The
second forum of UNESCO Associated Schools kicked off the day before yesterday
at the auditorium of the Emirates National Schools in Sharjah. The forum, which
was held under the patronage of HE Hussain Al Hammadi, Minister of Education,
and organized by the Ministry of Education-affiliated UNESCO Associated Schools
Network, targeted 121 UNESCO associated schools in which nearly 130,000
students are studying.
The
two-day forum, which would be held in Sharjah and subsequently in Abu Dhabi, aims
at exchanging experiences on UNESCO Associated Schools worldwide and learning
about the best practices in this connection with a view to bringing about
thoughtful and creative generations capable of building their communities and
taking part in solving the global issues that affect societies.
The forum featured a number of interactive workshops on sustainable development
and the best practices followed in the UNESCO Associated Schools worldwide. A
workshop for co-ordinators was also held with the aim of enhancing their role
in co-ordination and work.
Concurrently with the forum, an exhibition was held, featuring distinguished
scientific innovations and productions by a group of UAE students in vital
areas related to sustainability issues in all sectors.
A number of international experts and specialists presented working papers on
vital topics, stressing the importance of streamlining communication among the
members of the network as well as interaction among students. The working
papers also explained the best practices and the general orientation of the UNESCO
Associated Schools.
Held this year under the support of the Emirates National Schools, the forum
was attended by Amal Al Kous, Assistant Undersecretary at the Ministry of
Education, Dr. Saeed Al Kaabi, Chairman of Sharjah Education Council, Dr.
Kenneth Vedra, Director General of Emirates National Schools, and a number of education
officials and experts and a crowd of educators and students.
The forum
provides an effective platform for the UNESCO Associated Schools to communicate
with a view to ensuring the exchange of the best practices and pioneering
educational experiences through showcasing the best educational practices related
to UNESCO themes and other community development issues.
These themes include achieving sustainable development, tolerance, global
citizenship and other issues and increasing co-ordinators’ awareness and
knowledge of the UNESCO Associated Schools Network as well as its mechanism of
work and role.
The event is a great opportunity to highlight the best practices related to the
sustainability of education at the UNESCO Associated Schools. While experiences
of leading countries like the UK and Portugal were showcased during the forum, examples
of distinguished local initiatives were highlighted by Dubai Ports and the
Federal Competitiveness and Statistics Authority.
06/11/2019