Saudi, British Education Ministers Discuss Saudi-UK Cooperation, Partnership

SPA
SPA
TT

Saudi, British Education Ministers Discuss Saudi-UK Cooperation, Partnership

SPA
SPA

The Saudi Minister of Education Yousef bin Abdullah Al-Benyan, met with the United Kingdom's Minister of State for Schools, Nick Gibb, on the sidelines of the G20 education ministers' meeting hosted by India.

During the meeting, they discussed the existing cooperation between the two countries in the scientific and educational fields, as well as the most prominent achievements of the Saudi-British Strategic Partnership Council and its future goals.

The two sides reviewed the program of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques for scholarships, citing that the United Kingdom is one of the largest countries hosting the program according to the new strategy launched by the Saudi Crown Prince.

They also discussed the scholarship program offered by Saudi Arabia's government to British students to study in Saudi universities.

The meeting covered the development witnessed by education in Saudi Arabia, the advancement of Saudi universities in international rankings, and scientific research and publishing, opportunities for joint cooperation in the field of professional development for teachers, the exchange of experiences in the fields of early childhood education, Saudi Arabia's welcoming British investors in the field of education, and the opening of distinguished British schools in various regions of Saudi Arabia.



Greek Potter Keeps Ancient Ways Alive, Wins UNESCO Recognition

A drone view of ready handmade pieces in Kouvdis’ family pottery workshop in Agios Stefanos village, near Mandamados on the Greek island of Lesbos, Greece, September 23, 2024. (Reuters)
A drone view of ready handmade pieces in Kouvdis’ family pottery workshop in Agios Stefanos village, near Mandamados on the Greek island of Lesbos, Greece, September 23, 2024. (Reuters)
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Greek Potter Keeps Ancient Ways Alive, Wins UNESCO Recognition

A drone view of ready handmade pieces in Kouvdis’ family pottery workshop in Agios Stefanos village, near Mandamados on the Greek island of Lesbos, Greece, September 23, 2024. (Reuters)
A drone view of ready handmade pieces in Kouvdis’ family pottery workshop in Agios Stefanos village, near Mandamados on the Greek island of Lesbos, Greece, September 23, 2024. (Reuters)

In his seaside workshop on the Greek island of Lesbos, Nikos Kouvdis uses ancient techniques to create pottery pieces that have recently been honored with inclusion in UNESCO's National Inventory of Intangible Cultural Heritage.

Kouvdis, 70, and his family have kept an old technique alive near the once humming pottery hub of Mandamados, just as the slow and careful methods of the past have been largely eclipsed by factory machines.

Their pottery is among the last in the Mediterranean to be produced from clay in local soil, using a traditional kiln with olive pits as fuel, with the pieces painted with natural lime.

"It's an honor for me," Kouvdis said with regard to the UNESCO recognition of his work.

He said a mechanized press can work at 10 times the speed of an individual potter. "There’s no continuity. There’s no space for (our) method to continue."

Still, he continues to produce individual pots on an outcrop of land overlooking the Aegean Sea.

"Above all, it’s a passion - trying to create something that fulfils you," he said.