Global Energy Parliament

 

SPEAKERS

In alphabetical order

Abel Rubén Hernández-Ulloa
Professor of Education, University of Guanajuato, Mexico

Dr. Abel Rubén Hernández Ulloa is a Professor in the Department of Education at Guanajuato University. He holds a BA and a master’s degree in Philosophy from Mexican National Autonomous University (UNAM) and a Master's Degree in Economics from Monterrey Tech (ITESM). He obtained his Ph.D. in Educational Research at Lancaster University, UK, with an investigation on the development of abductive reasoning. He is interested in the didactics of logical, mathematical, ethical, and moral reasoning considering a pedagogical approach that integrates metacognition, developmental epistemology, and psychology. Since 2014 he has been organizing an International Colloquium on Human Welfare Rights, Global Ethics and Education. So far there have been 7 Colloquiums, and the participants from different Universities signed an agreement to collaborate as International Research Network on Human Development.
Professor Hernández-Ulloa promoted an agreement between the University of Guanajuato and the OECD to publish the Spanish versions of two reports. He is the coordinator of a forthcoming book entitled Pathways towards freedom, peace, and inclusion. Currently, he is a member of the Board of Directors of the Jean Piaget Society, President of the Steering Committee of the International Research Network on Human Development, President of the Mexican Academy of Logic, Member of the Think Tank on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion of the Future Talent Council, and Member of the Executive Board of The Association of Academic Programs in Latin America and the Caribbean.

 

Alok Kumar Gupta

Regional Director, National Institute of Open Schooling, Ministry of Education, India

Dr. Alok Kumar Gupta joined National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) as an Academic Officer (Physics) at Headquarters, NOIDA and presently holding the charge of Regional  Director of Regional Centre – Kochi (Kerala, India). He has focused on open and distance learning. He received his B.Sc., M.Sc. and Ph.D. degree in the field of Ultrasonics/Materials Science/Nano-Science as well as a Post Graduate Diploma in Distance Education (PGDDE). Before joining NIOS, Dr. Gupta has served as an Assistant Professor (Physics) in CSJM University, Kanpur (Uttar Pradesh) and Mody University of Science and Technology, Lakshmangarh, Sikar (Rajasthan). He has supervised a number of Master of Philosophy (M. Phil.) students Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) students. He is Executive Council Member of ASI, USI & IAPT of New Delhi. He is also life member of various national bodies. He is a recipient of “Young Scientist Award” by “Acoustical Society of America”, USA (India Chapter), Bharat Jyoti Award by IISF, New Delhi and “Special Award” by Cabinet Minister, Government of India.

 

 

Andreas Schleicher

Director for Education and Skills, Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)

Dr. Andreas Schleicher is Director for Education and Skills at the OECD. He initiated and oversees the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) and other international instruments that have created a global platform for policy-makers, researchers and educators across nations and cultures to innovate and transform educational policies and practices.
He has worked for over 20 years with ministers and education leaders to improve education. Former U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said that Schleicher “understands the global issues and challenges as well as or better than anyone I’ve met, and he tells me the truth”. Former UK Secretary of State Michael Gove called Schleicher “the most important man in English education” – even though he is German and lives in France.
He is the recipient of numerous honours and awards, including the “Theodor Heuss” prize, awarded in the name of the first president of the Federal Republic of Germany for “exemplary democratic engagement”.  He holds an honorary Professorship at the University of Heidelberg.

 

 

Angela Stoltz

Assistant Clinical Professor, College of Education, University of Maryland, U.S.

Angela Stoltz, PhD on mathematical education, is clinical faculty at the University of Maryland at the centre for Math education teaching learning policy and leadership. She serves as the Middle Grades Mathematics and Science Professional Development School (PDS) coordinator, where she oversees the Mathematics and Science undergraduate and graduate interns and their supervisors. Her work examines access and equity in STEM as a number of conferences, workshops, and talks refereed presentations illustrate. In addition to her coordinator role, Angela teaches Elementary Mathematics Curriculum and Instruction, Interdisciplinary Teaching in the Middle Grades, and Problem-Solving and Innovative Thinking in Mathematics Classrooms.

 

 

Asha A.K.

Assistant Professor, Aishabai College of Education, SNDT University, Mumbai

Dr. Asha A. K. has acquired M.A. in English, M.Ed, Ph.D. in Education, CELTA (Cambridge University) and is an IELTS Master Trainer certified by the British Council. She has showcased her talent in English through various platforms. She is a Communicative English Trainer, has conducted various sessions for teachers and students on Communicative English and also various Communicative English Workshops for School Teachers. She has experience in teaching B.Ed., M.Ed., BBA, MBA, and Engineering students on papers in Business Communications, Public Relations, Effective Communication, etc., and is a resource person of Faculty Development Programs. She is also a Life Skills Trainer and has conducted quiz competitions and anchored in various public programs and seminars. In fact she was a Former Newsreader in Surya TV and Former Anchor in both Surya TV and Doordarshan.

 

 

Asha Kanwar

President and CEO, Commonwealth of Learning

Professor Asha Singh Kanwar, one of the world’s leading advocates of learning for sustainable development, is the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Commonwealth of Learning (COL). Throughout a career spanning over 35 years, she has made outstanding contributions in the areas of teaching, research and international development.
Professor Kanwar received her undergraduate, Master's and MPhil degrees from the Panjab University in India and a DPhil from the University of Sussex, UK. Her areas of expertise include open distance and technology-enabled learning, open educational resources, quality assurance, gender and organisational development. Professor Kanwar has written and edited a dozen books, published over 100 papers and articles, and delivered numerous keynotes at prestigious international conferences.
Prior to joining COL, Professor Kanwar was a senior consultant in open and distance learning at UNESCO's Regional Office for Education in Africa (BREDA). She has also served as Director, School of Humanities and as Pro-Vice Chancellor at the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) in New Delhi, India. She was a Fulbright Fellow for post-doctoral research at Iowa State University in the US, where she was later invited to teach. Currently, she serves on the boards of several organisations, including the Governing Board of the UNESCO Institute for Information Technologies and Education (IITE).

