ABU DHABI: The United Arab Emirates continues to solidify its role as a major advocate and supporter of global educational initiatives, particularly in communities facing challenging humanitarian conditions. Rooted in its cultural and humanitarian mission, the UAE views education as the cornerstone for the progress and development of nations.
The initiatives and material and in-kind assistance provided by the UAE to international organisations and several governments contribute to alleviating the severity of the education deprivation crisis in various regions around the world. According to recent data from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), nearly 250 million children and young people are not enrolled in schools, and 750 million illiterate adults are being denied their right to education.
The International Day of Education, celebrated globally tomorrow under the theme ‘learning for lasting peace,” serves as an occasion to highlight the efforts made by the UAE to e
nsure the right to education for all categories facing challenging living conditions. It also emphasises the effective international partnerships established to achieve this goal.
Support for education has consistently been a significant aspect of UAE’s foreign aid, with the total donations exceeding $1.55 billion for global education projects up to September 2020. This includes a donation of $284.4 million for crisis-affected areas.
In the “Global Partnership for Education Pledging Conference” held in July 2021, the UAE announced its commitment to contribute $100 million to support the strategic plan for educational programmes in developing countries from 2021 to 2025. In 2018, the UAE had pledged $100 million in support of this project, becoming the first country in the Middle East to join the Global Partnership for Education.
“The Global Partnership for Education” is an international organisation and a multi-stakeholder fund established in 2003 and supported by the World Bank. It focuses on ensuring qua
lity education for all children in developing countries globally. The UAE was the first country, both regionally and within the Arab world, to provide support to this organisation. In February 2018, the UAE announced a financial contribution of $100 million to enhance learning outcomes for approximately 870 million children and youth in 89 developing countries.
The “Challenge of Literacy 2030” initiative, launched in 2017, aims to educate around 30 million Arab children and youth. This initiative is a collaboration between the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Knowledge Foundation, UNESCO, and the United Nations Development Programme.
The UAE has also provided a grant of $25 million to the Special Olympics International to activate the Unified Champion Schools programme, benefiting over 17 countries from various continents, which focuses on inclusive education for students of all abilities.
The impactful role of the UAE in promoting education globally is evident through the establishment of schools and univer
sities, as well as through grants and funding that aid in providing education for various groups. Numerous humanitarian organisations within the country have contributed to building thousands of schools worldwide and training hundreds of thousands of teachers.
The UAE serves as a global inspirational model in harnessing modern communication technologies to overcome emergency conditions hindering the dissemination of education and knowledge on both the Arab and international levels. The Digital School, a project of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives, stands out as the first comprehensive and accredited Arabic digital school, offering smart and flexible remote education to students worldwide.
UAE’s foreign aid in education prioritises refugees, the most disadvantaged group in terms of education deprivation. The country’s initiatives and material assistance address the crisis of educational deprivation for refugees, with notable contributions during the Syrian crisis, totaling approximately
AED190.1 million (US$51.8 million) from 2012 to January 2019.
The UAE remains a crucial supporter of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), actively participating in implementing educational programmnes for Palestinian students.
Source: Emirates News Agency