Tuesday 27 September 2011

Festival of Thinkers 2011

The fourth Festival of Thinkers conference is organized by the Higher Colleges of Technology, providing a platform to foster and celebrate thinking, inspiring the youth of the region, and allowing thinkers from around the world to come together and share their ideas and thoughts.

Thoughts from the Festival of Thinkers courtesy of The National newspaper avalable here.

Tuesday 29 March 2011

Education key focus of World Forum in UAE (gulfnews.com)

Dubai: Broadening the concept of education around the world to foster greater global understanding amongst nations and civilisation was the underlying message at the opening of Tuesday's educational World Forum.

The World Forum was held as part of the 10th annual Education Without Borders (EWB) conference in Dubai hosted by the Higher Colleges of Technology (HCT).

Dignitaries and global education leaders came together to discuss education in a global world and the necessity to adapt to the pace of change facing humanity in the 21st Century.

"We must concentrate on broadening the content of education around the world to nurture tolerance and peaceful co-existence between citizens of the world," said Shaikh Nahyan Bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research and Chancellor of the HCTs.

"I believe the current state of disruption and misunderstanding in the world has a great deal to do with ignorance on all sides," he said.

Shaikh Nahyan added that education is an effective way to develop global understanding and build positive relationships to dispel stereotypical attitudes to nurture new attitudes.

"To resolve regional and global conflicts, the highest priority must be given to investing in human minds in order to modify human behaviour and attitudes," said Shaikh Nahyan.

In his keynote address, former British prime minister, Tony Blair added that for countries, companies and individuals to cope with the rapid process of global change underway; people must be prepared to adapt. Preparedness taught to them through education.

"There is now a premium on innovation and a willingness to change the way you work, the way you look at and do things," said Blair.

"In a real sense the foundations of success today are the abilities to develop innate human potential and capital….because at a basic level you have to learn to earn."

He added that increased technological advancements in the 21st Century pose opportunities for new ways of educating across cultures and geographical borders.

"The purpose of education has got to be broader in idea and concept than simply getting people through exams," said Blair. "In some profound way we've got to teach young people how to be global citizens."

He added that in order for this to be achieved academic institutions must be given the freedom through government policies to innovate and enhance students' creative thinking.

"We need to change the way we look at, do and think about education because then it changes the impact it has on teachers, students and individual people," said Blair.

"If schools or colleges want to do well in today's world they must think about partnerships they can create across borders; and with different types of people within their own borders

http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/uae/education/education-key-focus-of-world-forum-in-uae-1.784555

Tuesday 4 January 2011

Visitors at Abu Dhabi Men's College

I have been thinking about all the visitors we get here at Abu Dhabi Men’s College who come have meetings with the HE Sheikh Nahayan Mabarak Al Nahayan, Minister for Higher Education and Scientific Research and Chancellor of the Higher Colleges of Technology, our Vice Chancellor Dr Tayeb Kamali or any of the College management. Visitors who give talks to our students and staff these visitors reads like a who’s who of world famous scholars underlining the importance of the HCT within the UAE and its Education system. Everyone who comes to visit the college is shown our college Library and various Education Technology and without fail are impressed with what we have achieved at the college.

Professor Philip Kotler one of the world’s leading marketing gurus and professor of International Marketing at the Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University was very impressed with the college. Describing it as leading edge and that, other parts of the world could learn from us he had never see such a concept for a Library and research centre as he has seen at the college.


Myself and Professor Philip Kotler


2009 12 14 - Royal Institute Of Technology, Delegation
2010 02 17 - Dr. Johannes Beermann, Sächsische Staatskanzlei
2010 02 18 - Shiv Nadar, Chairman of HCL Technologies
2010 03 21 - Mr Orhan Hikmet Azizoğlu, The Founder and President of the International Universities Council (IUC)
2010 03 21 - Paulo Antônio Skaf, President of the Federação das Indústrias do Estado de São Paulo (Fiesp)
2010 04 08 - Neil Selby, International Director of the Saïd Business School, University of Oxford
2010 04 22 - Craig Mundie, Microsoft Chief Research and Strategy Officer
2010 04 26 - Asim Premji, Chairman of Wipro
2010 05 02 - Dr.Bruce W. Stillman,
President and Professor Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
2010 05 02 - Pavlos Yeroulanos, Minister of Culture & Tourism for Greece
2010 05 03 - Ian Thorpe
2010 05 11 - Aston Business School Delegation
2010 05 13 - Dr. Kiren Bedi
2010 05 24 - H.E. Kapil Sibal, Human Resources Minister
2010 05 25 - Prof Judy Genshaft, President University of South Florida
2010 06 27 - Egyptian Higher Education Delegation
2010 06 27 - Kingdom of Tonga Higher Education Delegation
2010 06 28 - Dr. Bala V. Balachandran, Kellogg School of Management
2010 06 30 - Wipro Delegation
2010 07 10 - Prof. Philip Kotler, Kellogg School of Management
2010 09 20 - Macro Media University
2010 10 11 - Prof Andrew Hamilton, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Oxford
2010 10 19 - Prof Michel S.Brown, University of Pennsylvania
2010 10 31 - Dr Mike Milanovic, CEO Cambridge ESOL
2010 10 31 - Professor John Hughes, Vice Chancellor of Bangor University
2010 11 03 - CISCO Group Delegation
2010 11 22 - Swami Parthasarathy, Governing Business & Relationships Parthasarathy.
2010 11 23 - Lord Norman Foster
2010 11 29 - Right Honourable Tony Blair




2010 05 03 - Ian Thorpe

2010 05 13 - Dr. Kiren Bedi



2010 10 19 - Prof Michel S.Brown

2010 11 23 - Lord Norman Foster





HE Sheikh Nahayan Mabarak Al Nahayan Minister for Higher Education and Scientific Research, Tony Blair, Dr Tayeb Kamali, Michael Bolton