Category: News update

Today in Paris, the Director General of the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ISESCO), Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, met Mr. Ludger Schuknecht, Deputy Secretary General of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), and together they agreed to launch Joint workshops and Seminars between ISESCO and OECD over the period 2020-2021.

During the meeting, which is part of ISESCO Director General’s current visit to France to attend the 40^th General Conference of UNESCO, the two parties agreed on signing a cooperation agreement next year, and they stressed the need to sustain joint action between ISESCO and the OECD, encourage investment in the various fields of education, ensure gender equality in educational opportunities, and facilitate the integration of migrants through specialized educational programmes.

The first workshop to be held at ISESCO headquarters in Rabat during the first quarter of 2020 to develop ISESCO’s future work programmes so as to promote its support to Member States in reforming the educational curricula. ISESCO aims through this workshop to develop high-quality work programmes based on good international research works and expertise while the OECD seeks to involve a larger number of countries in the OECD Education 2030 Project.

Another workshop to be held in one of ISESCO Member States during the third quarter of 2020, aims to improve the quality and use of national data in the field of education as the OECD has a considerable experience in this field through the development of indicators, data collection methodologies, policies and strategies likely to help transfer such expertise to ISESCO Member States.

The third activity focuses on reviewing the national educational policies of ISESCO Member States over the period 2020-2021. Many of ISESCO Member States participate in the data collection with the OECD, but their use of such data in developing their own national educational policies is very limited. Thus, this workshop is very important to benefit from the OECD 20-year long experience in drawing education policies.

Through the fourth activity, to be implemented over the period 2020-2021, the work programme aims to exchange knowledge. ISESCO will provide its Member States with a greater interaction and an ample knowledge of the research works, data and analyses of the OECD so as to boost the efforts of education reform through various practical means.

It is worth mentioning that the OECD is an international organization established in 1961 to replace the Organization for European Economic Cooperation (OEEC), established in 1948 to help managing Marshall Plan to rebuild Europe after World War II. It aims to achieve economic development and refresh trade exchange.

Today in Paris, the 40^th UNESCO General Conference kicked off with the participation of a high-level delegation of the Islamic Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (ISESCO), headed by Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, ISESCO Director General.

Dr. AlMalik’s visit agenda features a number of important activities and events. In this regard, Dr. AlMalik will deliver an address reviewing ISESCO’s new vision and ways to develop cooperation between the two organizations in joint action fields.

In this vein, ISESCO Director General will also hold several bilateral meetings with UNESCO Member States’ heads of delegations, and chiefs of regional and international organizations involved in the fields of education, culture, science, and communication.

During a special celebration, ISESCO will reopen its Bureau at UNESCO’s headquarters in Paris, and the two organizations will sign a cooperation agreement.

It is worth noting that the 40^th UNESCO General Conference kicked off with the participation of representatives of UNESCO’s 193 Member States, along with 10 Associate Members, and high-level international leaders, headed by the UN Secretary General, Mr. António Guterres. According to UNESCO, this year’s conference will serve as a laboratory of ideas for new multilateral approaches to the gamut of pressing issues ranging from higher education to artificial intelligence.

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 100^th  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 11^th  Conference of Arab Ministers of Education, convened in Manama, under the theme “Role of educational policies in achieving SDG 4 – Education 2030”.