Jarkko Granqvist, among over 70 other Finnish experts, has given his contribution to education in Abu Dhabi.
Creating a centre of excellence for education innovations in Saudi Arabia By Tommi Salo Finland’s world-class expertise in education innovation and Saudi Arabia’s desire to develop its education system have been brought together in a partnership programme for the development of basic education. A five-year partnership programme for the development of basic education was agreed in February 2013 by EduCluster Finland Ltd, a Jyväskylä-based expert organisation specialising in education and development, and Wadi Jeddah Co, a subsidiary of the King Abdulaziz University of Saudi Arabia.
Collaborating on new innovations Wadi Jeddah Co will establish a centre of excellence in education with top quality pilot schools, starting with kindergarten, top quality teacher training and education expertise as well as world-class research in education. The agreement also includes short-duration education programmes. The centre of excellence for education innovations will focus on strengthening teachers’ pedagogic skills, cooperation models between the school and home, and skills in education assessment. “Saudi Arabia is making major investments in education. They are starting from a good level, but they want to have the Arab world’s leading
education system,” says Elise Tarvainen, Director of Global Operations at EduCluster Finland Ltd. The partnership programme will start with the development of continuing education for female teachers. The centre of excellence for education innovations will start its operations in September, 2013. A building to house the centre will be constructed at a later stage on the campus of King Abdulaziz University. “We are establishing a platform for achieving innovation and enhancement of our educational system. By this project we wish to contribute to the society by bringing in an educational system that is globally recognized as one of the best. Amalgamating our values and culture with the Finnish educational system will definitely innovate excellence in our current system,” says Dr. Mohammed Najeeb G. Khayat, CEO of Wadi Jeddah Co. Tarvainen emphasizes that the idea is not to export a pre-determined model from Finland to Saudi Arabia; rather, a new model is being created on site by combining expertise and competence from both Finland and Saudi Arabia. “The partnership will also develop professional and institutional skills in the Jyväskylä Region. This work is an opportunity for us to learn about new cultures and new activities, it’s taking our expertise to a completely new level.” n
King Abdulaziz University • Located in Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. • Recognized as one of the leading universities in Saudi Arabia and in the Arab world. • Has the largest number of students among all the 24 Saudi universities, with over 170 000 students, around 4 000 faculty members and over 5 000 employees.
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