"Education is the Beating Heart of a Nation's Future Plans"
Crown Prince addresses leading educators gathering in Bahrain at the inaugural Education Project
16 October 2009, Manama: Education is the most important issue to the future of any country, His Highness Shaikh Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince of Bahrain and Chairman of the Kingdom’s Economic Development Board (EDB), told leading international education experts attending the inaugural Education Project, launched today in Bahrain.
The Education Project was initiated by His Highness Shaikh Salman and organised by the EDB to address the widening inequality gap in global education. Despite the priority that governments around the globe have placed on education, the rate of return on educational investments – especially in developing nations – has been unsubstantial.
Speaking at the event, which runs until 17 October at the Isa Cultural Centre and National Library in Manama, the Crown Prince said, “People are what make a country. They are the key to a country’s growth and they are entitled to the education and training they need to win good jobs and a good income for their family. Yet we all know there are gaps in the quality of the world’s education systems. In spite of good intentions, increased spending on education often fails to deliver the expected improvements. Too many young men and women – in developed and emerging nations – are thrown into the jobs market without the skills they need to stay afloat in post-industrial, knowledge-based economies.
“Identifying and investing in the right sort of education to unlock the full potential of every individual is one of the greatest challenges facing the world of the twenty first century. The Education Project is a chance for educationalists to work together as an international team - with a focus on doing, not just talking. We have come together to explore solutions and strategies that can help educators around the world to shape the future of education – and make a difference, for every society and for every section of society.”
According to UNESCO’s Institute for Lifelong Learning, 774 million adults are illiterate. Yet a single year of primary school increases the wages people earn in later life by between 5 and 15 percent for boys and even more for girls. For each additional year of secondary school, a person’s wages increase by 15 to 25 percent.
The Crown Prince added that the Education Project has grown out of Bahrain’s experience in learning from the best education systems around the world. Bahrain was the first country in the Gulf to introduce a public education system in 1919, and to open education to women in 1928. “Our Kingdom’s commitment to education began 90 years ago. And our commitment is just as passionate to keep improving the education and training opportunities for all our people, regardless of gender or religion or income.
“But we all have much to learn from each other – and to keep learning. None of us should expect to have a monopoly of knowledge or wisdom. Let us take advantage of the Education Project to explore innovations that have succeeded in one area and, we hope, can be successfully adapted for another. In this way, we can together create a practical roadmap, with new information and insights for educators to follow all around the world.”
While the Crown Prince conceded that not all challenges could be resolved at this inaugural event, he added that the conclusions from the global forum – to become an annual platform – would help educators worldwide to shape the future of education and make a difference by implementing outcomes and making practical changes.
The event was opened by Shaikh Mohammed bin Essa Al Khalifa, Chief Executive of the EDB which has overall responsibility for formulating and overseeing the economic strategy of the Kingdom. Education and training is an important pillar underpinning Bahrain’s Economic Vision 2030 and National Economic Strategy.
His welcome address was followed by a lively debate on ‘The state of educational outcomes’ chaired by Tony Wagner of Harvard Graduate School of Education’s ‘Change Leadership Group’. According to Shaikh Mohammed, “Education is the single most important factor in bringing stability, productivity and prosperity to all societies.
The goal of the Education Project is to share best practice and create a practical approach that educators worldwide can follow in order to improve outcomes. Education leaders will leave the Project equipped with information, insights as well as commitments, partnerships and backing needed to make real changes.
The Education Project is a chance for educationalists to work together as an international community. Participants included representatives from corporate entities, the World Economic Forum and Save the Children UK. Other key sessions at Day One of the Education Project were:
• Where is the funding to come from? Public-private partnerships?
• The structure of the school system: Centralising Vs. Decentralising
• An early start: Increasing long-term learning outcomes through pre-school education
The Education Project was oversubscribed, attracting overwhelming interest from international educational professionals from all sectors interested in developing new models and standards in education.
-ENDS-
Notes to editors
About the Economic Development Board (EDB)
The Economic Development Board (EDB) is a dynamic public agency with an overall responsibility for formulating and overseeing the economic development strategy of Bahrain, and for creating the right climate to attract direct investment into the Kingdom.
The role of the EDB is to provide leadership by uniting all of the Kingdom's shareholders through a unified vision, and to develop key strategies for growth. The EDB also acts as a facilitator, helping all of Bahrain's stakeholders to understand and adopt the changes necessary for progress. In addition, the Bahrain EDB provides sound project management to ensure that all agreed reform initiatives are implemented in an effective and timely manner.
The EDB is also responsible for attracting inward investment into Bahrain, and is focusing on six target economic sectors in which the Kingdom offers significant strengths. These are financial services, downstream industries, tourism, business services, logistics, and education and training.
More information on the Bahrain EDB is available at: www.bahrainedb.com
Further information
Isa Mubarak, Economic Development Board
Tel: 17-589857, 36309774
Email: BahrainMedia@bahrainedb.com
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