In implementation of the directives of H.E. Director-General Dr. Mohamed Ould Amar, the Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization held, on January 10, 2023, a regional consultative symposium on Literacy and the Transformation of Adult Education and Learning within the Marrakech Framework.
The symposium, convened on the occasion of the Arab Literacy Day (celebrated on January 8th of each year), was designed to enhance consultation and the sharing of experience and expertise among officials and experts in the field of adult education; thereby contributing to the transformation of education and promoting a better-quality, more equitable and more inclusive education. It was attended by representatives from the UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning, the Arab Education Bureau for the Gulf States, and the Regional Center for Quality and Excellence in Education, as well as from Arab universities and relevant bodies and institutions.
Relevant academics and experts offered papers and presentations on ways and mechanisms to enhance literacy and adult learning and education (ALE) programs, on the appropriate policies and strategies for transforming ALE in the Arab countries, as well as on the role of ALE in facing current challenges, including climate change, health and economic crises, technological transformation, and population change.
Participants in the symposium came out with a range of recommendations, including in particular :
- Develop the concept of literacy in the Arab countries so that it meets ALE requirements;
- Build Arab education plans based on the Marrakesh Framework for Action;
- Work to keep up with cutting-edge knowledge and digital technology;
- Establish a new Arab social contract on education, with ALE as one of its components;
- Develop systems for evaluating literacy and ALE, and leverage the relevant scientific models available;
- Convene a high-level conference to set joint Arab policies based on the Marrakesh Framework for Action.
