ALECSO Conference of Ministers of Education

The Second Conference (2), held in Damascus, addressed the theme of "The School of the Future" on the basis of a study prepared for the purpose, which examined the subject from nine axes: philosophy and objectives, curricula, education technologies, evaluation and examinations, the graduate of the school of the future, the teacher of the school of the future, school administration, the building of the school of the future, and funding.

The conference arrived at a set of orientations, the most prominent of which are: " that the philosophy of education should emanate from the profound Islamic conception of the universe, humankind and life; the protection of the Arab-Islamic civilisational constants to face the negative challenges imposed by globalisation; that education institutions should meet the needs of the labour and production market and the present and future requirements of society, as well as the requirements of life, by raising the competitive edge of Arab education systems; granting them a high degree of flexibility so that they respond to global developments and transformations; affirming the educational role of society's institutions and the family and their responsibilities in developing the educational process; affirming the employment of information technologies and their impact on every element of the educational process inside and outside the school; establishing Arab standards for levels of education quality while drawing on international criteria; and encouraging the private sector to participate and invest in the field of education.

The conference issued the Damascus Declaration on the School of the Future in the Arab world, in which Their Excellencies the Ministers affirmed their determination to exert their utmost efforts to keep pace with the changes and developments affecting education in the world, and to adapt to the changes that the future produces in our countries and in the world, whose effects are reflected on education and on society as a whole, in order to participate in charting the features of the global future in various fields. This requires making a persistent and continuous effort to build the Arab school that responds to the demands of change and meets the possibility of educational work with its various components and constituents, whether related to the objectives of education, its content and methods, its means and technologies, its administration and organisation, or other aspects of educational work. Their Excellencies the Ministers also affirmed their determination to make education a shared national and pan-Arab concern, and to make room for the participation of non-governmental institutions and all sectors of society in improving and funding it, while affirming that the State remains primarily responsible for the education of the generations and for activating joint Arab action in this field so that it becomes the shared lever for the process of renewal and change required by the "school of tomorrow".

The Proceedings of the Second Conference (2) (click here)

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.

The fourth (4) Conference of Arab Ministers of Education addressed the topic of "Assessment Strategies for Achieving Comprehensive Quality in Education". Eight reference studies were submitted to the conference, which collectively addressed educational assessment as a fundamental factor in achieving comprehensive quality in education, namely:

• Contemporary global trends in employing assessment to achieve education quality.
• The reality of educational assessment in the Arab states.
• Assessment and comprehensive quality in education.
• Towards standard specifications for achieving education quality.
• The student record and its role in assessment and guidance.
• Community participation in the assessment process; challenges and obstacles to education quality.
• Future strategies for assessment and the future of education quality.

The conference adopted the following recommendations:

• Calling on the Arab states to:

1. Establish specific policies for educational assessment that ensure accountability and enhance community participation, as well as building institutional systems and structures to achieve these policies.
2. Define national standards for the various elements of the educational process as a basis for assessment programmes and ensuring education quality.
3. Develop educational legislation related to assessment processes, so as to provide appropriate opportunities to accommodate contemporary trends in assessment, especially those related to competency-based assessment, continuous assessment, and authentic assessment.
4. Develop teacher-preparation programmes in faculties of education, teacher colleges and teacher-preparation institutes so as to ensure the qualification of their graduates.
5. Create internet websites presenting assessment systems and processes, and link these websites to a single Arab website, in order to facilitate the exchange of information and expertise in this field.

• Calling on the Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization (ALECSO) to:
  1. Prepare programmes to develop the competencies of those working in the fields of educational assessment and comprehensive quality control, and supervise their implementation in the Arab states, leading to the preparation of high-quality frameworks and human resources in this field.
  2. Prepare the guides and references that ensure the dissemination of a culture of assessment and comprehensive quality among educational circles, and comprehensive quality, and supervise their implementation
  3. Prepare a unified educational dictionary to standardize educational terminology, especially that used in educational assessment, with the aim of creating a common language among the Arab states in this field.
  4. Develop standardized tests at the level of the Arab world, similar to what is done at the international level, in the basic subjects such as Arabic language, mathematics and science as a first stage, provided that it includes the other academic subjects in subsequent stages.
  5. Adopt projects based primarily on identifying pioneering experiences and distinguished expertise in the Arab states and other diverse educational fields, such as software production, curriculum development, textbook preparation, assessment systems, quality-control methods, reference guides, standard-setting and others, with the aim of disseminating them for the benefit of other states without resorting to producing new ones, in order to rationalize spending and invest distinguished expertise.

The conference issued the educational "Beirut Declaration", in which their Excellencies the Arab Ministers of Education affirmed the sanctity of the educational message and the nobility of its role in building the nation's generations in mind and will, referring to the circumstances and challenges imposed by globalization on our Arab nation, which require developing the capacities of generations in the knowledge society and consolidating its national and pan-national will. Their Excellencies the Ministers also affirmed the importance of adopting advanced strategies in comprehensive educational assessment and working to establish appropriate standards, both pan-nationally and nationally, for all components of educational systems as an entry point and basis for achieving comprehensive quality in education. And providing the educational climates that stimulate excellence and creativity for our children in the greater Arab world to face the challenges awaiting them in the era of accelerating globalization. This is through advancing education, which is a fundamental matter for comprehensive development and a solid basis for the nation's security and progress.

