ONA__Deliberations of a symposium of education titled “Towards Sustainable Education to Enhance Future Skills” began at Oman Convention and Exhibition Center here yesterday under the patronage of Dr. Said bin Muhammad Al Saqri, Minister of Economy.
Educational experts from international organizations (UNESCO, UNICEF, ESCWA) concerned with the education sector, academics, researchers and specialists from institutions of higher education and technical and vocational education, specialists in curriculum development, educational supervision, evaluation and teacher training are taking part in the 2-day symposium.
The Symposium began with a speech of the Ministry of Education delivered by Dr. Madiha Ahmed Al Shaibani, Minister of Education, in which she said: “Due to the importance of conducting comprehensive educational assessments for the post-pandemic stage, the importance of good compensatory education for all learners, and to benefit from the success stories achieved in light of the spread of the pandemic, this symposium comes as a continuation of the “Learning Loss in the Light of the Corona Pandemic: Its Effects and Methods of Remediation”, symposium. The outcomes of which contributed to enabling the education system to find a package of alternatives to mitigate educational loss and address its effects according to educational plans that are in line with the global approach in standing up to the challenges faced due to the spread of the pandemic. The Sultanate of Oman, represented by the education sector, took the initiative to participate in many seminars and meetings in order to exchange experiences on the best practices followed by educational systems in the world for the early recovery and post-pandemic phases to ensure the sustainability of education and building stronger and more flexible educational systems that have a greater ability to serve students.”
Dr. Sobhi Al-Taweel, Director of the Future of Learning, and Innovation at UNESCO, presented the main paper of the symposium, entitled: “Developing New Perceptions of our Future Together – New Social Contract for Education.” He said: “Concluding any social contract for education requires in the first place a common vision for the general purposes of education. The social contract for education must be based on the basic and organizational principles that determine the structure of education systems, as well as on the work that is being distributed and undertaken in order to build, maintain and improve these systems. Any new social contract for education must be based on two basic principles, namely, ensuring the right to quality education for life, and promoting education as a mutual benefit. The conclusion of a new social contract for education is a critical step in the endeavors to develop new visions of our future together.”
After that, two scientific sessions were held. The first session was chaired by Dr. Bakhit Ahmed Al Mahri, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Innovation for Research and Innovation. The session focused on (The Reality of Education through International Reports, and Educational Indicators). It covered four papers on “The Education Quality Report in the Arab Countries”, “The National Education Indicators in International Reports”, "Policies and Indicators of the Fourth Goal in the Sultanate of Oman" and “Entrepreneurial Skills and Future Jobs in the Sultanate of Oman”.
The second session was chaired by Dr. Abdullah Khamis Ambosaidi, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Education for Education, which focused on (The Future of Education). It also included the presentation of four papers on “Response, Recovery, and Reimagining: Global Lessons for Achieving Education Results in the Sultanate of Oman after the COVID-19 Pandemic", “Education in Oman Vision 2040”, "Digital Transformation in the Educational System" and "E-Learning in the Light of the Corona Pandemic".