Dr. Mohammed bin Mubarak Juma, Minister of Education, represented His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa at the award ceremony for the UNESCO-King Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa Prize for the Use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in Education.
The award-distribution ceremony for the 2022 edition was co-organized by the Ministry of Education and the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) at the latter’s premises here. Stefania Giannini, Assistant Director-General for Education at UNESCO, senior UNESCO officials, officials of the ministries of education from various countries, ambassadors, media personnel, ICT researchers, and experts, as well as Bahraini students, were present.
Stefania Giannini, speaking at the event, lauded the renowned honor and the reputation it has built over the course of its 14 previous iterations, praising Bahrain’s interest in and strong support for the award
Then, Education Minister Dr. Juma gave a speech in which he conveyed greetings from His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister, to those in attendance as well as their congratulations to UNESCO officials, the prize jury, and the laureates.
The minister also commended the prize winners, who were chosen from 95 nominees from 56 countries, for the contribution of their initiatives to improving digital education, which represents the award’s expanding renown.
Dr. Juma reaffirmed the kingdom’s unwavering support for UNESCO’s initiatives and projects, praising Audrey Azoulay, the organization’s director-general, for her efforts to advance human cultural heritage and guarantee that every kid obtains a high-quality education.
He reaffirmed Bahrain’s pride in its long-standing, illustrious relationship with UNESCO, which led to the establishment of the UNESCO-King Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa Prize for the Use of ICTs in Education and the Regional Centre for Information and Communication Technology (RCICT), which has its headquarters in the kingdom. Bahrain has benefited from UNESCO’s experience in strengthening its educational system and improving learning techniques, he continued.
The winners of the 14th edition, with the topic “The use of public platforms to ensure inclusive access to digital education content,” were then awarded the prize by the Education Minister and the Assistant Director-General for Education of UNESCO.
Niall Collins, a Minister of State in the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation, and Science, and Ross Woods, a Senior Manager at the National Forum for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education at the Higher Education Authority (Platform) in the Republic of Ireland, received the award for the Platform’s “National Resource Hub” project.
Additionally, Ping Li, the Director-General of the National Centre for Educational Technology (Centre), and Chen Jie, the Vice Minister of Education in China, received it on behalf of the Center’s “Smart Education of China” initiative.
Niall Collins, Irish Minister of State in the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation, and Science, made a statement in which he praised Bahrain’s interest in awarding a prize for ICT in education and praised its keenness on maintaining it.
The National Center for Educational Technology’s Ping Li, director general, also spoke during the occasion. She gave the prize’s objectives and themes high acclaim. Additionally, she expressed her gratitude to the kingdom for continuing to fund the prize.