The fifth (5) Conference of Arab Ministers of Education discussed the topic of "Early Childhood Education for the Arab Child in a Changing World". The Organization submitted to the conference a main document entitled "Early Childhood Education for the Arab Child in a Changing World", prepared in the light of four reference studies. It consisted of six main axes aimed at demonstrating the importance of early childhood education and its psychological and educational components, and clarifying the roles of civil society organizations, the family and the media therein. It also studied and analyzed the reality of early childhood education in the Arab world and the challenges of the knowledge society, affirming the importance of environmental education for sustainable development.

• Report of the committee following up the implementation of the recommendations of the fourth conference.
• Report of the Director-General of the Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization (ALECSO) on the implementation of the recommendations of the fourth conference.
• Studies and interventions for the round table on education reform in the light of the strategy for developing Arab education:
• His Excellency Professor Dr. Al-Munji Bousnina, Director-General of the Organization, presented a document entitled "Education Reform in the Light of the Strategy for Developing Arab Education", which addressed five main axes: contemporary global challenges and their repercussions on the Arab world; Arab education: its reality and trends; the reasons for reform from the perspective of the Arab education strategy; and indicators of reform from the perspective of the Arab education strategy.

In the light of the in-depth discussions, opinions and proposals that took place in the meetings of their Excellencies the Ministers and the experts, the conference produced a set of recommendations, most notably:

• Recommendations directed to the Arab states:
• Early childhood education axis:

1. Making efforts to make the kindergarten stage a compulsory stage and an integral part of the educational ladder in all Arab states. Providing all facilities to enable the private sector and civil society institutions to play a fundamental role in this field, and seeking to issue all legislation and laws necessary to achieve that, provided that these institutions are subject to the educational supervision of the Arab ministries of education, as well as to the institutions that will be established for accreditation and the application of quality standards.
2. Attention to providing high-quality early childhood education for children in the Arab world, and seeking by all means and methods to achieve this quality in the various components of the educational process (buildings, physical and educational environment, equipment and tools, curriculum and activities, the teacher, administration and the child).
3. Ensuring the establishment of an independent, neutral body for accreditation and quality in the various Arab states, whose responsibility is to monitor the educational institutions of this stage, whether governmental or private.
4. Seeking to increase the proportion of government spending on early childhood education institutions.
5. Caring for those with special needs of their various categories, from the gifted to the disabled and children in difficult circumstances.
6. Attention to the processes of preparation and continuous training of kindergarten teachers, and benefiting from the kindergarten curricula and references prepared by the Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization (ALECSO).
7. Working to establish specialized institutes and departments in faculties of education concerned with preparing kindergarten teachers.

• Education reform axis:

1. Expediting the formation of specialized research teams to provide practical proposals and mechanisms for education reform and submitting them to the Organization to prepare the required report in cooperation and coordination with the General Secretariat of the League of Arab States, in preparation for presenting it to the General Conference of the Organization –December 2006– and submitting it to His Excellency the Secretary-General of the Arab League.
2. Giving special attention to girls' education and setting incentives and controls to reduce their dropping out of education.
3. Establishing practical mechanisms to elevate the Arab teacher, improve his living and professional conditions and raise his social status, as the basis for reforming and developing education.
4. Raising the ceiling of spending on educational research and setting appropriate budgets for scientific research and educational development.
5. Enhancing community participation in education in various forms.
6. Supporting literacy programmes and considering them a fateful battle for the future of the Arab states and an essential condition for reforming the educational system in the Arab states.
7. Establishing quality bodies and centres for measurement and assessment.
8. Providing the public schools in Lebanon that were destroyed or severely damaged due to the Israeli aggression with the various school equipment they need, especially computers, audio laboratories and libraries.

• Recommendations directed to the Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization (ALECSO):

Early childhood education axis:

1. Preparing developmental standards for the Arab child to benefit from in building education curricula and preparing teachers.
2. Holding qualifying training workshops for the trainers of kindergarten teachers in the Arab states.

Education reform axis:

1. Introducing successful country experiences in the field of education reform and working to disseminate them by various means.
2. Expediting the completion of the Arab Observatory for Education, which the Organization has begun to implement.

The conference issued the "Cairo Educational Declaration on Early Childhood Education for the Arab Child in a Changing World", which affirmed that the future depends on what we offer our children in terms of upbringing, education and preparation to face this future, adapt to it and live in it, and on the importance of developing creative thinking in the child and making this development at the forefront of educational objectives. Proceedings book of the fifth (5) conference (click here)

The sixth (6) Conference of Arab Ministers of Education considered the topic: "Education of the Gifted: The Optimal Competitive Choice". The Director-General of the Organization submitted to the conference a report on the implementation of the recommendations of the fifth conference, and the results of the meeting of the conference experts who examined the six reference studies that had been prepared, which were collectively concerned with the education and care of the gifted, were also presented, namely:

• Pioneering experiences, Arab and international, in the education and care of the gifted. The reality of caring for the gifted in the Arab school.
• Integration between the state, the private sector and civil society in the education and care of the gifted.
• The reality of caring for the gifted in the Arab school.
• Integration between states, the private sector and civil society in the education and care of the gifted.
• Education of the gifted in the Arab world in teacher-training programmes. Towards an Arab strategy for developing creativity and caring for the gifted.
• Updating the guide to methods for identifying the gifted in basic education.