 

Asoke Bhattacharya

Founder, Adult Continuing Education and Extension Department of Jadavpur University, Kolkata, India

Prof. Asoke Bhattacharya is the founder of the Adult Continuing Education and Extension Department of Jadavpur University, Kolkata, India. He is the recipient of the NLM-UNESCO Award for his outstanding contribution in the field of literacy. As an Erasmus Mundus scholar of the European Union, he was deputed to the School of Education, University of Aarhus, Copenhagen. He was invited by the Centre for Grundtvig Studies, University of Aarhus, Denmark, to research on the Danish philosopher and pedagogue N.F.S. Grundtvig. He has written numerous articles and books including Education for the People: Concepts of Grundtvig, Tagore, Gandhi and Freire (Sense Publishers, Rotterdam, Boston and Taipei, 2010) and Paulo Freire: Rousseau of the Twentieth Century (Sense Publishers, Rotterdam, Boston and Taipei, 2011).

A. Biju Kumar
Director, Dept of Aquatic Biology & Fisheries, University of Kerala, India

Currently serves as Professor and Head of the Department of Aquatic Biology and Fisheries, University of Kerala and Vice Chairman, Credit and Semester System, University of Kerala and Organising Secretary of International Biodiversity Congress (IBC). Former Dean, Faculty of Science and Director of Research and Director, Centre for Global Academics (University of Kerala) and Member Secretary-in-Charge, Kerala State Biodiversity Board and Scientific Officer in Kerala State Committee on Science, Technology and Environment. Areas of research include biodiversity and taxonomy, and ecology. Dr Biju is a member of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Species Survival Commission (SSC).  A science communicator and environmental educator, he has published more than 180 research papers, 25 books and described over 50 new species. Dr Biju is offering an interdisciplinary course in the University on Education for Sustainable Development for the last decade.

 

Beena Lorance

Senior Economics Educator, GMIS Bali, Indonesia

Beena Lorance is presently associated with GMIS Bali, as a senior economics educator. She is also pursuing a PhD in Economics at the Bharathiar University. Ms. Lorance looks back on a very productive professional career spanning 28 years of immensely rich experience in teaching, mentoring, school administration, student and school management with different curricula having proved to be a dedicated nation builder who works selflessly for the overall development of the students. Amongst her many achievements throughout a career as self-motivated leader she was awarded Best Teacher at I.E.S. public school in Chittilappilly (2007). Ms. Lorance presented papers on various National and International Seminars related to Local Self-Government and Rural Development, and also conducted and coordinated many programs at school, inter-school and college levels.

 

 

Bindu R.L.

Professor and Former Head of the Department of Education, University of Kerala, India

Prof. (Dr.) Bindu R.L. has been working in the field of Teacher Education for the last 27 years. She is a Professor and the former Head of the Department of Education and Dean, Faculty of Education, University of Kerala, Chairperson, Board of Studies in Education (Postgraduate), Hon. Director, UGC-National Curriculum Development Centre and Centre for Educational Technology, Member Academic Council and various academic committees of University of Kerala and External Expert, Board of Studies in Education (Postgraduate) of Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam. Further, Prof. Bindu is a member of various academic committees and an active member and officebearer of many non-governmental organizations. Dr. Bindu has guided more than one hundred minor research projects at B.Ed. level and several M.Ed./ M.Phil dissertations. She acts as resource person for the IGNOU B.Ed, M.Ed and M.A (Education) Programme in the regional centres in Kerala. She has successfully guided 10 Ph.D research theses, 3 has been submitted and now guides 10 research scholars including two international scholars. She has published 20 research/theoretical articles in books and journals of National and International standards. She organizes conferences, awareness programmes and workshops on community-oriented issues with active participation. She serves as the Faculty Minister in the Students’ Energy Parliament. Among several honours, she has been awarded the GEP’s “Best Faculty Minister” in 2016 and the “Most Outstanding Professor" at the World Education Congress 2020.

C.V. Ananda Bose
Head and Representative for Asia on the GEP’s Global Education Commission

Dr. C.V. Ananda Bose (IAS) is an eminent civil servant who has been described by the Prime Minister of India as a ‘Man of Ideas’. He is presently a One-Man Expert Commission for the Government of India’s Labour Advisory Board, Advisor to the Government of Meghalaya, Principal Advisor to the National Heritage Project, educator, writer, orator, housing expert, and innovator superannuated from service at the rank of Chief Secretary and Secretary to Govt. of India. He is Chairman of the UN consultative body, Habitat Alliance, and the Speaker of the Global Energy Parliament.
In service, he served as Vice Chancellor to the National Museum University, Govt of India, Chairman of the Atomic Energy Education Society, Government of India, and Principal Secretary for Higher Education.
Recipient of the reputed JawaharLal Nehru Fellowship, Dr. C.V. Ananda Bose is also fellow of the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration, Mussoorie. He is author of 45 books in English, Hindi and Malayalam.
He is the Speaker of the Global Energy Parliament as well as Head and Representative for Asia on the GEP’s Global Education Commission.

 

 Carla Davis


Representative for Australia on the GEP Global Education Commission

Lady Carla Davis, MPH, is an acclaimed nutrition expert, writer, university executive, peace ambassador, and consultant on political and global issues. She serves as the Representative for Australia on the GEP’s Global Education Commission.
Lady Davis partnered with her late husband, Sir Tom Davis, MD, KBE, in his medical practice/surgery, political career as Cook Islands Prime Minister and Cook Islands High Commissioner to New Zealand, diplomatic work, publications, and various Pacific Island programs.  She was one of the founding members of South Seas University (SSU) and currently serves as its CEO.
Lady Davis is also a Contributing Editor for The New Zealand Journal of Natural Medicine and Executive Editor for the Masters of Health multi-media magazine. Additionally, she serves as Cabinet Minister for Environment in the Global Energy Parliament.

