DUBAI - Dr Hanif Hassan, Minister of Education, has said the UAE's openness towards international cultures enhances its educational planning and development practices.
He said this during his visit to the Regional Centre for Educational Planning (RCEP) in Sharjah, which was set up under the auspices of Unesco, yesterday. He also attended the training course being hosted by the centre in cooperation with Unesco for 33 staff members of the RCEP's regional offices in 27 Arab, African and Asian countries.
Being held under the title “Education Policy Analysis and Planning with the New Context of International Development Cooperation", the course will continue till July 17. The programme has been developed jointly by the Division for Education Strategies and Field Support in Beirut, Regional Office in Khartoum, Sudan, and the International Institute for Educational Planning in Paris, France.
Dr Hanif noted that the UAE lays emphasis on the educational development in all stages because educational development and planning are the cornerstone of building the nation's progress in various fields, preparing qualified and experienced generations.
He pointed out that the Ministry of Education launched its new education reform strategy to establish an active educational system with national experts and capabilities that depend on decentralised policies and practices when making decisions. Hence, the relationships between the educational committees, educational councils and zones are clearly defined.
The ministry also seeks to establish new techniques and applications that coincide with the national and religious identities. He also thanked the organisers of the training programme as it offers new ideas and solutions to problems. He expressed the hope that it would help the educators find suitable educational systems in the developing countries.
Dr Ibrahim Ahmed Bajunid, Director of the RCEP, said: "The training programme consists of five courses offered by Unesco to train its staff members on different educational policies and planning. The regional centre in Sharjah was selected to host the programme from July 6 to July 17 due to its outstanding facilities and utilities.
Bajunid said the centre is currently examining the possibility of organising an international conference on "educational policies and planning" with the participation of international experts from the UAE, Gulf and Arab regions and around the world.
It will also prepare training programmes and courses for school principals to enhance their knowledge with the Arab and Islamic culture and their role in educational planning and informing the world of the Arab educational practices from a modern perspective.