Qudwa 2017 places teachers at centre of equation

ABU DHABI: The Education Affairs Office of Crown Prince Court of Abu Dhabi announced the list of partners of the second edition of the global teachers’ forum “Qudwa 2017”, held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces and Chairman of the Executive Council of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi.

On a global level, the Office is collaborating with several Strategic Partners such as the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and the Varkey Foundation, and Knowledge Partners including Teach for All; Google for Education; Edraak, an initiative of the Queen Rania Foundation (QRF); Microsoft; McKinsey and Company; and Arc Skills.

Local Strategic Partners include the UAE Ministry of Education, the Department of Education and Knowledge (ADEK); the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA); the Sharjah Education Council (SEC); and the Abu Dhabi Centre for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (ACTVET).

Commenting on his participation, Hussain Ibrahim Al Hammadi, UAE Minister of Education, said: “ Qudwa 2017 will shed light on the critical role teachers play in the economic, cultural and social development of our nations. The forum will focus on connecting teachers with their peers from around the world, to share knowledge and insight that will both empower and inspire their development. We look forward to the outcomes of Qudwa 2017, which we believe will help advance and elevate the teaching profession, not only in the UAE but in the region and around the world.”

National treasures

Dr Ali Rashid Al Nuaimi, Chairman of the Department of Education and Knowledge (ADEK), said, “The agenda of the forum mirrors the directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces and Chairman of the Executive Council of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, which consider teachers to be national treasures, possessing great honesty and a noble mission. We cherish their central role in building minds and preparing future generations.”

He added, “This year’s forum is of great importance, especially since at the beginning of this new academic year, we embarked on the implementation of a unified national educational system that will enhance the development process and serve to fulfil the future strategy of the UAE. This second edition of Qudwa will inspire and motivate each teacher to develop tools for transferring knowledge and building minds and talents of the future generation.”

Mubarak Saeed Al Shamsi, Director General of Abu Dhabi Centre for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (ACTVET), said: “Our institute applies an advanced and flexible strategy in line with the directives of the leadership of the UAE. The education sector is witnessing many rapid developments in terms of increasing the number of specialisations and techniques used to train teachers and to provide students with the type of knowledge that will be critical to future success.” He highlighted the diversity of disciplines at ACTVET’s secondary and post-secondary institutions, including Abu Dhabi Polytechnic, Fatima College of Health Sciences, Technical Secondary Schools, Applied Technology Secondary Schools, and the Centre for Education and Professional Development.

“The ICT revolution has altered job markets, and intensified the demand on educational systems to adapt to the required technology competencies of future jobs,” Al Shamsi added. “The significance of Qudwa 2017 is in drawing the link between teachers, teaching for tomorrow, and the technology-focused development of societies and economies.

Dr Abdulla Al Karam, Director General of Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA), expressed his optimism for achieving positive results from the global forum’s agenda. He added, “The UAE’s experience in education has shown that competition between public and private schools to achieve excellence benefits students and societies at large. This healthy competition typically leads to progress and to enhancement of the education ecosystem in both sectors, allowing outcomes to meet the social, economic and cultural needs of our country.”

Special dimension

He pointed that the Qudwa 2017 forum provides a special dimension to this process of excellence by placing the teacher at the centre of the equation. “Teachers are the key element in determining the success and excellence of any educational institution. We hope that Qudwa will continue to provide new experiences and levels of expertise to teachers in the UAE and to position our nation at the forefront of other countries committed to building their development on a sustainable basis.”

The list of global Strategic Partners includes the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), which cooperated with the Education Affairs Office on the development of some of the forum’s sessions and on aligning them with international education issues and data.

Andreas Schleicher, Director for Education and Skills, and Special Adviser on Education Policy to the Secretary-General at the OECD, said, “The OECD is very pleased to be a Knowledge Partner of the Qudwa 2017 global teachers’ forum. Our international data on education not only shows what’s happening today, but also, how teachers, with commitment and passion, can improve both teaching and learning for tomorrow.”

Ali Bin Tamim, Director-General of Abu Dhabi Media, said, “We are proud to partner with this big scale event dedicated to developing the future of education. The forum carries many noble values on top of them is serving as a platform to develop and build generations of well-educated youth and prepare them to face the challenges posed by future. Participating in Qudwa 2017 is aligned with our social responsibility as a national media organisation towards delivering the messages of the forum to all segments of the society.”

Education a pillar

Nart Bouran, Chief Executive Officer and Head of News, Sky News Arabia said, “We are delighted to join forces with the Education Affairs Office of the Crown Prince Court as a regional Media Partner of the Qudwa 2017 forum. It is a great opportunity for us to play a role in educating the public about how education can be a pillar in developing nations. It is through exchanging the best practices in education across the region and the world, and highlighting the significant role of teachers in driving change, that we could transform our societies to become more innovative and reinforce moral and ethical values.”

He added, “Media is a key partner to the education framework in general, and a supporter of educational institutions in their efforts to spread knowledge. We at Sky News Arabia are committed to disseminating useful and enlightening ideas which will contribute to the making of the future of humanity.”

Becky Anderson, Managing Editor and Anchor, CNN Abu Dhabi said, “Education is a matter of global importance – it can increase social mobility, foster democracy and be transformative, particularly in developing countries. It is a subject important to CNN editorially and something that I am passionate about. Qudwa 2017 is an incredibly worthwhile initiative from the Education Affairs Office of Crown Prince Court of Abu Dhabi. I am personally looking forward to being involved and am expecting a high level of discussion and debate.”

Qudwa is a global forum with teachers at its heart. Organised under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces and Chairman of the Executive Council of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, the event will take place at the Emirates Palace on Oct.7 and 8, 2017.

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