Cendrine Mercier
Professor-Researcher at the CREN at INSPE, University of Nantes, France

Cendrine Mercier is a lecturer in Education and Training Sciences at the University of Nantes/INSPE (France) and Clinical Psychologist, member of the CREN laboratory (EA 2661) and president of the association "La pléiade des éduc'acteurs" (https://leseducacteurs.fr/). She works on the psychosocial and pedagogical support of disabled students and more generally on the concept of inclusive schools. A second theoretical field, but complementary to the first one, consists of identifying the added value of Information and Communication Technologies in Education (ICTE) in learning situations. In other words, in what ways do digital tools, as a support of compensation or adaptation according to the situation, allow to raise obstacles of various natures? The question also arises around the contributions of these instrumented approaches to psycho-socio-affective development.

 

 

Christophe Dumas

Director, Global Energy Parliament Research Centre, France

Dr Christophe Dumas is researcher at CEA (Atomic and Alternative Energy Commission) in France, and Director of the Global Energy Research Centre. He is a specialist in energy, having worked on nuclear waste management and dismantling nuclear plants, and later became the head of the Solar Thermal Department in CEA Cadarache. He designs and operates solar plants to produce electricity, hydrogen, cooling systems and desalination units. He joined the Global Energy Parliament in 2012, and has co-authored three articles about the I-Theory with H.H. Swami Isa. Christophe Dumas is also a founder of a school for alternative education in south of France, where he lives with his wife, Gauri, a teacher.

 

 

Devin J.R.

Student

Devin JR is a student, grade 11, who started at age 4 at the Isa Viswa Vidyalayam, the pilot school for Education for Total Consciousness in Thiruvananthapuram, founded by Jagadguru Swami Isa. Devin is now 15 years old. He has always loved school and learning, and finds that learning anything in Swamiji’s method is easy and fun—whether it is maths, dance or geography. He has many interests such as exploring nature, languages and learning about different cultures. He has two best friends, who grew up together with him at the Isa Viswa Vidyalayam.

 

 

Denise McHugh

Manager of the Memorial Chapel & PhD student of International Education Policy, University of Maryland, U.S.

Denise L. McHugh is a PhD student of International Education Policy and holds a Master of Arts in Teaching in Museums, is currently Manager of the Memorial Chapel, a multifaith chapel to the University of Maryland where she had previously served a coordinator. Denise looks back on more than 30 years of experience as curator of education, for instance the 1100-acre plantation home of President Andrew Jackson, one of the nation’s oldest historic site museums. She is also an education coordinator and associate working at the University of South and University of Maryland. Denise McHugh offers mentor trainings, workshops and presentations on Contemplative Pedagogies and Practices, and Interfaith Development. Graduate research projects have included focuses on bilingual schools in Israel; contemplative practices; and the role of faith in international school settings. She is affiliated to several committees at University of Maryland and also coordinates history judges, district-level, Virginia History Day annually from 2010.

Divya C. Senan
Assistant Professor, Dept. of Education, University of Kerala, India

Dr. Divya C. Senan, Master in Physics and Education, is currently an Assistant Professor at Department of Education, University of Kerala and also, a motivated researcher looking to further advance understanding of energy education by conducting independent research on energy curricula. Her professional accomplishments as a researcher include several prestigious awards, including the Best Teacher Educator National Award, 2019 instituted by NCTE, Ministry of Human Resources, Govt. of India, and prestigious fellowships like the Fulbright-Nehru Post-doctoral Fellowship, USA, 2017 and the UGC-Raman Post-doctoral fellowship for Indian scholars in USA, 2014. Dr. Divya has seventeen years of professional and teaching experience with expertise in the development and implementation of educational technology tools and constructive curricular applications in the classroom.

Eva Rikke Schultz
Association for World Education UN Committee, Denmark

Eva Rikke Schultz is former Vice President of the Association for World Education. For a number of years, she has been educating teachers and provided in-service training of teachers at University College Lillebaelt (UCL), South Denmark. She has a master degree in Pedagogy and Didactic and she has been director for Adult Teacher Education and School Librarian Education at UCL. Through recent years, she has worked with continuing education of teachers focusing on new forms of education and sustainable education under the auspices of the Association for World Education.

 

 

Florent Pasquier
Associate Professor, La Sorbonne, Paris & Senior Lecturer in Education and Training Sciences, France

The synthesis of his approaches to personal, professional and collective development led Florent Pasquier to develop an integral humanistic paradigm - body, emotion, thought and mind, linked to the group dimension - which is based on the contributions of transpersonal psychology (Pierre Weil, Marc-Alain Descamps), complex and transdisciplinary thinking (Edgard Morin, Basarab Nicolescu) and which takes into account the axiological and existential dimensions (Gaston Pineau, René Barbier). He involves transversal processes ranging from digital tools to the dimension of consciousness. As a teacher-researcher at the Sorbonne University, he builds and practices from these foundations an "Integrative Methodology for an Implicative and Integrated Pedagogy", in line with the cooperative and participative pedagogies of the "new school". These developments are fully concerned with the spiritual dimension both in the practices and in the educational and formative purposes. His current work develops the concept of technontology (technology+ontology).

