The Yidan Prize Foundation, established by Tencent co-founder Chen Yidan to recognize outstanding education practices, announced on Monday the establishment of a special council dedicated to promoting educational policy and reform.

The Council of Luminaries, debuting at this year's Yidan Prize Awards Presentation Ceremony and Summit held virtually in Hong Kong, gathered 16 educational researchers aiming to foster collaboration and drive education progress globally.

"The Council of Luminaries is coming together to create a more equitable and inclusive global community, and we are very pleased to be part of it, accelerating change and action. We all believe in the power of education," Chen was quoted as saying in a press release.

The council is designed to be a place where experts are encouraged to share and address key issues within educational practices, bridge the gap between research and practice, and inspire relevant stakeholders to contribute to the transformation of education such as closing the inequality gap.

"The challenge in education is so large that we need all of us, global multilateral funds and empowered local community leaders, nation state resources and agile philanthropy, researchers and activists, all playing our part in concert," said Julia Gillard, former prime minister of Australia and chair of Global Partnership for Education.