Category: News update

The Islamic World Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) held yesterday a coordination meeting with Jordan-based Kaleela, a foundation specialized in Arabic language learning applications, to explore cooperation prospects in Arabic language learning for non-Arabic speakers.

Dr. Majdi Haji Ibrahim, Head of the Arabic Language Center for Non-Arabic Speakers, and Dr. Youssef Ismaili, an expert at the Center, represented ICESCO at the meeting, while Ms. Ruba Hatamleh, Director of the Kaleela Arabic language learning app program, and Mr. Mohammad Abdullah, responsible for linguistic checking and enrichment of the app, represented Kaleela.

During the meeting, Ms. Hatamleh elaborated on the content of the Kaleela application, its levels and skills, and the wide range of its courses, while Mr. Abdullah presented the language checking tool and the tests provided to Arabic language learners.

ICESCO’s representatives examined the application’s technical, linguistic, cultural, and skills contents, they also reviewed the services the application provides to learners along with other languages for learning the Arabic language.

At the close of the meeting, the two parties agreed to examine ways and means of cooperation to enhance the e-learning of Arabic for non-Arabic speaking learners in the Islamic world and beyond.

Al Faisal Without Borders Foundation, in collaboration with the Faculty of Education of Qatar University, extended the nomination deadline for Sheikh Faisal Bin Qassim Al Thani Award for Education Research, for the academic year 2020/2021, until February 15, 2021. The annual award is dedicated to distinguished scientific researchers and includes four categories: academics, higher education students, school principals and teachers, and the best educational research.

The Award aims at encouraging educational research among students and teaching staff, motivating the educational staff to produce adequate educational knowledge that responds to the nature of the educational system in the Arab world. The initiative also seeks to promote the dissemination of educational knowledge at the regional and international levels, from academic research teams and educational professionals from all the Arab countries, and promote comparative studies.

The nominations for the award must submit research works published in Arabic or English. The candidates in the categories of academics, teachers, or school principals must be from one of the Arab world universities, schools, or educational institutions. In the case of joint research works, only the main researcher in the academics category is required to meet the abovementioned requirement. The Award’s Board of Trustees will oversee approving the shortlisted entries.

The candidates cannot submit research works that have already been submitted to other awards. The main researcher, who should be proficient in Arabic for all the categories, may not submit more than one nomination. The winners of the last three annual awards cannot present their nominations. In the higher education category, the principal researcher must be a student.

The candidates must also fill in and submit the nomination form before the deadline along with a full electronic copy of the research work via the nomination link on the Award’s website (www.alf-era.org/era), as well as a copy of a valid ID card or passport. The candidate must write his full name in Arabic as indicated in the passport.  

The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) calls upon all people interested in the fields of Sheikh Faisal Bin Qassim Al Thani Award to participate in the ongoing annual competition (2020-2021) and wishes every success for all.

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful;

“O tranquil soul! Return to your Lord, well pleased with Him and well pleasing to Him, so join My servants and enter My Paradise.”  (Allah Almighty is Truthful).   

The General Directorate of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), represented by H.E. Director-General, the heads of Sectors, Centers and Departments and staff of ICESCO, extend its sincere condolences and deep sympathy to H.E. Ambassador Khalid Fathalrahman, Supervisor of the Partnerships and International Cooperation Sector, Head of the Department of Civilizational Dialogue at ICESCO, on the death of his father Professor Doctor Fathalrahman Omar who passed away on Thursday afternoon January 28, 2021, at the age of 84.

Late Fathalrahman graduated from the Faculty of Da’wa and Fundamentals of Religion (Usul Al-Ddeen) at Al-Azhar University and taught at the Faculty of Da’wa and Fundamentals of Religion at the Islamic University in Al Madinah Al Munawwarah in Saudi Arabia for more than 20 years. Throughout his professional life, May Allah bless his soul, he issued significant contributions to thought and Islamic studies.

On this sad occasion, we pray Almighty Allah to shower the deceased with His infinite mercy, and grant his bereaved family strength and solace.

