Education is main catalyst for sustainable development: G20 chair

Education is the “main catalyst for sustainable development,” said Dr. Abdulrahman al-Amri, the chair of the G20 Education Working Group, on Wednesday in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Al-Amri was speaking at a media briefing at the G20 International Media Center, titled: ‘Education continuity in times of crises.’

“Saudi Arabia brought back education to the agenda of the G20,” al-Amri said, adding that “education is a key driver for all dimensions of sustainable development: environmental, social, and economic.”

According to al-Amri, there were three main priorities the Education Working Group was discussing throughout the year: early childhood education as a foundation for developing global competence in 21st Century skills, internationalization in education, and education continuity.

He added that these education priorities are important and timely topics of international interest, especially in light of the coronavirus pandemic.

COVID-19 and education
Saudi Arabia suspended all schools, universities and educational institutions in the Kingdom since March 9 as part of efforts to contain the spread of the coronavirus outbreak and instituted distance learning via online tools as an alternative.

More than six million students in Saudi Arabia returned to another academic school year on August 30 remotely from their homes via distance learning measures amid the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic