Ministry official says education key to achieving sustainable development

Dubai, Nov 14, 2021: Education is an essential pillar to venture into the future and achieve sustainable development, said Dr. Mohamed Ebrahim Al Mualla, Undersecretary for Academic Affairs, UAE Ministry of Education. He was addressing the 2021 edition of GESS Dubai.

According to Al Mualla, the next 50 years in the UAE’s education sector will focus on fostering a high-quality education system that ensures competitiveness at the early childhood stage; an innovative global educational system that enhances future skills; alignment of higher education outputs with the needs of the future labour market; and an advanced and flexible national qualifications system that copes with the requirements of future economic development.

The future of education is a major focus at this year’s GESS Dubai.

Faisal Al Balushi, Chairman of the Omani Society for Educational Technology, said that this year is dedicated to celebrate the extraordinary work and accomplishments of teachers, principals, academics, administrators, technology specialists and others who despite facing unpresented problems and challenges due to the pandemic, played crucial leadership role in supporting students and ensuring continuity of education.

The three-day event features more than 140 speakers and 150 plus CPD accredited sessions and will also feature the latest education-focused products and solutions from over 400 local and international companies and brands from more than 30 countries, with dedicated country pavilions such as the UK, Germany, India and Korea.

Among the top-level speakers scheduled to address the conference include Dr. Petar Stojanov, Global Partner, Innovation, Talent and Future Strategy who will talk about Technology and Talent: Shaping the Future of Education, which will explore the future of education from a technology perspective.

Mark East, Senior Director – Europe, Middle East and Africa (Education), Microsoft will discuss Post Pandemic Transformation on how schools can plan for the journey ahead; while Russell Cailey, Principal, THINK Global School, will lead the discussion on Core Values: The Key to Creating a Culture of Change, which will put the spotlight on the academic and social-emotional values that schools, including teachers and students, need to have in order to succeed.

“Over the years, we have received positive feedback from educators and school leaders about our conference agenda’s impact on helping them institute transformational changes in their schools – from the curriculum to teacher training and development, as well as investments on technology products that help enhance the teaching and learning experience. We continue this tradition in this year’s edition of GESS Talks Arena, and hope that it will continue to inspire and empower education professionals to institute vital reforms for the future of education,” said Matt Thompson, Project Director, Tarsus, organisers of GESS in Dubai, Indonesia and Turkey.