H.E. Dr. Muhammad bin Ibrahim Al-Mualla, MoE’s Undersecretary for Academic Affairs, has met a
delegation from the Ministry of Higher Education of the Republic of Cuba,
presided by Dr. Walter Baluja Garcia, First Deputy of the Minister of Higher
Education of Cuba. The Cuban delegation also included Eliana Martinez Gonzalez,
Director of Bilateral Affairs at the Directorate of International Relations.
The meeting was held at the MoE’s head office in Abu Dhabi.
The visiting delegation was briefed on the latest
developments in the education sector, the academic rankings of the various
higher education institutions in the country, and the aspirations and plans of
the MoE to advance higher education, as part of its endeavor to strengthen
educational relations with the various countries of the world.
The
two sides stressed the importance of exchanging expertise in various academic
fields. In this context, a memorandum of understanding (MoU) in the field of
higher education and scientific research was signed between the two sides on
the sidelines of the meeting. H.E. Muhammad bin Ibrahim Al-Mualla, from the Emirati side, and H.E. Dr. Walter Baluja Garcia, from the Cuban
side, signed the MoU.
The MoU stipulates strengthening cooperation and exchanging expertise between the two sides in the fields of academic accreditation, regulations and laws, scientific research and policies, in addition to introducing new areas of cooperation between higher education institutions in the two countries and other areas of common interest.
The
delegation’s program included several visits to higher education institutions
in the country, including a visit to the Mohamed bin Zayed University for
Artificial Intelligence, the Higher Colleges of Technology in Abu Dhabi, and
the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair.
H.E. Dr. Muhammad bin Ibrahim Al-Mualla said that signing the MoU boosted cooperation between the two
countries in all areas, in particular the higher education and scientific
research sector towards
more visions that would achieve their bilateral aspirations. He added that this
included exchanging research expertise, academic accreditation, scientific
research, and holding bilateral meetings between officials to follow up on the
implementation of the articles of the MoU.
H.E. Dr. Al-Mualla added by saying, “The visit will
strengthen the educational ties between the two countries, create future
cooperation opportunities, and build capacities in areas of mutual concern.
This will boost the effective relations between the two sides, achieve their
strategic objectives, and help exchange the expertise related to the latest
educational developments and policies, to achieve a sustainable, knowledge
economy and high-quality education outputs. This harmonizes with the national
directives of achieving education competitiveness, in accordance with the best
global practices."