In the presence of more than a thousand Yarmouk University
students
Dr. Abu-Ghazaleh: Ambitions with no boundaries, overcoming
challenges to make success
IRBID, Jordan - HE Dr. Talal Abu-Ghazaleh, founder and chairman of
Talal Abu-Ghazaleh Global Digital (TAG.GD), has participated in a scientific
seminar held by the Yarmouk University, under the patronage of University
President, HE Prof. Dr. Islam Massad, under the title ‘The Future of
Education’, that was attended by more than a thousand students.
During the seminar, Dr. Abu-Ghazaleh emphasized the urgent need
for shifting from traditional education to ‘learning’, stressing the
significance of embracing knowledge-based learning to keep abreast of global
developments.
He went on to state that the role of teachers today should extend
beyond delivering information as in the traditional ‘Katateeb’ system
(old-style school) and that teachers should become mentors to guide students
toward the right path, especially in an era where students often have more
access to information than their teachers, Dr. Abu-Ghazaleh said, noting that
being a ‘teacher’ is the most honorable title a person can hold.
Moreover, Dr. Abu-Ghazaleh recalled his life journey, highlighting
the blessing of suffering he went through and he shared inspirational messages
with students, encouraging them to embrace lifelong learning.
“One of the most significant lessons I have learnt during my life
journey is that ‘necessity is stronger than self-confidence’; nothing is more
powerful than need,” Dr. Abu-Ghazaleh said, pointing out that the
necessity left him with no option but to excel, therefore, driving him to study
hard throughout his education stages in order to obtain full free scholarships.
Furthermore, Dr. Abu-Ghazaleh urged the youth never to consider
challenges as setbacks, but instead to search for solutions, saying, “Every
challenge in life is, at its core, a genuine opportunity.”
He encouraged the students to always look forward to the future
rather than focusing on the present, stressing that the future relies on
knowledge technologies and digital tools.
In this context, he recalled his early engagement with technology,
which dates back to 1962 when he took part in a computer training course; an
experience that shaped his belief in the future of knowledge-based education.
Accordingly, Dr. Abu-Ghazaleh encouraged the youth to unleash
their ambitions without fear of failure, saying, “Failure is an opportunity to
learn and, therefore, to succeed. Your ambitions should have no limits, and no
one has the right to limit them.”
Consequently, Dr. Abu-Ghazaleh highlighted his practical
experience that led to his appointment by the UN Secretary-General to chair a
global council to set world’s digital policies that included government and
tech industry representatives. He also chaired the United Nations
Intergovernmental Working Group of Experts on International Standards of
Accounting and Reporting, and his chairmanship of the UN’s first-ever education
conference in 1995, on “Transforming Education,” which emphasized that
education is not a fixed process but rather a dynamic and a continuously
evolving one.
Emphasizing the importance of learning and the role of knowledge
technologies in professional advancement, Dr. Abu-Ghazaleh shared a story of
how Abu-Ghazaleh for Intellectual Property (AGIP), a member of TAG.GD, became
the world’s largest firm in its field. Remarkably, Dr. Abu-Ghazaleh learned the
IP knowledge without any formal academic training in the field. Instead, he
pursued self-education, mastering the discipline by himself, then, he decided
to establish AGIP, leveraging from knowledge-based technologies to build AGIP
that is now known as the largest intellectual property firm in the world.
At the end of the seminar, Dr. Abu-Ghazaleh answered students’
questions, advising them to always remain students, stating that: “There is no
such thing as failure; your only option is success. Success comes from learning
from mistakes. When you fail, you learn, and that is how you succeed.”
In response to a question about the role of the private sector in
community development, Dr. Abu-Ghazaleh emphasized that wealth is created
primarily by the private sector, not governments. He asserted that the
prosperity of the private sector is essentially rooted in the well-being of
local communities. He noted that TAG.GD is firmly committed to ten basic
principles in fulfilling its corporate social responsibility.
He also highlighted his co-chairmanship, alongside former UN
Secretary-Generals Kofi Annan and Ban Ki-moon, of a joint committee established
to launch a special UN department. Dr. Abu-Ghazaleh has served as
co-chair of that committee throughout both of their terms.
In response to another question, Dr. Abu-Ghazaleh addressed the
importance of intellectual property in the US-China conflict, affirming that
most global conflicts are integrally related to this conflict. He concluded
that the US-China trade escalation will ultimately end in war, but will be
resolved through negotiation.
It is worth mentioning that at the beginning of the seminar,
University President, Dr. Massad welcomed Dr. Abu-Ghazaleh, describing him as a
creative, inspiring, and successful leader whose experience, guidance, and
success story motivate the University students.
Dr. Massad further reaffirmed the University’s ongoing commitment
to advancing academic excellence in line with the technological advancements,
with the aim of transforming education into a dynamic skill-building platform
for successful integration into the digital era.
On the occasion of the Seminar the seminar, a Memorandum of
Understanding (MoU) was signed between the Language Center’s Director Dr. Rana
Qandil and TAG.GD’s executive director of Talal Abu-Ghazaleh Projects (TAG
Projects), Mr. Salaheddin Eid, in the presence of the University President, Dr.
Massad, and TAG.GD founder and chairman, Dr. Abu-Ghazaleh. The MoU aimed to
enhance cooperation in the provision of training services, capacity building,
and digital programming courses at the University-based Language Center.