Latest news with #SDG4
Arab News
4 days ago
- Business
- Arab News
Building a smart education ecosystem: The Saudi approach
Saudi Arabia is not just reforming education, it is reimagining its role in the global knowledge economy. In recent years, the Kingdom has taken bold strides to elevate its higher education system, aligning with Vision 2030 and forging meaningful international partnerships. From welcoming world-class university branches to launching major academic reforms, Saudi Arabia is sending a clear message: education is no longer just a domestic priority, it is a global investment. Yet, as this transformation accelerates, one vital question remains: What kind of higher education model will truly serve the Kingdom's long-term goals? It is not simply a matter of expansion, it is about strategic alignment. The future of higher education in Saudi Arabia hinges on how well it integrates into the global knowledge economy, contributes to the UN Sustainable Development Goals, especially SDG4 on quality education and SDG8 on economic growth, and prepares graduates for a labor market shaped by automation, artificial intelligence, green energy and emerging technologies. Today, Saudi Arabia is fast becoming a destination of choice for prestigious international universities. That alone is commendable. But the real impact will come not from hosting global institutions but from adapting and embedding international best practices within Saudi educational ecosystems. A leading example of this vision is Prince Sultan University. As a Saudi institution aligned with global standards, it stands out for its commitment to international accreditation, interdisciplinary learning and SDG implementation. Its approach shows how universities can be both globally connected and deeply rooted in local relevance — a model worth replicating. The job market of tomorrow will not be defined by rigid degrees but by hybrid professionals But to lead in the future, universities must also rethink outdated academic structures. The job market of tomorrow will not be defined by rigid degrees but by hybrid professionals who can code and communicate, analyze and adapt, lead and innovate. This means rebranding majors to better reflect emerging industry needs. Imagine programs that blend business with sustainability, engineering with climate science or humanities with data analytics. And let us not forget the humanities. As we pursue cutting-edge innovation, there is a growing need to reintroduce and revitalize humanities disciplines — philosophy, ethics, history and languages — not as relics but as essential tools for shaping critical thinking, civic awareness and ethical leadership in a turbulent world. Equally important, AI must be embedded across all fields. It is not just a tech subject but a transformational force. Whether in law, healthcare, education or architecture, universities must prepare graduates to not only use AI, but to lead responsibly in an AI-augmented world. As Vision 2030 accelerates national diversification, higher education must evolve in tandem not by imitating foreign models, but by co-creating new ones with global partners. This includes launching joint degree programs with leading international universities; establishing transnational research hubs across Saudi campuses to build long-term research and development capacity, rather than serving research and ranking projects driven by international metrics with limited developmental impact; and leading regional think tanks focused on SDG localization, cultural diplomacy, Arabic AI and environmental innovation. At the same time, investing in robust research ecosystems grants, innovation labs and technology transfer offices is crucial to converting academic ideas into societal and economic impact. As a leading G20 nation, Saudi Arabia has a unique opportunity to lead a regional transformation in higher education, offering a model that blends international excellence with national purpose and positioning the Kingdom as a hub for innovation, scholarship and sustainability across the Middle East and beyond. The future of higher education in Saudi Arabia will be judged not by how many global campuses it hosts, but by how deeply it engages with international knowledge systems, how wisely it builds its own and how confidently it empowers its next generation not just to host knowledge, but to generate, globalize and lead through it. • Dr. Mansoor S. Almalki is a professor of applied linguistics and a senior adviser in higher education. X: @msamalki
Al Etihad
4 days ago
- Science
- Al Etihad
UAEU makes major leap in Times Higher Education Impact Rankings
