Public Private Partnerships Vital For Education Sector Reform In The GCC

HE Reem Al Hashimy, HE Dr. Mugheer Khamis Al Khaili and HE Abdullatif M. Ghaith address audience of delegates from over 50 countries at Global Education & Skills Forum in Dubai

His Highness Sheikh Majid Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairman of Dubai Culture and Arts Authority, attended the opening sessions of the inaugural Global Education and Skills Forum, held under his patronage. The Forum hosted a series of panel discussions that discussed topics including education reform, Public Private Partnerships, skills development, the increasing impact of technology on education and female literacy initiatives.

Speaking at the panel discussion on education reform, moderated by Fareed Zakaria of CNN, Her Excellency Reem Al Hashimy, Minister of State for the UAE and Chair of Dubai Cares, said; “Partnerships for us are critical as our biggest challenge in education is scaling up. We believe in the necessity of prosperity and we know how to solve the problems. We need to leverage technology and highlight how we are generating resources and go international.” Her Excellency urged delegates to help move emerging economies from aid-centric to development-centric models, using Public Private Partnerships as a means to boost innovation.

H.E. Dr. Mugheer Khamis Al Khaili, Director General of the Abu Dhabi Education Council (ADEC) affirmed that Public Private Partnerships were essential to take education provision in the UAE to the next level. “As part of the Abu Dhabi Vision 2030, we need to have a compact government and instead of hiring hundreds of specialists to reform our education system, partnering with private players is the most efficient way forward.”
“Today, ADEC has partnerships with seven private players, including GEMS Education, and we have found that they bring a variety of fresh ideas and approaches and reliably deliver on what is agreed upon. As a percentage of the population, we have one of the largest PPPE initiatives in the world.” ADEC’s teacher training programme, Tamkeen, has enlisted over 5,000 teachers who will receive training from the private sector during the 2013 scholastic year.

Speaking on Public Private Partnerships in education in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, H.E. Abdullatif M. Ghaith, President and CEO, Tatweeer Education Holding, tasked by Royal Decree with the implementation of King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Project for Development of Public Education said: “We are building knowhow in partnership with private entities. We are localising global best practice to our requirements and building implementation teams to develop the education sector in the Kingdom. This helps create thousands of jobs in Saudi Arabia as our education sector comprises 30,000 schools and serves 5.5 million students. We have put in place widespread teacher training and curriculum development programmes including those for science and maths courses. We have a client-supplier relationship with the Ministry of Education and have made a significant difference in the nutritional and transportation aspects of education provision.”

During the inaugural session moderated by Dino Varkey, Group Chief Operating Officer, GEMS Education, Qian Tang, Assistant Director General for Education, UNESCO said: “Education is a human right and a public good that must be made available to all.

The State plays an essential role as defender of this principle, setting standards and norms that guarantee quality and equality of opportunity. However, in delivering education, the State should not be alone. It does so together with families, communities, civil society organization, the private sector and others. We need to do a better job of harnessing all of these stakeholders, to improve the delivery and financing of education.”

Earlier, speaking at the forum via video link, President Clinton urged Public Private Partnerships to ramp up efforts as the primary pathway to educating girls, consequently lifting a country’s economic status and lowering birth rates to a sustainable level. The former president also said empowering girls through education is an issue that has gained impassioned support globally. Educating underserved girls and women is a "deeply human drama that will play out in 21st century," he said.
The Global Education and Skills Forum, being held in Dubai from March 14-17, is jointly organized by UNESCO, The Commonwealth Business Council, The UAE Government and GEMS Education. The forum is examining ways to create real, sustainable and scalable change to education systems at global and local levels. A particular focus is on developing an environment that supports effective Public and Private partnerships, including a regulatory framework that ensures access, quality, relevance and equity in education provision.
The Forum covers topics across the education sectors; including sessions on disruptive technologies, technical and vocational education and equity in education.

Attendees include E. Pierre Nkurunziza, President of Burundi, H.E. Maria Kiwanuka, Minister of Finance, Planning and Economic Development,Uganda, H.E. Olusegun Obasanjo, Former President of The Federal Republic of Nigeria, H, H.E. Cirino Ofuho, Minister of Youth, H.E. Chilundo Arlindo, Deputy Minister of Education, Mozambique, South Sudan, H.E. Reem Al Hashimy, Minister of State, UAE, Nick Fuller, Head of Education, Olympics 2012, UK, H.E. Shashi Tharoor, Minister of Human Resource Development, India and Lord Andrew Adonis, former Minister of State for Education, UK. 

Emirate:  Dubai

Date: Mar 18, 2013

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