Professionals, policy makers and delegates from Nigeria, leading figures from Africa and around the world are perfecting plans to forge a path to tackle the challenges in global education.
This step will be achieved during the 2025 World Schools Summit in Abu Dhabi, which will bring together over 1,000 leaders of the world’s best schools alongside policymakers, NGOs, tech companies and the biggest figures in global education to harness education to build leadership for a better world.
According to the host T4 Education, Aldar Education, the Emirates Foundation and Children’s Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF), some of what these education stakeholders will deliberate on come November 15 through to 16 at Yasmina British Academy, Abu Dhabi, UAE, is some bold ideas that will enable children not simply to survive, but to thrive in a rapidly changing world.
Vikas Pota, founder of T4 Education and the World Schools Summit, said a quarter of the way into the 21st century, the world stands at a crossroads, adding that there is a need to take urgent action to halt runaway climate change, adapt as AI revolutionise economies, promote peace in the face of destructive conflicts, and tackle the most enduring inequalities.
Pota said that a better world is possible only if leaders from across the planet, from governments to businesses, NGOs, academia and tech, recognise that at the heart of all these crucial questions lies education.
“I am proud to be bringing these leaders together at the World Schools Summit, and I invite participants from Nigeria and around the world to join us,” Pota said.
Eunice Ogolo, director, Girl Capital Africa at CIFF, said that to transform the lives of children and adolescents in Nigeria and across Africa, there is a need to focus on systemic change, funding programmes that solve problems many might consider intractable.
Ogolo said the idea of partnering on the World Schools Summit is to bring together leaders from Africa and across the planet to tackle some of the greatest challenges in education and, in turn, make a difference to the lives of children worldwide.
On her part, Caroline Mutepfa, director of Microsoft Elevate, said she looks forward to sharing Microsoft’s vision for empowering educators and students through AI-driven tools, personalised learning, and skill-based pathways that build confidence and career readiness.
“This is also an opportunity to learn from global education leaders and explore how we can responsibly and ethically bring AI into classrooms. As AI transforms how people work, learn, and lead, closing skills gaps at scale is critical. Microsoft believes AI can help educators refocus on what matters most: the learner,” Mutepfa added.
Speakers expected at the summit are: Ben Gomes, chief technologist, learning and sustainability, Google; Angeline Murimirwa, CEO of CAMFED and one of TIME magazine’s 100 Most Influential People of 2025; Theron Feemster, Grammy Award-winning songwriter and producer.
Others are: Angela Meikle, global head of IB World Schools, International Baccalaureate Organisation; Amit Patel, managing director of Owl Ventures; Rebecca Winthrop, director of the Center for Universal Education at the Brookings Institution; Rod Smith, group managing director of International Education at Cambridge University Press & Assessment.
Ahmed Taleb Al Shamsi, Chief Executive Officer, Emirates Foundation; Sahar Cooper, chief executive officer, Aldar Education; Andria Zafirakou MBE, global teacher prize winner; Mayank Dhingra, director & global head of Education Business and Strategy at HP and Patrick O’Steen, director of K12 partnerships & Community at Microsoft Elevate.
The culmination of the World Schools Summit will see the winning announcement of the Global EdTech Prize in partnership with Owl Ventures and Digital Promise, a new award for start-ups, non-profits and major companies recognising trailblazing tech solutions that are driving change and grappling with the most crucial challenges in today’s classrooms. The winners will be chosen by educators in a live pitch and vote at the World Schools Summit.
