PARIS — Minister of Education Dr. Hamad Al-Sheikh said that education would be a major priority in the agenda of the G20 Summit, which will be hosted by the Kingdom in 2020. The minister made the remarks while addressing the 7th meeting of the Steering Committee of the Sustainable Development Goals for Education 2030 at the headquarters of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in Paris. He said the Kingdom looks forward to work with UNESCO and other international organizations with regard to addressing major educational issues as well as the future of the next generation in the summit. According to Al-Sheikh, Saudi Arabia is striving to improve the quality of teaching and learning in the country. Referring to the Kingdom's priorities in the educational realm, the minister said: "The Kingdom and other countries in the region are responding to the three policy priorities in the Arab region as discussed and agreed upon at the 3rd Regional Meeting on Education 2030, held in Jordan in November 2018. "And these priorities are ensuring equitable and comprehensive savings to improve the quality of teaching and learning, as well as an increase in the funding for education, and innovation in its usage." "In Saudi Arabia, we work on these three priorities, and focus our efforts on the second policy priority, which is the quality of teaching and learning. As such, we have made significant reforms in educational policy related to curriculum, assessment and professional development of teachers, with a continuing focus on learning outcomes at all levels," he said. Al-Sheikh said the Kingdom knows that this is a long process, so in the next 10 years before reaching the 2030 target, we will do everything we can so that all children and young people in our country benefit from the quality and learning outcomes of the skills of 21st century and the fourth industrial revolution. "We work at all levels and dimensions to equip our future generations with the right knowledge and competencies. Similarly, we want to make sure that our teachers are better equipped to deliver new curricula by establishing a national teacher training and development institute," he said. Al-Sheikh noted that the main priorities presented by the Ministry of Education this year are the new university system and the initiative to expand early childhood education, noting that the Kingdom supports the educational response in humanitarian situations facing many countries affected by the crisis in the region, as in Yemen, Lebanon and UNRWA (United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees). Al-Sheikh also attended the opening session of the 40th session of the General Conference of UNESCO, with the attendance of all 195 members of the organization. The conference will last for two weeks at the UNESCO headquarters.
