HE Sheikh Khalid bin Essam Al Qasimi, Chairman of Department of Civil Aviation Sharjah, today inaugurated the 16th International Education Show 2020 (IES 2020) which is being organized and hosted by the Expo Centre Sharjah, with the support of the Sharjah Chamber of Commerce & Industry, SCCI, and the Ministry of Education and Sharjah Education Private Authority.

This year’s edition is the biggest ever since its launch, with the participation of nearly 120 educational and academic institutions from 20 countries around the world including the US, the UK, Malaysia, Jordan, Lebanon, India, Poland, and Cyprus, in addition to the distinguished participation of the local academic institutions and universities.

The ribbon-cutting ceremony of IES 2020, which runs until January 24, was attended by H.E. Sheikh Majid Faisal Khalid Al Qasemi, SCCI’s First Vice Chairman, Her Excellency Dr. Amna Al Shamsi, Assistant Undersecretary for the Welfare and Activities Sector in the Ministry of Education, members of the Board of Directors of the SCCI and the Expo Centre Sharjah, HE Mohammad Ahmed Amin Al Awadi, SCCI’s Director-General, H.E. Saif Mohammed Al Midfa, CEO, Expo Centre Sharjah, Sultan Shattaf Sales, and Marketing Director, Expo Centre Sharjah, representatives of the Ministry of Education, the Sharjah Education Private Authority, and a number of diplomats and academics from various countries of the world.

HE Sheikh Khalid Al Qasimi, accompanied by the SCCI’s Chairman and the attendees, toured a number of the pavilions and platforms of the participating universities, where he was briefed on the latest academic and educational program offered by the higher education institutes, schools, technical institutes, and training centers this year.

A number of exhibitors, meanwhile, hailed the support provided and the outstanding organization of the Expo Centre Sharjah for the exhibition activities, stressing their keenness to be part of this annual event, which has become one of the most important events in the field of education and scientific research in the region.

The Backbone of the Development
While commending the distinguished organization and the volume of local, regional, and international participation, HE Sheikh Khalid Al Qasimi said: “Year after year, the IES has proved its growing importance and momentum for the international and local universities and educational institutions wishing to expand and enhance their presence in the country and the region. This offers students wide options of higher education programs, scholarships and admission requirements in the most important national and foreign universities.”

“The Emirate of Sharjah is keen on establishing a leading educational base to explore the future for our children, pursuant to the wise vision and directives of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Member of the UAE Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah, which aimed at building a generation capable of giving, through education and knowledge, as they are mainstay of sustainable development,” Sheikh Khalid underlined.

Attracting Leading Educational Institutions
“HE Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi has allocated about 24% of the general budget for 2020, to support scientific and cultural services and encourage creativity, innovation, and scientific research, something which underlines the great attention of his highness to various cultural and scientific events. It also reflects Sheikh Sultan’s vision which pays particular attention to education, in line with the UAE’s policy in terms of developing the human being as the cornerstone for comprehensive development,” said H.E. Sheikh Majid Faisal Khalid Al Qasimi.

Sheikh Majid emphasized the importance of this annual event locally, regionally, and globally, as it brings together the leading academic institutions under one roof, making it a significant platform for exchanging experiences and finding solutions to all challenges facing the educational process, as well as being one of the pioneering events that support one of the most prominent pillars of the “UAE Centennial 2071”, which is establishing “the best education in the world”, up to preparing a generation taking the responsibility of the future and enjoying the highest scientific levels and professionalism, and enhancing the status of the country to be one of the best countries in the world.

Quality Assurance
For his part, H.E. Saif Mohammed Al Midfa, CEO, Expo Centre Sharjah said: “The UAE’s education system is based on quality assurance in its all stages so that the elements of the educational process keep pace with the highest standards applied by the world’s prestigious institutions. Hence the importance of the IES 2020 which aims to provide students with a comprehensive picture of the education environment in the UAE and the world. The Expo Centre Sharjah is keen on making the IES as a service platform aimed at qualifying students educationally and professionally, as well as providing assistance to parents to choose the best educational opportunities for their children for the labor market.”

“We are also keen to constantly develop the IES activities, in association with the Ministry of Education and support of the SCCI, in view of the key role of education in building competitive capabilities of knowledge-based economies and in an era of information and communication technology, and in which government and private sector institutions are striving to develop their services to the public, based on the continuous education and adopting a culture of creativity and innovation,” added Al Midfa.

Hosting India’s Biggest Higher Education Events
According to the cooperation agreement signed by the Expo Centre and K2 Learning Resources India, the 16th IES is hosting, for the first time in the region, Career Utsav, one of the biggest higher education and career guidance events of India.
This comes as part of the Centre’s strategy to constantly develop the activities of the IES, by providing the latest technologies, experiences and international expertise in teaching methods.

Through Career Utsav, 50 Indian universities, colleges, and other educational institutions and boarding schools are taking part in the event.
The IES 2020 is also hosting the second edition of The Education Growth Summit, which will see the participation of government policymakers, directors, department heads and faculty members of several key institutions, and industry executives.

In addition, the First edition of Edu-Tech is part of the IES 2020 activates. It’s a special platform that brings together some of the top companies operating in the educational technology sector. Edu-Tech will showcase the latest in smart education technology and resources.

Educational Seminars for the World’s Renowned Academics
Serving as the most important events of the higher education sector in the Middle East, the three-day event is also seeing the organization of educational symposiums and workshops, through which the world’s most renowned education experts and academics will deliver lectures tackling the academic issues of concern to students and researchers.

Such symposiums aim to enhance communication between the visitors to the show and international academic institutions participating in the IES 2020 and the UAE’s leading educational institutions as well. Besides, the IES 2020 is forming a perfect opportunity for students to closely know more about the latest educational programs and fees, visa regulations, among other services.

Moreover, visitors to the IES 2020 are having the chance to listen to the Indian author, ex-banker and IIT-IIM Alumnus Chetan Bhagat as Keynote Speaker, who will be holding an exclusive session for parents, through which he will discuss the role of parents in improving the educational performance of students, through the constant communication between students and their parents about the educational paths and academic orientations of students.

In tandem with this, the IES 2020 is also seeing a number of workshops that are held jointly between the Academic and Career Guidance Department and the Training Department at the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Health and Prevention.

Important topics will be the center of attention of these workshops including study abroad and utilization of Artificial Intelligence in education future opportunities.

On the first day, the IES 2020 saw a heavy turnout by students and their parents and the concerned with the education sector, where they lauded the IES importance in offering students broad and diverse options of professional curriculums and postgraduate and professional studies in various disciplines, as well as scholarships provided by the most prestigious international and local universities at various levels of study.

The show is open to students, parents and the general public from 9 am to 2 pm and 5 pm to 9 pm on Wednesday and Thursday, while the timings of Friday will be from 3 pm to 9 pm.

Entry and parking are free.