The Director-General (DG) of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, called for rethinking the existing education systems. He also called for developing an emergency plan to face the impact of COVID-19 on education and future crises as the world experienced an unprecedented situation that revealed the weakness of its education systems.

The statement came at the DG’s address at the high-level segment of the Global Education Meeting 2020 (GEM 2020) on Education post-COVID-19. UNESCO held on Thursday the videoconference to bring together several renowned world figures, heads of government, educational experts, and interested individuals in humanitarian work.

In his address, Dr. AlMalik reaffirmed that ICESCO’s priorities include meeting the basic needs of countries. The DG listed financing education and using Information and communications technology and Artificial Intelligence to connect citizens with knowledge. He also highlighted improved health services, namely those of psychological health issues, food, hygiene, sanitation services, and the reintegration of and non-discrimination against the neediest persons.

The DG underlined that the Organization boosted its humanitarian and social aid through the establishment of the “Comprehensive Humanitarian Coalition.” ICESCO will soon launch a guidebook on psychological health and psycho-social guidelines for families, communities, and active educational stakeholders continued Dr. AlMalik. He then pointed out that ICESCO will proclaim 2021 a “Year of Women” and invited all international organizations to join this initiative.
“A bird can’t fly on one wing. If girls, women, boys, men, the disadvantaged, and minorities receive the same right to education, our global societies will achieve peaceful economic progress…let us fly together for one world and one humanity!” concluded Dr. AlMalik.