Global Education & Skills Forum

Good Afternoon to all the Brain Users,  

I was supposed to tell you about this event on Monday 18th but I was so busy with my courses. 

I attended three days of this forum. We attended the first event of this forum on the day we arrived. The first event, called "In conversation with Tony Blair", was at 8pm. I along with many people attended that great event.

It was really great to see a well known leader like Tony Blair expressing his concern about education. The program began when His Highness Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan did a speech. By the way when he entered the room I didn't even know who he was. Later I found out who he was, he spoke on the issue of education most eloquently, it was really nice to see him sharing his ideas on how to improve education. It was amazing to see all these great leaders uniting on the issue of education. Now that's a start in my point of view. A great start indeed which will pave the way for future generations to come.                             

Friday, 15th March 2013 was the Welcome & Keynote Speech by President Clinton via satellite, It was moderated by Vikas Pota, CEO of GEMS foundation. His speech was the most powerful one because he touched almost everything on the topic of education. When he told about the Afghani girl who jumped from the roof and broke her back just because she was not allowed to pursue her dream to get education, it really shook me.
She almost killed herself the president said and he also said, 

"Malala won everyone's heart. But the girl in Afghanistan broke mine." 

I knew what he meant because I just felt the same at that very moment when he talked about that girl. Imagine a girl trying to kill herself because her life, which once had purpose, was now meaningless for her. Then people asked questions to which he presented the most enlightening answers. Then they presented us with a very exciting show of three singers.

While having dinner, I met this great person. His name is Patrick Dlamini, CEO and MD, Development Bank of South Africa. He was so humble and genuine. A really great, wise and inspiring man. I hope I meet him one day again. His company was the most enjoyable and shared lots of wise words with me. He also was very humorous. By looking at him, I realised how friendly Africa must be.

He spoke on PPPE at work: Learning from experience. Unfortunately I missed it but I will surely listen to him when the videos are released.

11:45 - 12:45: Higher education: where are we headed?

I was speaking on this panel about MOOCs, technology and its effect on education. Here is my presentation:

"The new generation is blessed with many things; we have the fast changing technologies in our home. I mean you name it, smart phones, smart computers etc and its now entirely upon us how to use it for learning. I was born there was a computer in my home, I remember taking my first on line course when I was hardly 2 year old ,I mean I actually learnt my Phonics from an on line free site, I  learnt rhymes, math's and science, so my education literally started on line at home. That does not mean I was not given books but I was actually given more choices to learn from and Internet was one of them, lots of activities involved in learning on line, like quizzes and games, like when I was learning vowels the woman in computer even sang poems, I used to colour the vowels, click them and I could hear the pronunciation of the words .The instant feedback you get is very important for learning and it makes learning on line fun. So Internet is the most effective tool which can actually benefit every child if used wisely. Let’s imagine I want to know some science facts, I would just go on Internet, open a browser and search. Only 3 steps required and there I have the information right in front of me. Its fast and it’s free and that’s what we need to promote, isn’t it. Free and easy access to get education, for every child and adult no matter how old the person is, where he lives, how much money they have, EDUCATION WILL REACH THEM AND ALL THEY NEED TO DO IS EMBRACE IT. This is the beauty of learning on line. You have great teacher to learn from and that too really at any age. You no longer need to wait to learn your favourite subject in your O levels or A levels. If you have interest in it you can learn it from an on line source. When I started taking courses on line I was amazed by the variety of courses, to tell you the truth when I enrolled in the artificial intelligence course I did not even know what it was about, I enrolled and later found out what it was and I also found out it was no child's play, but then I thought if I even learn 0.1 % of it, it’s learning and I learnt a lot <More than 0.1% of course>. So I was not afraid to try, so I finished it and that course actually got me interested in statistic, so later I took an introduction to statistic course and completed it with distinction. Now, the final exam was really a final exam, there was this question which I was stuck on for three long days. You know you have to search the Internet, watch the lectures again and again, so if someone thinks on line learning does not require effort or hard work, they are in for a surprise. You should have the will to learn, only then can you learn. Be honest with yourself when you are learning, coz learning without effort is not fun nor challenging, you don't learn anything like that, it's just like flipping through pages of a book and not reading anything.