Folker Meissner
Chairman of German Academy for Energy Medicine and Bioenergetics, Germany

Dr. Folker Meissner is an acupuncture and bio-energetic teacher, a holistic practitioner and founder of the German Academy for Energy Medicine and Bioenergetics. Through his research, he developed a bioenergetic method of identifying and eliminating what he determined is a major cause of chronic illnesses and disorders. At his holistic medicine clinic near Bonn, Germany, he performs about 2,500 treatments per year, helping many people suffering from long-term diseases regain their health. In 2006 he founded the German Academy for Energy Medicine and Bioenergetics, a forum where physicians and non-medical therapists come together to create a training and discussion platform for energy medicine and bioenergetic practitioners. Dr. Meissner is the Founding Chairman of the registered association GEP-Germany e.V. and is presently the Minister of Health for GEP.

 

G. Shankar
Architect and Founder, Habitat Technology Group, India

Gopalan Nair Shankar, popularly known as G. Shankar, is an architect from Kerala, India. He advocates the use of locally available materials, sustainability, eco-friendliness and cost effectiveness. He founded the Habitat Technology Group, Thiruvananthapuram, in 1987 and serves on a number of boards and as the Minister for Housing in the Global Energy Parliament. He did his architecture studies from College of Engineering Trivandrum (1982 batch) and later did M.S. from Birmingham School of Architecture, UK and Post Graduate Diploma in Journalism. He has also won 3 national awards for green architecture, slum resettlement and eco city design. His attitude to "green architecture" has gained him a reputation as the "people's architect". Shankar was awarded the Padma Shri by the Government of India in 2011.

 

 
G. Valsala
Principal of the BNV Teacher’s Training College & Former Principal of IASE Thrissur, India

For the past 38 years, Dr. Valsala has been a teacher educator and teacher. She started her career as a Secondary School teacher in 1982, and later became a distinguished Teacher Educator in the Govt. College of Teacher Education Kozhikode in 1990. She had the privilege of being an Environmental Education Officer on Deputation to Jawaharlal Nehru Tropical Botanic Garden and Research Institute from 1993-1998. She again joined as a Lecturer in Education Technology in the Govt. College of Teacher Education, Thiruvananthapuram. She retired as Principal from Institute of Advanced Study in Education Thrissur in 2008. Presently, she works as the Principal BNV College of Teacher Education, Thiruvallam, Thiruvananthapuram. Dr. Valsala was awarded her Ph.D from Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam in the field of Environmental Education in 2003. She has participated in several regional, national and international conferences, presented and published many papers in different journals. She is considered a valuable resource person in science education and environmental education. She also serves as an executive member of the Council for Teacher Education Foundation (CTEF) and Association of International Researchers of Indian Origin (AIRIO).

 

George Varghese
Former Director, Kerala State Council for Science, Technology & Environment, India

Dr. George Varghese is the Research Director and member Board of Studies in Physics at Mar Ivanios Autonomous College, Thiruvanathapuram, India. He has also served as former Head and Professor of Physics at the University of Calicut where he was Research Director and Member of the Academic Council too, as well as Chairman of the Board of Studies at the University of Calicut & Mahatma Gandhi University Kottayam. In addition to having collaborated with national and international laboratories, Dr George Varghese has published 17 books as well as 100 articles in researched subjects. His other topics of interest are History of physics, Science and Faith, Science Education.

 

 

Giby Geevarughese

Associate Professor, Mar Theophilus Training College, Nalanchira, Kerala, India

Dr. Giby Geevarughese, PhD in Mathematics Education, is a resource person for Christian culture, religious tolerance, education for peace and harmony. She is the former Chairperson, Board of Studies in Education (UG) for the University of Kerala. She has published five books and serves on numerous boards and panels, and as a resource person for media channels. Dr. Geevarughese was honoured with several awards, including the National Award for the Accomplished Teacher Educator 2019.

 

 

Gour Saraff
Professor of Economics, EAE Business School, Madrid, Spain

Gour Saraff serves as professor in Madrid at EAE Business School where he teaches various business courses to MBA students. He is known for giving classes that are inspiring and based on his personal knowledge and experience. He has over 20 years of international experience in creating global enterprises and projects in United States, India, Russia, Ukraine, Spain and UK.  Prof. Saraff was previously the Vice President of technology transfer for McDonnell Douglas where he was responsible for structuring joint ventures and licensing agreements between Spanish companies like Telefonica and US companies from the Silicon Valley. He has worked on projects with the United States Agency for International Development in raising farm incomes in Ukraine, the Government of India and the Government of Spain on projects relating to India. Prof. Saraff is socially active in the Spanish community where he volunteers for Fundacion Vicente Ferrer. He is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP) and has obtained his Master in Business Administration from New York University in Finance. Prof. Gour Saraff is the Director and Board Member of Europe India Chamber of Commerce in Spain. He is a regular columnist for the Asean Affairs an Asian weekly magazine and speaks Spanish, Russian, Hindi, Bengali, Rajasthani, and English.

Guido-Henri de Couvreur
Philosopher and Teacher, Former Vice-president of Club of Rome EU, Belgium

Dr. Guido-Henri De Couvreur works as consultor, guest-professor, lecturer, researcher, designer of very low energy houses, accompanying groups, supervisor, counselor. Having obtained degrees in Electro-Mechanical Engineering, Moral and Religious sciences, Familial and Sexological sciences, Philosophy, and System theory Communication and Counselling, he currently serves as Vice-President of Club of Rome EU as well as President of Mondo * vzw, both non-profit organizations he founded. Dr. De Couvreur is Senior Member of the Association of World Education (AWE).

 

Happy P.V.
Associate Professor, Institute of Advanced Study in Education, Thrissur, India

Dr. Happy P.V., an Associate Professor in Social Science at IASE Thrissur, is an expert in curriculum revision for which she serves as a resource person to the School of Behavioural Sciences as well as the University of Calicut. She authored the books “Methodology of Teaching of Social Science” (2020) and “Inclusive Education” (2021) as well as 25 further publications. Dr. Happy P.V. is a member of the Board of Studies (PG) at the University of Calicut, an executive member to the Institute of Research of Learning Disabilities at the Mahatma Gandhi University and a member e.P.G. Pathasala Module, NCERT, Delhi. As a master trainer she has joined the Gender Sensitisation Programme at the Department of Collegiate Education. 

