World Innovation Summit for Education "WISE" 2014

Ladies and gentlemen,

Peace be upon you.

Since 2011 we have sought for the WISE Award for Education to become a celebration of extraordinary achievements, executed by pioneers and innovators in the area of education. We wish for the spirit of this celebration to match the aspiration in supporting the trend of innovation in education, to keep pace with the changes and challenges of a changing world.

Certainly this celebration is not for the laureate alone – rather it is a direct tribute to all innovators in the area of education, as well as the advocates of the right of universal education. We wish to enhance the status of innovation to create exceptional solutions and support the various global efforts in addressing the challenges of education as a priority.

Today, we honour the meaningful and continuous research towards creating a new vision for education, which establishes new concepts beyond the typical way of tackling education issues and its related issues.

I am delighted to inform you today that the WISE Award Jury for education has chosen a laureate that the Jury believes distinctively represents the values of WISE: the values of innovation, sustainability and awareness of development dimensions of education.

We consider the laureate of the 2014 WISE Prize an example in expressing the power education has to change societies.

She is a woman who has recognised, as we also believe, that education holds the solution to all problems. So she has worked to influence education as a top priority for the development of other sectors; through the adoption of education as the foundation for achieving a successful cycle of self-reliance in a comprehensive approach to combat poverty and deprivation.

Such a lady, who is full of the spirit of innovation, deserves to be bestowed with the honor of the 2014 Wise Award.

*This winner of the WISE 2014 award is Ann Cotton, founder and president of Camfed.