2010
Conference 07: "Post-Basic (Secondary) Education", Muscat, Sultanate of Oman, March 2010
The seventh (7th) Conference of Arab Ministers of Education addressed the topic "Post-Basic (Secondary) Education: its development and the diversification of its tracks". Six reference studies were submitted to the Conference, addressing post-basic (secondary) education as a whole in terms of understanding its reality and the mechanisms for its development, as it represents the essential link in the education system. These studies are:
- The reality of post-basic (secondary) education in the Arab world and ways to develop it.
- Reforming secondary education: issues, challenges and proposals.
- Structures of post-basic (secondary) education at the Arab and global levels.
- Developing post-basic (secondary) education to meet societal needs.
- Quality standards of post-basic (secondary) education.
Also submitted to the Conference were the guiding framework for Arab teacher performance standards: policies and programmes, and the report of His Excellency the Director-General of the Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization on following up the implementation of the recommendations of the sixth Conference.
In light of the in-depth discussions of the meetings of the Ministers and the experts, the Conference adopted a set of recommendations, namely:
Calling on the Arab States to:
- Implement the field of post-basic (secondary) education set out in the plan for developing education in the Arab world in coordination with ALECSO, and develop national plans to improve enrolment rates in post-basic (secondary) education according to the circumstances of each State, seeking to approach the indicators specified in the plan for developing education in the Arab world.
- Diversify the tracks of post-basic (secondary) education in a manner that takes into account the varying levels of students and the differences in their abilities, skills and inclinations, and establish mechanisms that facilitate movement between tracks.
- Establish mechanisms for guidance and counselling to help students choose the track appropriate to their abilities and inclinations.
- Develop the technical and vocational education track in the Arab world, strengthen it, and broaden the horizons of higher education for it.
- Effectively employ information and communication technologies in developing the education system, and work to establish an Arab industry for education technologies in the service of the Arab States.
- Refer the guiding framework for teacher performance standards (policies and programmes) to the Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization to take the appropriate measures for its adoption, in order to benefit from it in advancing the conditions of teachers.
- Support the Arab Observatory for Education established by the Organization within the framework of implementing the plan for developing education in the Arab world.
Calling on the Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization to:
- Build standards for post-basic (secondary) education that allow for bringing the educational systems in the Arab world closer together by benefiting from global and Arab models.
- Develop a reference guide for the quality of the components of post-basic (secondary) education in its various tracks, with special attention given to the technical and vocational education track.
Coordinate the efforts of the Arab States in the field of producing digital content and educational software, and work in cooperation with the Arab States to establish a specialized Arab centre in this field.