 
Jakob Erle
Founder and Director, International Academy for Education and Democracy, Denmark

Jakob Erle, Ph.D. (Mag.art.) Cultural Sociology, is an expert in democracy development, assistance for development of political parties and citizenship processes through dialogue.
He has a background in non-formal adult-education in the Danish Folk High Schools and an established experience in management and development of non-governmental organizations.
From 2011 - 2014 he was the Director of the Danish Egyptian Dialogue Institute in Cairo – an intergovernmental organization working for better political and cultural life in Europe and the Arab World. He has a thorough knowledge of and interest in the transition processes that started in Egypt in 2011.

Jeannine Weber

Former inspector of National Education, France

Jeannine Weber, former Inspector of National Education for France, has worked in the field of education for more than 45 years before her retirement. A former professor of mathematics, she worked in teacher training and research in mathematics education at the national level. Being appointed National Education Inspector she served at primary school level, in priority education areas. This gave her a global overview of the functioning of the French education system both in terms of research in mathematics didactics, teacher training and effective classroom practices in a wide variety of socio-cultural backgrounds.

 

Jing Lin

Professor in International Education Policy at University of Maryland, USA

Dr. Jing Lin is Harold R. W. Benjamin Professor of International Education in the program of International Education Policy at University of Maryland, College Park. She received her doctorate from the University of Michigan. She has done extensive research on peace education and environmental education, contemplative inquiry and holistic education, and religion, spirituality and education. She has authored, co-authored and co-edited many books, some of which are: Love, Peace and Wisdom in Education: Vision for Education in the 21st Century; Educators as Peace Makers: Transforming Education for Global Peace; Spirituality, Religion, and Peace Education; Transformative Eco-Education for Human and Planetary Survival; and Daoist Cultivating of Qi and Virtue for Life, Wisdom and Learning. She has published many articles and chapters on peace and sustainability education. The topics include: “Environmental justice must include the rights of all species to life and respect: Integrating indigenous knowledge into education) (Lin et al., 2020); “From Intimidation to Love: Taoist Philosophy and Love­-based Environmental Education” (Yang, Lin & Culham, 2019); and “Experiential Ecological and Art-Based Practices for Reconnecting with Mother Earth and with Each Other (Rappeport & Lin, in press).

K. Jayakumar
Former Chief Secretary of Kerala & Founding Vice Chancellor of Thunchath Ezhuthacha Malayalam University, India

During his career Dr. Jayakumar has held important bureaucratic positions at various levels in the Governments of Kerala and India. He has served as the Chief Secretary, Government of Kerala during the period April 2012 to October 2012, including Director of Tourism Department; Secretary, Tourism and Culture, Managing Director, Film Development Corporation, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Tourism & Culture, Government of India, amongst others. On retirement as the Chief Secretary, Dr. Jayakumar was appointed as the first Vice-Chancellor of the Thunchath Ezhuthachan Malayalam University.
Dr. Jayakumar is also a poet, lyricist, screenwriter and painter. He has written lyrics for nearly 100 films Malayalam films including a children’s film which he also directed, and large number of songs for albums, Television and radio. He has held 17 national and international solo exhibitions. He is the author of 25 books in Malayalam, and four works in English.

K. Unnikrishnan
Former Principal of N.S.S. Training College, Pandalam, India

He has been teaching English Literature for undergraduate and Post-graduate courses in colleges under the University of Kerala. After his retirement in 2018 as Principal from N.S.S. College, Pandalam, Pathanamthitta, Kerala he is involved in activities that promote the inclusion of Indian Knowledge Systems in the curriculum for School and Higher Education Institutions. He is currently doing a project on developing a standardised test for cultural literacy and new tools for student's assessment at the school level.
His PhD from Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam is on the works of Raja Rao and Chinua Achebe and he is a strong advocate of the National Education Policy 2020. He delivers lectures on Content Development in English Studies, Educational Reforms, Neo-Gandhian Alternatives for India, and so on.
He is associated with the reform initiatives of Bharateeya Shikshan Mandal and Kerala Harijan Sevak Sangh.

 

 

Kara McCrimmon
Director of Experiential Learning at Cobscook Institute, USA

Kara is the Director of Experiential Learning at Cobscook Institute. On a daily basis she finds herself engaged and stretched as Cobscook Institute’s lead teacher for the Cobscook Experiential Program, and was part of the team that brought the Cobscook Program to life in 2010. Prior to that, Kara worked as Cobscook Institute’s Community Programs Director. A Michigan native, Kara first came to Maine in 2003 as a graduate student in the Audubon Expedition Institute (now the Expedition Education Institute). She holds a BS in Geology from Western Michigan University and a MS in Environmental Education from Lesley University.

 

Kiran Vyas
Deputy Speaker of the GEP; Chairman of GEP France

Dr. Kiran Vyas serves as the Representative for Europe on the GEP’s Global Education Commission and the Deputy Speaker of the Global Energy Parliament. Dr. Vyas is the forerunner of Ayurveda in Europe, who introduced it in the early 1980s, when no one yet knew what Ayurveda was. He is now recognized as a major player in the teaching of this art of living in the service of well-being and personal development, for almost forty years.
A former student of the Sri Aurobindo International Education Center in Pondicherry, India, Kiran Vyas founded three experimental schools with his father who was one of Mahatma Gandhi's closest collaborators. At UNESCO, he worked as a permanent representative and member of the World Council of the INSEA (International Society for Education through Art, NGO).
Settled in France, Dr. Vyas then moved towards the teaching of Yoga & Ayurveda. His scientific training, his pedagogical sense, his keen interest in the evolution of body and mind as well as his experience in creating schools, led him to develop Tapovan into an Open University, promoting interdisciplinary and intercultural exchanges. Since 2013, Dr. Vyas has served as  the Chairman of Global Energy Parliament-France.