Now, when knowledge is no more confined to the premises of college and universities, you can learn anything under the sun only if you have a passion to learn. Imagine knowledge is available 24 hrs a day, at the convenience of every student. On line learning has actually enabled us to learn from prestigious teachers from prestigious universities which otherwise is not so easy for every student. People dream of going to these universities and I think their dream in way has come true, now the elite universities are coming to us. I just completed a course introduction to astronomy, and if I will ask a university to give me admission because I want to “learn” astronomy, they will simply refuse and tell me, oh you know you do not have the right age, nor the background, or hey have you even done your O levels and A levels and did you even have the required subjects? In a way MOOCs have changed all of this, students can get on line and explore new courses. Now many people might say that there are many astronomy books available but I would tell them getting lectures from a renowned professor is far more interesting than reading just a book, and there are forums too where you get to know many other people. Now many young students are getting access to these subjects and well not in my life of these 12 years could I have imagined that I would learn astronomy at the age of 12 but here I am! There is no barrier for a keen student. If you remove these barriers, learning will become easy and more accessible. On line learning has opened up the gates, so walk right in, and explore your interest. 

As I told you, all these classes have forums where you can interact with your fellow students and have healthy discussions about your course. My own experience of these forums is very positive; I was helped many times whenever I had a problem understanding anything. Students all over the world act as one big global classroom and help each other out. Just Imagine the impact of such classroom and the process of learning and imagine its impact on our society, it’s unbelievable. Now it's the duty of the parents to instill that hunger of knowledge in every child. Tell the children that it's a beautiful feeling to have knowledge, give them access to knowledge, facilitate them, give them choices and help them explore it and young generation will not disappoint you. OK now being a girl I want to represent all the girls in the world who somehow or the other have been unable to get education and I want to tell them, that’s your chance now, whether you are a house wife or a working mother, or you are a student, get on line and educate yourself. Imagine what the world could be where billions of women have the knowledge of physics, philosophy, or history."

Ok if you wanna see all the participants go here to their facebook ID.


P.S.
I loved the fact that African countries also participated in this global event. The change is there.

Khadija Niazi
We need only one revolution and that is an educational revolution.

Higher Education Session - Khadija Niazi

Higher Education Session - Khadija Niazi

Higher Education Session - Khadija Niazi

Higher Education Session - Khadija Niazi

Barriers for learning

When we open our eyes, we are told, hey you can’t do this, you are too young, or hey you cannot handle this, you are not the right age. Cant, cant cant, means from the very early age we start encountering barriers. They try to lock your brains with limitation and turn you into a robot that is programmed to do things. I am here to prove, that barriers do not really exist for a keen learner. Now what barriers do, they limit your power of imagination, they forcefully instill limitations in your mind, and they direct your energies to look at your in-capabilities instead of channelizing your energies towards your capabilities and in the end you really start believing it and do not even bother to try.

When I was young, I also encountered these barriers, not from my parents but from other people. I remember one of my relatives said it to my parents, why do you let her use internet, it’s dangerous and she will get addicted to it. Little did they know that I was using computer for learning and it was because of computer I managed to learn many things.

So in a sense sticking to your ideas, really help. I remember once taking an online course, I posted some of my thoughts on a forum and a 51 year old guy said it to me, “You know we do not want to answer you because you are a 12 year old annoying girl trying to be Leonardo da Vinci, Instead you should play with puppets.” For a moment I thought, hey that’s really mean and harsh thing to say but later I thought “Oh wow he is relating me to Leonardo da Vinci, now isn’t it cool.” So I responded him and said, “Well thanks and yes I like Leonardo da Vinci.” Now that’s another thing he later apologized.

So I mean to say I was unaffected by his response which was trying to tell me, I should not speak my mind because I am 12 and I should not be in that class because of my age, so I instead focused on the other part of his sentence, you know the good part which was more amusing for me.

Learning has no age limit, you can learn any time you want, it does not matter how old you are or how young you are, you should have the courage to face these barriers and cross them. Learning is oxygen to your brain which actually keeps you young and alive. People will stop you, patronize you but if you are passionate about learning, no one can stop you.

Now learning does not mean that you learn only the subjects you are taught in school, learning means anything which interests you, learning is not at all about getting a degree.

