The 12th Conference of Arab Education Ministers, convened by the Arab League Educational, Cultural and Educational Organization (ALECSO), and hosted virtually by the State of Palestine, was concluded on November 25, 2021. The Conference was held under the theme of “Remedial Education in the Arab Countries”.
In his opening remarks, H.E. Dr. Mohamed Ould Amar, Director-General of ALECSO, indicated that the choice of remedial education as a key theme for the Conference reflects a deep awareness of the great challenges facing the Arab educational system, especially in Arab countries that have been experienced wars, conflicts and crises, and in which dropout rates have increased. This has made it necessary to take the needed measures to address the problems of illiteracy and school dropouts, and to maintain the learning process by all educational means. The Director-General reviewed the initiatives undertaken by ALECSO in response to COVID-19 education disruption, including the Arab Plan for the Promotion of Education in Times of Emergencies and Crises, jointly elaborated by ALECSO and the League of Arab States.
H.E. Dr. Mohammad Shtayyeh, Palestinian Prime Minister, stressed that education in Palestine is a strategy of survival, performance, awareness, identity, steadfastness, and a pathway towards a better future. He commended the significant inter-Arab cooperation, being a key pillar for building a generation equipped with values and knowledge, and capable of building on the past to advance towards the future, especially amid the current rapid technological, knowledge and scientific transformations.
H.E. Dr. Fethi Sellaouti, Tunisian Minister of Education, underlined that working on remedial education in times of crisis reflects a deep awareness of the need to search for qualitative solutions that would enable educational systems to provide equitable education for all and help implement Goal 4 of the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda.
The meeting was attended by representatives from Member States (Tunisia, Algeria, Bahrain, UAE, Palestine, Qatar, Lebanon, Libya, Sudan, Iraq, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Mauritania, Comoros, Somalia, and Djibouti) , along with representatives from Arab and regional organizations : General Secretariat of the League of Arab States, ICESCO, ABEGS, UNESCO Office in Beirut, Arab Theater Authority, and UNESCO Regional Center for Quality and Excellence in Education.
During the Conference, the following documents were presented :
- Key Conference Document prepared by ALECSO on “Remedial Education in the Arab Countries in the Context of COVID-19”;
- Document on “ALECSO’s efforts to maintain continuity of learning during COVID-19”;
- Document on “Remedial Education in the time of COVID-19 (The Palestinian Case)” prepared by the Palestinian Ministry of Education;
The Ministers and Heads of Delegations commended the Key Conference Document prepared by ALECSO, and contributed useful insights that will be reflected in the Conference documents.
The Conference concluded with the adoption of a set of recommendations addressed to Arab States and other recommendations addressed to ALECSO.