 

Kumary V.J.
Teacher, Isa Viswa Vidyalayam

Kumary Teacher is a secondary and senior secondary science teacher holding degrees in Botany and Linguistics. She has done service at the isa Viswa Prajnana Trust since its inception, and also at its school, Isa Viswa Vidyalayam. Previously, she was a teacher at a Government High School. She lives in Thiruvananthapuram.

 

 

Lakshmi A.
Assistant Professor, N.S.S. Training College, Pandalam, India

Dr. Lakshmi is an Assistant Professor of Education, with 21 years of teaching experience and 15 years in teacher training colleges. She is a Member of the Faculty of Education from the University of Kerala, and a core committee Member of B.Ed and M.Ed curriculum revision. Her areas of interest are ICT in Education, Assessments in Education, Environmental Education and Life Skill Education. As a student, she had the pleasure of participating in the first Education for Total Consciousness international seminar organized by the Isa Viswa Prajnana Trust in 2001.  

 

 

 

Lalitha Santhakumar
Professor (Retired) of English, Sree Narayana Guru College, Chempazhanthy, India

Teaching has been a part of Prof. Lalitha Santhakumar’s life since joining the Department of English, Sree Narayana Guru College, Chempazhanthy. But meeting His Holiness Jagadguru Swami Isa in 1995 was a turning point in her life, and she was greatly influenced by her association with His Holiness. A great transformation occurred in her teaching when Swamiji introduced Prof. Santhakumar to his ‘Education for Total Consciousness’ teaching methodology. She has been fortunate to attend many sessions where great academics have analysed Swami Isa’s theories of education and also his unified theory, the I-Theory, which adds a new dimension to understanding and application of Education for Total Consciousness.
Prof. Santhakumar assists in the development of lesson plans, training teachers in ‘Education for Total Consciousness,’ and sharing the teaching methodology with other educators. She also serves as the translator for Swami Isa’s written works.

Leif Bloch Rasmussen

Associate Professor Emeritus, Dept. of Digitalization, Copenhagen Business School, Denmark

Leif Bloch Rasmussen has a M.Sc. and Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from the Technical University of Denmark. He works closely with companies, Public Sectors, NGOs and Unions. His main focus is innovation, social dialogue, sustainable development and design of Inquiring Systems. His primary research areas include; Design of Inquiring Systems, Complexity and Cooperative Innovation, Knowledge as a Commons, Sustainable Development, and Self-Organizing Universe. He teaches courses such as Multiple Perspectives on E-Business, and Innovation and Entrepreneurship.

 

 

Levakumar V.

Former Deputy Director, Department of General Education, Govt. of Kerala

Levakumar V. is associated with introducing Modernizing Government Programs during the beginning of Y2K. During his Kerala Govt Service, he tried his level best to introduce various sector skill education in Vocational Higher Secondary Schools. Open Distance Learning is another broad branch in which he has been associated, for life long education, and still continuing. All those activities are still going on in a vibratingnt manner in all the education sectors. He is also a regular career consultant and does the program in Kerala, Gulf countries and through live TV channels such as DD Malayalam, Kairali TV, JaiHind, Mathrubhumi, etc.

 

 

Lis Cercadillo
Advisor in Education, Institute of Evaluation, Ministry of Education, Spain

Lis Cercadillo was awarded her MA and her PhD in History Education at the Institute of Education, University of London, and took her degree in Geography and History at the Universidad Complutense de Madrid. She has worked as history teacher in several secondary schools in San Francisco, Valencia and Madrid and as researcher in the Institute of Education, University of London, and in the Faculty of Education, University of Alcalá (Madrid). She currently works for the Ministry of Education (Spain), in the Institute of Evaluation as Advisor in Education; she is the Spanish NPM (National Project Manager) of PISA-OECD (Programme for International Student Assessment). Her main research and teaching interests are 1) students’ ideas on history and the relationship between empirical research, historiography and school history; and 2) international assessment and global education.

 

M. Abdul Salam
Former Vice Chancellor of University of Calicut, Kerala, India
 
In a career spanning more than four decades across five continents (Asia, Africa, N. America, S. America & Europe), Dr. M. Abdul Salam, former Vice Chancellor of University of Calicut, Kerala, India, established a reputation as a renowned Vice Chancellor, tireless educationist, strong administrator and scientist, besides being recognized as one of the most authoritative voices in the area of Higher Education.
He is presently serving as the Chief Executive Officer of PACE Group of Educational Institutions, with 15 institutions (Schools and Colleges) in 3 nations (UAE, Kuwait and India).
He is an academician & scientist with great zeal and enthusiasm. He has published 153 research papers, 15 review articles and 13 books in Biological Sciences.

M. Jayakumar
Former Dean of Education, Former Head of Extension, Bharathiar University, Coimbatore, India

Dr. M. Jayakumar is specialised in language teaching methods, Educational Assessment and Career Counseling at Bharatiyar University. For more than 30 years, he has served at the University in a number of leadership positions, such as the Head of the Department of Extension and Career Guidance and dean of the Faculty of Education. Dr. M. Jayakumar served as an expert in the UGC Standing Committee on E-Learning and Adult and Continuing Education and also organized online coaching. As an Expert in the UGC Standing Committee on E-Learning and Adult and Continuing Education he arranged a series of Faculty Development Programmes to introduce E-learning in the University sector. He played a Leadership role in the University for the  introduction of Industry-Institute curriculum for the benefit of students.

