Conference 03: "The Educational System and Information Technology", Algiers, People's Democratic Republic of Algeria, April 2002,

Conference 03: "The Educational System and Information Technology", Algiers, People's Democratic Republic of Algeria, April 2002,

The Third Conference (3) of Ministers of Education in the Arab world, hosted by the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria, discussed the theme of "The Educational System and Information Technology". The Organization prepared two main documents for the purpose:

• The first document: The first addressed the experiences of the Arab countries in using information technology to develop the educational system, proceeding from the basic contents of the "School of the Future" document issued by the Second Conference of Arab Ministers of Education, which affirmed the necessity of making a continuous effort to build the school that responds to the challenges of change and its requirements.
• The second document: The second main document dealt with the theme of the conference, "The Educational System and Information Technology". It defined the basic concepts, presented an account of the elements and functions of information networks, addressed the importance of the internet in the many fields of life, reviewed the great benefits of using information and communication technology in the educational field, and concluded by presenting a set of visions and practical orientations for employing information technology in developing the Arab educational system. The conference arrived at a set of recommendations, the most prominent of which are:

1. Calling on the Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization to prepare a reference framework on the use of information technology in developing the educational system that includes its intellectual foundations and benefits from the international standards and measurement levels in this field.
2. Calling on the Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization to prepare research and studies aimed at reaching practical conceptions for achieving the optimal use of information technology as an educational means to enrich the curricula, and to address the effects resulting from the misuse of the computer.
3. Calling on the Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization to document the pioneering and distinguished Arab and international experiences in information technology in the educational system and to place them on the portals in a way that enhances benefiting from them and achieves coordination and integration among the Arab countries in this field.
4. Calling on colleges of education and teacher preparation to open departments for preparing specialists in information technology and to strengthen and expand existing departments, in addition to directing master's and doctoral research to address this subject, while affirming the importance of integrating information and communication technology into the core of teacher preparation and training programmes.
5. Calling on the Arab countries to expand the introduction of computer science and informatics as basic subjects in the study plans and to encourage and use the computer and information technology in teaching all subjects.
6. Calling on the Arab countries to take the necessary measures to provide the computer to the largest possible number of teachers on facilitated financial terms.
7. Calling for the adoption of a joint Arab programme to produce educational software systems suitable for the scientific, spiritual and material needs of the Arab youth, and in a way that suits the heritage and culture of Arab-Islamic civilisation, and that leads to the elevation of the human and moral aspects in their cultural formation, so as to strengthen their universal human belonging, a belonging rooted in their original values, and to reinforce their positive participation with other spaces.
8. Calling on the Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization to adopt a project aimed at unifying terminology and rooting concepts in the field of information technology to achieve accuracy of communication, which can be done by producing a specialised dictionary in this field. The conference also issued the educational "Algiers Statement", in which the Arab Ministers of Education affirmed that the circumstances and challenges our Arab nation is going through require that we confront them with innovative methods of work and thought, and modern approaches in education, raising generations that are proud of their identity, confident in themselves, capable of creative and inventive thinking, and able to meet the requirements of living in a society of knowledge and technology, within the framework of the tolerant religious teachings and the original Arab values.

Their Excellencies the Ministers also affirmed that employing modern information and communication technology in general education requires a political will determined to change and develop and capable of providing the required human and material resources for that, and a serious pursuit of activating joint Arab action in this field, and elevating the educational and teaching sector to the level of the Arab summit conferences, in support of joint educational work and in fulfilment of its aims and purposes.