This week, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia held the International Conference and Exhibition for Education (ICEE) for 2022. Currently held at Riyadh International Convention & Exhibition Center, it aims at bringing innovation to the Kingdom's changing educational sector, as well as its ability to contribute to Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 goals. Over 260 national and international universities, and Saudi ministries are expected to attend the ICEE.
The Minister of Education, Dr. Hamad Bin Mohammed Al Al-Sheikh, led the opening of the exhibition with a speech expressing his gratitude for the support provided by Saudi leadership. Furthermore, he stated that the goals set by the ICEE include paving the paths towards innovation and new opportunities through the educational sector.
"The International Conference and Exhibition for Education is back to deliver its message once again, emphasizing the Kingdom's role and interest in improving the outcomes of education, in order to have its impact on the development of human capital, which is considered a long-term project that directly contributes to economic, social, and cultural development," Dr. Al-Sheikh was quoted by Arab News.
In fact, the ICEE is looking for innovative ways to provide education to students across Saudi Arabia, and this especially includes addressing the challenges set by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Kingdom's willingness to provide human capital falls in line with the goals set by the Human Capacity Development Program. Currently, 23 ministers and experts from around the world are also expected to attend the ICEE with 130 workshops available.
The ICEE comes as Saudi Arabia is investing towards restructuring its educational sector, as well as providing scholarship programs for students pursuing specific courses such as STEM. In addition, the Kingdom is positioning itself as a regional destination for new and promising sectors such as information and communications technology (ICT), satellite, tourism, and more.
