More than 11 million students in Gulf public education in 2024-2025

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The Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council, Jassim Mohammed Al-Budaiwi, stated that more than 11 million students in the general education stages in the member states represent about 17.4% of the total population of the council's countries, while more than 45,000 schools and educational institutions host students at various stages of general education, with over 960,000 male and female teachers supervising their education and developing their knowledge, skills, and abilities during the academic year 2024-2025.

This was mentioned during his speech at the 46th Educational Conference, held under the title "Innovative Visions for a Sustainable Educational Future in Kuwait," under the patronage of the Emir of Kuwait, Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, and in the presence of the Minister of Education of Kuwait, Engineer Sayed Al-Tabtabai, on Sunday, October 4, 2026, in Kuwait City, with the participation of a number of specialists, academics, and educators.

In this context, Al-Budaiwi added that one of the most prominent manifestations of embodying the concept of "Gulf Citizenship" and Gulf integration is the number of students from the council's member states studying in public schools in other member countries, which exceeded 41,000 students during the academic year 2025-2026.

He explained that this represents a realistic translation of the implementation of the leaders' directives of the council to facilitate education and open its doors to the children of the council's countries in various regions. In continuation of this journey, the joint Gulf work in the educational field continues to move towards more ambitious horizons and a forward-looking vision for the future.

He pointed out that the education ministers in the Council countries have approved the strategic plan for innovation and entrepreneurship in higher education, and the strategic plan for joint work in the field of education for the years 2027-2032 has also been approved, confirming the continuation of developing the educational cooperation and integration system among the Council countries, and keeping pace with the needs of development and future labor markets.

In this regard, the Secretary-General mentioned that the idea of establishing the Gulf Cooperation Council emerged to achieve coordination, integration, and connection among the Council countries in all fields, leading to their unity, by strengthening ties and enhancing cooperation among their peoples in various fields, and establishing similar systems in various domains, most notably in the educational and cultural sectors.

He noted that the journey of joint educational and teaching work preceded the establishment of the Cooperation Council in 1981, through the Arab Bureau of Education for the Gulf States, which was established in 1975 under the supervision of the then Ministers of Education, considering that this represents evidence that education is at the forefront of the priorities of the Council countries, as it is the nucleus of joint Gulf work and a weapon for progress and development in various fields.

In parallel, Al-Badawi pointed out that education is one of the most important pillars of building human capital, and a fundamental driver for comprehensive renaissance and achieving sustainable development goals, adding that the honorable indicators witnessed by the Council countries in the field of general education reflect the extent of care, attention, and continuous strategic investment in their rising generations.

In conclusion, the Secretary-General emphasized the importance of monitoring and following up on the developments taking place in the world in several fields, including artificial intelligence, innovation, digital transformation, modern technologies, and space technology, stressing that these developments require those interested in education to view education and curricula from different perspectives and angles, in order to keep pace with changes and ensure the preparation of students to deal with modern technologies.

Al-Badawi expressed his hope that the conference's activities and discussions would contribute to formulating qualitative recommendations and outcomes that translate into practical and tangible steps, contributing to the development of the education journey in the Council's member states, and positively reflecting on the present and future of its sons and daughters.