British universities.
Mrs Haq has been the driving force behind all professional development, curriculum research and development programmes that are the hallmarks of Beaconhouse’s success.
She is passionate about education and considers herself a lifelong learner. She has helped and guided many teachers towards becoming accomplished professionals and believes the best attributes for this are patience and understanding.
She now authors books for primary school children, some of which are being published currently. Reading and recording audiobooks is also one of her favourite pastimes.
PanellistMs. Lynette Viccaji Lynette Viccaji was born in 1955 in Karachi. She has an MA in English from Karachi University and B.Ed
from Notre Dame Institute of Education.
Lynette has been in the field of education for over 30 years. She has taught O Level Language and
Literature, A Level Literature, serving as coordinator and head of department, and English Curriculum
Studies at B.Ed level. Currently she is head of department at Cedar College.
Lynette served on the jury for the fiction prize for the Karachi Literature Festival, has taken part in
various conferences and seminars organized by the British council, Oxford university press and SPELT.
She has been a consultant for English textbooks for OUP. Her interests include music and drama and she
has directed over 20 school plays. She published her memoir, Made in Pakistan, in December 2017.Ms Rumana Husain Trained as a graphic designer, Ms Rumana Husain has taught art, worked as an innovative school head, is a teacher-trainer, a book illustrator, a writer and a journalist.
Ms Husain is the author of two books on Karachi, ‘Karachiwala: A Subcontinent Within a City’ and ‘Street Smart: Professionals on the Street’. She has written and illustrated over 60 children’s books and has developed numerous teachers’ manuals for publishers including the Oxford University Press, Danesh Publications, ERDC, Kathalya Publications (Nepal), Nami Children’s Books (South Korea), Butterfly Works (The Netherlands), Pratham Books (India) and the Bookgroup, which she co-founded in Karachi in 1988.
She co-founded NuktaArt - a biannual art magazine, published for 10 years, of which she was senior editor. Ms Hussain worked as Activism and Outreach Head at the Children’s Museum for Peace and Human Rights from 2001 to 2008 and taught at and headed the CAS School from 1986 to1996.
Ms Husain is an Honorary Director on the Board of the Children’s Literature Festival (CLF), Honorary General Secretary of the Karachi Conference Foundation and Founding Member Board of Governors, Society for ‘I Am Karachi’.Ms. Scheherazade Asdar Ahmad
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S&S - Panel Discussion
Should children under 13 be on Facebook?
Should children under 13 be on Facebook?
Main question
What are the pros and cons of children under 13 using Facebook?
Dimensions to be addressed:
• Why 7.5 million users of Facebook are children under 13
• Reasons for the inefficacy of the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA)
• The risks and threats posed to children as active Facebook users
ModeratorMr Fawad Chaudhry Mr Fawad Chaudhry is a lawyer by profession and politician by passion. He joined the media around three years ago but has emerged as a powerful liberal voice on our television screens. Mr Chaudhry hosts a prime-time show, Khabar Kay Peechay on a private news channel. He belongs to a prominent political family of Punjab. He has been adviser to the prime minister and is now Spokesperson of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).PanellistMr Badar Khusnood Mr Badar Khushnood specialises in B2B and B2C online strategy development, internet and email marketing and brand management. He has vast experience in developing and implementing business strategies, project plans and negotiating formal business relationships. Mr Khushnood has also extensive experience in working in multicultural, multi-stakeholder and public-private-donor partnership business models including Google Pakistan. Currently, he is the Vice President of Bramerz.pk.Ms. Mehnaz Akber Aziz Ms Mehnaz Aziz is President PARWAAN and Chief Executive and Founding Director of Children’s Global Network Pakistan (CGNPK), a non-profit educational institution working with the goal to provide quality education to all the children in Pakistan.
CGNPK initiated PARWAAN National Centre of Excellence for Early Childhood Education and Development (ECED). It functions as a focal coordinating body on ECED in Pakistan with full support from the Ministry of Education and Professional Training.
Ms Aziz, who is currently the advisor to the Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training, is a leading expert on early childhood education and care. Her work ranges from working with poor and marginalised, conflict- and disaster-struck to the low cost private schooling systems. She has pioneered innovative approaches to engage social entrepreneurs in low-cost private schools in pursuit of achieving enrolments and retention. As a senior educationist and reformist, Ms Aziz has to her credit the conception and implementation of national and provincial educational programmes and capacity-building programmes tailored to cater to the diversity and needs of provincial and district realities.
She has also co-authored a paper, ‘Education System Reform in Pakistan, Why, When and How?’ with David E Bloom, Professor at Harvard School of Public Health.
Ms Aziz holds an MSc degree in Anthropology from Quaid-e-Azam University and a master’s degree in Gender and Development from the Institute of Development Studies at Sussex University, UK.
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| 13:30 - 14:00 |
Lunch Break |
| 14:00 - 15:00 |
ACL - Panel Discussion
Freedom of Expression: What sets the boundaries?
Freedom of Expression: What sets the boundaries?
Main Question
If you set limits on the freedom of expression, is it still freedom?
