Interview: Mohammed bin Mubarak Juma, Minister of Education
How do you envision the future of the education system in the context of global trends?
MOHAMMED BIN MUBARAK JUMA: The globalised economy, improvements in ICT and evolving societies have all created new trends that have impacted education systems. Accordingly, Bahrain has made significant investment in the education sector to keep abreast of these global trends which are reshaping scholarship worldwide and redefining teaching and learning beyond traditional patterns.
The Ministry of Education (MoE) has also embarked on a wide-ranging plan to restructure its departments, develop human resources and optimise finances to keep pace with new global trends that value strategic thinking and performance-based work. We envision an education system that continues to evolve to better adapt to fast-changing global trends and deliver on its national mission to impart knowledge, acquire modern sciences and technologies, and enable students to develop as citizens and skilled professionals.
We understand the potential of building an efficient education system in a globalised world. This can impact people’s lives, enable individuals’ professional development and provide highly skilled competences that support the economy, meet the needs of a fast-changing labour market and empower communities.
What role do you think technology and innovation will play in shaping the future of education?
JUMA: The kingdom of Bahrain has long realised the importance of keeping pace with the IT revolution in developing the education system and overhauling learning and teaching. The King Hamad Schools for the Future project was launched in 2005 as part of a strategy to provide learning material and means to students, and upgrade schools to implement digital technology and empower students with essential skills.
The innovative project also aimed at honing the skills of students and teachers to use ICT tools in learning. This contributed to enhancing learning content and enabled the use of the internet in supporting cyber learning. This project laid the foundations to enhance the education system, which contributed to building software and hardware for e-learning infrastructure, developing digital learning content and reshaping the role of schools and teacher-learner relations.
What are the main challenges in implementing educational reforms and modernisation?
JUMA: The main challenge consists of preparing Bahraini students for professional careers and ensuring they acquire the necessary skills that enhance their employability. To achieve these goals, the MoE is rethinking its strategies and adopting new approaches to build an education system that adapts to global trends and turns challenges into opportunities.
The MoE is harnessing all efforts and allocating the necessary resources to improve school effectiveness, which would contribute to providing a better learning environment and improving student outcomes. The aim is to ensure all students have access to quality education to enable them to develop and acquire advanced skills to be better prepared for their professional life.
The quality of teaching and training, along with effective school leadership, are the main criteria for evaluating the efficient functioning of an education system. Technological strides and labour market trends also create challenges for the education system. For this reason, the ministry is focusing efforts and allocating resources towards developing curricula and upgrading school infrastructure. Indeed, the relevance of the curricula ensures that the education system adapts to the needs of the modern world.
By regularly updating curricula in ways that incorporate new knowledge and skills, and technological strides, we seek to prepare students for the evolving workforce. In adapting curricula to reflect international developments in education, we also meet the challenge of balancing the global and local aspects of learning.
Read More from OBG
