G20 Ministerial Meeting Stresses Promotion of Economic Growth Through Education

The G20 Ministers of Education meet under the G20 Saudi Presidency. Photo: G20 Saudi Arabia Twitter Account
The G20 Ministers of Education meet under the G20 Saudi Presidency. Photo: G20 Saudi Arabia Twitter Account
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G20 Ministerial Meeting Stresses Promotion of Economic Growth Through Education

The G20 Ministers of Education meet under the G20 Saudi Presidency. Photo: G20 Saudi Arabia Twitter Account
The G20 Ministers of Education meet under the G20 Saudi Presidency. Photo: G20 Saudi Arabia Twitter Account

The Education Ministers of the Group of 20 major economies have committed during a virtual meeting under the G20 Saudi Presidency in enabling all people to realize the opportunities of the 21st century.

The ministers reaffirmed their “commitment to ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education and promoting lifelong learning opportunities for all.”

A statement issued by the Saudi G20 Secretariat on Saturday said that the conferees encouraged international collaboration and the sharing of best practices to advance education systems in the world.

“In this way, we will contribute to broader aims, including reducing poverty and inequality; promoting inclusive and sustainable economic growth; advancing access to quality education for all, especially girls, and empowering women, youth and vulnerable groups.”

The ministers highlighted “the importance of improving access to quality Early Childhood Education (ECE) as a foundation for the development of current and future generations and as a fundamental part of promoting equity and inclusion in education and encouraging lifelong learning.”

“We recognize the value of fostering internationalization in education as a means of improving the quality of education at all levels and cultivating global citizens who are prepared for an increasingly interconnected world,” the statement quoted them as saying.

The ministers encouraged the development of policies and measures to support the continuity of education while prioritizing the health and safety of students, teachers and parents during the pandemic.

They also stressed the importance of research and data to assess the learning outcomes and quality of distance learning.



Tesla's China Sales Have Best Month of the Year in August

FILE PHOTO: A staff member attends to customers inside a Tesla Model Y car at a showroom of the US electric vehicle (EV) maker in Beijing, China, Feb. 4, 2023. REUTERS/Florence Lo/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A staff member attends to customers inside a Tesla Model Y car at a showroom of the US electric vehicle (EV) maker in Beijing, China, Feb. 4, 2023. REUTERS/Florence Lo/File Photo
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Tesla's China Sales Have Best Month of the Year in August

FILE PHOTO: A staff member attends to customers inside a Tesla Model Y car at a showroom of the US electric vehicle (EV) maker in Beijing, China, Feb. 4, 2023. REUTERS/Florence Lo/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A staff member attends to customers inside a Tesla Model Y car at a showroom of the US electric vehicle (EV) maker in Beijing, China, Feb. 4, 2023. REUTERS/Florence Lo/File Photo

Tesla's sales in China logged their best month for the year so far in August, with the US electric vehicle maker benefiting from brisk sales in smaller cities.
Tesla said it sold more than 63,000 cars in the world's biggest auto market last month, a hefty 37% jump from July, but probably still down from August last year when it sold 64,694.
While an encouraging improvement, its performance lags major Chinese rivals by a wide margin.
BYD, the world's biggest EV maker, said its China passenger vehicle sales surged 35% in August from a year earlier to a record monthly high of 370,854. Other local EV competitors including Leapmotor and Li Auto also reported higher sales.
Like many other automakers, Tesla has been badly bruised by a protracted price war in China where economic growth has also been sluggish and consumer confidence fragile. Its China sales declined 5% for the first half of the year.
Although Tesla has cut its local sales force as part of a global downsizing, a number of factors have helped recent sales momentum.
Tesla has since April offered zero-interest loans of up to five years for buyers, while several local governments have made its cars eligible for official car purchases in recent weeks.
It also received a key regulatory nod earlier this year, with the country's top auto industry association saying that data collection by Tesla vehicles was compliant with regulations, allowing Tesla cars to enter some government compounds that they used to be banned from.
An analysis by China Merchants Bank International of Tesla's China sales in July showed a 78% year-on-year increase in deliveries in so-called tier-three cities while its sales in second-tier cities such as Hangzhou and Nanjing rose 47%.
Separate data from the China Passenger Car Association for Tesla China-made vehicles which includes exports showed sales grew 3% in August from a year earlier to 86,697 units.
Deliveries of its China-made Model 3 and Model Y vehicles rose 17% from July.
Tesla plans to produce a six-seat variant of its Model Y car in China from late 2025, two people with direct knowledge of the matter said. The move is aimed at increasing the appeal of its best-selling yet aging EV.