Dimensions to be addressed:
• Understanding what ‘freedom of expression’ means
• The various influences including, religion, society and culture on defining parameters for freedom of expression
• How the internet challenges the right to freedom of expression
• The correlation between censorship and freedom of speech; ways of achieving an “ideal” balance
ModeratorMs. Nadia Jamil Ms Nadia Jamil is a Pakistani TV actress, anchor, producer and an educationist. She has worked in many TV serials, telefilms and hosted a variety of shows. Ms Jamil hosted Jago Dunya on Dunya News. Her recent telefilm along with Fawad Khan got immense popularity with great reviews from the audience.PanellistMr Adnan Malik Film and TV star Adnan Malik is a multi-faceted, multi-talented media entrepreneur who can turn his hand at acting, directing, creative problem-solving and speaking up for the right causes at the right time. The Sadqay Tumhare and Cake star, also runs AMP, Adnan Malik Productions, an award-winning TV commercial, music video and documentary production house. Alongside this he is also World Wildlife Fund (WWF) goodwill ambassador for Pakistan and an Asia Society Fellow.
Adnan represents the 21st century male who is successful and ambitious but also gender-sensitive, compassionate and dedicated to various social causes. His specific areas of interest are mental health, wellbeing and finding balance and harmony between the demands of contemporary society and self-care. Mr Harsh Narayan Mr Harsh Narayan, an alumnus of IIM, Calcutta and NIFT Delhi, is a creative director and filmmaker from New Delhi, having varied interests in the field of art and creativity. Mr Narayan has been mentored in creativity by the veteran filmmaker Mr Shyam Benegal for more than 15 years.
He has also studied Film Appreciation from the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), Pune; and was selected for NFDC Director’s Lab and Producer’s Lab 2014 as an upcoming filmmaker.
Mr Narayan has directed documentary films, music albums, music videos, audio documentaries, animation films, TV shows; he is currently developing full length Hindi Feature film projects.
He has been creative and series director of a national reality show on classical music ‘Naad Bhed – The Mystery of Sound’, a prime time show, which was awarded by the Limca Book of Records for being the first ever TV Reality show on classical music.
Mr Narayan also has deep interest in heritage and conducts Indo-Pak peace projects. He is currently working on an ambitious Indo-Pak joint-production feature film, Ye Raste Hain Pyar Ke. Dr. Jawad Syed Prof Dr Jawad Syed, Academic FCIPD, is Professor of Organisational Behaviour and Diversity Management at the Business School, University of Huddersfield, UK where he is a co-director of the Training, Diversity and Development research group.
His main research interests include gender, race and diversity in organisations, international Human Resource Management and organisational knowledge.
With a professional and academic career that spans over 20 years in academic institutions and business organisations in the UK, Australia and Pakistan, Dr Syed examines HRM and diversity from relational, contextual and interdisciplinary perspectives, and focuses on critical integration of theory with practice. He has widely written on issues related to HRM, OB and diversity including his articles in Business Ethics Quarterly, British Journal of Management, International Journal of Human Resource Management, Human Resource Management Journal, Management Learning, and Gender, Work and Organisation. He has co-edited four research volumes and textbooks.
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GEO - Panel Discussion
Politicising Art and Popular Culture Across Borders
Politicising Art and Popular Culture Across Borders
Main question
Should art and cultural exchanges within historically antagonistic nations be subject to politics, borders and agendas or should art and culture be left to roam free of political considerations?
Dimensions to be addressed
• The role and responsibilities of art and cultural leaders; can art truly serve as a language for communication across borders? Or do ‘broader’ political issues need to be resolved before any other exchange takes place?
• Understanding culture, history and beliefs through art.
• Role of art in relation to instances of cultural encounter and trans-cultural interchange.
• Role of social media and film in breaking boundaries or reinforcing them.
ModeratorMr. Hussain M. Naqvi H.M. Naqvi is the award-winning author of Home Boy. He has worked in the financial services industry, run a slam venue, and taught creative writing at Boston University. He has received the DSC Prize for South Asian Literature, the Phelam Prize for poetry, and has participated in the Brooklyn Book Festival, the Jaipur Literature Festival, Art Dubai, Lollapalooza, and the IWP residency at the University of Iowa. Ensconced in Karachi, H.M. Naqvi is working on his second novel.
PanellistMr Khalid Ahmad With a Master’s degree from University of California, Davis, Khalid Ahmad was initially trained as an engineer and taught for many years at NED University, Karachi. All this while, his interest in theatre and television continued to grow. In 1981, he finally decided to switch careers and went off to study theatre at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA). Upon his return, Khalid devoted himself fully to the performing arts. Since then, his contribution to theatre and television drama has been immense. Khalid also has a long experience of actor training and is presently the Head of Dramatic Studies at the National Academy of Performing Arts, Karachi (NAPA) where he teaches voice and acting.Mr Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri Mr Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri is former Foreign Minister of Pakistan as well as former caretaker Minister for Parliamentary Affairs. After topping the BA (Hons) examination of the Punjab University, Mr Kasuri proceeded to Cambridge University where he did his Law Tripos. He then went to Oxford University for a postgraduate degree in Public Administration and Political Science. Mr Kasuri was called to the Bar from Gray’s Inn, London.
He started his political career with the Tehreek-e-Istaqlal (TI), which was the main opposition party at the time. He rose to be its secretary general. Mr Kasuri was elected to the National Assembly in 1997 and 2002. He was elected as Chairman of the Standing Committee on Information and Media Development. He was Foreign Minister from 2002-2007.
Mr Kasuri is currently Senior Advisor on Political and International Affairs and Chairman of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s Task Force on Kashmir and a member of the party’s Core Committee.