Now there are many kind of barriers, one is age limit as I told you but there is another one too which is gender oriented, for example, hey you are a girl and girls shouldn’t do it. There is another one; hello behave like a girl OK, or girls do not have the brains to study science etc etc. I would just like to tell all of them, girls can achieve anything, they can be good at anything, they have the equal opportunity to educate themselves so I will not take your sympathies by showing the weaker side of girls that: “Oh we do not have the equal right to get education, I would rather show you how strong a girl can be if she really decides to get education.”

There is another thing which comes under the same category, it’s the cult of too much seriousness in learning, I mean you got to be some kind of zombie with a stern look of seriousness on your face if you need to learn something, “pay attention and be serious is all I hear” and “Can’t you see we are trying to learn something here,” I want to tell them, people learn more in friendly and open environment, restricted learning produce restricted thinking.

Now there is another barrier which you have probably never heard before and it affected me and many others. It’s called “banana barrier” which our government has slapped on us, the same govt which always claims to be the champion of promoting education and that barrier is banning our access to get knowledge from internet. Where our world is evolving with nonstop changing technologies, learning is also evolving; we need “SOME THING MORE!” Something more to learn from and here we are facing an issue which needs to be highlighted. It is YouTube ban, you all know it is banned in Pakistan and thus limiting our fundamental right to access “learning materials”. Now the most important question arises, how on earth we can convince our government to lift the ban who has perceived banning is the only solution. Who will tell the “GENIUS “behind this decision that we are endangering the future of our own youth by playing into the hands of those people who have actually have “no desire to learn or have stopped learning long ago”.

Ironic isn’t it but sadly that’s the way it goes. Who would know the impact of this ban better than those who suffer from it? While students of all over the world are enjoying learning but we are forced to seek less revolutionary ways to study. I hope one day some better sense prevails and this ban is removed because learning is an ongoing process, it is not only fast ,it is changing too .Every day some new physics theories are made ,some new experiments are conducted .We can be a part of it ,we can follow the change. Learning needs not to be “difficult” it can be fun and we can enjoy it. Knowledge has to be passed on and now there are easier and simpler ways to pass it on. So why creating barriers in our path, why not facilitate it. The best gift any one can give to their nation is the gift of “free and easy education” and we shall get it by crossing these barriers because we are not robots, we have brain and the will to succeed. Barriers are proposed by people who underestimate the power of human mind. They thrive on the fears of others. Let no one intimidate you by pointing at your errors because making mistake is the first step of learning,  hold on to your dreams because your dreams can turn into a reality and change the world. This has happened before and it can happen again and that’s the only way which can make you survive. We should refuse to accept these barriers and the people who created it, there is no barrier which cannot be crossed and remember it’s you who has to do it; it’s only you who can help yourself grow.

 

My visit to Davos

Good day to all Brain Users,
I want to inform you with the news that I was invited to Davos to take part in the "6th Davos Philanthropic Round Table"  hosted by the Victor Pinchuk Foundation. The founder of this foundation is a great man of Ukraine, Mr. Victor Pinchuk. I wish we had people like this in my country. Coming back to my experience, when I reached to the area where the event was going to take place, some journalists took my interview. After them many other people came to interview. Okay now I will skip to the point where I am called on stage. Mr. Victor Pinchuk introduced me most graciously. He made me feel at home. The atmosphere was so friendly and welcoming. I didn't feel that I was the only child among so many adults.The only thing that bothered me was that...<dramatic pause>...MY MOM MADE MY HAIR TOO TIGHT.
Now I will tell what I felt about the all panellists apart from the fact that they were all adults:

 Thomas Friedman:

• Before I met him, I googled him up(Thank you Google for allowing me to spy on every person, just kidding) and the pictures made him look serious. Then I made an important discovery that he is a jolly person.
• He asked me many question but my favourite one was: "As a young Pakistani girl, did you feel that this is giving you an opportunity that you wouldn't have had as a young girl or woman?"

Daphne Koller:

• She was as sweet as I thought she would be. She was really polite. It was really nice to see another female.
• I really like what she said about the autistic child who rocked the poetry course. P.S. She was looking very pretty.

Rafael Reif:

• I was glad to meet him because he shook my hand when he came on stage and he looks really polite. He looked like a revolutionary. A man with vision.
• I really liked when he said that there is a pressure point in america, because MOOCs will inexpensive education.

