AlMalik: The COVID-19 pandemic requires reconsidering educational systems and adopting new creative methods
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His Excellency Lula Da Silva, former president
of Brazil, stressed the need to prioritize education to ensure a prosperous
future and a decent life. “Not only politicians have the responsibility to
change the world for the better, society also has its own share,” he stated.
“Education is a prerequisite for nation-building
and change. We should ensure education for poor children. The poor are not the
problem. They are rather part of the solution to countries’ problems through
proper orientation,” he added.
The statement was an excerpt from Da
Silva’s address at the opening session of the International Virtual Symposium.
The Islamic World Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO)
organized yesterday the event under the theme “Education and ‘the Societies We
Want’ Initiative.” The symposium brought together many education ministers of
ICESCO’s Member States and high-level international figures and specialists.
Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, ICESCO Director-General
(DG), chaired the opening session. He affirmed that “the Organization launched
‘the Societies We Want’ Initiative during the lockdown period to build healthy,
peaceful, prosperous, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable societies.”
“Education is the solution to eliminate
gender discrimination and poverty, reduce mortality, eradicate diseases, and
promote peace,” he added.
Dr. AlMalik also stated that the COVID-19
pandemic resulted in the biggest disorder of education systems throughout
history, pointing out that the closure of educational institutions influenced
nearly 1.6 billion learners in 190 countries worldwide and almost 99% in low
and middle-income countries.
“Efforts should be joined to overcome the
repercussions of the pandemic, reconsider the educational systems, and adopt innovative
educational methods to build the education we want in the future. As a
foresight organization, ICESCO adopts this issue and will assist the Member
States to build their educational systems,” he stressed.
ICESCO’s DG also warned that the “learning
poverty” indicator in low and middle-income countries indicates that 53% of 10-year-old
children are unable to read or understand a simple story. He continued that
girls and women are still underrepresented in the fields of science,
technology, engineering, and mathematics.
The situation is significant despite the
efforts exerted to provide education and reduce dropout rates.
“Many countries, particularly in Africa,
still face difficulties with access to the internet. Thus, support should be
directed to poor countries and vulnerable societies through an educational
system that keeps up with changes,” he stressed.
In his address, Mr. Kailash Satyarthi, Nobel Peace Prize laureate in 2014, stated that education is a right
for all, and no child should be deprived of this right. He called for joint
action to develop a real program to ensure the right of education for all, build
partnerships for social protection worldwide, and benefit the marginalized
groups from the budgets allocated to counter the COVID-19 pandemic.
Mr. Satyarthi underscored the necessity to call on the international community to
increase the budget allocated to counter the COVID-19 pandemic internationally,
amounting to 8 trillion dollars, raise the proportion devoted to poor countries
from 0.3% to 20%, and provide free vaccines of COVID-19 for all.
Ms. Alice Albright, Chief Executive Officer
(CEO) of the Global Partnership for Education, said that the societies we want
cannot be built without ensuring quality education for children. The CEO stressed
that education is not only for the future of children, it also constitutes a key
means for achieving prosperity and spreading peace worldwide.
“Educated girls are best able to lift their
families from poverty, immunize their children and enroll them in schools,” she
added.