UAE's digital advancement in education sector is a model for other countries: Indian minister

The UAE is increasingly scripting its name as a leader in education, while being a model for other countries to learn from, especially considering its digital advancement in the sector, said Deputy Chief Minister of Delhi Manish Sisodia.

In an exclusive interview with Khaleej Times, Sisodia, who also helms the education ministry for the city-state, said: “In the UAE, technology is being used in a big way in the education sector. Students coming from different cultures, nations, different geographical locations are coming to the UAE, living, and learning together. That’s a model to learn from, how people from diversified backgrounds can be accommodated in one country’s education system.”

Speaking on the sidelines of the RewirEd Summit in Dubai, which recently concluded under the theme "Innovation in Education", Sisodia said India and the UAE share some key similarities.

“India is also a diverse country with people coming from Kashmir to Kanyakumari…different cultures, different socio-economic backgrounds, Delhi has been serving them, but we can learn more from Dubai and the UAE as to how adjust with that kind of diversity while providing quality education," he said.

The 'Happiness Mindset Curriculum', launched by the Delhi government, is one example of the innovative steps India has taken to advance the country's education sector.

"The Delhi government has also done some innovative work on this, and we’ve introduced happiness curriculum in schools, where students take a daily class on this, which is rare. The attempt is to look into the social and emotional aspects of a child. People from different countries also keep visiting India and Delhi to understand more about this," he said.

The Dubai education conference provided a global platform for education leaders, decision-makers, experts, specialists and leading companies from around the world.

Local and global educators sparked conversation among different stakeholders to generate new ideas on how to tackle the future of education and the role of technology in learning, especially during the pandemic.

During the summit, the Minister of Education of Bangladesh Dr Dipu Moni said: “Now, digital technology is used by everyone - in rural communities and in cities. Technology is changing fast, and this is a challenge for us from a resource perspective. Technology was an enabler during the pandemic, as we could switch to remote learning in a matter of days. We tried classrooms through TV, online and through FM radios. We must not lose focus on where we want to go.”

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One of the major announcements of the education summit was the launch of the RewirEd Declaration on Connectivity for Education, which has been developed by Unesco in partnership with Dubai Cares.

This declaration offers a framework on how connected technology better supports the right to education, while learning lessons from the pandemic.

This stems from the inputs of a 22-person expert advisory group, including governments, civil society, youth, teachers, researchers, members of the private sector, and other stakeholders who underlined directions for the digital transformation of education.

Elaborating on the declaration, Dr Tariq Al Gurg, the CEO and vice-chairman of Dubai Cares, said: “For us at Dubai Cares, the launch of this declaration will go down in the organisation’s history as a truly defining moment that reinforces our evolution as an organisation that has come a long way from being primarily focused on grant making, to an active global player and voice mobilising meaningful partnerships and alliances for a better world.”

• Dubai