Mr Rashid Rana Widely considered to be most original and prominent artist working in South Asia today, Mr Rashid Rana lives and works in Lahore. Known for his ideas, imagery and pictorial strategies, he has worked in dramatically different modes such as paintings, stainless steel sculptures, video installation, photo-sculptures and photo mosaics. Mr Rana has shown extensively at various public and private institutions all over the world including Venice Biennale, Mohatta Palace Museum Karachi, Singapore Art Museum, Hong Kong Art Center, Cornerhouse Manchester, Musee Guimet Paris, Queensland Art Gallery Brisbane, Fotomuseum Winterthur, Whitechapel Gallery London, Lower Belvedere Vienna and Asia Society Museum New York. Parallel to his art career, Mr Rana has been associated with academia for the last two decades. He is the founding faculty member and currently the Dean of the School of Visual Arts and Design at the Beaconhouse National University, Lahore.Mr. Sanjay Rajoura Mr Sanjay Rajoura, 42, is an Indian humourist and a political critic, who uses stand-up comedy as his tool of expression.
Born and raised in New Delhi, Mr Rajoura studied information technology and was part of India’s booming software industry for 10 years, overseeing projects in India, Singapore and the United States.
In 2009, Mr Rajoura quit his flourishing career and returned to India. Through his work as a Hindi-language performer, he has consistently tried to steer the art form away from its elitist, English-speaking, big-city moorings, which is marked by its uncritical embrace of privilege, patriarchy and power.
On stage, Mr Rajoura’s politics is palpable as he laces his stories about caste injustice, gender bias, rural-urban divide and economic exploitation with wit.
This year, Mr Rajoura co-wrote and produced the hit song on India-Pakistan ties called “Mere Samne Wali Sarhad Pe”, which became an instant online sensation in both sides of the border.
Mr Rajoura blogs about social and political issues and is currently writing a film based on Karachi.
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GEO - Panel Discussion
Teaching History and Social Studies in Intercultural Societies
Teaching History and Social Studies in Intercultural Societies
Main Question
How can teachers be impartial in an intercultural Social Studies classroom?
Dimensions to be addressed:
• Ways to develop cultural sensitivity
• Raising awareness to create acceptance among multicultural groups in Social Studies lessons
• The skill set required for teachers to teach intercultural history and Social Studies in intercultural societies
ModeratorMs Mehmal Sarfraz PanellistMr. Aamer A. Khan Dr Abdul Hameed Nayyar Dr Abdul Hameed Nayyar is a physicist who retired from Quaid-e-Azam University, Islamabad after serving it for over 30 years. Since retirement, he has pursued research on issues in education, energy and nuclear disarmament. Dr Nayyar has been associated with Princeton University, USA, Lahore University of Management Sciences, Ali Institute of Education Lahore, Developments in Literacy and the Sustainable Development Policy Institute, Islamabad, in various capacities. He is a member of the International Panel on Fissile Materials. He received the 2010 Joseph A Burton Award from the American Physical Society. Dr Nayyar also participates in national, regional and international peace movements.Mr. Syed Akeel Bilgrami Syed Akeel Bilgrami has been practicing architecture since 1972 and is Chairman of Najmi Bilgrami Collaborative (Pvt) Ltd. He was twice elected President of the Institute of Architects Pakistan (IAP) and during 1990-92 served as Chairman of the 19-nation Architects Regional Council Asia (ARCASIA) of which he was also the advisor in 2014. Mr Bilgrami is the Immediate Past Chairman of the Board of Architectural Education (BAE-IAP).
He is a founder of Indus Valley School of Art & Architecture, where he was the executive director from 1997-2000 and taught for several years as adjunct faculty. He has presented papers at national and international seminars and conferences, including two papers at the World Congress of Architects in Tokyo in 2011. He has been a juror for over 35 national and international design competitions and awards.
Mr Bilgrami is also a founder trustee of several educational, social, philanthropic and environmental organisations.
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Gymboree Talks: Panel Discussion
What is Normal? Developmental milestones in young children
What is Normal? Developmental milestones in young children
Main Question
What should parents and teachers know about child development and when should they be concerned?
Dimensions to be addressed:
• Ways to measure growth using developmental milestones as indicators of what is normal
• When to raise the “red flag”
• Interventions to address and overcome barriers to development
• Organisations and experts for support
ModeratorMs Sophia Kasim Kasuri Ms Sophia Kasim Kasuri, Director Gymboree Play & Music Pakistan, has received the award for Woman of Inspiration as a Trendsetter Educationist of Pakistan. She was selected for Wonder Women by the National Hero Foundation, an award which recognises and honours exceptional Pakistani women for their achievements in all walks of life. Early childhood education is not merely an academic interest for Ms Kasuri – she is passionate about its importance and the need to develop more awareness among parents of its benefits.
Having been involved in early childhood development for the past 10 years – initially as Founder and Director of The Early Years, and then as the Project Director of Gymboree Play & Learn – Ms Kasuri has paved the way for a better understanding of the importance of early childhood education in Pakistan.
As Director of Gymboree Play & Learn, she is involved with the implementation and strategic development of the franchise as well as teacher education and curriculum development.
Ms Kasuri’s primary focus within the broad field of early childhood development is on creating awareness not only of how crucial a child’s first few years are in terms of their physical, mental and behavioural development, but also on how to work with parents to facilitate social skills and personality development.
PanellistDr. Farhana Akbar Dr. Akbar has taught in Dubai for 15 years in various schools and taught in British Overseas School for 13 years from 2000-2013. She has alos opened a Pre school ALC (Akbar Learning Center) catering for children from one and a half years old to 5 years old. This pre school opened in Sept 2014.
