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Majed Ali Al Noaimi 
Minister of Education On November 12, 2002, Dr. Majed Ali Al Noaimi was appointed to Bahrain’s Ministry of Education, which has since hosted various UNESCO activities under his patronage. Prior to this position, Dr. Noaimi was President of the University of Bahrain and Professor of history and culture. He also served as Director of the offices of the Crown Prince and Commander in Chief of the BDF, of the Undersecretary of the Minister of Defense, and of the Bahrain Centre for Studies & Research. Born in 1955, Noaimi’s commitment to education has been a lifelong achievement. He earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Kuwait, master’s degrees from Ain Shams University in Egypt and the Military College of Saudi Arabia, and a doctoral degree from the University of Wales. |
Quality secondary education: a challenge we have to meet
The future agenda of education is largely driven by globalization and the revolution in technology. Education is now seen as a process of learning throughout life in order to help individuals adapt to a rapidly changing world. Education systems have to continually assess the demands made upon them by society, and have to respond to those demands, and to demands likely to be made on them in the coming years. They must address both the quantity and the quality of education.
We expect secondary education to prepare adolescents for higher education and for the world of work, provide them with knowledge, skills, and attitudes and values. The kind of education that can help them develop the qualities of character that would enable them to live as productive and creative citizens. That ambition is shared by their parents and by society. However, that ambition can only be realized if those young people are offered quality secondary education, the pre-requisites for which include:
- A flexible system that can accommodate differences among students by helping them to carefully choose the right stream
- An inter-disciplinary curriculum, knowledge-based and standard- based, providing lessons that are applicable to real-world situations.
- Skillful school leaders to ensure an environment conducive to learning for all.
- Teachers that are capable of designing high-quality work and teaching in ways that engage students resulting in their acquisition of knowledge, critical thinking and problem-solving skills, especially the skill of learning how to learn.
- Schools that can develop strategic planning to make technology integral to curriculum.
- Schools that build partnerships with parents, business, community-based organizations, with primary and middle level schools as well as with higher education institutions.