The Beaconhouse School of Tomorrow (SOT) conference titled: A World of Tomorrow, 2021 and Beyond: Towards Happier Futures, concluded here.
The theme for the two-day conference sought to explore a future in which the human spirit is free to express itself and build on its inventiveness, creativity, and innovation towards happier futures.
Sessions on the second day included It`s OK not to be OK: Brewing Toxic Positivity where panelists spoke about recognizing mental health issues that have arisen during the pandemic and how to tackle them.
They also highlighted that even though the global population has gone through the pandemic together, every individual’s response to it has been different.
They noted that oxic positivity often increases people’s feeling of isolation and individuals should avoid negating other’s experiences.
Amy Green, School Wellbeing expert; Dr Salma Siddiqui, Clinical Psychologist, Chairperson, Department of Behavioral Sciences, NUST; and Sayeda Habib, Life Coach participated while Iram Nagvi, Psychotherapist moderated the session.
A parallel session Lights, Camera, Covid! Producing Big Hits or Taking a Big Hit? Highlighted the change in how audiences have consumed entertainment during the pandemic.
However, panelists agreed that once SOPs ease there will be a return to cinemas and the disruption is only temporary.
They also agreed that there is a dearth of Pakistan content, which should be the focus in the coming years.
Mariam El Bacha, CEO, Cinepax Cinemas; Salman Iqbal, President and CEO ARY Digital Networks; Mikaal Zulfiqar, actor and Sajid Hasan, actor participated while the session was moderated by journalist Mehmal Sarfaz.
Hina Rabbani Khar, former Foreign Minister of Pakistan was interviewed by broadcast journalist Munizae Jahangir.
Khar pointed out that the year 2021 may not result in happier futures due to increasing geopolitical conflicts.
She also highlighted that over the last few years nation states are focused more on their national interests, which is why citizens are stepping up to raise their voices more and more, such as during the recent Israeli-Palestinean conflict.
The session #CancelExams – Top Trending Tweet or Necessity? allowed students to voice their opinions on the subject and highlighted that as the main stakeholders their opinion should be just as important as examining bodies or government departments.
They also suggested alternate solutions to taking exams online, which would allow greater transparency of results, such as presentations and projects.
Speaking about the conference, Kasim Kasuri, SOT Event Chair and CEO of Beaconhouse said, “As leaders in the education sector, we believe it is our responsibility to create the space to discuss multiple perspectives that inform, raise questions and provoke thought around emerging global issues.
In the past, School of Tomorrow Events have paved the way for new trends in education in Pakistan.
The Covid-19 pandemic presents new opportunities for us to explore innovations that transform the way we engage with each other as global citizens while collectively seeking better futures.”
Speakers over the two days included Dr Faisal Sultan, Special Assistant to the PM, National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination; Dr Mariam Chughtai, Assistant Professor, LUMS School of Education; Thom Markam, Founder and Educator, PBL Global; Salman Iqbal, President & CEO ARY Digital Network; Mikaal Zulfiqar, Pakistani Actor; Davinci Jeremie, CEO Davinci Codes and Crypto Influencer; and Dr Wayne Holmes, Innovation Researcher and Consultant on Artificial Intelligence.
