The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research of the Arab Republic of Egypt, and Saleh Kamel Humanitarian Foundation signed a memorandum of understanding for the implementation of the International Professional Teaching Certificates Project for the benefit of 2000 male and female teachers in several Egyptian governorates.

The MoU was signed, at a major ceremony, in Cairo, on Tuesday (30 August 2022), by Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, ICESCO Director General (DG); Dr. Mohamed Ayman Ashour, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, President of the Egyptian National Commission for Education, Science and Culture; and Mr. Abdullah Saleh Kamel, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Saleh Kamel Humanitarian Foundation.

In his address during the signing ceremony, Dr. AlMalik reaffirmed that the project will provide teachers with the professional conditions to fulfill their tasks, pointing out that professional certificates aim at advancing training programmes and preserving the rights of teachers, who devote their lives to the honorable profession of teaching, facing various challenges to see their students at the summit of success.

Besides, he explained that this full-fledged project is based on a participatory vision, which consists of specialization, experience and capabilities, noting that ICESCO’s supervisory role in this project stems from the Organization’s interest in education as one of its top priorities.

In concluding his address, ICESCO DG expressed his thanks to King Saud University for supporting the project academically, the Egyptian Ministry of Higher Education for promoting the project locally, and Saleh Kamel Humanitarian Foundation for funding this ambitious project, hoping to see it replicated in the near future in many Muslim countries.

In his address, Dr. Muhammad Ayman Ashour welcomed the representatives of international organizations and university presidents, stressing that this project comes in the context of the unprecedented impact of the current global challenges in light of technological advancements and the radical change in education, which requires well-qualified staff to deal with these transformations.

He also expressed his pride in choosing the Arab Republic of Egypt to launch the project, which will be replicated in many Muslim countries, concluding his address by thanking Saleh Kamel Humanitarian Foundation, King Saud University and ICESCO.

For his part, Mr. Abdullah Saleh Kamel indicated that the funding provided for the project is in line with the Foundation’s vision and interest in sustainable endowment projects, and aims at maximizing the impact of educational outputs given the role of teachers as the cornerstone of the educational process. “We also seek to enhance the contribution of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to global humanitarian action, which is an integral part of the Kingdom’s ambitious 2030 Vision,” he added.

The MoU provides for the implementation of the project over a three-year period in Egypt while ensuring coordination with the competent parties in the Arab Republic of Egypt to prepare periodic progress reports, assess the performance of beneficiary teachers, and measure the impact of qualification in the educational field.

The Professional teaching Certificates Project aims to build a comprehensive system to develop teachers’ skills and provide them with the necessary competencies in their various specialties and fields to achieve the objectives of educational curricula. Among the key outputs of the project is to allow 100.000 teachers from the ICESCO Member States to obtain the International Teaching Certificates (PCT), within the framework of the Organization’s vision aimed at supporting the modernization of its educational process.