The conference, in the light of the in-depth discussions, opinions and proposals expressed by their Excellencies the Ministers and heads of delegations regarding the report of the Director-General and the report of the committee of experts, recommended the following:

Recommendations directed to the Arab states:

• Calling on the Arab states to establish national plans for nurturing giftedness and creativity within comprehensive development plans and programmes and those specific to education, in accordance with the legislation of each state.
• The ministries of education disseminating a culture of giftedness and creativity in the various sectors of society, with a focus on families and mothers, in coordination with the relevant bodies, especially the media.
• Educational institutions forming partnerships with the private sector and civil society institutions in order to prepare and fund joint programmes for nurturing giftedness and creativity.
• Calling on higher education institutions and teacher preparation and training institutes to include courses on giftedness and creativity in their programmes, in addition to introducing university programmes, preparing scientific research and providing supportive environments in the fields of giftedness and creativity.
• The ministries of education defining the professional competencies of teachers of the gifted, training them in-service and introducing special incentives for them.
• Calling on the Arab states to organize joint forums for gifted and creative Arabs and to participate in the Arab and international competitions dedicated to them in various fields.
• The ministries of education implementing national programmes for the early identification of the gifted and creative through effective and appropriate tools, mechanisms and measures, benefiting from the guide to methods for identifying the gifted prepared by the Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization (ALECSO).

Recommendations directed to the Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization (ALECSO):

• Establishing an Arab strategy for giftedness and creativity and an executive plan to benefit from it in preparing the national plans of the Arab states.
• Developing and updating the guide to methods for identifying the gifted and creative, including operational definitions and mechanisms for assessing the performance of the gifted and creative in the light of the study it prepared in this regard, provided that the guide includes professional standards for teachers of the gifted and creative.
• Establishing an integrated database for giftedness and creativity to facilitate work on exchanging Arab and international expertise.
• Tasking the Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization (ALECSO) to undertake the tasks of the committee following up the implementation of the resolutions and recommendations of the sixth Conference of Ministers of Education in the Arab countries.

The conference issued the "Riyadh Educational Declaration", in which the Arab Ministers of Education affirmed the need for greater focus on the knowledge-based economy and competition for gifted and creative talents.

Their Excellencies the Ministers also affirmed their commitment to giving giftedness and creativity the attention they deserve, as two fundamental pillars of education and development, through discovering, nurturing and investing the capacities of gifted and creative human talents in the Arab countries, and setting strategic plans commensurate with the nature of the challenges facing Arab societies

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:

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. Establish mechanisms for guidance and counselling to help students choose the track appropriate to their abilities and inclinations.
4. Develop the technical and vocational education track in the Arab world, strengthen it, and broaden the horizons of higher education for it.
5. 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.
6. 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.
7. 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:

1. 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.
2. 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.

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.

And calling on the Arab States and ALECSO to assist States with special circumstances in the field of preparing and training teachers, with special attention to Somalia.

The ninth (9th) Conference of Arab Ministers of Education, hosted by the Republic of Tunisia, discussed the topic "Advancing Basic Education in the Arab World". A main document titled "Advancing Basic Education in the Arab World, a Future Vision" was submitted to it, in addition to the report of the Director-General on the implementation of the recommendations of the eighth Conference of Ministers of Education held in Kuwait, the report of the experts of the ninth Conference, and the follow-up of the resolution of the Council of the Arab League No. 7747 dated 9/3/2014 concerning the promotion of the dissemination of the Arabic language in the Republic of Chad. At the end of its work, the Conference adopted the following recommendations:

First: Forming a ministerial committee to prepare an in-depth scientific study on "the reality of general education in the Arab world and ways to develop it", to be submitted to the tenth Conference of Arab Ministers of Education, composed of:

- Minister of Education of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan Chair

- Minister of Education of the United Arab Emirates Member

- Minister of Education of the Kingdom of Bahrain Member

- Minister of Education of the Republic of Tunisia Member

- Minister of National Education and Vocational Training of the Kingdom of Morocco Member

- Director-General of the Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization Member

Second: Calling on the Arab States to provide the Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization with their recent educational statistics and any information they deem useful for the preparation of the study.

Third: Calling on the Arab States to provide the Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization with their successful educational experiences to maximize the benefit from them and exchange expertise.

Fourth - Calling on the Organization to:

1-. Prepare a report on the extent of the progress of education in the Arab States from the first Conference in 1998 to the ninth Conference in 2014.

2- Unify educational terms and concepts in the Arab world.

3- Work on preparing a document to unify the Arab educational ladder and present it to the Arab States to express their views and proposals, then present it to the next Conference.

