The Global Higher Education Exhibition GHEDEX 2024 and the accompanying conference were inaugurated by Dr. Mohammed bin Mubarak Juma, the Minister of Education and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Higher Education Council (HEC), at Exhibition World Bahrain (EWB).
The opening of the event, organised by the International Exhibition and Trading Group in cooperation with the HEC, was attended by officials, academics, experts, and diplomats.
GHEDEX 2024 features more than 100 exhibitors representing over 70 educational institutions from around the world.
The event showcases the latest developments in technology use in higher education and career guidance, as well as best practices and future jobs.
During the opening ceremony, the Minister expressed Bahrain’s pride in hosting the second edition of the exhibition, commending the cooperation between the Ministry of Education, the Higher Education Council, and the Oman International Trade and Exhibition Group (OITE). He thanked local, regional, and international higher education institutions for their participation in the exhibition.
Dr. Juma emphasised that holding the event in its second edition reflects the great interest that Bahrain has in continually developing the educational system, in implementation of the directives of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, and with the support and keen follow-up of His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister.
GHEDEX 2024 is a testament to Bahrain’s commitment to developing its education system and is aligned with Bahrain’s national strategy to attract regional and international events and conferences, the minister said.
The kingdom has modernised its infrastructure and laws to incentivize investments in the education sector, reflecting its keenness to enhance its position as a destination for exhibitions and conferences, he added.
Amr Abdullah Baaboud, CEO of the exhibition, thanked the Minister of Education and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Higher Education Council for their support.
He also expressed gratitude to the Minister of Tourism and the Kingdom of Bahrain for supporting the hosting of the second edition of the exhibition following last year’s success.
Dr Omar Al Ubaydli, the Director of the Studies and Research at Derasat, presented a paper on “Career Guidance for Success”. Dr Paul Andrew Dudley, Dean of the Faculty of Business and Law at the British University, presented a paper on “Delivering Student Choice in the European Context”.
At the end of the opening ceremony, the minister handed the GHEDEX 2024 Awards for Excellence in University Education to the University of Bahrain for the Student Training and Student Innovation Awards. The Applied Sciences University won the Entrepreneur Development Award, Bahrain Medical University won the Career Counselling and Research Projects Awards, the British University won the Sports and Health Award, Kingdom University won the Student Business Award, Vatel won the Employment Award, and Ahlia University won the Leadership Development Award.
In the school awards category, Al Hikma International School won the Student Business Award, Al Jabriya Industrial Secondary School for Boys won the Entrepreneur Development and Research Project Awards, Al Istiqlal Secondary School for Girls won the Leadership Development Award, Shaikh Abdullah bin Isa Al Khalifa Industrial School for Boys won the Student Innovation Award, Shaikh Khalifa bin Salman Institute of Technology won the Community Engagement Award, and Shaikh Abdulaziz bin Mohammed Al Khalifa Secondary School for Boys won the Community Projects Award.
Dr. Juma also presented the Excellence in School Education Awards and the Excellence in Human Capital Development Awards, which was followed by honouring the sponsors.