1 July 2025 14:51 AL AIN (WAM)The United Arab Emirates University (UAEU) has achieved a significant milestone in the Times Higher Education (THE) Impact Rankings 2025, advancing by 100 places to be ranked among the top 101–200 universities strong performance underscores UAEU's growing global influence in delivering the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through research, education, and community year, UAEU has been ranked across 12 SDGs, compared to 11 in the previous year, with the addition of SDG 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure. Notably, UAEU secured a top 50 global position in two SDGs: SDG 4: Quality Education (ranked 16) and SDG 2: Zero Hunger (ranked 41). The university also achieved significant recognition in SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals (84) and SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities (99) — reflecting its global and regional Mohsen Sherif, Provost of UAEU and Chair of the UAEU Sustainability Committee, stated, 'This remarkable progress in the 2025 THE Impact Rankings reflects UAEU's sustained efforts in integrating the SDGs into every facet of our academic, research, and outreach missions."Our strong performance across 12 SDGs, particularly in education, hunger, innovation, and equity, is a testament to the university's role in shaping a more sustainable and inclusive future. UAEU is proud to serve as a hub for climate-conscious innovation, regional capacity building, and global partnerships.'As part of its strategic roadmap towards COP28 and beyond, UAEU has launched a postdoctoral fellowship programme focused on climate action, designed to attract global researchers to work on decarbonisation, climate resilience, food-water-energy systems, and policy innovation. The fellowships reflect the university's alignment with the UAE's national climate agenda and its long-term vision for scientific leadership in UAEU has also partnered with the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs to implement the African Women Empowerment Programme, an initiative that equips female scholars and professionals across Africa with the knowledge and tools to address key SDG challenges through science, education, and leadership development. The effort highlights UAEU's dedication to inclusive growth and international cooperation. The UAEU's rising trajectory in the global sustainability space affirms its mission as a national institution committed to advancing research, innovation, and partnerships that drive lasting impact in the UAE, the region, and the world.
Business Standard
4 days ago
- General
- Business Standard
Wheels of Change: SRMUH Students Carry Hope to the Himalayas
VMPL New Delhi [India], July 1: This week, a group of students from SRM University Delhi-NCR, Sonepat (SRMUH) will leave their campus and begin a journey far from familiar surroundings. They are travelling from India Gate, Delhi to Ladakh. Not for adventure or escape, but to help children in some of the region's most remote villages access something many take for granted: a basic, hopeful education. The initiative is called Wheels of Change. Over eight days, the team will travel from the lands of Delhi & Haryana to the mountains of Leh, Kargil and the Nubra Valley. Along the way, they will visit anganwadis and local schools to deliver learning materials, books, warm clothes and toys to children in places where these are still considered rare. There is no fanfare around it. No slogans or banners. Just a quiet, organised effort by students who believe education should not stop where roads get rough or where attention fades. Notably, the event has already been approved by the Ladakh local administration and is being supported by the Skill Development Council, a Government of India establishment. It will witness the involvement of key stakeholders working toward the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG 4) -- ensuring inclusive, equitable and accessible education for all. This isn't simply a student trip. It is a minuscule yet heartfelt gesture from the young generation to a younger generation. A journey from current youth to future youth and beyond. Remote Area, Real-Life Barriers The goal is not to make headlines. It is to make a difference, even if only in small and human ways. Many of the children the students will meet attend school without books. Some do not own a proper school bag or writing materials. Others study in rooms that lack warmth or colour, or attention. The students are bringing what they can. School bags filled with stationery, storybooks, art kits, puzzles and soft toys for younger children. Warm jumpers, socks and jackets. Things they hope will not only be used but also treasured. This is not charity, they say. It is an attempt to meet children where they are and remind them that someone has thought of them. Even if just for a few minutes. Even if from far away. Ladakh, despite its challenging terrain, is home to over 900 government schools, spread across more than 1,000 hamlets within a sprawling 60,000 area. Many of these schools sit quietly near popular tourist routes, yet are rarely visited. Perched at altitudes ranging from 9,000 ft to 15,000 ft, these schools typically accommodate 25 to 30 students across all grades. Most of these children are first-generation learners, and the remoteness of their villages, combined with poor connectivity, severely limits their access to quality education near home. A Small Role in a Bigger Goal The students have shaped the campaign in line with Sustainable Development Goal 4, a global call to ensure inclusive and quality education for all. In India, this goal feels especially urgent in remote and rural parts of the country. In Ladakh, schools