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About Us

Our Vision .

SOT Events is part of a continuing mission to reimagine the future of humanity and create a world in which we flourish as unique individuals held together by the tapestries of our cultures, traditions and shared histories. The events serve to expand our understanding of global phenomena, day-to-day issues, and everything in between, by providing the space for multiple perspectives that inform, raise questions and provoke thought — the same objectives that lie at the heart of education in its broadest sense.

Our Story .

Beaconhouse initiated the School of Tomorrow (SOT) event series to support its quest to redefine education and explore the shape of schools in a yet-unknown future. 

Initially held as the Beaconhouse Academic Conference for its school leaders and decision makers, the event grew steadily over the 1990s. In 2000, on its 25th anniversary, Beaconhouse organised a conference titled ‘Rethinking Education’ in Islamabad. Inaugurated by former President Pervez Musharraf, and featuring Dr. Roger Schank as the keynote speaker, ‘Rethinking Education’ was a critical shift in focus: the Beaconhouse Academic Conference took on a broader, more global theme and guests outside the Beaconhouse group were invited.

On its 30th anniversary in 2005, Beaconhouse organised ‘Towards 2035: The School of Tomorrow’, held over three days in Islamabad, Karachi and Lahore. This international conference featured close to 30 speakers, workshop leaders and panellists from around the world, most notably former President Pervez Musharraf, former Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz, Noam Chomsky (via live video conference), Roger Schank, Jonathan Power and Pervez Hoodbhoy. 

It aimed to identify challenges in the global education system as well as propose possible solutions in teacher education, early learning, student assessment, education technology and inquiry-based learning. The by-invitation audience for this conference included delegates that represented other private schools and educational institutions, publishers, NGOs, and the public sector,  in addition to its key members of Beaconhouse staff.

Our Story .

Beaconhouse initiated the School of Tomorrow (SOT) event series to support its quest to redefine education and explore the shape of schools in a yet-unknown future. 

Initially held as the Beaconhouse Academic Conference for its school leaders and decision makers, the event grew steadily over the 1990s. In 2000, on its 25th anniversary, Beaconhouse organised a conference titled ‘Rethinking Education’ in Islamabad. Inaugurated by former President Pervez Musharraf, and featuring Dr. Roger Schank as the keynote speaker, ‘Rethinking Education’ was a critical shift in focus: the Beaconhouse Academic Conference took on a broader, more global theme and guests outside the Beaconhouse group were invited.

On its 30th anniversary in 2005, Beaconhouse organised ‘Towards 2035: The School of Tomorrow’, held over three days in Islamabad, Karachi and Lahore. This international conference featured close to 30 speakers, workshop leaders and panellists from around the world, most notably former President Pervez Musharraf, former Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz, Noam Chomsky (via live video conference), Roger Schank, Jonathan Power and Pervez Hoodbhoy. 

It aimed to identify challenges in the global education system as well as propose possible solutions in teacher education, early learning, student assessment, education technology and inquiry-based learning. The by-invitation audience for this conference included delegates that represented other private schools and educational institutions, publishers, NGOs, and the public sector,  in addition to its key members of Beaconhouse staff.

The 2010 conference titled, ‘The School of Tomorrow: Freedom to Learn’, continued to explore what a school of tomorrow entails. Key objectives were to reassess beliefs about progressive teaching and learning and forge a new direction not only for Beaconhouse, but for schools at every level, everywhere. This was followed by the 2012 conference, ‘The School of Tomorrow: Empowering Lifelong Learners’, held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

The SOT Events series have informed change at Beaconhouse and beyond, directly benefitting learners and educators. To widen its impact, the series was opened to the public for the first time in 2015, when Karachi hosted ‘School of Tomorrow: The End of Education? (As we know it)’. Since then, these free-to-public events are held each year, and have become an integral part of an ongoing commitment to social and ethical responsibility as one of the largest global education networks. 

SOT Events have evolved, and grown in both scope and influence. They have featured over 500 speakers from across the world, including educators, futurists, technologists, scientists, environmentalists, political and business leaders, performing and visual artists, writers, poets, journalists, film-makers, social activists, as well as heads of state and government, among many others. 

Since 2020, SOT Events have been held as virtual conferences and now cater to truly global audiences from North America, the United Kingdom and Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and Pakistan.

The 2010 conference continued to explore what a school of tomorrow entails, called ‘The School of Tomorrow: Freedom to Learn’. Key objectives were to reassess beliefs about progressive teaching and learning and forge a new direction not only for Beaconhouse, but for schools at every level, everywhere. This was followed by the 2012 conference, held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and called ‘The School of Tomorrow: Empowering Lifelong Learners’. 

The SOT Events series have informed change at Beaconhouse and beyond, directly benefiting learners and educators. To widen their impact, the series was opened to the public for the first time in 2015 when Karachi hosted ‘School of Tomorrow: The End of Education? (*As we know it)’. Since then, these free-to-public events are held each year, and have become an integral part of an ongoing commitment to social and ethical responsibility as one of the largest global education network. 

SOT Events have evolved, and grown in both scope and influence. They have featured over 500 speakers from across the world, including educators, futurists, technologists, scientists, environmentalists, political and business leaders, performing and visual artists, writers, poets, journalists, filmmakers, social activists, as well as heads of state and government, among many others. 

Since 2020, SOT Events have been held as virtual conferences and now cater to truly global audiences from North America, the United Kingdom and Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and Pakistan

About the Organiser and Sponsors .

SOT Events are organised and hosted by Beaconhouse, one of the largest independent school networks in the world. Beaconhouse traces its roots to the Les Anges Montessori Academy, founded in Pakistan, in November 1975 with only 19 children. Today the Beaconhouse network educates over 315,000 students in Pakistan, the Middle East, Europe and Southeast Asia.

Beaconhouse is a learning organisation that takes pride in its past while nurturing a culture of continuous professional development, self-review and reinvention. It is this quest that drives all SOT Events.