Clinton hails Mohammed’s vision on future of education

His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, attended the second annual Global Education and Skills Forum (GESF) in Dubai on Sunday.

The session was attended by Mohammed bin Abdullah Al Gargawi, Minister for Cabinet Affairs; Lt.-General Misbah bin Rashid AI Fattan, Director of the Office of the Vice-President; Bodour bint Sultan Al Qasimi, Chairperson of the Sharjah Investment and Development Authority (Shurooq); and Khalifa Saeed Suleiman, Director-General of the Department of Protocol and Hospitality in Dubai.

It was also attended by the Lebanese Minister of Education and Higher Education, Elias Bou Saab, and Irina Bokova, Director-General, UNESCO, in addition to more than 800 participants including previous heads of governments, ministers of education and academics from around the world.

Former US President and founder of the Clinton Foundation, Bill Clinton, delivered a speech where he commended Shaikh Mohammed’s vision for the future of education in the country, highlighting His Highness’ initiative to transform education to smart learning and focusing on the techniques and methods of education to be developed as world-class levels.

Clinton also hailed the initiative of the Varkey GEMS Foundation for organising the Forum for the second time to highlight the problems of education in the whole world, especially low-income countries.

He also hailed Dubai Cares’ contributions in promoting education in many countries in an effort to provide education to more than a million children in the first phase.

Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid, during a meeting on the sidelines of the forum, welcomed the former US President and hailed the initiative of the Varkey GEMS Foundation which contributes to the provision of educational opportunities for disadvantaged children around the world, noting the generous donation by the founder and president of the Foundation, Sunny Varkey, to Dubai Cares and his support for the educational projects and programmes in the concerned countries.