Former British prime minister Gordon Brown urges world leaders to increase funds on training of teachers and digital connectivity for schools. Getty
Former British prime minister Gordon Brown urges world leaders to increase funds on training of teachers and digital connectivity for schools. Getty
Former British prime minister Gordon Brown urges world leaders to increase funds on training of teachers and digital connectivity for schools. Getty
Former British prime minister Gordon Brown urges world leaders to increase funds on training of teachers and digital connectivity for schools. Getty

Gordon Brown calls for global mission to persuade governments not to cut education budgets


Ramola Talwar Badam
  • English
  • Arabic

Gordon Brown, former British prime minister, issued a warning that the education sector would be hit hard if funds dry up as the world tackles the Covid-19 pandemic, putting the future of millions of children at risk.

Addressing an online gathering of ministers, non-government officials and academicians at a RewirEdX conference organised by Dubai Cares and Dubai Expo 2020 on Tuesday, Mr Brown said governments must protect education budgets.

He urged organisations such as the International Monetary Fund, World Bank and G20 to release more resources and find innovative ways to finance education.

We need to make sure that the time children have lost is not lost for good.

"We now know there is a huge financing problem. So we are going to lose probably $150 billion from education budgets around the world over the next year,” he told about 2,000 participants who tuned in to the conference.

“There are going to be millions of children who need to catch up and we need to put in resources to make sure that the time they have lost in education is not lost for good.”

Resources for teachers must be part of worldwide recovery initiatives, he said.

“We must have a recovery fund that says employment opportunities depend on us investing in education. Just as environment and climate change is at the centre of the recovery, so should be education.”

While there were some great initiatives, the overall level of international co-ordination has not been good enough, he said.

Unicef executive director Henrietta Fore speaks of the goal for every school to be connected to the internet and every child to have access to learning. AFP
Unicef executive director Henrietta Fore speaks of the goal for every school to be connected to the internet and every child to have access to learning. AFP

“What I would like to see is a strengthening of international co-operation at a government leaders’ level over the next year,” said Mr Brown, also the UN’s special envoy for global education.

“Can’t we make it a big global mission that the next time we need everybody to access education and information from home, the facilities will be there? It’s a technology challenge that needs financial backing.

“We need far more pressure to get education right to the top of the agenda.”

Two thirds of the world's school-age children, or 1.3 billion children aged 3 to 17, do not have internet access in their homes, according to a recent report by the UN children's fund.

The pandemic widened disparities and meant girls, children with disabilities, refugees and children from poor and marginalised communities were being left behind.

Henrietta Fore, Unicef’s executive director, said countries that managed to keep schools open would fare better.

“Catching up of pupils is going to be a major problem. There will be some who missed one year and it’s a very big leap for children to be making,” she said.

She appealed for education to be the top issue at all international meetings next year.

Educators were at work to connect every school in the world to the internet, work with governments and telecoms companies to provide low-cost digital devices to children as part of a Giga initiative launched by Unicef last year.

Reem Al Hashimy, UAE Minister of State for International Cooperation and director general of Expo 2020 Dubai Bureau, says inclusive education is important to secure the future of the next generation.
Reem Al Hashimy, UAE Minister of State for International Cooperation and director general of Expo 2020 Dubai Bureau, says inclusive education is important to secure the future of the next generation.

“The most marginalised children do not have a chance because they are not connected. But if we can connect every school in the world to the internet and every learner to learning, it will change the future of our world. It will give us a world in which everyone has an opportunity,” Ms Fore said.

School-age children in the sub-Sahara region and South Asia were the most affected, with about 9 in 10 children unable to access the internet.

Julia Gillard, former prime minister of Australia, said the priority should be investing in teachers, early education and keeping girls in school so they were not forced into early marriage.

“While technology is critically important, it needs the teachers to make it come alive. We need to not only invest in technology but also in high quality teaching,” she said.

Reem Al Hashimy, UAE Minister of State for International Co-operation and director general of Expo 2020 Dubai Bureau, spoke of an inclusive education to secure the future of the next generation.

"Now education reform and innovation is more than a necessity, it is also a priority. We must bring the sector into the digital world in a way that places our children first but also brings benefits for the economy, and the whole of society," she said.

“Whether in Dubai or Dar es Salaam, Helsinki or Hyderabad, all children and youth should be guaranteed inclusive and equitable quality education.”

Tariq Al Gurg, chief executive of Dubai Cares, spoke of transforming classrooms.

“Connectivity is a human right and vital to our goal of education being truly accessible to all," he said.

"There have been many lessons learnt in the last year specific to how we can strengthen distance learning opportunities and better respond in the face of a crisis."

How Islam's view of posthumous transplant surgery changed

Transplants from the deceased have been carried out in hospitals across the globe for decades, but in some countries in the Middle East, including the UAE, the practise was banned until relatively recently.

