Sheikh Khalid Bin Essam Al Qasimi, flanked by dignitaries, greets a humanoid robot while touring the International Education Show. WAM

 The Emirate of Sharjah is keen on establishing a leading educational base to explore the future for its children and building a generation capable of giving, through education and knowledge, as they are the mainstay of sustainable development, said Sheikh Khalid Bin Essam Al Qasimi, Chairman of Department of Civil Aviation Sharjah.

Speaking after inaugurating the 16th International Education Show 2020 (IES 2020) on Wednesday in Sharjah, he also commended the growing stature of the show and the volume of local, regional, and international participation.

He said, “Year after year, the IES has proved its growing importance and momentum for the international and local universities and educational institutions wishing to expand and enhance their presence in the country and the region. This offers students wide options of higher education programmes, scholarships and admission requirements in the most important national and foreign universities.”

This year’s edition is the biggest ever since its launch, with the participation of nearly 120 educational and academic institutions from 20 countries around the world including the US, the UK, Malaysia, Jordan, Lebanon, India, Poland, and Cyprus, in addition to the distinguished participation of the local academic institutions and universities.

Sheikh Majid Faisal Khalid Al Qasimi, SCCI’s First Vice Chairman, who was present on the occasion, said that Sharjah has allocated about 24% of the general budget for 2020, to support scientific and cultural services and encourage creativity, innovation, and scientific research. It underlines the great attention to various cultural and scientific events. It also reflects the vision that pays particular attention to education, in line with the UAE’s policy in terms of developing the human being as the cornerstone for comprehensive development.

Sheikh Majid also emphasised the importance of the International Education Show, which is organised and hosted by the Expo Centre Sharjah, with the support of the Sharjah Chamber of Commerce & Industry (SCCI) and the Ministry of Education and Sharjah Education Private Authority.

He said that it brings together the leading academic institutions under one roof, making it a significant platform for exchanging experiences and finding solutions to all challenges facing the educational process.

Saif Mohammed Al Midfa, CEO of Expo Centre Sharjah, said, “We are keen to develop the IES activities in view of the key role of education in building competitive capabilities of knowledge-based economies, based on the continuous education and adopting a culture of creativity and innovation.”

For the first time in the region, the IES 2020 is hosting Career Utsav – one of the biggest higher education and career guidance events of India. Through Career Utsav, 50 Indian universities, colleges, and other educational institutions and boarding schools are taking part in the event.

The IES 2020 is also hosting second edition of the Education Growth Summit, which will see the participation of government policymakers, directors, department heads and faculty members of several key institutions, and industry executives.

Another important aspect of the show is Edu-Tech – a special platform that brings together some of the top companies operating in the educational technology sector. Edu-Tech will showcase the latest in smart education technology and resources.

The three-day event will also host educational seminars and workshops featuring world’s most renowned education experts and academics. Popular Indian author Chetan Bhagat is one of the noted speakers who will speak at an exclusive session for parents. He will discuss the role of parents in improving the educational performance of students, through the constant communication between students and their parents about the educational paths and academic orientations of students.

The show will also hosts a number of workshops to disseminate information about study abroad and utilisation of Artificial Intelligence in education future opportunities.

First day of the IES 2020 saw a heavy turnout of students and their parents and those concerned with the education sector.