During the summit, Minister Kallas met with the Minister of Education of the UAE, HE Dr. Ahmad Belhoul Al Falasi. Building on the interest expressed in previous meetings, Minister Kallas introduced the initial concept of the Estonian School Model to him.
"The Minister of Education of the UAE confirmed continued interest in learning from the experience of the Estonian education system in his country and even expressed the possibility of piloting the model. This affirms that we are on the right path. The development of the Estonian School Model provides us with an opportunity to forge strong ties that contribute to the ongoing development of our own education system and the strengthening of global education dialogue," stated Minister of Education and Research Kristina Kallas.
As part of the visit, Minister Kallas met with HM Sheikh Saud Saqr Al Qasimi, the ruler of the emirate of Ras Al Khaimah, visited a local school and university, and learned more about the plans to enhance the quality of education in both the emirate of Ras Al Khaimah and the emirate of Sharjah. This provided an opportunity to firsthand assess how the Estonian Education Model could adapt and evolve in the UAE.
During a panel discussion on the future of education at the World Government Summit, Kallas emphasized the importance of enhancing teachers' digital competencies, a prerequisite for integrating technology and artificial intelligence into curricula. "It's not about trusting digital tools or AI; it's about trusting our teachers," explained Kallas, adding that implementing artificial intelligence could free up valuable time for both students and teachers and develop students' higher cognitive skills.
In a meeting with the Secretary General of the UAE's Advanced Technology Research Council and the Falcon LLM team, discussions revolved around the impact of large-scale AI models on e-governance and the potential for bilateral cooperation, including areas such as language technology, which could help increase the accessibility of the Estonian language worldwide.
Photos from the visit on the Flickr of the Ministry of Education and Research.