She did her PhD in Special Education from USA and MeD in Special and Inclusive Education from Sheffield University UK.Dr Feriha Peracha Dr Feriha Peracha has a PhD and specialises in Clinical Neuropsychology. She is currently working at Neuropsychiatric Awareness & Rehabilitation Institute (NARI), Lahore. Ms. Mona Ali Mona Ali is a Speech Language Pathologist with a bachelor of arts from Karachi University and master degree in Audiology and Speech Pathology. At present she holds an Outpatient Speech Clinic, under the supervision of physiotherapy Department, since 2012. She practices with Speech and language disordered history patients and is specialist in achieving the fast track to speech milestones .Ms Saira Mubashir Butt Ms Saira Mubashir Butt is General Manager Early Childhood Education at the Beaconhouse School System. In this role, she is responsible for providing strategic direction for curriculum development, dissemination and teacher training for the Early Childhood sector. Additionally, she is a key member on a number of committees and councils. Prior to this, Ms Butt served as a consultant for ‘The New School’ and played a key role in the development of the vision and later as acting head during which time her work centred on the development of the curriculum, establishment of systems and teacher training.
She has also been an advocate for promoting the integration of education technology in Early Years classrooms and has been instrumental in uplifting and improving Early Years provision.
Ms Butt is a respected leader in the field of Early Childhood Education and has 25 years of experience in the field. She has attended and presented at numerous national and international conferences.
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| 15:10 - 16:10 |
MDT - Panel Discussion
Growing Up Without Boundaries: The inescapable influence of electronic media on young people
Growing Up Without Boundaries: The inescapable influence of electronic media on young people
Main Question
What emerging technologies and innovations are impacting young minds?
Dimensions to be addressed:
• The role of e-media in promoting global thinking and knowledge construction
• The term ‘too much information’ and the ability of young users to discern between appropriate and inappropriate content
• The role of schools and society in developing digital citizenship
ModeratorMr Shahbaz Siddique Mr Shahbaz Siddique started his company Nucleus Media from home in 1999. It has now grown into a leading vertically-integrated media facility in Pakistan.
Mr Siddique was in the core team that "gave birth" to the independent satellite channel, Indus TV, in 2000. He further garnered accolades in producing some of the highly-rated shows for ARY Digital, as well as pioneering a flagship show called Maachis for HUM TV in 2003-4. Maachis received an ovation at the IPO of HUM TV at the Karachi Stock Exchange. Mr Siddique’s business ideology revolves around forging win-win relationships with client broadcasters and brands.
As a founder of Media Psychology Research Center Pakistan (MPRCP.ORG), Mr Siddiqui has given a new dimension to his career, that of a research scholar in the unchartered field of Media Psychology in Pakistan.
PanellistMr Gauher Aftab Ahmad Mr Gauher Aftab is Director Business Development at HY Enterprises and author of critically acclaimed series, Paasban the Guardian. He is also serving as Lead Consultant for research and development sector projects at Gauher & Adeel Associates and is Programme Director for the company's educational services projects under the banner of the Lahore Students Union (LSU).
Mr Aftab has worked both in Pakistan and abroad as a business development professional and strategy consultant in diverse sectors such as financial services, advertising, telecommunications and education. He has served as Project Lead on several communications and research projects in Pakistan for development sector organisations such as USAID, the British High Commission (BHC), the British Council, the Chevening Foundation, GIZ, UNAID and UNESCO.
Ms. Mashall Chaudhri Mashall Chaudhri is Founder and Director of Reading Room Project (RRP), which builds vibrant community learning environments for low-income Pakistani students. RRP teaches students intensive English and Digital Literacy and how to self-learn from the Internet.
Mashall is based in Karachi and holds a Bachelor’s degree in Foreign Service from Georgetown University. She is an Acumen Regional Fellow.Mr. Shahjahan Chaudhary Shahjahan Chaudhry is a tech entrepreneur and the current Director of National Incubation Centre Karachi, a public-private partnership funded by Ignite and managed by a consortium of LMKT, HBL, PTCL, PPAF and NED University. He has previously been on the board of P@SHA (Pakistan Software Houses Association) and PeachNiche (T2F). He is on the Advisory Board of P@SHA Social Innovation Fund and The Nest I/O, a Google-funded incubator in Karachi. Shahjahan is deeply interested in the interaction of technology, policy and entrepreneurship to lift up the bottom 100 million of Pakistan.
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PPEP - Panel Discussion
Are private schools enablers or dividers?
Are private schools enablers or dividers?
In recent months, there has been heightened national discourse on the role of private schools in Pakistan. It is indeed eye-opening that over 40% of school-going children in Pakistan attend private schools – starting with those that charge a few hundred rupees a month to schools charging far more.
Dimensions to be addressed:
• Whose responsibility is education?
• Have private schools made a contribution to nation-building since 1947? Or has the mere existence of private schools broadened the gap between the affluent and the disadvantaged?
• Is it healthy for people to have different educational options at different price points for their children?
• How do we address the perceived ‘quality gap’ between private and public schools?
