LONDON — Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman announced on Thursday that Saudi Arabia would donate $3 million to support the Global Partnership for Education. He made the announcement during his speech at a global education summit held in London. The Crown Prince in his speech, which was delivered by Education Minister Dr. Hamad Al Sheikh, stressed the importance of concerted efforts in supporting international initiatives and programs that would enhance the economics of education and support educational systems in the beneficiary countries and provide high-quality educational services to those who need them most, particularly in light of the coronavirus pandemic, whose effects still pose a major challenge to many education systems around the world. Speaking on behalf of Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman, the Saudi education minister said: "I would like to convey to you the greetings of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman and Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman and his aspirations for the success of the summit in achieving its noble goal. Dr. Al Sheikh also thanked Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, for hosting the important global summit. "I am also pleased to thank the Global Partnership for Education and commend its chairman, Julia Gillard, and all partners in this leading global organization for the great efforts to provide high-quality education for all children, boys and girls around the world, and for their tireless efforts to improve access to education," he said. "These efforts focused on equitable and inclusive education, bridging educational and digital gaps and addressing all forms of inequality, especially in low-income countries, in line with Goal 4 of the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations 2030 Agenda, which provides for "ensuring quality, equitable and inclusive education for all, and promoting lifelong learning opportunities," Dr. Al Sheikh added. The Saudi education minister also said that this noble goal can only be achieved through international cooperation and joint action and extending a helping hand to countries with limited resources. Dr. Al Sheikh said that Saudi Arabia has always attached great importance to education at the local, regional and international levels which was evident during its G20 2020 presidency in which the Kingdom included education as the main item on the agenda, adding that education is a major component of the Kingdom's vision 2030. He pointed out that the Kingdom is the largest supporter of regional financial institutions such as the Islamic Development Bank, the OPEC Fund (OFID), and the Arab Development Bank in Africa, which provide support to many countries of the world by financing projects and initiatives in various vital fields, especially the field of education.
