GCC undersecretaries of education discuss collaboration

The Undersecretaries of Education from GCC countries assembled in Muscat, Oman, on Sunday, engaging in critical discussions around collaborative educational initiatives in the region.

Dr Abdullah bin Khamis Ambosaidi, Undersecretary of Ministry of Education of Oman, initiated the dialogue with an acknowledgement of the progress made in joint endeavours.

“The collective educational efforts within the GCC have made remarkable strides. I seize this occasion to extend my heartfelt gratitude for your invaluable participation.”

Khalid bin Ali al Sunaidi, Assistant Secretary-General for Economic and Development Affairs at the General Secretariat of the GCC, highlighted the importance of joint educational initiatives.

Citing statistics, he said the establishment of 7,400 government kindergartens and nurseries by the end of last year further accentuated “our commitment to early childhood education”.

In addition, government schools continue to address the requirements of 75% of general education students – totalling 7.2 million – with 2.3 million in private institutions, he added.

Placing GCC Countries At Top Of Global Education Standards

Sunaidi stressed the need to stay abreast of global advancements, particularly in AI, and called on the committee to harness the expertise of nations leading in education.

He highlighted the importance of seeking inspiration from those leading in the sector to bring in novel concepts and help place GCC countries at the top of global education standards.

The undersecretaries deliberated on a plethora of critical topics, including digital transformation, strengthening international partnerships, and denouncing terrorism and extremism.

Discussions also revolved around safeguarding the moral values intrinsic to Gulf societies and achieving the UN’s fourth Sustainable Development Goal – Quality Education.

Proposals from Oman and the Secretariat-General and a review of the Committee of Ministers of Education’s work plan spanning 2021-26 were also in the limelight.

The meeting culminated with a number of recommendations, including appointing a specialised team to formulate a unified vision for international educational collaboration.

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Notably, the focus was also laid on crafting awareness programmes for students surrounding responsible digital platform usage and information security, in addition to electronic games.