ModeratorMs Mehmal Sarfraz PanellistMs Baela Raza Jamil Ms Baela Raza Jamil is a public policy specialist and currently the Director of Programmes at Idara-e-Taleem-o-Aagahi (ITA), the Director of the Institute for Professional Learning, a coordinator at the South Asia Forum for Education Development (SAFED) and Managing Trustee at the Sanjan Nagar Public Education Trust. She is also affiliated with the Technical Advisory Group of the UN Secretary General’s Global Initiative on Education, the Advisory Board of the Global Monitoring Report, the Advisory Board Assessment at the UNESCO Institute of Statistics, the Pakistan Coalition for Education (PCE), BAICE, CIES, SAFED, ARNEC and ASBAE. In the past, Ms Jamil has served as technical adviser to the Ministry for Education. Her areas of expertise include education quality, community-based initiatives for education access, early childhood education, district education planning, local governance and public-private partnerships. Her academic experience includes degrees from the University of London, Rosemont College, Harvard University and the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS).Dr. Farzana Firoz Three decades ago, Dr Farzana Firoz realised that education was the key to unlocking the full potential of her home country and would act as a catalyst for its development in a fast changing world. She therefore made it her mission to make good quality learning accessible and widespread. In 1977, she used her personal savings to open the first City School in Karachi. Its success encouraged her to open a second one in 1979 and since then, this pioneering enterprise has become the hugely successful institution with more than 145 schools in Pakistan along with an expanding schools’ programme abroad.
One of Dr Firoz’s special focuses from the very first day has been training and professional development of teachers. Therefore, in collaboration with the teacher training department of a renowned UK-based university, a comprehensive teacher training programme was developed which has over the years reached thousands of teachers.
Amongst her early objectives was the provision of structured career development for women with concurrent opportunities for professional development. A further objective for the schools, and one that perhaps deserves greater prominence, is the unifying factor. The name ‘The City School’ is aptly in singular form: its educational philosophy and values are designed to encourage a sense of purpose and pride in Pakistan as a nation.
Mr. Nisar Ahmed Khuhro Nisar Khuhro is a politician who is the former Speaker of the Provincial Assembly of Sindh. He is currently the Sindh Senior Minister for Education and Literacy, a post he assumed in May 2013.Dr Pervez A Hoodbhoy Dr Pervez Amirali Hoodbhoy is a Pakistani nuclear physicist, essayist and national security analyst. He taught at the Quaid-e-Azam University’s Physics Department for 40 years before becoming a professor of Physics and Mathematics at Forman Christian College University in Lahore where he currently teaches.
The awards Dr Hoodbhoy has won include the IEEE Baker Award for Electronics (1968), the Abdus Salam Prize for Mathematics (1984), the UNESCO Kalinga Prize for the Popularisation of Science (2003), the Joseph A Burton Award (2010) from the American Physical Society and the Jean Meyer Award from Tufts University. In 2011, he was included in the list of 100 most influential global thinkers by Foreign Policy magazine. In 2013, he was made a member of the UN Secretary General's Advisory Board on Disarmament, a position he currently holds.
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ENV - Panel Discussion
Leaving Behind a Mess: Climate change and our children’s future
Leaving Behind a Mess: Climate change and our children’s future
Main Question
What human activities are responsible for the degradation of our environment?
Dimensions to be addressed:
• How current environmental problems are increasing vulnerability to disasters and catastrophes
• Climate change as a result of human activities
• The role of consumers and producers in building a sustainable environment
ModeratorMs Laila Kasuri Laila Kasuri is a water analyst with the Global Green Growth Institute, where she is working on developing low-carbon, sustainable and bankable business models in the water and sanitation sector, that provide social, environmental and economic returns on capital. She has helped mobilise climate finance and private sector impact funding for water and sanitation projects, in Cambodia, Lao PDR, Vietnam, Philippines, Myanmar, Jordan and Senegal. Prior to joining GGGI, Laila was leading research at the Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) Centre for Water Informatics and Technology, and consulting the World Bank as part of the South Asia Water Initiative (SAWI) on river basin planning and management in Pakistan. She has previously worked on projects focused on flood risk reduction and the “room for the river” concept in the Lower Mississippi River, the Indus River, the Sacramento-San Joaquin River and the Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghana Rivers. Laila has also worked previously with the Asian Development Bank, the World Bank, the US Army Corps of Engineers, and the UC Davis Center for Watershed Sciences in California, and as a Harvard Water Fellow.
Laila has a Bachelor’s degree in engineering sciences from Harvard and a Masters in Water Resources Engineering from University of California, Davis with a minor in agricultural development.PanellistDr Muhammad Afzal Chaudhry Dr Muhammad Afzal Chaudhry is a renowned forestry scientist and an environmentalist. He has a Master’s degree in Forestry from Pakistan Forest Institute, University of Peshawar and a PhD in Environment Science from Makerere University Kampala. He also has an MBA in Marketing.
In 1965, Dr Chaudhry joined the then West Pakistan Forest Service as assistant conservator of forests and retired as the chief conservator of forests Punjab in 2000. After retirement, Dr Chaudhry worked as a consultant in the fields of Environment and Renewable Natural Resources.
He has over 92 publications to his credit and has participated in a number of international and local conferences, seminars and workshops. He is a member of many elite professional societies including the New York Academy of Sciences, the American Society of Foresters and the International Society of Tropical Foresters. He is a visiting faculty member of a number of academic institutions.
Dr Chaudhry is currently involved in the Neelum-Jhelum Hydropower Project.Ms. Sabrina Dawood
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GEO - Panel Discussion
How relevant is contemporary education for today’s world?
How relevant is contemporary education for today’s world?
Main question
Is contemporary education equipping students with the necessary skills to cope with the dynamic and ever-changing environment of today’s world?
