Deputy Premier chairs High Council of Educational and Training Development meeting

Manama, Sep. 21 (BNA): Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of the High Council of Educational and Training Development HH Shaikh Mohammed bin Mubarak Al Khalifa chaired at Gudaibiya Palace today the council's meeting. Discussions focused on the main issues on which the executive action plan of the national project for educational and training development will be based in light of a comprehensive review of the project's progress over the past ten years. The Deputy Premier stressed that quality education depends on the competence of the teachers who have to be equipped with the needed training to click on their potentials and ensure better educational standards. He also underlined the importance of communication between the school and the students' parents to achieve the aspired integration. The council was also updated on the report of the National Authority of Qualifications and Quality Assurance for Education and Training on the results of the national exams of 2016. The report showed application of the national exams to the 6th and 12th grades for all public school students and with optional participation of some private schools. Accuracy of the results analyses procedures was ascertained of by Cambridge University International Exams Department. The Deputy Premier emphasized the need to study the results of the national exams to reinforce the positive points and identify the shortcomings and remedy them. The council also discussed a proposal to develop a unified national exam system gradually and which will be completed in 2020 to further improve education.