Lawrence Summers:

• I liked him because he has cool boots and great cowboy type accent. He also gave lots of good examples.
• The best thing he said was: "When you expect things to take time, they happen quicker." and I loved his football example.

Peter Thiel:

• He looked like the perfect businessman: the immaculate dressing. He looked like a progressive guy who loves taking challenges.
• The best thing he said was: "If you borrow money for college you won't get out even if you get personally bankrupt." and I think it is an eye-opener for everyone.

Sebastian Thrun:

• As he was the only one I knew, I liked everything about him. He is polite and very very Udacious. So stay Udacious and stay awesome.
• The best thing he said was: "Do what you're passionate about, don't aim for a job because the perfect job will find you." I think he is 100% right about that.

Bill Gates:

• I like him because everybody likes him, just kidding. I like him because he founded Microsoft making our life at ease and he(I don't know why) reminded me of Stephen Hawking.
• The best thing he said was :"We do have to eventually reduce cost of education."

Muhammad Yunus and Jimmy Wales:

• They both raised the most important points in this discussion. I loved when Muhammad Yunus said: "This is the way we can design things in a way we do not have any child left out."

This discussion inspired me a lot and gave me new ideas.

I want to spread the message that education is a blessing and it can bring a meaning to your life.Education should be at the doorsteps of every human being ,it should be accessible for every child ,no matter where they are ,its their  right .

Thanks for the taking the time to read this.

Activity

This Activity was occurring on my birthday:
Activity On Sun - Plz click here.
English: This video takes SDO images and applies additional processing to enhance the structures visible. While there is no scientific value to this processing, it does result in a beautiful, new way of looking at the sun. The original frames are in the 171 Angstrom wavelength of extreme ultraviolet. This wavelength shows plasma in the solar atmosphere, called the corona, that is around 600,000 Kelvin. The loops represent plasma held in place by magnetic fields. They are concentrated in "active regions" where the magnetic fields are the strongest. These active regions usually appear in visible light as sunspots. The events in this video represent 24 hours of activity on September 25, 2011.

There will be no goodbye kisses and hugs .

Tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School:

They told a little boy it was his sister who passed on," Weiss said. "The boy's response was, 'I'm not going to have anyone to play with.'"
 When I read that line my heart just got broken into many pieces,  I have a twin brother and I can very well feel the sadness and pain in these words. Why do they have to terrorise innocents kids . Today the future and dreams of many parents must have been crushed .  Why do most convicts aim at children. Of course because they are the easiest target and they can't defend themselves. They were only between 5-10 years old. I pray to God that these sort of events should never happen again.  My heart goes out to the families of the victims. I think they should have security outside a school. If anyone is seen with a gun, seize him because this is about the little children's lives. We shouldn't put any children's life at risk because they are a precious gift from God. They are our future. They also had dreams like any other child. Don't you feel sad that all those great dreams will not be fulfilled. Who knows maybe these children would've grown up to be someone important. So putting their life in risk is like putting the whole of humanity's life at risk. 
Today is a grey day for the whole world. Let us mourn the death of these children. Let us hold up candles and pray for a better future. A future filled of happiness, where every child has a secure life. Where no-one can come and kill anyone if they were not happy with their lives. Let us all raise up our hands and pray to God for the betterment of humanity. 
School is a place where after you leave your child, you know he or she will be in safe hands. After this tragedy not only children have suffered but millions of schools around the world are also suffering.  Parents and children are living in fear. Please stop victimizing children. Please let them live and fulfil their dreams,their dreams which now vanished into thin air because someone took their lives.
They must have started their day with the same  smile on their faces ,not knowing what horror lays ahead ,their parents must have kissed them goodbye and wished them good luck  in their studies just like my mom always says when she drops me .They never knew it would be the last time they kissed their children goodbye ,now they will never see them again .Its not easy to raise a child but  the killer didn't even care to think .They don't think but this tragedy should make us all think that how it can be prevented in future . Children lost their brothers and sisters ,some lost their cousins ,some friends .The loss can never be fulfilled now .There will be no goodbye kisses and hugs .

--
Khadijah Niazi

Please do not instil fear in the innocent minds of children 
Saddest day for the world.