 

 

M.A. Sudhir

UGC Emeritus Professor, Department of Education, Gandhigram Rural Institute, Tamil Nadu

Dr. M.A. Sudhir has over 42 years of postgraduate teaching and research experience. A specialist in higher education reforms, rural development, teacher education and educational research, he was the Former Dean, Faculty of Rural Development and Professor in the Department of Applied Research, Gandhigram Rural Institute, amongst others. Dr. M.A. Sudhir was nominated as a member of National Organizations such as NCERT, NCTE, UGC and has served on the academic bodies of a number of Universities. Dr. M.A. Sudhir has so far completed 22 sponsored research projects, 34 students have been awarded Ph.D under his able guidance. He has authored 12 books/ monographs, contributed chapters in 21 books, 14 book reviews and has published 71 research articles in reputed national and international journals. In Sri Lanka he was an expert member to launch the Teacher Education Programme under SAARC regulation of Government of India and assisted in organizing an in-service Teacher Training Programme sponsored by the Ministry of External Affairs and High Commission of India at Sri Lanka.

 

M.K.C. Nair

Director, NIMS-Spectrum-CDRC and Former Vice Chancellor of the Kerala University of Health Sciences, India

Prof. Nair is a national authority in Developmental Pediatrics, Behavioural Pediatrics and Adolescent Pediatrics. He served as Vice Chancellor of the Kerala University of Health Sciences, and founded the Child Development Centre (CDC) in Trivandrum.
He is also globally acknowledged as a pioneer in the field of new screening tools and innovative training methods. The Trivandrum Developmental Screening Chart (TDSC) is one such example which forms the backbone of India’s national child health program Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karykram (RBSK).
Prof. Nair has had a long research career, with 173 national and international journal publications and 22 Medical Books as author / editor. The CDC was his dream, which is now considered a national asset for research, teaching and training in child and adolescent development, with 25 years follow up of Low Birth Weight babies, leading on to the award of the first “Doctor of Science (D.Sc.)” degree awarded to any medical person in the 80 year history of the University of Kerala. His 41 years of counseling experience helped him immensely in establishing “Student Guidance & Support" program in all colleges during his latest stint as Vice Chancellor of Kerala University of Health Sciences. Prof. Nair was awarded the “Fellow of the National Academy of Medical Sciences (India) in the year 2020.

M.N. Mohamedunni Alias Musthafa

Professor and Dean, School of Education, Central University of Kerala, Kasaragod, India

Dr. M N Mohamedunni Alias Musthafa has 22 years of teaching experience with an excellent track record as a teacher educator, researcher, academician, and administrator. He acquired his M.Sc in Zoology, M.A. in Sociology, Ph.D. in Education and M.Ed. from the University of Calicut, and his M.Sc. in Psychology from the Madras University. He has held various important academic positions in the Central University of Kerala and the Calicut University. He has also been the National Executive Council Member of IALSE, Member of the Council of Teacher Education, and Member of AIAER. He conducts varied training programs for the teachers (all levels), parents, and students. His areas of training for teachers are Psychological perspectives on learning, Emotional Intelligence, Life Skills Education, and Pedagogy of Higher Education. He is having the credit of training more than 1000 in-service faculty members of higher education on micro-teaching. He is the recipient of the ‘Rajiv Gandhi Gold Medal Award’, 2015, and the ‘National Accomplished Teacher Educator Award’, 2018 of Council for Teacher Education (CTE).

 

M.R. Thampan
Secretary of the Global Energy Parliament and Former Director of the Kerala State Institute of Languages, India

Dr. Thampan is the Secretary of the Global Energy Parliament and the Secretary of the Isa Viswa Prajnana Trust. He has been an integral part of the organization of each session of the Parliament in various countries, since its inception in 2010. Dr. Thampan retired from service to the Government of Kerala, where he had served in multiple positions including the Director of the State Institute of Languages where he was responsible for the publication of thousands of books in Malayalam lanugage, including many rare translations of classics as well as contemporary works. He also served as the Director of the Encyclopaedic Publications. He is also presently the Secretary of Priyadarshini Publications, the publications wing of Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee. Dr. Thampan is also on the Board of JaiHind TV, Janasree NGO, and numerous other social organizations.

 

Malini PM
Former Principal, NSS Training College, Pandalam, India

Dr. Malini PM is the former principal of the N.S.S. Training College in Padalam. She is looking back on 28 years of experience in teacher education and 14 years of research. Holding academic degrees in education and philosophy, she has guided many students to obtaining their academic degree. She was the awarded the Dr. N.P. Pillai Memorial Literary Award in Teacher Education (2017), the Dr. K.R.Sivadasan Memorial National Award for Accomplished Teacher Educator (2018) instituted by Council for Teacher Education, India, as well as the Dr. K. Soman Memorial Award for the Teacher Educator Of the Year 2019. Dr. Malini has published two books, two Chapters in Books, 34 journal articles, and 19 articles in Seminar Proceedings, and presented 60 papers in international, national, and state level seminars.

Madhuri S. Isave

Associate Professor in Tilak College of Education,Pune, India

Dr. Madhuri is working as an Associate Professor in S.P. Mandali’s Tilak College of Education, Pune (Maharashtra). She has 26 years of teaching experience at B.Ed. and 15 years’ experience at M.Phil. and research field, guided more than twenty students at M.Ed. and DSM level. She has awarded Accomplished Teacher Education award at National level and, Best teacher Educator award at state level. National Award for innovative teacher educator, International woman Icon award 2020. She has attended and presented papers in state National and international conferences, workshops and seminars. Worked as a Resource person, Panelist, chairman and Key note speaker, and organized Teacher Training programs. Her work focuses on special education, inclusive education, and higher education.

 

N. Niyathi 

Former Deputy Director, Kerala State Planning Board, India

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nekha Mohan

Student, CMS College, India

Nekha is a former student of the Isa Viswa Vidyalayam, the pilot school for 'Education for Total Consciousness,' where she began in pre-kindergarten and studied up to 10th grade. SHe is presently a Botany and Biotechnology student at CMS College, Thiruvananthapuram.

