“Education in the Arab World” conference calls for a shift to distance education

The London Center for Research and Consulting, based in the British capital, London, concluded its tenth and second international conference on the virtual platform in cooperation with Al-Fajr Model Schools in Jerusalem, over a period of 3 consecutive days from September 27 to 29, 2020 under the title “Education in the Arab world, challenges of the present and future prospects”, by Five axes related to education issues and how to find practical solutions to Arab education problems to catch up with the developed world .

Ten years since the creation of the Conference on Education in the Arab World

In this regard, the Director General of the Conference, Director General of the London Research Center, Dr Muhammad Abdul Aziz said: “The center has organized nine international scientific conferences in the previous years, and on the basis of the guidelines of the president of the center, Prof. Nasser Al-Fadhli, the center team worked hard to complete ten conferences marking the passage of ten years. Upon its establishment in London, the British capital, cooperation was established with Al-Fajr Model Schools, which enhanced cooperation to carry out the Tenth International Conference on Education Matters chaired by the CEO and President of the conference Dr. Khaled Dweik, who provided all the capacity for the success of the conference and the general coordinator Prof. Muhammad Waheed, who made energy and showed professionalism in the performance “.

Abdul Aziz continued: “In view of the decline of education systems in the Arab world on many levels and facing diverse and multiple challenges, we call for the need to reconsider the different aspects of the educational process. Therefore, the management of each of the New Fajr Model Schools of Jerusalem and the London Research and Advisory Center have come together and decided to cooperate towards the establishment of an international conference which will attract a number of ‘Arab academics, researchers and specialists from various fields of educational sciences to reflect, exchange ideas, knowledge and achievements and debate education in the Arab world, with a view to getting their hands on the challenges of the present , to try to diagnose them and to foresee the future horizons of education, especially in Jerusalem. Through specialized research work in various educational sciences..

The head of the scientific committee of the conference d. Nidal Hammad: “The conference debated 60 scientific papers in a number of axes” including the axis of educational leadership in the light of contemporary modern education, contemporary issues of special education, educational and learning technology، Educational leadership, quality assurance and media, and their role in education.

From the 13 scientific sessions chaired by a distinguished group of senior academic professors and scholars from Arab universities, the conference leadership selected 21 top-rated papers, published by six Palestine Studies by scholars Sarah Ibrahim and Nadera Hamad, d ‘Algeria for researcher Dr. Hanan Hajji, from Egypt to researcher Dr Hanaa El-Khouly, from Morocco to researcher Dr Muhammad Al-Riahi, and from Sudan to researchers Saeed Moussa and Muhammad Kharif, and from Kuwait, researcher A. Sarah Kumaikh.

Recommendations of the Conference on Education in the Arab World

Conference President Dr. Khaled Dweik said the conference succeeded, thanks to God and the efforts of its leaders, in achieving its goals and mission, hoping that its 14 recommendations will resonate with policymakers to correct the imbalance in the records of the Arabs. education in Arab countries, and among these recommendations:

– The need to work on the publication of a special publication (booklet) as a specialized encyclopedia that includes various concepts and terms related to digitization and its various applications related to the field of education and strive to unify them between Arab countries.

– Establish a comprehensive guide explaining the measures to be taken in the short, medium and long terms, to enhance the educational services provided by educational institutions for people with special needs in the Arab world.

Create an Arab scientific platform which includes groups of (highly qualified) Arab researchers for the purpose of cooperation and participation in the field of modern technologies, investors in this digital space and its digital applications in general.

Call on the Ministries of Education in the Arab world to pay the utmost attention and mobilize all energies to facilitate the process of transition to online learning and distance education in light of the continuing Corona pandemic, and maybe after her.

Transfer all funds and material and in-kind resources to e-learning in order to develop the educational process, especially funds for so-called social responsibility.

– The need to exploit the media message of Arab satellite channels in a way that serves the Arabic language and contributes to its advancement, by controlling what is presented through the media and subjecting it to a comprehensive educational policy.

Adopt a unified objective media discourse across the media.

Prepare media courses on scientific, professional, civilized and neutral bases.

– The production of Arabic terminology and the continuous monitoring of the activities of linguistic assemblies and Arabization centers, and the employment of new ones in the media, so that these concepts find their way into the mass media.

– Organizations, bodies and associations play their educational and awareness-raising role, alongside the media, in order to support the e-learning process.

– Acceptance of new scientific cultures, according to programs agreed on their content and methods of implementation.

– Invite families to encourage their children to follow this type of modern education and to create appropriate conditions for them.

Strengthen the infrastructure of internet businesses, coordinate with telecom companies to provide adequate packages and provide facilities for online learning sites affiliated with schools and universities to provide fair opportunities for all students to follow the educational process.

– Diffusion of the culture of electronic measurement and evaluation in governmental and non-governmental university in order to rationalize consumption, save time and guarantee the rights of students.

Dweik added that the recommendations concluded with the need to encourage scientific research, support continuing education in the field of technology and communication, pay attention to the professional development of faculty members especially in technical fields. , to develop programs in accordance with the requirements of online learning, while stressing that the virtual university is a necessity but cannot be an alternative. This is not a parallel option, but rather support and qualification for the real university. It is an experience within this university that requires rehabilitation and recognition of the positive accumulation it has achieved over the decades..