In this conversation, with Bassem Nasir, we explore the challenges that face educators in light of the money and power of big tech. We touch on the underlying purposes for education and whether AI might move us towards or away from these goals.Bassem Nasir is an education specialist at UNICEF. He has extensive leadership experience in education, youth development, entrepreneurship, sustainability, and corporate responsibility having worked with a broad range of multilateral organizations, corporations, NGOs, governments, and academic institutions. At the International Youth Foundation (IYF), Bassem served as the director of programs. In this role, he led a large portfolio of youth empowerment, employability, and life skills related programs and worked with different donors such as UNICEF, the World Bank, USAID, and international and local corporations and foundations. At Intel Corporation, Bassem served as the MENA regional education manager driving the company's multi-million-dollar corporate responsibility programs in the region working with Ministries of Education and Higher Education, as well as universities, to enhance quality of education through technology. Bassem holds a B.Sc. in chemical engineering from Purdue University, USA and an M.P.A. from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, USA.MELD Institute is an education consultancy offering support in curriculum development, online programme design, and training to schools and higher education institutions. We create tech solutions, including bespoke education apps to support and enhance learning.