Opinion has been divided as to whether organ donations from a deceased person is permissible in Islam.

The body is viewed as sacred, during and after death, thus prohibiting cremation and tattoos.

One school of thought viewed the removal of organs after death as equally impermissible.

That view has largely changed, and among scholars and indeed many in society, to be seen as permissible to save another life.

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THE BIO

Born: Mukalla, Yemen, 1979

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Best advice you’ve ever been given: If you have a dream, you have to believe it, then you will see it.

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Citizenship-by-investment programmes

United Kingdom

The UK offers three programmes for residency. The UK Overseas Business Representative Visa lets you open an overseas branch office of your existing company in the country at no extra investment. For the UK Tier 1 Innovator Visa, you are required to invest £50,000 (Dh238,000) into a business. You can also get a UK Tier 1 Investor Visa if you invest £2 million, £5m or £10m (the higher the investment, the sooner you obtain your permanent residency).

All UK residency visas get approved in 90 to 120 days and are valid for 3 years. After 3 years, the applicant can apply for extension of another 2 years. Once they have lived in the UK for a minimum of 6 months every year, they are eligible to apply for permanent residency (called Indefinite Leave to Remain). After one year of ILR, the applicant can apply for UK passport.

The Caribbean

Depending on the country, the investment amount starts from $100,000 (Dh367,250) and can go up to $400,000 in real estate. From the date of purchase, it will take between four to five months to receive a passport. 

Portugal

The investment amount ranges from €350,000 to €500,000 (Dh1.5m to Dh2.16m) in real estate. From the date of purchase, it will take a maximum of six months to receive a Golden Visa. Applicants can apply for permanent residency after five years and Portuguese citizenship after six years.

“Among European countries with residency programmes, Portugal has been the most popular because it offers the most cost-effective programme to eventually acquire citizenship of the European Union without ever residing in Portugal,” states Veronica Cotdemiey of Citizenship Invest.

Greece

The real estate investment threshold to acquire residency for Greece is €250,000, making it the cheapest real estate residency visa scheme in Europe. You can apply for residency in four months and citizenship after seven years.

Spain

The real estate investment threshold to acquire residency for Spain is €500,000. You can apply for permanent residency after five years and citizenship after 10 years. It is not necessary to live in Spain to retain and renew the residency visa permit.

Cyprus

Cyprus offers the quickest route to citizenship of a European country in only six months. An investment of €2m in real estate is required, making it the highest priced programme in Europe.

Malta

The Malta citizenship by investment programme is lengthy and investors are required to contribute sums as donations to the Maltese government. The applicant must either contribute at least €650,000 to the National Development & Social Fund. Spouses and children are required to contribute €25,000; unmarried children between 18 and 25 and dependent parents must contribute €50,000 each.

The second step is to make an investment in property of at least €350,000 or enter a property rental contract for at least €16,000 per annum for five years. The third step is to invest at least €150,000 in bonds or shares approved by the Maltese government to be kept for at least five years.

Candidates must commit to a minimum physical presence in Malta before citizenship is granted. While you get residency in two months, you can apply for citizenship after a year.

Egypt 

A one-year residency permit can be bought if you purchase property in Egypt worth $100,000. A three-year residency is available for those who invest $200,000 in property, and five years for those who purchase property worth $400,000.

Source: Citizenship Invest and Aqua Properties

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Ruwais timeline

1971 Abu Dhabi National Oil Company established

1980 Ruwais Housing Complex built, located 10 kilometres away from industrial plants

1982 120,000 bpd capacity Ruwais refinery complex officially inaugurated by the founder of the UAE Sheikh Zayed

1984 Second phase of Ruwais Housing Complex built. Today the 7,000-unit complex houses some 24,000 people.  

1985 The refinery is expanded with the commissioning of a 27,000 b/d hydro cracker complex

2009 Plans announced to build $1.2 billion fertilizer plant in Ruwais, producing urea

2010 Adnoc awards $10bn contracts for expansion of Ruwais refinery, to double capacity from 415,000 bpd

2014 Ruwais 261-outlet shopping mall opens

2014 Production starts at newly expanded Ruwais refinery, providing jet fuel and diesel and allowing the UAE to be self-sufficient for petrol supplies

2014 Etihad Rail begins transportation of sulphur from Shah and Habshan to Ruwais for export

2017 Aldar Academies to operate Adnoc’s schools including in Ruwais from September. Eight schools operate in total within the housing complex.

2018 Adnoc announces plans to invest $3.1 billion on upgrading its Ruwais refinery 

2018 NMC Healthcare selected to manage operations of Ruwais Hospital

2018 Adnoc announces new downstream strategy at event in Abu Dhabi on May 13

Source: The National