Education for Total Consciousness shaped Nehka's very life and way of thinking. She loved her school, her teachers, and the way of study where she learned to feel that she is a part of nature, not separate from it. She hopes to be able to share this mindset with more of her peers and society in the future, as a scientist.

 

 

 

Nicolas Parmentier

Former Director of RECREES Montessori School & Parent, France

Nicolas Parmentier is a parent who is very passionate about education. He is the former Director of a Montessori school in the South of France (RECREES) and was one of the leader of the financing of the new buildings/facilities of a Catholic school (Ecole Notre Dame). He is a parent of three, and deeply involved with their education. He works as a consultant in France.

 

 

 

Nimmi Maria Oommen
Assistant Professor of Education, Titus II Teachers College Tiruvalla, India

A Teacher Educator with more than two decades of experience in teaching, research, writing and publishing. She is an active Resource Person in Educator Empowerment Programmes (EEPs) under the auspices of various reputed institutes and organisations. Her enthusiasm in academic development was appreciated by various academic bodies that included her as an important member in policy formulations. Her contribution to academic research and development was awarded by a number of national and international boards. Her academic credits also include 151 seminars/conferences and over 50 research papers that are presented and eighty papers published in journals of international repute. The publications stands at thirty books covering Higher Education and English literature.

 

 

Noel Bonam

President of the Association for World Education,USA

 

 

P. Krishna Kumar

Hon. Associate Professor, Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Development Studies, Thiruvananthapuram, India

Dr. P. Krishna Kumar is the former Head of the post graduate department of Economics, Mahatma Gandhi College, Thiruvananthapuram. His areas of research includes, poverty, decentralized planning and welfare economics. He worked as assistant professor in Mecale University, Ethiopia, under the UNDP. He is a life member of the Indian Institute of Public Administration and Kerala Economic Association. He had published several research articles and had completed several project works sponsored by reputed research institutions. At present he teaches economics in Kerala Law Academy, Law College, Thiruvananthapuram. Dr. Kumar is looking back on 41 years of teaching experience.

 

 

P.V. Viswanathan Nampoothiri

Retired Professor of Sanskrit, Baselius College, Kottayam, India

Dr. Nampoothiri is a well-sought-after name in Sanskrit language and instruction. He has held the positions of Professor of Sanskrit and founding head of the Department of Sanskrit at Baselius College in Kottayam, Kerala. He was also a Research Guide for Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam. He is presently serving as President of the Trikaikatswamiyarmadhom and Samskratasamajam in Kottayam.

 

 

 
Po Ho Huang
Director, Academy for Contextual Theologies in Taiwan

Rev. Dr. Huang Po Ho is the director of the Academy for Contextual Theologies in Taiwan and is serving as a member of the editorial board of the international journal of Concilium. He is also teaching at Chang Jung Christian University as an adjunct professor of Theology, and has been elected recently the convener of Asian Forum for Theological Movement (AFTM). He served more than a decade as vice president and professor of Theology at Chang Jung Christian University, Taiwan, and was head of the Tainan Theological College and Seminary, the most historical theological institution in Taiwan. He was a founding chairperson of the Formosa Christianity and Culture Research Center. He served as Associate General Secretary and Director of the Research and Development Center of the Presbyterian Church in Taiwan; Moderator of the Council for World Mission, London; Dean of the Programme for Theology and Cultures in Asia (PTCA); Moderator of the Asian Forum for Theological Education (AFTE) and Co-moderator of the Congress of Asian Theologians (CATS). Dr. Huang Po Ho is a Taiwanese theologian deeply involved in contextual theological construction and ecumenical ministries. His numerous books include A Theology of Self-determination, From Galilee to Tainan, No Longer a Stranger, Mission from the Underside and Embracing the Household of God.

Rajeswari K.
Principal of the Institute for Advanced Studies in Education, Thrissur, India

Dr. Rajeswari K is presently the Principal of IASE-Thrissur, a Government Teacher Training Institute in Kerala. Formerly, she was the Principal of the Government College of Teacher Education, Thiruvananthapuram. She is a member of the Research Team in the Centre for Adult Continuing Education and Extension at the University of Kerala. She is a research committee member of SCERT, Kerala, SIEMAT Kerala and STC Kerala. She is a PG Board member of Calicut University. Having obtained Master’s degrees in Chemistry, Education, Sociology, Psychology, a Post Masters Diploma in Adult Continuing Education and Extension, and a PhD. in Education, Dr. Rajeswari K. is looking back on 29 years of teaching experience and 12 years of research experience, and as a research guide has produced 8 PhDs. She has published 20 books and numerous articles in national and international journals while also working as an editor of a research journal. She has carried out 3 major research and 3 minor research projects.
Dr. Rajeswari is a member of many professional Organisations including the World Peace Association (WPC) and as the General Secretary of CTEF Kerala. At the Commonwealth Learning, Canada, Dr. Rajeswari is a content writer for the courses organized by them. Dr. Rajeswari has also organized a number of national and international seminars, workshops and conferences.

Rakesh Sharma R.
Assistant Professor, Mar Theophilus Training College, Thiruvananthapuram, India

Mr. Rakesh Sharma R. is presently working as Assistant Professor in the Masters of Education Department at Mar Theophilus Training College affiliated to University of Kerala. At Waluj, Maharashtra he obtained a Masters of Science in Biotechnology, a Masters of Philosophy in Neuro and Nano Toxicology, and Masters and Bachelors of Education from Mar Theophilus Training College affiliated to University of Kerala. Mr. Rakesh Sharma R. has 6 years of teaching Biology. He is also a research supervisor in education and guiding students doing M.Ed. course. As a part of the extension activities he has coordinated and convened various training programme for teachers and students. Mr. Sharma’s area of research and academic interest includes psychological and Futuristic perspectives of education, educational research, designing projects and research on sustainable development.