Deputy premier chairs meeting

Manama, Nov. 3 (BNA): Deputy Premier and President of the Supreme Council for the Development of Education and Training Shaikh Mohammed bin Mubarak Al Khalifa chaired here today the council's fourth meeting since its re-formation in January 2015. Shaikh Mohammed directed to upgrading education and training to keep abreast with modern technology and develop local capacity in the high-tech industry, which offers products and services of knowledge content, saying that it is one of the knowledge-based national economy's pillars. He stressed on the development of required education and training plans and programmes to qualify graduates so as to enrich this sector with national human energies within clear methodology and strategy, built on the foundations of sustainable development in order to achieve a quantum leap in the national economy. The council reviewed a report on evaluating the process of developing education and training during the past 10 years, which is expected to be over by the end of the current year, as a number of plans and recommendations will be proposed to contribute to the development process. The National Authority of Qualifications and Quality Assurance for Education and Training (QQA) gave a presentation on the reviews' results of institutes and schools. Shaikh Mohamed and the council's members congratulated QQA on the certificate granted to it following the success of its external review by the International Network for Quality Assurance Agencies in Higher Education (INQAAHE), on March. The council was informed on the University of Bahrain (UoB)'s achievements and challenges. Shaikh Mohammed affirmed the government's keen interest in UoB in order to perform its national duty and academic role of preparing a qualified generation and capable of achieving the desired development.