Abu Dhabi: On the back of a possible human resource meltdown after the global financial crisis, two senior officials of the UAE and India pledged stronger cooperation in knowledge economy at a forum in the capital.
Shaikh Nahyan Bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, UAE Minister for Higher Education and Scientific Research, said both countries can cooperate not only in creating knowledge, but translating it into innovations.
After the financial meltdown, the world should be prepared to face a human resource crisis due to dwindling population in some regions, said Kapil Sibal, Indian Minister for Human Resource Development.
They were speaking at a forum titled "India-UAE Leveraging the Knowledge Economy Paradigm" which discussed the development of knowledge-based partnerships between the UAE and India at Emirates Palace in Abu Dhabi on Monday.
Shaikh Nahyan said: "India is gaining international reputation for its innovations in pharmaceuticals and software, that will improve further with the development of research and development", he said.
Sibal said by 2050 population will be reduced in some countries such as Japan, China, and European countries like Germany. By then, much of the German population will be above the age of fifty which will require them to get human resource from elsewhere in the world, he said.
According to Sibal, the current population of children in India will be ready to join the workforce in the next 20 years.
"The education sector in both the UAE and India must be expansive, inclusive and excellent in order to meet the global needs for a workforce of the 21st century," he said.
KICKER
distance learning
Kapil Sibal, Indian Minister for Human Resource Development suggested distance learning programmes as one of the solutions to the Indian schools crisis in Abu Dhabi.
Distance learning programmes from India could be introduced for the students in Abu Dhabi, Sibal said in reply to a question raised by a panellist at the forum.
As Gulf News reported , hundreds of Indian students have been affected by the closure of villa schools in the capital.
Sibal said to establish the new Indian schools , investment should be raised in the UAE.
— Staff Report
