H.E. the Minister of Education, Dr. Hamad bin Mohammed Al Al-Sheikh, expressed his thanks and appreciation to the Italian government for hosting the G20 Education Ministers’ meeting during the Italian presidency year 2021, praising Italy’s efforts to include education on the summit’s agenda; including choosing blended education, and educational poverty during the Corona pandemic, as priorities for this year.
In his speech during the opening session of the G20 Education Ministers’ meeting held in Catania, Italy today, His Excellency said, “Today, I stand here optimistic about the future. Our methods of work have changed, and our vision has grown significantly, and most education experts and decision-makers are now familiar with the global impact of the pandemic. So, we must look at the global pandemic as an opportunity and not just as a pandemic, and move forward.” His Excellency also noted that schools and educational institutions around the world have suffered from the crisis, yet “Today, we are proud of our achievements in surmounting this pandemic, and thinking about the future of our educational systems.”
The Minister of Education added that a shared commitment to providing citizens with the necessary knowledge, skills and values, will contribute towards global prosperity. He stated that through cooperation, dialogue, shared interests, finding innovative solutions, and respecting the rights of all student, we will move forward to improve, adapt and develop our education systems.
The Minister of Education reviewed, in an intervention during the meeting, the best practices of the Ministry of Education in the Kingdom regarding the priorities of the G20 this year, including continuing mitigating actions to reduce the epidemic’s impact, such as adopting prevention strategies, intervention and compensation measures, and investing in teacher training and student and parent support systems. In addition, innovative distance learning tools, such as the development of the “Madrasati”, the launching of 23 educational channels, and facilitating distance learning resources for disabled students, has had a major positive impact.
Al-Sheikh explained that the Ministry of Education in the Kingdom announced the development of curricula and study plans and the implementation of a three semester and secondary track system for the next academic year, noting that the development process represents the first stage in educational reforms that aim to achieve the strategic objectives of the Kingdom's Vision 2030, enhancing students' skills, and adopting blended learning methods.
In a closing statement, His Excellency, as a member of the Troika, thanked his counterparts, the Education Ministers of the G20, for their efforts in strengthening the educational systems of the countries in the group, by ensuring quality and equitable education for all, and reducing the risks of educational poverty which has worsened due to the pandemic. He called for the adoption of innovative approaches to ensure the continuity of education, reduce educational poverty, and develop policies and strategies to better the transition from education to implementation.
On behalf of the Kingdom, His Excellency thanked the Indonesia Republic for including education in the main agenda of the upcoming G20, and he wished India all the best as a new member of the Troika.
This meeting comes at the conclusion of the work by the Education Working Group under the Italian G20 Presidency, which addressed the various educational topics falling within two main priorities, namely: blended learning and the use of technology as a tool to support in-person education, along with educational poverty, which has been exacerbated by the pandemic, such as inequalities in access to equitable and high-quality education, the digital divide, and dropout rates.
The two priorities are an extension of the third priority of the Education Working Group under the year of the Saudi presidency of the G20 in 2020, which is the continuity of education in times of crisis that was added to the priorities of the Education Group as a result of the spread of the COVID-19; with the subsequent widespread closure of schools and educational institutions around the world, as part of the precautionary measures to confront the pandemic.