Fifth: As for the report of the Council of the Arab League No. 7747 dated 9/3/2014 concerning the promotion of the dissemination of the Arabic language in the Republic of Chad, the Conference approved the following:

1. Calling on the Arab States to support the teaching of the Arabic language in the Republic of Chad at the various stages of education, and to establish mechanisms for coordination among themselves in cooperation between the General Secretariat of the League of Arab States and the Organization.

2- Calling on the General Secretariat and the Fund for Supporting the Teaching of the Arabic Language in Chad to provide the necessary funding for the activities and programmes required to support education in the Republic of Chad.

3- Calling on the Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization (Khartoum International Institute for the Arabic Language) to provide the technical support and expertise necessary to implement the activities and programmes required to support the teaching of the Arabic language in the Republic of Chad.

The tenth (10th) Conference of Ministers of Education in the Arab World, hosted by the Kingdom of Jordan, discussed the issue of "Evaluating and Developing Public Examinations in the Arab World," on the basis of a main study submitted to the conference and prepared by ALECSO, which set out from a diagnosis of the reality of the educational evaluation process and concluded by presenting proposals for its development so that educational evaluation may respond to the challenges of the coming stage and the aspirations of its educational institutions. The document consisted of four parts:

• Part One: The main problems and concepts of examination systems and educational evaluation.
• Part Two: The reality of examinations and evaluation in the Arab states.
• Part Three: Global experiences in the field of examinations and educational evaluation.
• Part Four: The proposed vision for developing examinations and educational evaluation systems in the Arab world.

A report was also submitted to the conference on "The Development of Education in the Arab States 1998-2014," in implementation of a recommendation of the conference at its ninth session, which called on ALECSO to prepare a report on the extent of the progress of education in the Arab states from the first conference in 1998 to the ninth conference in 2014, with the aim of identifying the achievements made by the Arab states in light of the recommendations issued by the nine conferences and within the framework of the six main areas of work agreed upon internationally, namely: early childhood care and protection, youth and adult competencies, adult literacy, secondary education, and the quality of education.

The Director-General of the Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization presented a report on the efforts of the Arab states and ALECSO to implement the recommendations addressed to them,

The conference issued a resolution to form a ministerial committee to prepare a study on the reality of public education in the Arab world and ways to develop it, along with two recommendations addressed to the Arab states, three addressed to the Organization, and three others concerning the promotion of the dissemination and teaching of the Arabic language in the Republic of Chad. At the end of its work, the conference approved the following:

First: Recommendations addressed to the Arab states:

1. Working to modernize educational evaluation and examination systems in terms of: diversifying the forms of evaluation and providing multiple opportunities to sit the examination, in a manner suited to the circumstances of each state and achieving what the study recommended.
2. Allocating a percentage of between 20-30% of the secondary-school average, with the remaining percentage given to the achievement and aptitude test for equivalency purposes, or for submission to universities, or for obtaining scholarships; this applies to public, private, and international schools.
3. Taking the necessary measures to reorganize the educational stages in terms of: the Arab qualifications framework, criteria for the equivalency of certificates, defining the knowledge and skills to be acquired by the end of each stage, and amending legislation, so as to facilitate the movement of Arab students between states.
4. Enacting legislation and taking the necessary measures to attract endowments (awqaf) in the field of financing, expanding, and developing Arab education.
5. Providing support and assistance for the education of children in Arab states suffering from crises, with special attention given to education in Palestine.

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

Calling upon the Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization to:

1. Coordinate among the centres, institutions, and bodies concerned with evaluation and examinations to establish mechanisms capable of activating the recommendations of the study "Evaluating and Developing Public Examinations in the Arab World," in a way that ensures their activation and their independence from ministries of education.
2. Renew the call for the swift completion of granting a licence to practise the teaching profession, in a way that ensures the professionalization of the Arab teacher and their career growth, and hold a forum for officials in the Arab states to coordinate on this matter.
3. Coordinate with the Islamic Development Bank to benefit from the "Education for Competitiveness" initiative, which it launched in partnership with the World Bank to develop education in the Arab world, given that the Organization is the party concerned with this.
4. Hold a conference concerned with the education of people with special needs in the Arab world.
5. Call upon the Director-General to survey the opinions of the states regarding holding a conference of ministers of education and ministers of higher education to discuss common issues, starting from the next session.

Third: Joint recommendations:

1. Calling upon the Islamic Development Bank, the World Bank, and banking and financial institutions to provide grants and concessional loans for the benefit of education.
2. Calling upon the Arab states, regional and international organizations, and development banks (the Islamic Development Bank and the World Bank) to support the education sector in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, as well as to support the Arab host states of refugees in order to mitigate the impact of this on their educational process.

Fourth: Resolutions:

1. Adopting the study prepared by the ministerial committee on the subject of "The Reality of Public Education in the Arab World and Ways to Develop It," with the parties concerned in the ministries of education in the Arab states implementing and applying its contents in a manner suited to their circumstances and capabilities.
2. Calling upon the Organization to hold specialized workshops examining how to implement the recommendations and to submit their views to the Arab ministers of education.

