His Excellency Sheikh Hamdan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, attended a lecture by Dr. Andreas Schleicher, Director for Education and Skills, and Special Advisor on Education Policy to the Secretary-General at the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in Paris, entitled “Strong educational performance and successful educational reforms … How to build educational systems in the 21st century”, at the Ramadan Council of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, in Al Bateen Palace in Abu Dhabi, Monday, July 13, 2015. The lecturer congratulated the UAE leadership and people on their huge achievements in the field of education under the leadership of His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the State, and under the guidance and follow-up of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President, Prime Minister, and Ruler of Dubai, and His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces. He pointed out that the UAE is one of the first ten countries among the 70 countries that managed to achieve significant progress in the field of education, ahead of many developed countries in America and Europe. Dr. Schleicher stressed that the educational and technical developments achieved by the UAE in its educational system, and the acquisition of the global educational skills and employment of potential necessary for the advancement of the educational process in the State, will contribute to increase the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the State at high rates as a result of the use of high-tech, pointing out that there are still major steps for the UAE to follow, like other developed countries, in the field of education to build an integrated educational system. Schleicher noted that we must think more deeply about how to prepare the younger generation for tomorrow, but the dilemma faced by educators is that the skills that are easily taught and tested, are also easily digitized and automated, and the world does not reward people for what they know any more, since the search engine “Google” knows everything, rather, it rewards them for what they can implement depending on what they know. He added: “In the past, education was centered on how to teach people something, but now it has become centered on ensuring the child’s ability to know his path with confidence and gain the skills that enable him to find a way in a volatile and ambiguous world. Therefore, schools today should prepare students for a world in which the majority of the people need to cooperate with others from a variety of cultural origins and realize their different ideas, opinions, and values … a world where people need to decide how to trust others and cooperate with them in spite of the existence of differences between them …a world in which their lives will be affected because of problems beyond their borders”.
Schleicher explained that, since a generation ago, the teachers can expect that what they teach their students will stay with them throughout their lives, but today, schools need to prepare students for the economic and social growth faster than ever, for jobs that have not existed yet, for using technology which has not been invented yet, and to solve the social problems that we do not know if they will appear. He pointed out that international comparisons are not easy and accurate, as the comparisons of International Student Assessment Program (PISA), of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, began to take into account the readiness of the students in that context in different countries. The Program also introduces us to what can be achieved in education, and helps the countries to see themselves in the mirror of outcomes and educational opportunities offered by the educational leaders in the world. The results show that the quality of education in a country is a strong indicator of wealth that the country will gain in the long run. In other words, the economic outputs that we lose because of the poor educational policies and practices are leading many countries to a permanent state of economic recession, a recession that is often more severe than the one caused by the financial crisis at the beginning of the millennium. Schleicher added: “We also learned from the International Student Assessment Program that the leaders in the top-performing schools taught their fellow citizens to consider education and the future much more valuable than the daily consumption needs. Schleicher said that the UAE is one of the first countries in the region that are involved in the Program, which qualifies it to set an example in this area, especially since it is one of the countries that invest well in the field of education.
He also explained that paying great attention to education is nothing but a part of the equation, and the second part is to believe in the possibilities all children could achieve. Interestingly, many of the top educational systems have a strong and equal performance, that is, all students from all social backgrounds are high achievers. The top educational systems have clear and ambitious standards in common, and everyone knows what is required of him in order to receive the academic qualification they want.