Dubai education summit - pandemic’s impact on schooling

A Dubai-based expert told the virtual ‘GESS Education Global Leadership Summit’ this week that when technology continues to rapidly change the world, students today face “an unknown future” regarding schooling, skills and careers.

The two-day virtual GESS summit featured discussions by local and overseas educators reflecting on the pandemic’s impact on schooling, among many other topics. GESS, or Global Educational Supplies and Solutions, is an annual trade fair held in Dubai (and other cities), which is currently scheduled to physically return in November.

Huda Ramadan, Schools Relation Manager, Expo 2020 Dubai, said: “What I have noticed over the last few years is that technology has developed rapidly, changing the way students think about education; questioning why they should memorise facts or look through a book when everything is available on the internet.”

Although “we’ve gone from chalk boards to smart boards, and even augmented reality in the classroom”, what students are taught and how they are taught has changed very little, falling behind the demands of new skills for evolving careers, Ramadan said.

Ramadan said new research and experiences of last year – referring to the COVID-pandemic – have “changed our understanding of how students learn”.

Ramadan said: “Now, we find the teachers do not need to rely on direct instruction on rote learning to educate our children, but rather they’re emphasising the importance of appreciating every student individually. And rather than fitting all students into one mould, education is now focused on allowing students the opportunities to explore their interests, and actually develop those skill sets required for their own dream careers.”