At ALECSO’s initiative, the “First Arab International Forum on Artificial Intelligence in Education” kicked off in Tunis on May 23, 2023, with the participation of Tunisian, Arab and international experts and specialists in the scientific and educational fields, as well as representatives of Arab, regional and international organizations. The Forum also saw the participation of Syria for the first time after its return to the League of Arab States, represented by Education Minister, Dr. Darem Tabbaa.
Addressing the Forum, H.E. Dr. Mohamed Ould Amar, Director-General of ALECSO, said that the aim of the Forum “is to discuss the various aspects of AI use in education, and to promote a constructive dialogue among policymakers and relevant experts and specialists in this regard.” He noted that “a qualitative leap has been taken since 2018 in AI which has grown into a major tool in several sectors, including education”, and that “there are groundbreaking projects that use AI to help reduce technological disparities in the Arab world and to diversify forms of cultural expression.” He indicated, in this regard, that “ALECSO has formed a specialized working group of Arab experts to prepare a manual for the teaching of AI technologies in primary and secondary schools in the Arab countries, which would enhance teachers’ opportunities to develop their AI skills and competencies.”
The Director-General reviewed a number of projects and initiatives launched by ALECSO, such as the development of the unified Arab Blockchain-based certificate authentication system and the conduct of a pilot experiment with the participation of some Arab universities from Tunisia, Algeria, Oman and the UAE. “Through these qualitative projects,” he added, “ALECSO is seeking to strengthen its role in promoting the use of AI in education, to serve as an Arab laboratory for developing ideas and setting standards, and to contribute to policy formation and capacity building in this field.” He went on to say that “ALECSO stresses the importance of enhancing AI use in education with the aim of strengthening human capacities and protecting human rights toward an effective human-machine cooperation in life, learning and work in pursuit of Sustainable Development Goals.
For his part, the Tunisian Minister of Education, Dr. Mohamed Ali Boughdiri, underlined the importance of AI in today's world and its role in promoting the scientific and educational development of the Arab countries. He highlighted, in this regard, Tunisia’s endeavors to promote digital transformation, to strengthen the engagement of Tunisian students and youth in future occupations, especially in the fields of engineering, computer technology and programming, to enhance technological expertise, and to keep pace with digital and technological developments by promoting digital education in Tunisian schools. He appreciated, in this regard, the participation of Tunisian students in international competitions, such as the World Artificial Intelligence Competition, the Robotics Competition, and others, which supports the country’s orientation toward making the Tunisian school a model to follow, at the Arab and international level, in terms intelligence, creativity, and innovation.
The Forum shed light on the latest technological developments in Artificial Intelligence (AI), including machine learning, data analysis and speech recognition, and their use in education, along with the impact of AI on learning and teaching. It also addressed the ethics and legislation related to AI use in education, the relevant challenges such privacy protection, data security, transparency and accountability, teacher- and student-training in AI use in education, and future prospects for AI use in education.