The eleventh (11th) Conference of Ministers of Education in the Arab World, hosted by the Kingdom of Bahrain in November 2019 in celebration of the centenary of formal education in the Kingdom, discussed the topic of "Educational Policies and Their Role in Achieving the Fourth Goal of the Sustainable Development Goals, Education 2030," on the basis of the main document bearing the conference's title. It addressed the achievement of the fourth goal concerning ensuring quality, equitable, and inclusive education for all and promoting lifelong learning opportunities for all, and dealt with the topics of educational policy and ways to improve it, these being two complementary matters: the first is a national, regional, and international requirement linked to the development of education, with international indicators and reports monitoring it within the Education 2030 framework of action; the second is required by the need to reconsider the evaluation of educational policies with a view to adapting them so as to help achieve the aforementioned goal. The document consists of two sections: the first serves as the philosophical foundation for building and developing educational policies in the Arab world and envisioning their mechanisms according to established scientific principles; the second is an attempt to present the policies appropriate for achieving the fourth goal by addressing each of its targets, understanding and interpreting it, and linking it to the appropriate and related educational policy.

Also presented to the conference's work were the document "Formal Education in Bahrain: A Bright Journey in One Hundred Years," the document "The Integration of the Education Evaluation System to Achieve the Sustainable Development Goals: A Reading of the Experience of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia," the document "Mainstreaming Open Educational Resources to Support the Fourth Goal of the Sustainable Development Goals," and the document "Integrating the Concepts of Arabism and the Arab Dimension into Public Education Curricula," in addition to the Organization's documents on the implementation of the recommendations of the tenth Conference of Arab Ministers of Education (Amman, Jordan, 2016), namely the document "Mechanisms for Activating the Study on Evaluating and Developing Public Examinations in the Arab World" and the document "Licensing the Practice of Teaching to Ensure Professionalization and Improve Quality in the Arab States."

The conference issued a number of recommendations arising from the documents submitted, which are:

Recommendations addressed to the Arab states:

1. Enabling the Organization to draw on their successful experiences and good practices in implementing educational policies that help achieve the fourth goal of the Sustainable Development Goals, Education 2030, in order to work to disseminate their benefit to the rest of the Arab states.
2. Strengthening their policies in financing education and working to diversify its sources and search for new mechanisms that make it possible to support general budgets and achieve the standards and indicators required internationally by the year 2030.
3. Supporting the efforts and initiatives made to assist the Arab states passing through difficult circumstances and to restore their role.
4. Establishing a reference framework of professional competencies for teachers and strengthening what already exists of it, with the aim of responding to national requirements in developing education and international standards in qualifying and training teachers, and establishing cooperation networks among their training institutions.
5. Supporting the monitoring, follow-up, and evaluation system by working to:

• Develop legislative frameworks and policies related to education statistics.
• Strengthen national capacities in the field of monitoring and collecting and analysing data.
• Prepare national reports on the indicators of implementing the targets of the fourth goal and support their use to address the shortfall in the data required for the Education 2030 agenda.
• Give attention to disseminating the relevant data.

The issue of "Evaluating and Developing Public Examinations in the Arab World," on the basis of a main study submitted to the conference and prepared by ALECSO, which set out from a diagnosis of the reality of the educational evaluation process and concluded by presenting proposals for its development so that educational evaluation may respond to the challenges of the coming stage and the aspirations of its educational institutions. To achieve this goal the document consisted of four parts, as follows:

• Part One: The main problems and concepts of examination systems and educational evaluation.
• Part Two: The reality of examinations and evaluation in the Arab states.
• Part Three: Global experiences in the field of examinations and educational evaluation.
• Part Four: The proposed vision for developing examinations and educational evaluation systems in the Arab world.

In addition to the report submitted by the experts, which included a summary of the presented studies, the general directions in their discussion, and the list of proposed recommendations.

The Director-General of the Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization also presented a report on what ALECSO has done to implement the recommendations addressed to it, and what the Arab states have done to implement the recommendations that concern them from the conference that dealt with the topic of "Advancing Basic Education in the Arab World." A set of resolutions and recommendations was issued, consisting of a resolution to form a ministerial committee to prepare a study on the reality of public education in the Arab world and ways to develop it, two recommendations addressed to the Arab states, three addressed to the Organization, and three others concerning the promotion of the dissemination and teaching of the Arabic language in the Republic of Chad.

At the end of its work, the conference approved the following:

First: Recommendations addressed to the Arab states:

1. Working to modernize educational evaluation and examination systems in terms of: diversifying the forms of evaluation and providing multiple opportunities to sit the examination, in a manner suited to the circumstances of each state and achieving what the study recommended.
2. Allocating a percentage of between 20-30% of the secondary-school average, with the remaining percentage given to the achievement and aptitude test for equivalency purposes, or for submission to universities, or for obtaining scholarships; this applies to public, private, and international schools.
3. Taking the necessary measures to reorganize the educational stages in terms of: the Arab qualifications framework, criteria for the equivalency of certificates, defining the knowledge and skills to be acquired by the end of each stage, and amending legislation, so as to facilitate the movement of Arab students between states.
4. Enacting legislation and taking the necessary measures to attract endowments (awqaf) in the field of financing, expanding, and developing Arab education.
5. Providing support and assistance for the education of children in Arab states suffering from crises, with special attention given to education in Palestine.

