The Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ISESCO) extends its sincere congratulations to the Kingdom of Bahrain for the astounding success of the “Celebration of Education Centennial”, held today evening, in Manama, to mark 100th anniversary of formal education in the country, with the presence of His Majesty King Hamad bin Issa Al Khalifa of Bahrain. On this occasion, ISESCO extends its congratulations to His Majesty for this success and to Dr. Majid bin Ali Al-Nuaimi, Bahraini Minister of Education, for the good organization of the event.
The celebration was attended by Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, ISESCO Director General, who commended the approach adopted by the Ministry of Education of Bahrain, calling on Muslim countries to follow the Kingdom’s steps in designating a day to be overseen by the ministries of education, to honor students, teachers and educational professionals, in the presence of state leaders including presidents and kings in order to highlight the great value of education in all societies.
The Celebration of Education Centennial saw the special participation of the delegations of most Arab countries, as well as representatives of regional and international organizations interested in the field of education. The celebration was held only hours prior to the opening of the 11th Conference of Arab Ministers of Education, convened in Manama, under the theme “Role of educational policies in achieving SDG 4 – Education 2030”.
The Fifth Meeting of International Organizations: ALECSO, ISESCO and ABEGS kicked off today in Tunis, Republic of Tunisia. It is a periodical meeting to promote cooperation and complementarity among these three organizations and explore the ways and mechanisms to boost their partnership with Member States’ National Commissions.
During the opening session, addresses were given by the representative of Mr. Ahmed Aboul Gheit, Secretary General of the League of Arab States; the representative of Dr. Hatem Ben Salem, Minister of Education and President of the Tunisian National Commission for Education, Science and Culture; and the representative of Dr. Mohamed Zine El Abidine, Minister of Cultural Affairs.
In his address during the opening session, Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, the Director General of the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ISESCO), reaffirmed that the common denominators among ISESCO, ALECSO and ABEGS are crystal-clear in their objectives and missions as provided for in their Charters, action programmes and initiatives in vital the fields that determine our present and future destiny (education, science, culture, information and communication) which are the foundations of action marked by the multiplicity of aspects and the complementarity of fields.
Dr. AlMalik also stressed that, in light of ISESCO’s new strategic plan, further attention will be given to the implementation of field activities and projects for the benefit of Member States, adoption of a new approach with regard to the relation with the National Commissions as part of a comprehensive innovative vision and a modern methodology that is mindful of all regional and international changes.
On his part, Dr. Ali bin Abdul Khaliq Al-Karni, Director-General of Arab Bureau of Education for the Gulf States (ABEGS), gave an address wherein he stated that this Meeting is quite important and very special as we all face challenges with determination to make achievements while looking toward the future, especially as we have the brains, wills, experiences, expertise and hopes necessary for creativity.
Afterwards, Dr. Mohamed Walad Amor, the Director-General of the Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization (ALECSO), gave his address stressing the importance of cooperation between ISESCO, ALECSO and ABEGS and the need to promote, develop and upgrade this cooperation to reach the level of partnership.
During the opening session, Dr. AlMalik and Dr. Walad Amor signed the Framework Cooperation Agreement between ALECSO and ISESCO. This agreement aims to set a joint framework of action for the period 2020-2021 in the fields of education, culture, heritage, information, communication and special programmes, including the programmes for Al-Quds Al-Sharif and the threats thereto, programmes geared to educational, cultural and scientific conditions in Palestine, programmes designed for the countries with special needs, and the programmes for unstable countries.
During the same session, the participants watched a video on the 8th Islamic Conference of Environment Ministers, which was held on 2-3 October 2019 in ISESCO headquarters in Rabat and brought together a large number of participants, including ministers and officials of environment from Muslim countries, as well as the heads of regional and international organizations operating in the field of environment protection and sustainable development.
On the sidelines of the opening session, the Directors General of ISESCO, ALECSO and ABEGS inaugurated the publications exhibition of the three organizations.
Moreover, Dr. AlMalik met a number of the National Commissions’ secretaries general, and together they explored the fields of cooperation between ISESCO and their respective countries as part of ISESCO’s new vision.
The Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ISESCO) will take part at the conference on the “civilized management of jurisprudential difference”, organized by the General Secretariat for Fatwa Authorities Worldwide, under the supervision of Dar al-Ifta al Misriyyah, in Cairo on 15-16 October 2019.
ISESCO will be represented in this international conference, held under the patronage of the Egyptian president, Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, a delegation composed of Dr. Abdelilah Benarafa, Cultural Advisor to the Director General, and Abdelkader El-Idrissi, editor-in-chief of ISESCO Journal, expert at the Office of the Director General.
This conference, which will be presided over by Dr. Shawki Allam, Mufti of the Arab Republic of Egypt, President of the Supreme Council of Fatwa Authorities Worldwide, aims to identify the civilizational and contemporary sources for dealing with jurisprudential difference, reconsider jurisprudential difference to become a solution for contemporary problems, and suggest fatwa initiatives among the people operating the field of fatwa based on the civilized management of jurisprudential difference.
The conference will annonce the “Charter of Jurisprudential and Fatwa Tolerance” the “International Day for Fatwa” and “Imam Qarafi Award for Fatwa Excellence”.
Today, at the headquarters of the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ISESCO), a coordination meeting was held between ISESCO and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). During the meeting, the two parties discussed proposals, prospects and programs of cooperation in education for the benefit of ISESCO Member States, particularly in the development of educational policies, the establishment of statistical indicators, the evaluation of educational performance, educational forecasting, and planning for future educational systems.
The meeting was attended by ISESCO Director of External Relations and Cooperation and Supervisor of the Directorate of Education alongside a number of experts from the two directorates, as well as Elizabeth Fordham, Senior Advisor for Global Relations at the OECD Directorate for Education and Skills and Ms. Soumaya Maghnouj, Officer of capacity development progammes.
