• last year
Tariq Al Gurg: UAE education system is a role model for other countries
Transcript
00:00Last week marked the end of the academic year in the UAE and I would like to take this opportunity to express how proud I am as a UAE citizen whose sole day-to-day job revolves around education.
00:11I would also like to commend the UAE's wise leadership for their tremendous efforts in maintaining education as a top priority and a national objective in the wake of the COVID-19 global health crisis.
00:24The pandemic has left a significant impact on all sectors of the global economy and education is no exception.
00:31It has forced 192 countries to close down schools and universities, affecting more than 1.5 billion school-age children and youth, which represents around 90% of the world's student population.
00:4460 million teachers were no longer in the classroom.
00:48Thanks to the UAE's Ministry of Education's dedication and commitment, 1.2 million students across the UAE were able to pursue their education seamlessly and safely while millions of children and youth around the world were unable to continue their academic year.
01:06The distance learning scheme implemented by the Ministry has proven to be an effective and enriching experience for students, teachers, parents, thus making the UAE a role model for other countries in the world.
01:19We are also greatly appreciative of the 42,000 teachers who continue to deliver high-quality education to students during the COVID-19 outbreak, thereby joining doctors, nurses and medical staff in being the community's first line of defense in these critical times.
01:37They have shown dedication and decisive action towards addressing COVID-19 and protecting the UAE students.
01:45The COVID-19 pandemic is first and foremost a major health crisis. However, not all families in the world have been affected health-wise by the pandemic.
01:56On the contrary, the disruption to education has impacted lives at almost every single home in the world.
02:03The rapid spread of COVID-19 has demonstrated the importance of developing immediate solutions to minimize the impact of the pandemic on education, so the education systems around the world are better prepared to respond to large-scale disruptions in the future.
02:21The pandemic has not only shaken the whole world, but it also jolted UN organizations and global financing mechanisms to react quickly in order to ensure that education does not get interrupted.
02:36UNESCO's Global Education Coalition for COVID-19 Response and UNICEF's Generation Unlimited are playing an integral role to ensure minimal disruption to education and provide equitable access to remote learning for all children and youth.
02:53Dubai Cares is proud to have been selected to join these initiatives.
02:57As the UAE continues to play a pivotal role in redefining education, I would like to once again commend our wise leadership and its government for ensuring a sustainable learning process across the country.
03:10I would also like to thank the teachers, students, and parents for their instrumental role in the successful results achieved so far through the distance learning system.
03:23For more UN videos visit www.un.org