Professor Reda Hegazy, former Minister of Education and President of Al-Ryada University for Science and Technology (RST), participated in the conference titled “Inclusive Education and Empowering Teachers: A Strategic Vision for Education in the Arab World” held in Qatar. He chaired a committee consisting of a group of ministers and education experts from around the world, under the supervision of the Arab Organization for Education, Culture, and Science (ALECSO), which developed the future vision for the development of education systems in the Arab region.
During the three-day conference, Professor Hegazy presented the “Foresight Plan for Developing and Improving Education in the Arab World 2024-2035,” which aims to enhance the quality of education across the Arab world and ensure it keeps pace with rapid social, economic, and technological transformations.
Professor Hegazy highlighted that the foresight plan works to achieve several strategic objectives to improve education in the Arab world. This includes reviewing the global and regional status of education, analyzing the current state of education worldwide and in the Arab world, identifying strengths and weaknesses, and understanding emerging trends in education. The plan also emphasizes adapting these global trends to the cultural and social uniqueness of Arab countries and setting universal standards for educational quality.
Key objectives of the plan include establishing global quality standards and applying them in Arab countries to ensure high-quality education, achieving good governance in educational systems and institutions, and enabling educational systems to provide quality education from primary school to higher education. It also focuses on the role of schools and universities in society by linking education to sustainable development and developing a future vision for education in the Arab world. This vision includes a clear strategy to improve education in the long term.
Professor Hegazy explained that the plan comes at a critical time, amid the numerous challenges facing education in the Arab world. These include the urgent need to reassess educational and pedagogical foundations. The changing world demands a rethinking of current curricula and teaching methods, as well as planning for the transition to more resilient and sustainable educational systems to address global challenges such as climate change, economic crises, and the creation of enabling environments in various fields. This includes promoting educational environments that foster innovation and creativity in the areas of economy, society, politics, and culture. The goal is to achieve comprehensive quality education for high-quality learning outcomes, while strengthening digital transformation in schools and universities. Furthermore, the plan emphasizes boosting scientific research and innovation to enable universities to contribute to sustainable development through research and anticipating the future needs of professions by encouraging graduates to meet future challenges through innovation.