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

1. Coordinating with the Arab states in exchanging experiences and setting indicators to follow up on educational policies aimed at achieving the fourth goal of the Sustainable Development Goals, Education 2030.
2. Coordinating with the national bodies and centres concerned with measurement and evaluation to establish a comprehensive Arab network with the aim of unifying their efforts and strengthening their role in developing the educational evaluation system to help improve the quality and performance of educational systems.
3. Holding training courses to strengthen the capacities of those responsible for the quality of education in the Arab states.
4. Organizing a regional forum on strengthening the standing of shared Arab and human values and incorporating them into education curricula in the Arab world.
5. Working to mainstream the use of open educational resources according to the standards adopted in the Arab states, by encouraging the production of Arabic content and making it available on electronic platforms for all, and benefiting from the Regional Center for Information and Communication Technology in the Kingdom of Bahrain.
6. Coordinating with the institutes of foresight research and studies in the Arab states in order to launch a comprehensive network for cooperation and the exchange of visions regarding education in the Arab world in light of regional and international changes, in order to develop solutions for the future.
7. Organizing an Arab youth conference on their role in achieving the fourth goal of the Sustainable Development Goals and ways to activate it nationally, regionally, and internationally.
8. Setting criteria for the best successful educational experiences and endorsing and presenting them during future conferences of ministers of education.
9. Consulting with the Arab states regarding hosting the twelfth Conference of Arab Ministers of Education, and proposing its topic.
10. Calling upon the Organization to coordinate with the Ministry of Education in the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria to organize an Arab forum in Algeria on producing Arabic open resources and ensuring their quality.
11. Calling upon the Organization to hold specialized workshops examining how to implement the recommendations and to submit their views to the Arab ministers of education.

Proceedings book of the eleventh (11th) Conference (click here)

The twelfth (12th) Conference of Ministers of Education in the Arab World, chaired by the State of Palestine in November 2021, discussed the topic of "Remedial Education," on the basis of the main document titled "Remedial Education (in the context of COVID-19)," with the aim of exchanging good experiences in remedial education, setting controls and standards to ensure the quality of remedial education, formulating future directions and visions for developing remedial education, regulating the conditions of partnership with civil society and organizations related to remedial education, and strengthening cooperation among the Arab states in the fields of education.

Also presented to the conference's work were "ALECSO's Efforts to Ensure the Continuity of Education During the COVID-19 Pandemic," the document "Strengthening the Standing of Shared Arab and Human Values and Incorporating Them into Education Curricula in the Arab World," in addition to the State of Palestine's document titled "Remedial Education in Light of the Coronavirus Pandemic (the Palestinian Case)," accompanied by a video presentation "Education in Palestine, a Success Story," and the Arab Theatre Institute's document "Strategy for the Growth and Development of School Theatre in the Arab World."

The conference issued a number of recommendations arising from the documents submitted, which are:

• The special recommendation:

Calling upon the Arab states and the Arab and regional organizations to adopt mechanisms and strategies that would support education in Palestine in general, and Jerusalem in particular, to ensure the right to quality, equitable, and inclusive education for all, and to reduce learning loss caused by the occupation.

• Recommendations addressed to the Arab states:
• Calling upon the Arab states to:
• Develop policies and programs that strengthen the response to education in emergency and crisis situations, by supporting the ability of education systems in the Arab states to anticipate crises, prepare well to confront them, manage them well, and track their negative effects.
• Develop national action plans that help accelerate the shift towards inclusive and quality education for all.
• Work to develop an assessment framework at the level of each Arab state that determines the scale of learning loss due to COVID-19 and makes it possible to implement rapid remedial education programs.
• Support teachers and all members of the educational family and provide them with psychological and social assistance, to enable them to shift towards inclusive and effective teaching to help students access education and learning.
• Work to achieve the principle of fairness, equality, and equal opportunities and facilitate access to and benefit from remedial education by developing methods of caring for learners through simplifying administrative procedures and improving conditions of reception, guidance, and support, and responding effectively to the increasing needs of learners using modern methods and means.
• Strengthen programs for the holistic upbringing of the student, including their physical, mental, psychological, and social health at all stages of education and the early childhood stage.
• Develop strategies and methods of accelerated education within remedial education programs and integrate them to address learning loss.
• Support ALECSO's initiatives in the field of the various competitions and events directed at children, students, and teachers in order to strengthen their skills and knowledge in the field of science, scientific research, mathematics (Stem), logic, and the assimilation of modern technologies.
• Mainstream the "Strategy for the Growth and Development of School Theatre" as a common framework for developing school theatre in the Arab states, and call upon the Arab states to cooperate with the Arab Theatre Institute in implementing its contents according to the needs of each state.
• Encourage all parties, from governmental institutions, the private sector, and civil society, to contribute to strengthening remedial education, both formal and non-formal, to guarantee the right of all, including persons with disabilities, to quality, equitable, and inclusive lifelong education.
• Encourage states to complete their digital transformation in education in terms of management, organization, and teaching, and to mainstream the benefit of electronic platforms and make open educational resources available.

