Riyadh hosted on Tuesday the first Saudi-Canadian Forum for Educational Partnership, in the presence of Saudi Minister of Education Yousef Al-Benyan and Canadian Ambassador to the Kingdom Jean-Philippe Linteau.
The forum aims to strengthen cooperation and partnerships between educational institutions in the two countries. It witnessed the participation of around 180 experts and stakeholders in the fields of education, health and industry.
Al-Benyan underlined the importance of education in achieving the goals of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030, especially in terms of qualifying students to compete globally. He noted that the forum reflected the commitment of Saudi Arabia and Canada to develop the existing strategic partnership between them.
The minister touched on his recent visit to Canada and pointed to many existing opportunities for cooperation in the fields of general and higher education, early childhood programs, teacher development, in addition to medical, technical and vocational training programs.
He stressed the importance of boosting cooperation between the two countries in research and development in priority areas in line with Vision 2030.
In remarks to Asharq Al-Awsat, Linteau said Canada is a committed partner in supporting the Kingdom’s move towards a knowledge-based economy as described in the goals of Vision 2030.
He added that the forum will serve as a platform for dialogue, communication and cooperation in the fields of joint research, technical training, capacity building, student and faculty exchange, curriculum development and opening external centers.
The ambassador said his country is working in partnership with Saudi Arabia to strengthen relations in education due to the importance of this sector in developing human capital and supporting innovation to achieve a prosperous future for the two countries.
The forum aims to explore the most important areas of educational cooperation, such as: information technology, tourism, health care, clean energy, mining, and agriculture, he went on to say.
