Salzburg Global Fellows share their views during Breadth of Skills: Education Transformation
A select number of Fellows at Breadth of Skills: Education Transformation were asked, "What is one topic Education Policymaker Network members should be exploring in Salzburg over the next few days and why?" We have published their answers below.
“I think one topic we can focus on is the psychological and physical development of children in the era of COVID-19. Because in my everyday life, I realize that the kids now have less opportunities to play outside, they are paying more attention to personal health and infection.”
Henan Wang
Director, Training Department, National Training Center for Kindergarten, Ministry of Education, China
“It is so important for us to be looking at breadth of skills. All nations should embrace their skills, and understand them, and know how to actualize them in their respective countries. There is lots of sharing that can be done. I want to see what other people are doing in other countries, and how nations understand their 21st-century skills.”
Emis Njeru
Deputy Director of Education, National Council for Nomadic Education, Kenya
“I would love to know more about innovation in education, more about new trends in education, especially after the learning losses that occurred due to COVID-19, and learn more about the experience of education in different countries since we have people here from as far away as India and Kenya – how they managed in their countries continuously, and successfully.”
Laila Abu Qatousah
Acting Head of the Educational Training Division, Ministry of Education, Jordan
“My core interest has been the breadth of skills assessment, and I would love to engage this topic more, how it is being practiced in participants’ countries and how the concept itself is understood in their country, and to what extent their national education system has adopted it and given it the value that it deserves. In India and across the world, we are in a transition when it comes to our education systems because the pandemic has thrown new challenges.”
Shailendra Sharma,
Principal Advisor to the Director of Education, Government of NCT Delhi, India
“Under this fellowship, we have created learning circles, and I went to the circle on early childhood education. So my concern within this field is how to transform early childhood education – again, going in line with breadth of skills. In many of our developing countries, this concept has not been well picked-up, and very few children attend early childhood education. We have to transform this to prepare young ones for the schooling system.”
Fred Musisi
Adviser to the Department of Education, Uganda
"I would love to be with you all during these days. Maybe we all agree that a full curriculum is about language, science, maths, arts, humanities, but also the place for the development of critical thinking, creativity, curiosity and values of solidarity and empathy. The hot question is how we manage time and curricular space for this comprehensive approach, especially when we know that inclusion and equity require time and dedication. Looking forward to know our network's thoughts and ideas!"
João Costa
Minister of Education, Portugal
