A good education makes you a better citizen: Reynolds

Tracy Reynolds, Consul-General of Canada to the UAE, on Wednesday highlighted the importance of high-quality early childhood education saying that it makes people ‘better citizens’.

After cutting the ribbon to inaugurate the 6th KT UniExpo, which is aimed at helping students explore diverse career options, Reynolds said: “Education is not a pathway to making money, buying things. It’s about being a more well-rounded person and being able to contribute qualitatively to your society and community.

“Education is always the most important way to advance yourself, to help you find opportunities to support yourself and your family.

“At its core, a good quality university education — whether it is in the area of STEM or traditional humanities, is valuable and useful,” he added.

“It’s not just about getting a good job, which everyone talks about. It is more about being well-read, understanding how the world works, knowing history, economics and geography. It makes people better citizens.”

Reynolds, who comes from a family rich in education values, with his mother, wife and sister all qualified teachers, commended Khaleej Times for organising KT UniExpo for the sixth year.

“Education is critically important and it’s a pleasure to see an institution like the Khaleej Times supporting post-secondary education by trying to ensure that young people, young adults here in Dubai, have the opportunity to explore their future education options on a large scale,” he said.

“I come from a background in Canada that has always supported the development of quality learning that puts you in a position to have discussions and debates, know what you’re talking about, understanding other people and speaking different languages.

“Being in a room full of people is valuable to help you to make connections with your peers,” he said. “It’s not just about getting knowledge from books and professions, it’s about interacting in your society and making friends.”