Islamic countries to gain from fund

Seoul: Neighbouring states and Islamic countries will also benefit from the $10 billion education fund, launched earlier this week by His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of UAE and Ruler of Dubai, in the future.

"The initiative is a drop in the ocean which we hope will grow to include Islamic countries," Shaikh Mohammad told Gulf News yesterday during his trip to South Korea.

"We understand the importance of education for the Arab and Islamic world. We want education to lead progress in the Arab world," Shaikh Mohammad said.

He did not rule out accepting contributions towards the initiative when approved by the work teams working to give the initiative its final shape.

"The initiative came to bridge the education gap in the Arab world. We are not selfish. We help those who ask for our help," he said.