Category: News

Dr. AlMalik stresses the importance of Kuwait’s participation in ICESCO programs, initiatives, and conferences

Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), met with Eng. Sayed Jalal Al-Tabtabaei, Minister of Education and Chairperson of the Kuwaiti National Commission for Education, Science and Culture, on the sidelines of the Golden Jubilee celebrations of the Arab Bureau of Education for the Gulf States, held in Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

During the meeting, which took place on Wednesday, 14 January 2026, the two sides discussed ways to strengthen cooperation between ICESCO and Kuwait’s Ministry of Education and explored new avenues for partnership, in light of Kuwait’s leading role and its outstanding contributions in education and other development fields.

Dr. AlMalik emphasized the importance of leveraging Kuwait’s successful expertise, particularly in administrative and educational fields, noting that attracting such competencies to work with ICESCO would enhance institutional performance and foster knowledge exchange. Both parties agreed on the need to involve distinguished Kuwaiti administrative professionals in some of the Organization’s programs and activities.

For his part, the Kuwaiti Minister of Education stressed the importance of developing institutional cooperation with ICESCO and expressed the Ministry’s interest in collaborating to improve the outcomes of Kuwait’s educational system by adopting precise educational indicators that contribute to raising the quality of education and improving its results.

The two sides also discussed prospects for cooperation in setting educational standards for teacher selection and training, including standards for special education, and in selecting trained candidates to lead the teaching profession, ensuring the preparation of teachers with professional competence and the ability to meet the requirements of modern education.

In this regard, Dr. AlMalik affirmed that Kuwait should have a strong presence in ICESCO’s programs, conferences and seminars in the fields of education, culture and science, reflecting its status and role in supporting joint educational efforts in the Islamic world.

At the close of the meeting, both parties agreed to dispatch an ICESCO delegation to Kuwait to discuss future cooperation and develop a practical framework for joint programs and initiatives.

The meeting was attended by Dr. Salim Al Habsi, Head of the General Secretariat for National Commissions and Conferences, along with several senior officials from the Ministry.

Dr. Salim bin Mohammed AlMalik, Director General of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), met with Dr Madiha bint Ahmed al Shaibani, Minister of Education of the Sultanate of Oman, on the sidelines of the Golden Jubilee celebrations of the Arab Bureau of Education for the Gulf States (ABEGS), held on Wednesday, 14 January 2026, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

During the meeting, the Omani Minister of Education praised the initiatives, programs, and projects implemented by ICESCO, commending the qualitative leap witnessed by the Organization’s action in recent years and the concrete positive impact it has achieved in the fields of education and culture.

For his part, Dr. AlMalik affirmed that the Sultanate of Oman is one of the countries with which ICESCO is proud to cooperate, noting that the joint programs and projects implemented between the two sides have proven, through their outputs, their importance and usefulness, and have contributed to supporting the educational system.

During the meeting, the two sides explored future prospects for cooperation, and discussed a number of joint initiatives and projects, in addition to confirming ICESCO’s participation in the International Conference on the Teaching Profession, which the Ministry of Education in the Sultanate of Oman intends to organize in Muscat at the beginning of February. The Minister stressed the importance of ICESCO’s attendance and participation in this conference, given its added value and international expertise in educational issues.

Meanwhile, Dr. AlMalik expressed his sincere gratitude and appreciation to His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tariq Al Said for his generous support for the development of the Sultan Qaboos Library at ICESCO headquarters, noting that the library will be officially opened within the next two months, thereby enhancing the Organization’s intellectual and cultural role.
At the end of the meeting, both sides affirmed their shared keenness to strengthen cooperation and make every effort to expand their partnership in the fields of education and culture.

Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), met with Mr. Yousef bin Abdullah Al-Benyan, Minister of Education of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, on the sidelines of their participation in the Golden Jubilee celebration of the Arab Bureau of Education for the Gulf States, held on Wednesday 14 January 2026, in Riyadh.

The meeting discussed avenues for cooperation between the Saudi Ministry of Education and ICESCO in the fields of education, with a view to strengthening efforts aimed at advancing education and promoting its humanitarian and civilizational values.

The Saudi Minister of Education commended ICESCO’s pioneering role in supporting educational issues in the Islamic world and its implementation of qualitative initiatives and programs that contribute to improving educational systems.

For his part, Dr. AlMalik presented ICESCO’s civic upbringing initiative, proposing it as a framework for cooperation between the Ministry and the Organization, given the significant convergence of visions between the two sides. He explained that the initiative is based on two main pillars: promoting identity, values, and knowledge; and fostering responsible civilizational openness to others.

Moreover, Dr. AlMalik stressed, in light of the Kingdom’s leading role in supporting countries in the field of education, the importance of disseminating Saudi Arabia’s pioneering educational experience to several Islamic world countries, thereby helping to bridge their educational gaps and promoting inclusive and equitable education that meets current challenges.

At the close of the meeting, the two parties agreed to arrange a visit for a team from the Saudi Ministry of Education to ICESCO’s headquarters in Rabat, with the aim of establishing a new institutional partnership, particularly with regard to civic upbringing and supporting countries facing educational challenges.

Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), affirmed that education remains the most powerful investment for achieving civilizational transformation and sustainable development. He stressed that improving foundational education and elevating the status of teachers constitute the true gateway to any effective educational reform.

Dr. AlMalik made these remarks on Wednesday, 14 January 2026, during the high-level panel marking the 50th anniversary of the Arab Bureau of Education for the Gulf States, under the theme “The Future of Learning in the Gulf States: Renewed Roles for Regional and International Organizations.” The event was attended by Ministers of Education from the Gulf Cooperation Council countries, heads of international and regional organizations, and a select group of experts and specialists.

Dr. AlMalik began his address by congratulating the Arab Bureau of Education for the Gulf States on this occasion, commending its pioneering role over the past fifty years in anticipating the future of Gulf education through studies, research, and capacity building. He emphasized that this educational legacy embodies generations of ambition, effort, and achievement.

Moreover, Dr. AlMalik pointed out that hundreds of millions of children worldwide remain out of school, noting that addressing this challenge starts with modern foundational education that goes beyond rote learning to foster creativity and skills, while paying attention to the child’s psychological and social environment. This, he explained, has a direct impact on enhancing skill development, increasing school retention rates, and reducing academic failure.

He also stressed that teachers are the cornerstone of any successful educational system, calling for investment in them through pre-service and in-service training programs, the adoption of clear career pathways, improvement of working conditions, and preservation of their social and professional status.

Dr. AlMalik highlighted that Gulf States have achieved remarkable progress in education, yet sustaining this successful experience requires expanding its reach and sharing best practices with other countries of the Islamic world.

In this regard, he reiterated ICESCO’s readiness to play a coordinating role in disseminating the Gulf educational model, citing examples of the Organization’s field projects in education, including school support programs, water and sanitation initiatives, and the construction and rehabilitation of educational institutions in several Islamic world countries.

He also shed light on ICESCO’s ambitious program “Civilizational Education,” which is based on two fundamental pillars: pride in identity and conscious openness to others. He called on Islamic countries to contribute to developing this educational concept at its foundational stages.