Dimensions to be addressed:
• Factors resulting in an exponential increase in the rate of changes in today’s world
• The skills required to cope with the geopolitical, economic and social issues present today
• Ways in which schools can equip students to deal with change
ModeratorMr Omair Rana Mr Omair Rana graduated with an honours degree in Economics and Management from the London School of Economics and Political Science. Besides being a professional actor, he has worked in a vast variety of sectors of the economy ranging from entertainment, education and hospitality to ICT, event management and manufacturing. With eight years of professional training experience, Mr Rana has been driven by setting people up for excellence. His contributions in the education sector include training principals of Beaconhouse School System’s Central Region, giving lectures and talks at numerous institutions including LUMS, Kinnaird College, LGS, Young Entrepreneurs Forum and being a member of the Debating Society of Pakistan among others.PanellistMr. Bilal Hameed Mr Bilal Hameed teaches A Level Chemistry at Cedar College. He started teaching in 2003 and has taught at leading schools in Karachi.
Being a strong proponent of accessibility to education, Mr Hameed strives to diminish the orthodox limitations of the classroom, introducing modern technologies and media into the education process. He envisions collaboration in education between teachers and students around the world as he strongly believes that students can only benefit from exposure to such educational facilities. Mr Hameed is ever-ready to adapt his teaching methods to the students’ needs and the media available to them including the use of pre-recorded lectures, interactive books and online forums. This initiative was sparked by his prior work as a programmer, both in the United States and in Pakistan.
Having completed his A Levels from Karachi Grammar School, Mr Hameed went to Rutgers University, USA, to study Computer Science and Chemistry.
Mr. Carl Clifford Olson Mr Carl Olson is a lifelong educator and an advocate for the experiential learning theory. He has a Master’s degree in Education from Minnesota State University at Winona and a Master’s degree in Guidance and Counseling from Wisconsin State University Stout. He also has experience and certification as a K-12 school administrator. Mr Olson has over 30 years of involvement in leadership education. This comes from his work as a student council advisor, Wisconsin Association of School Councils board member, leadership camp director. He has been a presenter at various conferences and workshops.
In 1993, Mr Olson founded “Energizer Olson”, by drawing on his successful background and experience as an educator, coach, administrator and leadership trainer. The mission of the organisation was to empower his clients for success, using motivation, attitude and sound current theory and practice. His programmes include keynote presentations, workshops and consulting. Currently he is retired from his regular education job and has focused his efforts on his work with “Energizer Olson Presentations”.
Dr. Kiran Seth Dr Kiran Seth is a Professor at the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi Department of Mechanical Engineering since 1976, and is the founder of SPIC MACAY (1977), a non-profit organisation which promotes Indian classical music, dance and other aspects Indian culture, amongst youth the world over.
Dr Seth secured All India Rank 28 in the prestigious Joint Entrance Examination. Seth was one of the toppers of Mechanical Engineering from IIT Kharagpur in the year 1970, after which he did his Masters and Ph.D. from Columbia University in New York.
He started his career as a Member of the Technical Staff at Bell Laboratories, New Jersey in 1974, a job he gave up to return to India in 1976 to teach and do research work at IIT Delhi, where he has been working ever since.
He has been member of several committees and boards, including, Central Advisory Board of Education, General Council of the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), Executive Board of the Sangeet Natak Akademi, and Advisory Board (Education) of the Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan.
Dr Seth has been awarded Padma Shri by the government of India, Distinguished Alumnus Award by the IIT Kharagpur, NDTV Indian of the Year under Arts and Culture category in 2009.
Mr Stephen John Crowley
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| 16:20 - 17:20 |
ACL - Panel Discussion
From "Bol Kay Lab Azaad Hain Tere" to "Mein Nahin Maanta": Insights on Pakistan’s revolutionary poets
From "Bol Kay Lab Azaad Hain Tere" to "Mein Nahin Maanta": Insights on Pakistan’s revolutionary poets
Main Question
What has the impact of revolutionary Urdu poetry been on the social, cultural and political landscape of Pakistan?
Dimensions to be addressed:
• Social, political and economic scenarios, revolutionary poets and their poetry
• Raising a voice against oppression, subjugation and despotism
• The impact of revolutionary poets/poetry on the youth
ModeratorMr Qasim Jafri Mr Qasim Jafri was former chief Operating Officer, Nishat Hotels and Properties and also worked with Hilton International, Marriott International, Pearl Continental and Avari International Hotels in Europe, Canada and Middle East as well as in Islamabad and Lahore. A Cornell University graduate, he has also attended hotel schools in Europe and Asia.
Mr Jafri also represents Pakistan at the government-to-government India-Pakistan task force on Tourism and Culture, is President of Board of Governors of Goethe Institute Lahore, CFO of Lahore Heritage Foundation and Vice Chairman of Mashal.
Mr Jafri is keenly involved in the preservation and promotion of poetry, literature, calligraphy, music, environment and human rights. He speaks five languages, Urdu, Farsi, Punjabi, English and German.
PanellistDr. Nauman Naqvi Mr. Syed Babar Imam Mr Syed Babar Imam is a software engineer from Patna, India. He is a passionate literature enthusiast. Mr Imam was educated at Aligarh Muslim University and has worked with ITC InfoTech, CLI3L and SITEL India. He now has his own software business, which he runs along with his horticulture and apiculture occupation.
Mr Imam comes from a family of poets and writers and is presently engaged in a lot of literary work that includes a commentary on Ghalib’s poetry, teaching technical aspects of poetry and rejuvenating forgotten poetry.