• Recommendations addressed to the Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization (ALECSO):
• Calling upon ALECSO to:
• Introduce good Arab experiences, practices, and models in remedial education, such as the experience of the Second Chance School, and benefit from them in building future programs and projects.
• Develop a framework for financing the integration of distance education into education curricula, to strengthen joint Arab cooperation.
• Organize an Arab symposium "on the reality of formal and non-formal remedial education and exploring ways to improve and sustain it in the Arab states."
• Develop an Arab strategy for remedial education that takes into account the social and economic contexts of the Arab states and helps in developing policies and programs that ensure access to education and learning for all.
• Implement an Arab program in coordination with the ministries of education in the Arab states to strengthen the contents of civic education, such as education on citizenship, disseminating a culture of human rights, and human solidarity.
• Form working teams of specialized experts from the Arab states to follow up on the implementation of the recommendations addressed to them, with ALECSO acting as coordinator and facilitator for those teams.

Determining the place and time of holding the thirteenth conference:

The President of the conference presented to the Arab states the matter of hosting the conference in its next session, and His Excellency Professor Dr. Mohamed Mahmoud Ould Aya, Minister of National Education, Technical Training, and Reform in the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, submitted a request to host the thirteenth conference in the Islamic Republic of Mauritania.

The resolution:

• Approval of holding the thirteenth conference in the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, and extending thanks to His Excellency the Minister.
• The Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization coordinating with the host state to determine the date of holding the conference, and consulting with the Arab states regarding its topic.

Proceedings book of the twelfth (12th) Conference (click here)

The thirteenth (13) Conference of Arab Ministers of Education, chaired by the Kingdom of Morocco in May 2023, discussed the topic "The Future of Education in the Age of Digital Transformation", based on the main document titled "Education in the Age of Digital Transformation", with the aim of discussing the variables affecting the shaping of the future of education, the Arab orientations for the school of the future, developing digital skills in the educational field in the context of digital transformation, developing digital infrastructure and educational administration, and preparing teachers for the school of tomorrow.

The Kingdom of Morocco's document titled "For a Quality Public School" was also presented to the conference, along with the "Comprehensive Education" document, the "Features of an Arab Framework for Financing the Integration of Distance Learning into Educational Curricula to Enhance Joint Arab Cooperation", the "Learning Loss", the document "Implementing the Commitments of the Joint Arab Curriculum for School Theatre", and the "Arabic Language Month" initiative. Interventions on the following topics were also presented to the conference: transforming education in the Arab states in the post-summit era, the Moroccan experience in the field of early education, applications of artificial intelligence in the field of education, and an overview of the challenges of education in the Middle East and North Africa region: priorities and objectives for World Bank support. The conference's working sessions included a presentation of the national experiences of the participating Arab states on the topics of: e-learning, artificial intelligence, digital transformation programmes and infrastructure, integrating citizenship education into school education, and the general secondary system. This was with the aim of exchanging experiences among the Arab states to disseminate best practices and benefit from them

The conference issued a number of recommendations that emerged from the documents presented, which are:

• Recommendations directed to the Arab states: calling on the Arab states to:

1. Commending the role of the Al-Quds Committee, chaired by His Majesty King Mohammed VI, and the Bayt Mal Al-Quds Al-Sharif Agency, the committee's executive arm, in supporting Jerusalem and its residents through implementing projects covering a number of fields, including education, while affirming support for these projects and pushing them forward toward achieving the noble goals they aim to reach.
2. Providing support and assistance to the education sector in the State of Palestine, especially with regard to preserving the sovereignty and independence of the Palestinian national curriculum and its contents related to identity and the Palestinian national narrative, including protecting education in East Jerusalem from attempts at Israelization, and including in the curricula of the Arab states appropriate educational materials on the most prominent features of the Palestinian national narrative.
3. Commending the Hashemite Custodianship over the Islamic and Christian holy sites in Al-Quds Al-Sharif, and the great support it provides in the field of basic education in Jerusalem to consolidate the Palestinian curriculum in the holy city, while affirming this role and pushing it forward to support our people in Jerusalem.
4. Supporting the Republic of Somalia and the Union of the Comoros in benefiting from the experiences of leading states in the field of digital transformation, and having the Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization (ALECSO) coordinate and support them.
5. Providing up-to-date statistical data on the education sector to the Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization (ALECSO) (the ALECSO Observatory) to produce quality statistics, indicators and reports on education in cooperation with its strategic partners.
6. Employing artificial intelligence applications to support and govern teaching and learning processes.
7. Employing school theatre in developing the educational process and its transformations in cooperation with ALECSO and the Arab Theatre Authority.
8. Nominating talented students to participate in the "Arab Talented Initiative" organized by the King Abdulaziz and his Companions Foundation for Giftedness and Creativity, in cooperation with ALECSO, and adopting programmes that ensure their continued care.

