Jordan Times
Tuesday, May 24, 2005
Conference tackles
educational reform and illiteracy
By Mohammad Ghazal
DEAD SEA — The Broader Middle East and North
Africa (BMENA) Region and G-8 Ministers of Education meeting got under way here
yesterday with the aim of identifying critical factors for success in
educational quality and reforms.
Attending Monday's closing ceremony, Her Majesty Queen Rania underlined the
vital role of education in the development of societies — an underlying theme at
the World Economic Forum which concluded at the Dead Sea on Sunday.
With 70 per cent of the Arab world under the age of 30, Queen Rania noted the
region's need to create 50 million jobs over the next five years, emphasising
education as a vital tool to meet that challenge.
“The recommendations you have come up with are practical and needed.
Implementing and institutionalising them are essential to keep the momentum,”
said Queen Rania, commending the meeting's endorsement of a framework for
progress to be reviewed at the next ministerial meeting scheduled for the
Moroccan capital of Rabat in 2006.
The endorsed recommendations include regular progress reviews, reducing
illiteracy by half by 2015, encouraging social inclusion policies, with
particular attention given to girls and those with special needs, and bringing
together government, private sector and civil society to address education
quality and relevance, including linking learning outcomes to employment
opportunities.
Minister of Education and Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research
Khalid Touqan, who inaugurated the meeting, underlined the importance of the
event that brings together ministers and senior officials from Arab, Islamic and
foreign countries.
The event seeks to reduce illiteracy, provide education for all, build
partnerships, empower women and utilise IT in special education, Touqan said.
The meeting is a follow-up to the G-8 meeting held in the US in 2004, where all
parties made a commitment to help the countries of the BMENA region implement
educational reforms and expand literacy to cover 20 million people over the next
decade.
Touqan referred to the Kingdom's achievements in the field of education, such as
the computerisation of 3,000 schools, with 2,500 connected to the Internet,
among others.
Highlighting that substantial progress had been achieved, Touqan said there was
a long path ahead. “Let us build and maintain the momentum to activate the
necessary partnerships in the areas of challenge and priority identified and
plan to exceed the existing and meet the new targets which we have begun to
define. Let the fruits of this meeting be another beginning,” he added.
The meeting, the first of its kind in the Arab world, was held under the theme
of “Quality and Equality: Filling the Gaps Together.”
It provided participating countries with an opportunity to present their recent
experiences in, and future plans for, managing the educational demands of their
societies.
Also on Monday, Queen Rania met US Education Secretary Margaret Spellings,
French Education Minister Francois Fillon and UK School Minister Jacqui Smith.
Discussions focused on areas of cooperation, specifically in the area of teacher
training.