often function without proper infrastructure. Anganwadi centres, meant to support early childhood education and nutrition, struggle with limited resources. Many are run by dedicated workers who have very little to work with. The students are not claiming they can solve these problems. But they believe they can help. A little support can sometimes keep a child engaged or give the teachers a tool they didn't have yesterday. This simple initiative -- Wheels of Change -- may just pave the way for a legacy that carries forward. In the future, the team hopes to reach out to other remote regions of India, including North East, Bihar, Rajasthan and beyond -- extending their journey, their purpose and their impact. Thoughtful Planning, Modest Intent The trip has been planned with care. Safety measures are in place. All travel and stays have been organised in advance. Students have been briefed not just on route logistics, but on cultural sensitivity and respectful interaction. Faculty members at SRMUH are offering support but have left most of the decisions to the students themselves. From identifying the needs to packing the supplies, the responsibility rests with those who are travelling. The team is also aware of the limitations of such an effort. There is no illusion that a single visit can fix deep-rooted challenges. But they believe gestures matter. Time matters. Being present matters. What This Really Is At its heart, Wheels of Change is about movement, and not just across terrain, but across assumptions. It is about students choosing to step into another part of the country, listen, offer something, and return with more than they gave. It is about actual contributions while others are waiting. Reaching out while others remain distant. It may not look like much on paper. A bag of books. A sweater. A simple toy. But for a child in the hills of Ladakh, it could be the first gift they've received from someone outside their world. And for the students, it may be the most meaningful journey they take during their time at university.
The Hindu
20-06-2025
- General
- The Hindu
Analysing Internet access and digital skills in India
One important target of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education. Within this broad goal, there are two important targets pertaining to Internet and digital skills. Target 4.4.1 talks about the share of youth and adult population who have some Information and Communications Technology (ICT) skill. Target 4.4.2 pertains to a degree of proficiency in digital skills. Therefore, to attain the SDG4 target of education, providing ICT infrastructure and assessing digital skills is important. The data to assess these skills were rather sparse until the National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) conducted the Comprehensive Annual Modular Survey (CAMS) between July 2022 and June 2023. This is arguably the first sample survey which asks a set of questions about people's access to, and use of, digital technology. The survey was conducted across India in 3.02 lakh households and with 12.99 lakh people. At the all-India level, 76.3% of households have broadband Internet facilities. In rural areas, 71.2% of households have the facility, while in urban areas, 86.5% do. This data shows the deep penetration of the Internet in India. But there are variations across States, castes, gender, and class. In some States, more than 90% of the households have a broadband connection. These include Delhi, Goa, Mizoram, Manipur, Sikkim, Haryana, and Himachal Pradesh. But in some other States, fewer than 70% have a broadband connection. These include West Bengal (69.3%), Andhra Pradesh (66.5%), Odisha (65.3%), and Arunachal Pradesh (60.2%). There are also significant variation within caste groups on the issue of broadband connectivity at home. In households in the general category, 84.1% have broadband connection, while the numbers for Other Backward Classes (OBCs), Scheduled Castes (SCs), and Scheduled Tribes (STs) are 77.5%, 69.1%, and 64.8% respectively. While it is significant that within all social groups, the majority of the households have broadband connectivity, OBC, SC, and ST communities are still significantly behind households in the general category in this aspect. The most striking difference predictably exists in terms of income. Generally, the monthly per capita consumption expenditure (MPCE) is used as a proxy for income, since income data at the household level is not available. From the unit-level data of CAMS, we have arranged the population from the bottom 10% to the top 10% in terms of MPCE (Chart 1). Chart 1 | The chart shows the broadband connectivity of households according to the decile classes of Monthly Per Capita Expenditure (in %) While in the lowest decile class, 71.6% households don't have broadband connectivity, the number for the highest decile class is only 1.9%. However, even for those who belong to the second lowest decile class, the majority (56.2%) have broadband connection at home. In other words, while the poorest are still on the wrong side of the digital divide, broadband connectivity improves with every decile class. Economic status is a significant determinant