Conference 08: "The Arab Teacher between Effective Training and Professional Mastery", Kuwait, State of Kuwait, April 2012

Conference 08: "The Arab Teacher between Effective Training and Professional Mastery", Kuwait, State of Kuwait, April 2012

The eighth (8th) Conference of Arab Ministers of Education discussed the topic "The Arab Teacher between Effective Training and Professional Mastery". Six reference studies were submitted to it addressing "The Arab Teacher between Effective Training and Professional Mastery", in terms of understanding the reality of teacher training, improving preparation programmes and methods, and in-service preparation and training, in addition to leading global experiences in this field. They also addressed the issues of professionalizing teaching and employing information and communication technologies in teacher training. These studies are:

• The reality of teacher training and professional empowerment in the Arab States.
• Improving pre-service preparation programmes for teachers in teacher-preparation institutions.
• Methods of preparing and training teachers in service in light of modern cognitive theories.
• Leading global experiences in teacher preparation and the extent to which they can benefit the Arab world.
• Professionalizing the Arab teacher: between reality and aspiration.
• Employing information and communication technology in teacher training in the Arab countries: reality and development possibilities.

In light of the discussions held and the views and proposals put forward by the Ministers and heads of delegations regarding the report of the Director-General and the report of the committee of experts, the Conference recommended the following:

Recommendations addressed to the Arab States:

1. Establish mechanisms for coordination between teacher preparation and training institutions and the ministries of education and higher education regarding teacher preparation and training programmes and curricula, so as to achieve harmony between the outputs of these programmes and the needs of the educational systems for human resources.
2. Provide accredited specialized centres for in-service teacher training, and work to raise the level of those available in a way that ensures their quality in the context of the plan for developing education in the Arab world.
3. Encourage scientific research, especially action research, in the field of professionalizing and developing teaching, and provide appropriate funding for it.
4. Enable teachers to participate effectively in building policies and educational development processes.

The Conference stressed the importance of protecting educational institutions from political conflicts and acts of sabotage, given their negative effects on social security and the fundamental right to education.

The Conference also stressed the necessity of supplying the Arab Observatory for Education with pioneering initiatives, expertise, research and studies in the field of teacher preparation and professional development, and facilitating their exchange among the Arab States.

Recommendations addressed to the Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization:

1. Develop Arab standards in the field of preparing, training and evaluating teachers in light of job performance indicators.
2. Develop an Arab guide to defining the roles of the teacher in the knowledge society, and develop programmes related to teacher preparation and training and to evaluating the impact of training.
3. Develop an Arab guide for granting a licence to practise the teaching profession in a way that ensures the professionalization of the Arab teacher, their professional development, career growth, and the raising of their status, and that facilitates the mobility of teachers so as to benefit from them within the Arab world and beyond. The guide should be presented to the next Conference of Ministers of Education.