“We surely belong to Allah and to Him we shall return”.

The Islamic World Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) and the Qatari Coordinating Committee for the celebration of Doha as the Capital of Islamic Culture for 2021 held a coordination meeting to arrange for the official launch and its general program and to discuss other relevant details.

During the videoconference, the Qatari Coordinating Committee presented on Monday, January 25, 2021, the draft program of the celebration and the main suggested highlights and cooperating parties. The Committee stressed the need for coordination with the relevant ministries, sectors, national bodies, and civil society given their key role in ensuring the success of the celebration.

The Qatari delegation proposed the organization of the inauguration ceremony on March 8, 2021, and pledged to provide ICESCO with the details of the major programs and highlights of the celebration, including international and regional exhibitions, international art festivals and symposia, and cultural weeks.

ICESCO pledged to inform the Qatar party of the major activities and projects planned as part of the celebration of Doha as the Arab Region Capital of Islamic Culture for 2021. The measure is part of ICESCO’s new vision, which is based on promoting culture in the Islamic world through many initiatives, projects, and programs. The most notable initiatives are “ICESCO Digital Home,” “ICESCO International Art Center,” “Islamic World Heritage Center,” “ICESCO International Chairs Network” as well as the civilizational project “ICESCO Roads for the Future.”

At the close of the meeting, the two parties agreed to hold weekly coordination meetings to review the progress of preparations and cooperate in many cultural programs and projects.

This meeting brought together Dr. Mohamed Zine El Abidine, Director of Culture and Communication Sector at ICESCO; Ambassador Khalid Fathalrahman, Supervisor of Partnership and International Cooperation Sector at ICESCO; Dr. Abdelilah Benarafa, Cultural Adviser to ICESCO Director-General; Dr. Najib Ghiati, Adviser to the General Directorate; Ms. Zineb Iraqi, Supervisor of the General Secretariat of Conferences and National Commissions; and Mr. Bilal Chebbi, Expert at Culture and Communication Sector. The Qatari Committee included Dr. Hamda Hassan Al-Sulaiti, Secretary-General of the Qatari National Commission for Education, Culture and Science; Mr. Hamad al-Adhba, Coordinator-General of the Celebration; Mr. Mohamed Salaan Al-Maari, Chairman of the Cultural and Artistic Committee of the Qatari Ministry of Culture; and Ms. Salwa al-Ubaidali, Data Analysis Expert at the Qatari National Commission.

The delegation of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) held a meeting with Dr. Azzedine Al-Asbahi, Ambassador of Yemen to Morocco, along with other officials at the embassy. The meeting explored the proposed roadmap to give effect to the outcomes of the January 19 distance meeting of two parties.

The first meeting brought together Dr. Maeen Abdulmalik Saeed, Prime Minister of the Yemeni Government, and Dr. Salim M. Al-Malik, ICESCO Director-General (DG), as well as a group of experts from ICESCO.

During the January 22 meeting, at the headquarters of the Yemeni Embassy in Rabat, the two parties agreed to implement the preliminary plan through further videoconference meetings with the Yemeni Ministers of Education, Science, and Culture. The goal is to identify the major programs and activities for 2021, entitled the “Year of Recovery” in the hope that it will bring progress, peace, security, and development to the Yemeni people, following the formation of their new government.

The meeting brought together Ambassador Khaled Fathalrahman, Supervisor of Partnership and International Cooperation Sector at ICESCO; Dr. Mohamed Zine El Abidine, Director of Culture and Communication Sector at ICESCO; Dr. Abdelilah Benarafa, Cultural Adviser to ICESCO DG; and Dr. Ahmed Said Bah, Adviser to ICESCO DG for Partnership and International Cooperation.

The Islamic World Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) celebrates, on the 24th of January, the International Day of Education, which the UN General Assembly proclaimed on December 3, 2018, to celebrate the role of education in achieving peace and development. This day is an occasion to reaffirm the international community’s commitment to safeguarding the right to education, being one of the fundamental rights contained in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and in the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.

