Saudi Minister of Education Dr. Hamad Al Al-Sheikh stressed the need to implement new and innovative educational methods, saying the coronavirus pandemic is an opportunity that must be seized and should not be seen as a passing crisis.
The minister emphasized the importance of analyzing and evaluating the impact of the accelerated digital transformation and technologies on education and society as a whole.
In a speech during a meeting of the research ministers of the G20, Al-Sheikh said that the pandemic “continues to cast its shadow on the world on the social and economic levels, which will lead to accelerating the digital transformation of societies.”
“Emerging opportunities stimulate our awareness of the need to persevere and face new challenges,” he stated, noting that the successful leadership “is the one who understands the importance of involving every member of society […] to be part of this transformation in education and work.”
Al-Sheikh touched on the “Kingdom’s investment in digital transformation, and linking it to Vision 2030,” reviewing Saudi investment in academic programs and degrees in advanced digital skills, information and communication technology, cybersecurity, data science and artificial intelligence, as well as innovation, entrepreneurship and research.
He said that the Kingdom was second in the world among countries committed to cybersecurity at the global strategic level, according to the Global Cybersecurity Index 2020, and ranked first in the Arab world, and 14th globally, for the largest number of research papers published on the Covid-19 pandemic.
The minister called on the participants of the meeting to work together to maintain dialogue, exchange experiences and devise creative solutions to access digital, inclusive and sustainable university education.
