17 January 2019 - The President of Montenegro, Milo Đukanović and UAE Education Minister Hussain bin Ibrahim Al Hammadi held a meeting at the initiative of the hosts, where special emphasis on the importance of education was pointed out.
The President informed the interlocutor with the modern achievements of Montenegro and its position in the region and pointed out that the deficit of new knowledge and the application of new technologies was recognized as a key constraint for the further dynamic development of the country. Without new knowledge, in close connection with the use of modern scientific and technological achievements, there can be no progress for any society, said President Đukanoviić.
"We know that UAE has made a strong step forward in this direction and that is why it is essential for us to use excellent friendly relations, among other things, for transferring your experience to Montenegro," he said. Long-Term response to this problem in Montenegro is a radical reform of education, which takes time, but in the meantime, it is also essential to work hard to overcome this problem. He informed UAE Minister Al Hammadi that soon, he would form a special fund that would provide funds for a number of the most talented students for the country's scholarship to study at the most prestigious universities in the world. Since the Emirates have excellent results, he asked the Minister to share experiences with Montenegro regarding this project.
With satisfaction with the meeting and the statement that he had the honor to be in Montenegro, calling it hidden diamond, Minister Al Hammadi elaborated on how they embarked on education reform at the initiative of Crown Prince Mohammed. He said that they went from scratch, knowing that this is a lifelong process, and that applies not only to the university but to the whole system, starting from the kindergarten. He announced that he had been directly involved in the implementation of the reforms before the appointment as Minister, especially at the Khalifa University, which in the meantime occupied the 145th place in the world list of universities, with the ambience to be ranked among the top thirty.
"The secret of our success is to know that the buildings we have built and the money we have are not values of crucial importance, but that human capital is the most valuable asset in our society," said Minister Al Hammadi.
Regarding cooperation with Montenegro, he stressed that there are many ways to make it quicker and faster. I can immediately offer scholarships for Montenegrin students at their universities, or accept groups of high school students from Montenegro to study in their schools. They are ready to accept a delegation from Montenegro these days, who would meet on the spot what they are doing in this area. Speaking about the model of education, he said that from the kindergarten to the university they introduced the subject of designing new technologies, which no one else has in the world. They are ready to work together with Montenegrin colleagues to master the master plan and to help us not repeat the mistakes they made in the process of education reform. Minister Al Hammadi also offered training to the teaching staff, which can very quickly deliver results. He also informed President Đukanoviić in detail about the establishment and functioning of the Fund for Scholarship Scholarships in the world and said that it is entirely identical to the way presented by President Đukanoviić for the establishment of a similar fund in Montenegro.
