Why is collaboration such a powerful catalyst for thriving businesses? Because working together to advance your cause benefits all involved. Partnerships are now commonplace in the business world and it should be no different in education.

Catholic Education Western Australia recently hosted a delegation from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to discuss how we can collaborate to reach our shared goal of meeting the contemporary educational needs of our students.

The UAE ranks as the top Arab country in education on the Arab Knowledge Index. Known for its strong commitment to quality and innovation in education, the country is investing heavily in the development of creativity, analytical thinking and innovation in schools. Its progressive and dynamic approach has similarities to CEWA’s LEADing Lights strategy to develop a truly end-to-end student-centred integrated system to optimise personal teaching and learning.

The UAE’s Mohammed Bin Rashid Smart Learning Programme aims to deliver world leading education technology solutions to drive up the educational achievements, excellence and creativity of its students.

The MBRSLP will be educationally led, informed by evidence, system wide, and supportive of national aspirations. Key to its success is to learn from international best practice, hence the visit to Perth. Like LEADing Lights, the aim is to support the entire education community in line with social and cultural aspirations.

Aligned to the UAE’s national Vision 2021 to become a knowledge based economy, the UAE is focused on the happiness of its citizens and this carries through to its educational strategy. In 2016 the UAE inaugurated the new Minister of State for Happiness, Ohood bint Khalfan Al Roumi. She said the role of government was to create an environment where people could flourish, reach their potential and be happy.

We may live in very different societies, but it is apparent we have a common goal and working together will only make achieving this easier. Although technology is at the forefront of our plans, like CEWA, the UAE has a broader mission at heart, to provide an environment where students can develop, unhindered in their educational pursuits.

Going forward CEWA and the UAE will connect regularly on a range of transformation initiatives including research, and it is expected CEWA will join a think tank in the UAE to launch a new centre for research on innovation in education.

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