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Guest-of-honour welcomes third annual Knowledge Summit's focus on development of human capital
Abbot: 'People are fleeing many places in the Middle East, but people are not fleeing from Dubai - they are fleeing to it'
Dubai – Tony Abbott, the 28th Prime Minister of Australia, was guest of honor at the third annual Knowledge Summit, organized by The Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation and held in the Grand Hyatt Dubai from December 5-7.
Becky Anderson, anchor of CNNs Connect the World with Becky Anderson held a wide ranging one-on-one discussion with Mr Abbott as he provided valuable insights into his time as Prime Minister and the efforts he made to improve education to Australia’s disadvantaged citizens.
“Falling schools are tied directly to the economic income levels of the community,” Mr Abbott said. “In homes where education is not valued you see schools with no books or reading, and no discipline,” he said.
“Educational success depends as much on having consistent standards and understanding the culture as it does on funding,” Mr Abbott said. He found that during his time as Prime Minister, education in Australia and in many other parts of the world was in a crisis. “It was time to stop using fades and gimmicks and use the old traditional methods of teaching reading, writing and math,” he said. “Stop doing what does not work and go back to what has worked for years.”
Mr Abbott praised the UAE for the high emphasis it places on education for all its people and for declaring 2016 as the Year of Reading.
In closing, Mr Abbott was asked about his views on the current situation in Europe and the United States concerning refuges and the populist’s political movements of Brexit and the election of Donald Trump as President of the United States.
“The Trump election and Brexit is a sign that there is a disconnect between the establishment politicians and the people,” he said. Asked about the refugee crisis he said, “Countries have the right to keep their character. What is going on in the GCC and UAE is very positive and should be reviewed and used as a model in the greater Middle East. People are fleeing many places in the Middle East, but people are not fleeing from Dubai – they are fleeing to it.”
“I praise this Knowledge Summit for focusing on development of human capital. Always have respect for tradition – but be open to change. Government is a business of give and take, you must move with the times as things change,” he concluded.
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© Press Release 2016
