New push to eradicate illiteracy in the Arab World

Source: MBRF. HH Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, VP and PM of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, and MBRF Chairman Sheikh Ahmed Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, as well as Jordan’s Prime Minister Dr Hani Al Mulqi, the Guest of Honour at the launch of the Literacy in the Arab World initiative.

The Literacy in the Arab World initiative has been launched to eradicate illiteracy from the region by Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Knowledge Foundation (MBRF) in collaboration with UNESCO, the United Nations Development Programme and the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiative at the Knowledge Summit 2017 in Dubai, UAE. The project aims to provide 30 million Arab youth under the age of 18 with the right to education by 2030.

MBRF CEO Jamal Bin Huwaireb said that education is the best tool to fight ignorance and extremism. He said, “It is the only way for the development and wellbeing of our people and societies. We’re confident the summit will constitute a roadmap for building and advancing knowledge-based societies in our Arab region. Such societies are built on innovation and creativity.”

Delivering the keynote address at the summit, Jordan’s Prime Minister Dr Hani Al Mulqi said that economic, social, and human structure must be developed to tackle challenges like cybersecurity and growing unemployment.

“We need to focus more on developing the education system and meeting technological development. Jordan has started implementing the 2025 (Sustainable Development) Goals. Youth in Jordan constitutes two-third of the total population, there is a lot of demand for jobs. So it’s very important to have skillful youth that are specialised in technology and innovation to get the opportunities they want and to have more knowledge disseminated in the region,” he said.

The Knowledge Summit 2017, held under the theme Knowledge and the 4th Industrial Revolution, brought together decision makers, thinkers, experts and pioneers in the knowledge industry, as well as scientists, academics and specialists from all around the world, to discuss pressing issues and challenges facing the industry, review best practices and experiences and offer solutions to meet the challenges.

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Winners announced for the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Knowledge Award

Source: Knowledge Summit 2017. A representative from the MiSK Foundation accepts the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Knowledge Award. 

Winners of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Knowledge Award, honoured on 21 November, all aim to build the future. The award recognises contributions to the production and promotion of knowledge around the world.

Saudi Arabia’s MiSK Foundation, which was among the winners, specialises in developing educational institutions and supporting scientific research.

“Knowledge is vital in this world,” said Ohoud Alarfaj, Project Manager at the foundation. “We’ve done a lot of initiatives towards encouraging the youth in Saudi and globally in education, media, culture and technology. We have scholarships for Saudi and international youth with Cisco, Bloomberg and many high-level companies and educational institutes to provide scholarships and high quality education for the new generation.”

Youth constitute more than 50% of the KSA population. “We know the future is the youth as they will be the leaders,” she said. “So we have to focus on how to empower them and (help) them gain the knowledge and skills they will need in the future to lead to more sustainable development.”

Winner Wendy Kopp, Chief Executive and co-founder of Teach For All, who also founded Teach for America, works to address educational inequality and groom future leaders. “It’s a very deep rooted challenge and we believe the only way to address it is cultivating collective leadership for change at every level,” she said. 

“Teach For All is a network of independent organisations in 46 countries… brought together by a shared commitment to … ensure all children fulfill their potential. Each of these organisations are galvanising the rising generation of promising future leaders in their countries, whether in Lebanon, India or Peru, to channel their energy into the arena of working with their countries’ most marginalised kids.”

Participants in the Teach For All programme are asked to commit two years to teaching children. Kopp said the aim was to “cultivate a generation of leaders who have the foundational experience of teaching and will go on and exert real leadership for change.”

Dr Hiroshi Komiyama, Chairman of Mitsubishi Research Institute, Japanese scientist and global authority on sustainability, also won an award.

Hashtags: #KnowledgeAward, #KnowledgeSummit, #4IR