International Qatari institutions stand out in the fields of supporting education and development in countries in need, led by the Education Above All Foundation (EAA), the Silatech development organization, and other initiatives, institutions and projects that Qatar presents to the world as a contribution to strengthen international efforts to achieve the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals.
Commenting on the educational initiatives led by the Education Above All, Director of External Relations at EAA Leena Al Derham said in an interview with Qatar News Agency , that education is a major goal of the Sustainable Development Goals set by the United Nations, and EAA has shown commitment to ensure education keep pace with the requirements of the current era. She explained that EAA is cooperating with its partners to find innovative solutions that meet the needs in the educational fields in a sustainable manner.
She drew attention to the urgent and vital need to achieve this goal, noting that there are 67 million children outside the school walls, which means that one-sixth of children of primary school age around the world are deprived of their right to education due to poverty, conflict, displacement, discrimination, disability and other obstacles.
The director of external relations at EAA affirmed the Foundation’s keenness and constant endeavor to ensure the provision of quality education for every child, regardless of his or her location or circumstances, while working to achieve effective partnerships to ensure children are not left out of school.
She highlighted the role of HH Chairperson of Education Above All Foundation Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, in setting the goal of educating 10 million out-of-school children in a decade, noting that EAA exceeded this goal in 2018 by returning 15 million children to schools through partnerships with international organizations and banks, as well as support from the Qatar Fund For Development (QFFD).
The EAA works with around 100 partners through several programs, such as Protect Education in Insecurity and Conflict, ROTA, Educate a Child and Al Fakhoora, in addition to managing the Global Innovation Fund and the Together Project.
Leena Al Derham stressed the EAA’s keenness to devise original solutions to address any challenges that prevent comprehensive and equitable access to quality education for all, adding that they have to bridge the digital divide if they want to ensure that no child is left behind, and this is the reason for their innovation and original solutions to address unresolved education challenges in the most hostile or low-tech settings.
Among these innovative solutions is the Internet Free Education Resource Bank to support learners with limited access to the internet through simple and interactive modules, with more than 500 educational resources in ten languages. It also helps in providing education to the millions who do not have access to formal, in-person or online learning.
She said that the Bank has reached more than half a million learners in 175 countries so far, pointing out that EAA also developed an emergency curriculum designed specifically for children whose lives have been disrupted by conflict and displacement, supporting them psychologically and socially, in addition to providing them with reading skills. She noted that thee emergency curriculum reached more than 4,000 Ukrainian refugees and nearly 50,000 Afghan students over the past year. (MORE)
Source: Qatar News Agency