of broadband connectivity. The government has said that provision of high-speed Internet is a fundamental utility akin to water or electricity (Digital India website). To facilitate coverage of the poorest sections of the society, the government can think of subsidising broadband connections so that there is universal coverage. According to the CAMS report, 94.2% of rural households and 97.1% of urban households have mobile or telephone connections in their households. When we look at people aged 15 years and above, 92.4% in urban areas and 83.9% in rural areas can use mobile phones. However, a deeper look at the data shows that the use of mobile phones is not as universal as the headline numbers suggest. Table 2 shows the share of the population who use a mobile phone with an active SIM card exclusively, for making calls or accessing the Internet. The data shows that women and socially deprived sections are at a disadvantage. For example, within the general category, only 25.3% of women use mobile phones exclusively in rural areas, while the number for urban areas is 51.2%. For SCs, STs, and OBCs, the numbers are far below the general category for both men and women. While there is a lot of discussion about 5G connectivity in India, data show that just more than half the population in rural areas uses 4G, while more than 70% in urban areas use the same. A significant share of the population (40.4%) still uses mobile technology which is more primitive than 4G. The share of people with 5G connectivity is negligible in the country. To gauge digital skills, we focused on some basic tasks such as using the Internet, sending emails, copy-pasting from documents, using arithmetic operations in spreadsheets, and performing online banking transactions (Chart 3). Chart 3 | Select digital skills of the rural and urban populations of India (15 years and above) (in %) Around 53.6% of the population (15 years and above) can use the Internet in rural areas and 74% in urban areas. The proportion who can send/receive emails is even lower (20% for rural, 40% for urban). Only around 40% of the rural population can perform the copy-paste function, while 60% of the urban population can. The share of people who can perform arithmetic operations in spreadsheets is extremely low. Only 37.8% of India's population aged 15 years and above can perform online banking transactions. Subhanil Chowdhury is an Associate Professor of Economics at St. Xavier's University, Kolkata, and Samiran Sengupta is a data analyst
Hindustan Times
19-06-2025
- Science
- Hindustan Times
THE Impact Rankings 2025: Amrita Vidyapeetham grabs spot among world's top 50 institutions
Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham has secured an overall global rank of 41 in the recently released Times Higher Education (THE) Impact Rankings 2025, making it the the only higher education institution in the country to figure in world's top 50 universities list Last year, the university was ranked 81st globally. Also read: QS World University Rankings 2026: Oxford, Harvard topple down, Stanford climbs up, check details Besides, the institution has also emerged as India's highest SDG impact university. The university has ranked 5th globally for SDG 4 (Quality Education) and 6th for SDG 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy), placing it among the highest-performing institutions globally in these categories, a press statement informed. Additionally, the university ranked 14th for SDG 5 (Gender Equality) and 29th for SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being), that indicate inclusive and equitable growth. Also read: Rajasthan RSOS 10th, 12th results 2025 declared, check details here Dr. Maneesha V. Ramesh, Provost of Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham and UNESCO Chair on Experiential Learning for Sustainable Innovation & Development said, 'We credit this global recognition to the visionary guidance of our Chancellor, Sri Mata Amritanandamayi Devi (Amma), whose emphasis on compassion, service, and science forms the bedrock of Amrita's mission.' He added, 'These rankings reflect our deep commitment to building resilient communities through compassion-driven innovation and experiential education that bridges world-class research with grassroots impact.' It may be motioned here that Amrita achieved perfect scores in several key metrics, including lifelong learning initiatives such as skilling programs and distance education certificates aimed at the marginalized for enhanced educational access; gender equity in access and leadership; sustainability in clean energy and water; and the integration of SDGs into education and community engagement, the statement added. Also read: QS World University Rankings 2026: MIT tops, Imperial College London 2nd; IIT Delhi best Indian varsity Moreover, its Live-in-Labs program also achieved recognition for implementing over 150 real-world development projects across 25 Indian states. It is to be mentioned here that the THE Impact Rankings 2025 were the most competitive ever, with over 2,540 universities from 130 countries participating. India emerged as the most represented nation with 148 institutions.
