📋 Tender Overview
H.H. Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and Chairman of the Education and Human Resources Council EHRC chaired a virtual high level meeting hosted by Council on Sunday to discuss the future of education and employment in a post COVID-19 world.The meeting looked into the various experiences of developing education economy and job market in the world and how to seize the opportunities from the COVID-19 crises and to make the UAE more efficient dynamic and ready for any future challenges that may come its way.H.H. Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed welcomed the participants saying that the world is going through many changes due to the outbreak of coronavirus pandemic.The precautionary and preventive measures taken by the UAE have become a global example of how to contain the pandemic and reflected the leaderships vision for placing peoples safety and wellbeing as a top priority and for mitigating any impact on development drive across the various sectors particularly the education he said.He stressed that the easing of restrictions relating to social distancing and remote working raised numerous questions all of which need to be addressed if society is to return to a semblance of pre-outbreak normality.There is no doubt that the COVID-19 pandemic has reshaped societies in profound ways. It has confined us to our homes changed the way we work and the way our children learn. However as scientists and healthcare professionals started developing a better understanding of how to confine the pandemic government officials are now faced with the growing socioeconomic consequences of lockdowns and are now increasingly moving towards the cautious easing of restrictions said His Highness.He explained At the same time this next stage requires more cooperation and commitment to all measures that will ensure the efficiency of the education and economic sectors and the gradual return of work life to pre-crisis normality.His Highness added A number of vital concepts have emerged that should be developed from now on in order to restore life and take advantage of the lessons learned. One of the most prominent of these is how to resume economic activities while still ensuring the safety and health of employees and how to enhance the educational achievement of students with distance learning.His Highness went on This meeting has come to mark the beginning of a new stage and to discuss the practical steps that should be taken in order to reopen our schools and the labour market again. And most importantly to develop an integrated vision of how to invest in opportunities that play a greater role in the adoption of flexible mechanisms that will help enhance our readiness to face any changes that may occur in the future. The meeting was attended by Khaldoon Al Mubarak Chairman of Executive Affairs Authority Abu Dhabi and Vice Chairman of EHRCs Advisory Panel Sultan Saeed Al Mansouri Minister of Economy Hussain bin Ibrahim Al Hammadi Minister of Education Noura bint Mohammed Al Kaabi Minister of Culture and Knowledge Development Nasser bin Thani Al Hamli Minister of Human Resources and Emiratization Hessa bint Eissa Buhumaid Minister of Community Development Jameela bint Salem Al Muhairi Minister of State for Public Education Dr. Ahmad bin Abdullah Belhoul Minister of State for Higher Education and Advanced Skills and Secretary General of the EHRC Saeed Ghobash Chancellor of the United Arab Emirates University Shamma bint Suhail Al Mazrui Minister of State for Youth Sarah bint Yousif Al Amiri Minister of State for Advanced Sciences Jassim Al Zaabi Chairman of Department of Finance Abu Dhabi Sara Musallam Chairperson of the Department of Education and Knowledge Abu Dhabi Dr. Abdulla Al Karam Chairman of the Knowledge and Human Development Authority Dubai Dr. Muhadditha Al Hashimi Chairperson of Sharjah Private Education Authority Mohammed Al Nuaimi Director of Educational Affairs at the Crown Princes Court Abu Dhabi and 65 other leaders from the UAE government.The Advisory Panel meeting also featured ten international advisors comprised a group of carefully curated highly selected leaders in their field including former Ministers directors of global education practices academics and experts in education and labor markets from France Portugal the UK the US Germany Singapore and Peru who brought their insights to the fore to predict the shape of education and employment in the age of the New Normal. The panelists commenced their presentations with a connected overview of the education to employment journey of which the first six participants drawn from the world of k-12 education discussing teaching and learning in a changing world while the next two participants with extensive expertise in prestigious higher education offering and reform and the final two as experts on labor economics and nationalization of workforce addressing the employment and economic consequences of the COVID-19 outbreak.Cautioning about adopting advanced technology wholesale former Minister of Culture and Minister of Education France Jack Lang commented The coronavirus has made us aware of the extent of digital tools that can help teachers. But the next world should not be the one of distance learning and the definitive grip of digital technology. Distance learning will never replace face-to-face teaching. In higher education some voices are already calling for a massive recourse to distance education at the beginning of the next school year. I believe that such measures could be dramatic.