The international day is also an opportunity to recall the commitments that governments and all the national, regional, and international parties have made to achieve the Fourth Development Goal of the 2030 Agenda.

ICESCO’s new vision is based on the positive and prompt response to the needs of Member States, promoting international cooperation and greater outreach to various international partners in educational and scientific research circles, and anchoring the culture of anticipation in managing educational, scientific and cultural affairs. Hence, ICESCO has advocated “promoting education and lifelong skills development for all” one of the major goals of its strategic plan for 2020-2030. It envisages building an innovative and smart civilizational and educational system for the Islamic world. The goal is also to empower youth, women, and children to enjoy their rights.

ICESCO has renewed its coordination, consultation, and follow-up mechanisms with the ministries of education in the Member States and the National Commissions for Education, Science, and Culture. The Organization also scaled up its education support programs for the neediest countries and expanded its networks of relationships with key international actors in the field of education to improve the level of educational services and expertise provided to countries of the Islamic world.

The Organization reaffirms the progress that several countries around the world, including Member states, have made in reforming their education systems to improve their performance and enable them to fulfill their roles in building the societies of knowledge, security, and development deserving acknowledgment. ICESCO maintains that it is a source of inspiration. Yet, the efforts that the international community deployed to achieve the Fourth SDG aiming to: “ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all” is constantly facing the risk of faltering and backsliding. The reason is linked to some countries’ slowdown or failure to fulfill their obligations, in addition to endless destabilizing crises, devastating disasters, and emerging pandemics.

The most notable example is the substantial damages that Covid-19 caused in the education process worldwide and the resulting dysfunctions and shortcomings, such as the learning loss, particularly students from countries with poor technological and communication infrastructures. The students could not benefit from the educational alternatives ICT provided to their peers in developed countries.

Armed conflicts, in turn, have increased the number of children deprived of education and exposed to forced labour, sexual exploitation, and ill-treatment. Many girls, especially in sub-Saharan African countries, are still deprived of their right to education, a situation that runs against the values of quality, equity, and inclusion. These same values are the underpinnings of SDG4 that relate to education. The evolving situation contravenes the guidelines and contents of the International Convention against Discrimination in Education.

Mindful of the urgent need to implement the right to quality education, particularly in light of the threat that the Coronavirus pandemic imposed on this right and to other cultural, economic, and social rights, ICESCO, in fulfillment of its responsibilities at the Islamic and international levels, has launched a significant number of educational initiatives. The goal was to help the Member States provide educational alternatives for students throughout the pandemic. The Organization, therefore, granted them technological equipment and materials to enhance the production and dissemination of digital educational content.

The Organization has also played a guidance and coordination role among Member States through holding a conference that brought together education ministers of the Islamic world to review visions and share experiences on the best ways and practices to address the effects of the pandemic on education.

ICESCO takes into account girls’ and women’s deprivation of education in several countries and is aware of the key roles women play in shaping the future and in achieving comprehensive and sustainable societal development. The Organization has therefore decided to proclaim 2021 the year for women, in line with the main orientations of ICESCO’s Strategic Plan 2020-2030. During the year for women, the Organization harnesses its capabilities, resources, and programs to empower girls and women to fully contribute to building societies of knowledge and peace.
On this day, ICESCO reiterates its call to all stakeholders for more synergy and advocacy to protect and fund education and prioritize national development plans, policies and practices. ICESCO also calls for spreading foresight culture and anchoring foresight practices in the development of educational strategies and educational planning operations, and the proactive dealing with domestic and international developments.

The Fourth Industrial Revolution requires the development of the necessary educational, organizational, technical, and legislative tools to facilitate the expected transition from the traditional to the digital school. The measures will also permit us to take advantage of the tremendous opportunities that artificial intelligence offers for all areas of human activity, including the educational field.

In this vein, ICESCO will launch initiatives on the most effective experiences and practices for achieving quality, equitable, and inclusive education. The goal is to make education accessible to all without exception, hoping that nobody will be deprived of education by the end of the third decade of the third millennium.