GESF reveals speaker line-up

The fifth edition of the Global Education & Skills Forum will focus on the theme of "how to make real global citizens".

The event will be held from March 18-19 at Atlantis The Palm, Dubai, and will bring together senior leaders in education, as well as leaders from public, private, and social sectors.

Key speakers at the forum include Sadhguru, a yogi, mystic, bestselling author & poet; Julia Gillard, 27th Prime Minister of Australia; Thomas Friedman, NY Times columnist and Pulitzer Prize winning author; Irina Bokova, director-general of UNESCO; Andreas Schleicher, director for the Directorate of Education and Skills, OECD; Tariq Al Gurg, CEO of Dubai Cares; and Jim Ryan, the 11th dean of the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

The Global Education & Skills Forum (GESF) will debate new ways for education to transform our world, with the event culminating in the announcement of the winner of the US $1M Global Teacher Prize 2017.

Over the course of the two-day event, speakers and delegates will share ideas and deliberate on some of the biggest global education challenges and how schools can equip young people for the challenges of the future.

In an opening plenary session, Sadhguru will aim to share his decades of learning with the audience. He said: "Education needs inspiration, not just information. Only inspired human beings can transform their own lives and lives around them."

Varkey Foundation founder Sunny Varkey added: "We are honoured that Sadhguru will be joining us as we try to weave together the best way to help children become true global citizens. In a world that can look increasingly divided, Sadhguru's combination of traditional wisdom and modern scientific methods have never been more relevant to help bring us together."