ALECSO Statement on International Students’ Day
Today, November 17, 2022, marks the 76th anniversary of the proclamation of the International Students’ Day. The Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization (ALECSO) joins in the celebration of this day in honor of students at all stages of education, and to motivate them to step up efforts in order to enhance their educational and knowledge attainment.
ALECSO takes this opportunity to commend Arab States’ efforts to provide equitable and inclusive education for young people of all groups and ages, by allocating resources to build educational infrastructure, provide teacher training, and enhance learning opportunities for all. These allocations amount in most Arab countries to over 3.4 percent of the Gross Domestic Product. According to WB estimates, this percentage exceeds 6 percent in some Arab countries, which is one of the highest percentages in the world, making possible the expansion of the intake capacity of educational institutions.
According to statistics released by the ALECSO Observatory, which collects and analyzes data on the state of education, culture and science in the Arab World, the total number of primary-school students amounted, in 2020, to 50.7 million, including 24.2 million females; the total number of lower-secondary-school students reached 21.6 million, including 10.2 million females; and the total number of secondary-school students increased to 13 million, including 6.4 million females. As for higher education, the number of students stood at 11.9 million, including 6.1 million females.
The fact that millions of students attend schools and universities reflects the significant attention granted to the educational, scientific and cultural sectors in the Arab countries. While commending the efforts made by Arab students to move up the ladder of knowledge, ALECSO reaffirms the responsibility of all education stakeholders to ensure proper upbringing for young generations and provide all the requisite material and moral conditions that guarantee their right to a quality and equitable education.
Today’s students, who are different from those of yesterday, should be best prepared to take on future responsibilities, in accordance with contemporary values, and to serve as productive forces capable of meeting the requirements of sustainable development. This should proceed from an overarching vision that seeks to develop the student’s balanced personality, mental and behavioral abilities, and sense of duty, responsibility and self-reliance from an early age.
The scientific and cultural empowerment of students is a key part of ALECSO’s current and future programs and activities. The Action Plan (2023-2028) includes a number of projects for the development of education and training systems, involving in particular teaching life skills, promoting education for citizenship, strengthening the teaching of technology, engineering, and basic sciences (mathematics, physics, chemistry, life and earth sciences), developing the teaching and learning of arts, enhancing the sense of innovation and creativity, and developing physical and sports education. In the same context, ALECSO organizes a number of competitions, such as the Arab Mathematics Olympiad, the Arab Competition for Logic and Mathematics Games, the Arab Code Week, and the ALECSO Olympiad to Enhance Scientific Awareness among Arab Children.