Mr Wajid Jawad Wajid Jawad is a businessman and publisher and very fond of poetry. He is known in the Karachi literary circles as a respected scholar. He has been involved with various groups in promoting Urdu poetry. Wajid has produced pocketbook versions of the complete poems of Ghalib and Faiz and has spoken widely on Ghalib’s life and poetry.
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PPEP - Panel Discussion
Can public and private education partnerships work?
Can public and private education partnerships work?
Main Question
What could be the role and impact of public-private partnerships (PPP) in education?
Dimensions:
• Examine the role of private education providers in Pakistan over the last 2-3 decades
• Explore how PPP in education can maximize the potential for expanding equitable access to schooling, and for improving educational outcomes for students
• Discuss the possible challenges for private sector involvement in public education and suggest ways to overcome these
• Examine successful PPP models in Pakistan and other countries in the region
• Identify means of ensuring accountability for all players (private sector, government, parents, students) in PPP in education
ModeratorMr. Aamer A. Khan PanellistMr. Afaque Ahmed Mr Afaque Riaz Ahmed is the founder and chairperson of The Karachi Institute of Technology and Entrepreneurship (KITE).
Before coming to Pakistan to explore new entrepreneurial opportunities and reunite with family, Mr Ahmed occupied several senior engineering and sales roles in the US and Canada. In September 2003, he founded Fonebooth Networks, Inc, a telecommunications company based in the Silicon Valley. The philosophy and business model for this venture eventually became the basis for a similar business, the Breezecom Group of Companies, with companies based in Malaysia, Pakistan and the UAE which he founded in 2007.
In 2011, Mr Ahmed's passion for science and education drove him to establish the Robotics Labs, an interactive platform designed to inculcate a love of science and computer programming in young Pakistanis. This became the founding philosophy of his first higher education venture, KITE in 2012/2013.
Mr Ahmed holds an MBA (Finance) from McGill University, Canada and a Bachelor's Degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin, USA. He has also completed various professional development courses and executive programmes at Singularity University, Stanford University and at The University of California-San Diego.
Mr. Jens Zimmermann Mr. Jens Yahya Zimmermann is a Partner and Managing Director at New Silk Route. Mr. Zimmermann joined New Silk Route in September 2007 and focuses on private equity opportunities across the Middle East and Asia. Since 2004, Mr. Zimmermann has been working in Private Equity in South Asia and the Middle East. He has led over 40 private equity investments, served on over 20 boards and founded several companies in the United States, Europe, and Asia. Mr. Zimmermann has two decades of private equity experience and a track record of building successful businesses internationally. He serves as Managing Director of HGU Hamburger Unternehmensbeteiligungs Aktiengesellschaft. After working for Booz Allen Hamilton Holding Corporation’s acquisition services team in 1990’s, he joined a pioneer buyout group in Germany in 1995, before co-founding HGU Hamburg Private Equity AG in 1998. He is a Member of Advisory Board of Kaizen Management Advisors Pvt. Ltd. Mr. Zimmermann serves as a Director of Harvard Business School Club of the UAE. He holds M.B.A. from the Harvard Business School, from where he graduated in 1995.
Dr Nafisa Shah Dr Nafisa Shah is a Member of the National Assembly from the Pakistan People’s Party Parliamentarians (PPPP) and Vice-President of Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA). During the tenure of the PPP-led coalition government (2008–2013), Dr Shah served as the chair of the National Commission for Human Development and General Secretary of the Women’s Parliamentary Caucus. She frequently writes for publications such as The Express Tribune and The News.
Upon finishing her undergraduate studies, Dr Shah started working with Newsline and the Sustainable Development Policy Institute. In recognition of her groundbreaking research work, Dr Shah was admitted as a Chevening Scholar to the Institute of Social and Cultural Anthropology at the University of Oxford. After completing her Masters in Social and Cultural Anthropology, she enrolled in a doctoral programme in Anthropology. After spending 10 years conducting research, she completed her doctoral thesis on "Honour Violence, Law and Power: A Case Study of Karo Kari in Upper Sindh" at the University of Oxford. Her book on the topic is under publication.
Ms. Seema Aziz Ms Seema Aziz is an entrepreneur and social activist who has been working for the cause of education in Pakistan since 1988. She is the founder and chairperson of CARE Foundation, the largest non-government organisation in Pakistan, educating more than 185,000 students through 396 schools.
Ms Aziz started a business in 1985 to prove that Pakistan could produce embroidered fabric equal in quality and design to the best in the world. Today, 30 years on, Bareeze is a symbol of pride for Pakistan as the most recognisable Pakistani brand, both within the country and abroad.
Ms Aziz is an alumna of the University of Punjab and Harvard Business School. Being actively involved in improving educational opportunities for Pakistani children, she is on the boards of multiple government and private bodies working in the sector. She is also a global advisor for Harvard Business School.
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S&S - In conversation with:
Making Education Relevant for the Next Generation
Making Education Relevant for the Next Generation
Main Question
What will it take to educate the future generation?
Dimensions to be addressed:
• The massive and ongoing social, economic and technological changes and their impact on human knowledge
• Ways to equip students to deal with the increasingly intense and contradictory pressures that they will be subjected to in the workplace of tomorrow
• Strategies to make education relevant for the next generation
GuestDr. Roger Carl Schank Dr Roger Schank is one of the world's leading visionaries in artificial intelligence, learning theory, cognitive science and the building of virtual learning environments. He holds a PhD in linguistics from the University of Texas. He was selected as one of the top 10 movers and shakers in e-Learning in the world for 2010 and 2011.
