Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General of the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), and Dr. Ramatou Mahamat Houtouin, Minister Secretary-General of the Government responsible for the promotion of bilingualism in the Republic of Chad, discussed ways of strengthening collaboration between ICESCO and Chad in Arabic language teaching.

During the meeting, held N’Djamena, on Monday 27 November 2023, Dr. AlMalik affirmed ICESCO’s commitment to supporting Chad by enhancing Arabic language teaching programs for French-speaking staff and administrative leaders, which will be specifically tailored to meet their needs and work conditions, stressing ICESCO’s willingness to provide support to youth and women, with a particular focus on promoting girls’ education and addressing school dropout-related challenges.

The Chadian Minister commended the invaluable support extended by ICESCO to her country, facilitating to the practical implementation of bilingualism across diverse sectors, and called for collaborative efforts to intensify Arabic educational programs targeting French-speaking staff in various departments and ministries. Additionally, she emphasized the need to adopt flexible educational mechanisms to help Chad in enhancing social cohesion among different Arabic and French-speaking groups alike.

The meeting also brought together Mr. Adel Bouraoui, Advisor to ICESCO Director-General for External Centers on Arabic Language, and Dr. Ali Mohamed Qamar, Director of ICESCO’s Regional Educational Centre in Chad, along with several advisors to the Minister.