Deputy Prime Minister and President of the Supreme Council for the Development of Education and Training, HH Shaikh Mohammed bin Mubarak Al Khalifa, chaired the Council’s 40th meeting.
The meeting reviewed the 2020 annual report of the education and training sector, prepared by the Council’s team work in cooperation with many government entities, including the Ministry of Education, the Labour and Social Development Ministry, the Education and Training Quality Authority (BQA), the University of Bahrain, the Bahrain Teachers’ College, the Bahrain Polytechnic and the Bahrain Training Institute.
The report included the achievements, information and statistics related to the education and training projects, in addition to the main challenges. It also highlighted the overhaul of the education and training system through the restructuring of the Ministry of Education and the post secondary education stage, in accordance with the government’s priorities.
The report also lauded the education and training sector’s ability to continue despite the spread of the coronavirus pandemic, in addition to the remarkable progress made by the Education Ministry in the 2019 Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) exams.
The Council approved the report, and extended thanks and appreciation to all those who contributed to preparing it.
The Council was then briefed by the Ministry of Education about the latest developments of its organisational structure following the issuance of a Royal Decree in this regard, and the beginning of its implementation process, in addition to the initiatives related to the unified framework of government programmes of priority for 2019-2020.
The panel was also informed about the task forces’ completion of the schools institutions’ infrastructure plan, and the criteria of the numerical and literacy skills initiative, under the supervision of the Steering Committee of the institutional structure development project. The two initiatives will be referred to the Government Executive Committee.
The panel also discussed the Bahrain Teachers College (BTC)’s expansion plan aimed at increasing the number of Bahraini graduate teachers to achieve maximum rates of Bahrainisation in educational posts. It also reviewed BTC’s executive plan to achieve its goals for the next ten years, including the ability to meet 80% of the Education Ministry’s needs of the teaching staff.
The report, prepared by BTC’s Board of Directors, will be referred to the Government Executive Committee.
The Supreme Council for the Development of Education and Training also approved BQA’s plan to focus on schools whose performance needs more development.
The Council also approved the results of the National Qualifications Framework’s accreditation of eight national qualifications and the re-verification of two others.
HH Shaikh Mohammed bin Mubarak expressed sincere thanks and appreciation to the members for their achievements, stressing the government’s unwavering keenness to support educational projects, and the Ministry of Education.