He was the Founder of the renowned Institute for the Learning Sciences at Northwestern University, where he is John P Evans Professor Emeritus in Computer Science, Education and Psychology. He was Professor of computer science and psychology at Yale University and Director of the Yale Artificial Intelligence Project. He was a visiting professor at the University of Paris VII, Assistant Professor of Computer Science and Linguistics at Stanford University and research fellow at the Institute for Semantics and Cognition in Switzerland.
He also served as the Distinguished Career Professor in the School of Computer Science at Carnegie Mellon University. He is a fellow of the AAAI and is founder of the Cognitive Science Society and co-founder of the Journal of Cognitive Science.
Dr Schank is the author of more than 20 books. Some of them are: Teaching Minds: How Cognitive Science Can Save Our Schools, The Future of Decision Making: How Revolutionary Software Can Improve the Ability to Decide, and Designing World Class E-Learning.
HostMr Nassir Mahmud Kasuri Nassir Kasuri is one of the directors and owners of Educational Services Ltd (ESL). ESL operates the Beaconhouse School System and The Educators. Along with his role on the board, he has headed various core operational units within the organisation. He has also spearheaded several projects aimed at diversifying the corporate portfolio.
Educated from the Lahore University of Management Sciences, Nassir has been Director IT at Beaconhouse as well as Chief Executive Officer of The Educators. He is currently the Executive Director for the Beaconhouse Northern Region.
In this role, Nassir is responsible for Operations and Business development of all schools in the Beaconhouse Northern Region, which consists of over 27,000 students in close to 60 branches. It is the most spread out of the three regions in Pakistan, and covers four provincial jurisdictions.
Along with his core role in Beaconhouse, Nassir has spearheaded various projects in non-education sectors. This includes setting up an ISP that later became the backbone of Beaconhouse’s communications infrastructure. He has also worked on multiple renewable energy projects, and hopes to one day integrate sustainable energy into both the Beaconhouse schools and into the corporate portfolio.
He is committed to giving back to the community, and empowering the youth of Pakistan. To this end, he is also a board member of Teach for Pakistan, an organisation that is committed to improving the quality of government school education by mobilising graduates from some of Pakistan’s top universities in a novel internship programme.
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GEO - Panel Discussion
Nationalism and Identity in Tomorrow’s Schools
Nationalism and Identity in Tomorrow’s Schools
Main Question
Education and the expression of discontent: is education in Pakistan not taking its responsibility of shaping the identity of future generations seriously?
Dimensions to be addressed:
• The concept of nationalism in Pakistan and how ordinary people in Pakistan view their relationship with the state
• The alienation of the masses due to the alternation of dictatorship and democratic governments and its impact on the education sector
• How the curriculum plays a vital role in shaping the concept of national identity in schools
ModeratorMr. Fahad Desmukh Mr Fahad Desmukh is a programme manager at Bytes for All, a human rights organisation with a special focus on technology, based in Islamabad. His work focuses on providing digital safety support and training. He is currently heading a project that will provide digital safety knowledge to journalists across Pakistan. Prior to joining Bytes for All, Mr Desmukh worked as a freelance radio journalist, contributing regularly to a number of BBC World Service news shows. He has also worked as a news reporter at Express 24/7 and Geo TV.PanellistMs. Saima Zaidi Saima Zaidi, a communication designer, did her undergraduate degree at the National College of Arts (NCA), Lahore, and received her Masters from the Pratt Institute, New York. Since 2000, she has been teaching history and concepts of design, as well as typography and visual communication at the Indus Valley School of Art and Architecture and the Department of Visual Studies, University of Karachi, Karachi.
She has researched, edited and designed the book titled ‘Mazaar, Bazaar: Design and Visual Culture in Pakistan’ published by Oxford University Press, Karachi (2010), in collaboration with the Prince Claus Fund Library, Amsterdam. An interdisciplinary study, this book explores the interaction between the present-day viewer with an image-saturated environment—especially in the urban space in Pakistan. These everyday images—ranging from iconic forms such as film-promotion hoardings, newspaper front pages and retail packaging—comment on a pluralistic society and reflect a visual culture that evolved from centuries of exchange with diverse civilizations.
Zaidi’s practice focuses on editorial design and her recent projects include the design and image selection of the books ‘Manto Centenary: 1912-2012’ and ‘The Beloved City’ edited by Bapsi Sidhwa (2012)and artists monographs of Imran Qureshi, Aisha Khalid and Rashid Rana (published by Gandhara Art in conjunction with the Hong Kong Art Centre). Significant curatorial projects have been the exhibition accompanying the seminar on ‘Mazaar, Bazaar’ at the NCA, Lahore, in 2010 and ‘Voices’, an art exhibition of young artists at the World Bank and Convention Centre, Islamabad in 2005.Mr. Shahzeb Khanzada Ms. Zohra Yusuf Ms Zohra Yusuf is the chairperson of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP). She was elected in 2011 and re-elected in April 2014 for another three years. She has been a member of HRCP since 1988 and a council member since 1990. She has served as vice chair (Sindh) and also as secretary general. Ms Yusuf was elected Vice-President FIDH – International Federation for Human Rights (a Paris-based organisation) in 2013. FIDH has members from over 130 countries.
She is also a bureau member of the South Asians for Human Rights, a Colombo-based human rights organisation representing all SAARC countries which monitors and responds to regional human rights issues.
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