• Recommendations directed to the Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization (ALECSO): calling on ALECSO to:

1. Monitor successful national experiences and best practices of continuous professional development programmes for teachers in the field of digital transformation and disseminate them to the Arab states.
2. Develop a joint Arab framework for cooperation in building the professional capacities of teachers, principals and supervisors in the field of digital transformation.
3. Coordinate Arab efforts in the field of advancing the teaching and learning of the Arabic language, enriching Arabic digital content, and cooperating with the International Council for the Arabic Language to ensure the success of the "Arabic Language Month" initiative.
4. Conduct the necessary study to establish a joint Arab digital platform for open educational resources in cooperation with the Arab states and strategic partners.
5. Coordinate with the UNESCO Regional Center for Quality and Excellence in Education to complete the implementation of the "Arab Model/Indicator for Quality and Excellence in Education" project, and present its outputs to the work of the next session (14) for adoption and to begin implementing it.
6. Organize periodic (annual) forums and symposia to monitor the progress of the Arab states in employing digital transformation in the educational process, and present national educational experiences and efforts in general, and e-learning in particular.
7. Develop a new governance mechanism to follow up on the procedures and commitments of the Arab states to accelerate the achievement of the goals and indicators of the fourth of the Sustainable Development Goals and the resolutions of the 2022 Transforming Education Summit in cooperation with strategic partners.

Her Excellency Dr. Buthaina bint Ali Al-Jabr Al-Nuaimi, Minister of Education, Higher Education and Scientific Research in the State of Qatar, submitted a request to host the fourteenth (14) Conference in the State of Qatar.

The decision:

• Approving the holding of the fourteenth (14) Conference in the State of Qatar, and extending thanks to Her Excellency the Minister.

The Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization coordinating with the host country to determine the date for holding the conference, and consulting with the Arab states regarding its topic.

The fourteenth (14) Conference of Arab Ministers of Education, chaired by the State of Qatar in January 2025, discussed the topic "Inclusive Education and Empowering Teachers: A Strategic Vision for Education in the Arab World", based on the main document bearing the topic's title, with the aim of discussing the exchange of good experiences in inclusive education and in the field of empowering teachers, establishing controls and standards to ensure the quality of inclusive education, ensuring good, equitable and inclusive education and digital education for students in war zones, formulating future orientations and visions for developing general education in the Arab states, and enhancing cooperation among the Arab states in the fields of education,

The State of Qatar's document titled "The Reality of Education Looking Ahead to the Future" was also presented to the conference, along with a "Forward-looking Plan for Developing and Improving Education in the Arab World 2026 - 2035", the "Joint Arab Framework for Cooperation in Building the Professional Capacities of Teachers, Principals and Supervisors in the Field of Digital Transformation", the "Arab Model for Quality and Excellence in Education", the document " The Arab Reference Framework for Enhancing the Teaching of Arts Subjects in General Education", in addition to a follow-up report on the "Arabic Language Month" initiative, a report by the Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation for Medical and Educational Sciences "How Do We Achieve Educational Excellence", and a report on the "Mawhiba Initiative" of the King Abdulaziz and his Companions Foundation for Giftedness and Creativity, as well as interventions by the National Cyber Security Agency, the Mada Center, and the Fanar Project,

The conference issued a number of recommendations that emerged from the documents presented, which are:

1. Adopting the "ALECSO Forward-looking Plan for Developing and Improving Education in the Arab World, 2026-2035".
2. Calling on ALECSO to submit annual, interim and final follow-up reports on the implementation of the "Forward-looking Plan for Developing and Improving Education in the Arab World", in coordination with the Arab states and the General Secretariat of the League of Arab States.
3. Adopting the outputs of the "Arab Model for Quality and Excellence in Education" of the UNESCO Regional Center for Quality and Excellence in Education in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and ALECSO, calling on the Arab states to apply it, and submitting it to the General Secretariat of the League of Arab States for welcome.
4. Calling on the General Secretariat of the League of Arab States, the International Council for the Arabic Language, and the organizations supervising and concerned with the Arabic Language Month to coordinate through the national committees in the Arab states and in accordance with the organizational framework of the competitions to ensure the effective participation of schools and universities in order to achieve the objectives of the initiative from the year 2025.
5. Calling on the Arab states to enhance the ALECSO platform for open educational resources with educational resources and software supported by artificial intelligence free of charge in inclusive education.
6. Calling on the Arab states to apply the "Arab Model for Quality and Excellence in Education" of the UNESCO Regional Center for Quality and Excellence in Education and ALECSO.
7. Calling on the Arab states to enhance awareness of the value of arts education for comprehensive development, encourage partnerships with various specialized entities, and make it available to all students inside and outside schools.
8. Calling on the Arab states to encourage states toward the approach of integrating arts subjects or their activities with other educational subjects to achieve comprehensive and sustainable quality in education.
9. Calling on ALECSO to develop a reference guide for training teachers to develop their capacities in adapting assessments for students in inclusive education.
10. Calling on ALECSO to adopt an initiative to improve the quality of performance of the educational systems of the Arab states suffering from crises.
11. Calling on ALECSO to develop a reference guide for developing the digital skills of teachers, and to organize regional workshops in this regard.
12. Calling on ALECSO to organize a periodic forum in the field of inclusive education in cooperation with relevant organizations and institutions and to disseminate successful experiences.
13. Calling on ALECSO to establish an integrated joint Arab programme in arts education for training teachers.

Calling on the Organization (the Education Department in cooperation with the Institute of Arab Research and Studies) to draw an Arab educational research map on the future needs of the states.