In her opening speech of the 24th meeting of Their Excellencies the Ministers of Higher Education and Scientific Research in the GCC countries, HE Minister of Education and Higher Education Buthaina bint Ali Al Jabr Al Nuaimi said that the meeting will discuss major priority topics on the agenda, including projects of the strategic plan of the committee of Ministers of Higher Education and Scientific Research, recommendations of the standing committee of scientific research and innovation officials, issues of digital transformation and cybersecurity, and recommendations of the Gulf network; to ensure the quality of education, international cooperation proposals, and on-the-job training.
She stressed that these topics reflect the GCC countries’ keenness to develop the higher education and scientific research system, invest in innovation to advance the wheel of progress and development, achieve excellence for their universities at the global level, and enhance international cooperation to enrich scientific and
humanitarian research and student scholarships.
She added that the rapid scientific developments in the modern era have led to radical changes in the structure of human societies with all their components, necessitating new roles for institutions of higher education and scientific research in an era characterized by cognitive and information momentum that is based on a participatory approach built on the exchange of knowledge and ideas in a scientific environment that does not recognize the limits of time or place.
HE the Minister of Education and Higher Education pointed out that the GCC countries have witnessed great development in higher education institutions, which offers various educational options that meet the requirements of the labor market, while scientific research institutions have seen great growth, especially in the fields of environment, energy, medicine, and entrepreneurship, technological innovations, sustainable development, social and human studies.
In the field of information technolog
y, protecting vital data is extremely important to ensure the continuity and development of higher education institutions and research institutions, she noted, adding that they were keen to adopt and implement initiatives approved by the 23rd meeting of the committee such as the initiative to build alliances in the field of cybersecurity in education. She revealed that a forum will be held in Doha next October to enhance capabilities and competencies in this field, in addition to the initiative to establish the “My Gulf University” electronic platform, which allows students in Gulf countries to review the mechanism of applying to universities.
In this context, the Minister of Education and Higher Education inaugurated this platform today during the meeting and announced its launch as a result of the joint efforts of the work teams.
HE Secretary General of the GCC Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi highlighted during his speech that the leaders of the GCC countries are resolute in their conviction that the higher educa
tion sector is a vital catalyst for achieving comprehensive development in societies, emphasizing that education is a strategic investment for the GCC countries, as evident in the World Bank’s reports on the progress of the Cooperation Council countries in enhancing human capital, of which education is considered one of its most important pillars.
His Excellency also expressed gratitude and appreciation to the Ministry of Education and Higher Education for developing, hosting and launching the unified digital platform for universities, “My Gulf University”, which connects over 40 universities and institutions of higher education and scientific research in the GCC countries, catering to more than two million GCC students of both genders, in implementation of the decisions taken by the Supreme Council aimed at promoting digital transformation.
HE the Secretary General also touched on the topics on the agenda of the meeting, most notably the follow-up of what has been accomplished in the strategic plan of the
Committee of Ministers of Higher Education and Scientific Research, which aims to advance joint Gulf action in the field of higher education and scientific research in accordance with policies, frameworks and programs to achieve sustainable development and global competitiveness.
Source: Qatar News Agency