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The
Arab States
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Regional
frameworks for action
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Education
for All in the Arab States:
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Renewing
the Commitment
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The
Arab Framework for Action
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to
Ensure Basic Learning Needs in the Arab States
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in
the Years 2000-2010
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Adopted
by the Regional Conference on Education for All
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for
the Arab States
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| Cairo,
Egypt, 24-27 January 2000 |
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| Preamble |
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Based
on the assessment of the efforts and achievements made
in the Arab States as regards basic education, Education for
All, since the Jomtien Conference (1990) until the end of
the decade (the year 2000), in preparation for the International
Forum on EFA (Dakar, April 2000);
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According
to:
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- the
Convention on the Rights of the Child, the World Declar-ation
on Education for All, the Arab Document on Children, the
Arab Plan for Childhood Care, Protection and Development,
and other Arab and international documents on education,
and
- the
strategies adopted by the Arab Ministers of Education during
their meetings;
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| Aware
of world challenges and changes and their consequences on
the development of the Arab Region, and in order to benefit
from their positive achievements while avoiding their negative
consequences; |
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| Conscious
of the importance of education as a key for human development
which constitutes a generator of global sustainable development; |
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| In order
to achieve education for all, both quantitatively and qualitatively,
an education of high quality that is aimed at enabling all to
achieve excellence and to develop, strengthen and promote their
capacities to the fullest extent; |
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| Reaffirming
the role of education in providing equal educational opportunities
for boys and girls, both urban and rural, and in keeping with
the spirit of the century represented by the scientific, computer
and technological revolutions that reaffirm the concept of self-learning
which constitutes the basis for lifelong learning, in order
to allow individuals to have access to data and to criticize,
select, classify, treat and use this data in the different areas
of social, economic and cultural life; |
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| Considering
the fact that education is a social issue, and that all
Arab and international forces, institutions and organizations
as well as government and non-governmental associations, unions
and organizations, should join efforts to meet the Education
for All needs and goals; |
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| Inspired
by the cultural and spiritual values of the Arab nation
which reaffirm that education is an essential dimension of our
cultural identity today and in the future; |
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| We,
the participants in the Arab Regional Conference on Education
for All - EFA 2000 Assessment, held in Cairo from 24 to 27 January
2000, recommend that Arab States adopt the document entitled
Education for All in the Arab States: Renewing the Commitment
as the Arab Framework for Action to Ensure Basic Learning Needs
in the Arab States in the Years 2000-2010. |
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| Introduction |
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1. The
Arab Framework for Action to Ensure Basic Learning Needs in
the Arab States in the Years 2000-2010 is based upon the following:
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(1)
The World Declaration on Education for All and the Framework
for Action to Meet Basic Learning Needs, respectively adopted
and agreed on by the World Conference on Education for All
(Jomtien, Thailand, 1990);
(2)
The Mid-decade Review of the International Consultative
Forum on EFA (Amman, 1996) and the various international
and Arab activities related to the Declaration and Framework
for Action undertaken in the 1990s as regards the substance
of the two aforementioned documents;
(3)
The documents about childhood and Education for All adopted
by the Ministers of Education in the Arab States;
(4)
EFA 2000 Assessment made by the Arab States in preparation
for The Arab Regional Conference on Education for All (Cairo,
24-27 January 2000);
(5)
The Preliminary Draft Framework for Action elaborated by
the International Consultative Forum on EFA and proposed
to discussion in preparation of the World Education Forum
(Dakar, April 2000); and
(6)
The discussions of the Arab Regional Conference on Education
for All - EFA Year 2000 Assessment held in Cairo (24-27
January 2000).
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| 2.
The objectives of this Framework are twofold: |
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(1)
To form a reference and guide for all stakeholders concerned
with education in the Arab Region and committed to achieving
the goals of Education for All, in their strategies, plans
and programmes;
(2)
To convey the concerns of the Arab States while discussing
the EFA issues at the World Education Forum (Dakar, Senegal,
April 2000).
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| I. Background |
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| Learning
is the key to human sustainable development and is the foundation
for enlightened existence and the sustenance of all livelihoods |
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| 3.
Learning, this treasure within, is the product of open and diversified
access to knowledge and experience. Thus, the concept of learning
throughout life emerges as one of the keys to life in the twenty-first
century. It goes beyond the traditional distinction between
school and lifelong education. It is designed to meet the challenges
posed by a rapidly changing world. |
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| 4.
Four pillars were proposed as the foundation of education by
the International Commission on Education for the Twenty-first
Century, i.e.: learning to know, learning to do, learning to
be and learning to live together, learning to live with others.
The capacity to learn is at the heart of human development.
It is the foundation for enlightened existence and the sustenance
of all livelihoods. |
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| 5.
Education aims not only at providing equal opportunities for
individuals to learn, but also at achieving a learning society
based on the acquisition, renewal and use of knowledge. This
involves increasing the scope and opportunities for access to
knowledge for all individuals. Education should enable everyone
to gather information and to select, arrange, manage and use
it. Learning is the key to sustainable human development. |
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| Enhancing
learning is improving the quality of life |
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| 6.
The provision of equal opportunities for learning is a mandatory
social service that must be provided to all individuals, as
one of their basic rights and a condition for improving the
quality of life. Health care is another important social service.
It encompasses fighting diseases, providing nutrition and pure
water, and ensuring an unpolluted environment. |
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| 7.
Among these mandatory social services other than eduction is
health care, which encompasses the eradication of diseases,
the provision of nutrition, safe water and a non-polluted environment.
The expansion of education has led to greater health awareness.
Education for women leads not only to enhanced child health
care but also to the enhancement of the general care of children,
including their education. Enhancement of the educational level
of the mother is no doubt the most crucial factor underlying
participation in education and improving the quality of life.
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| 8.
Moreover, the expansion of education leads to a more enhanced
environmental awareness, a greater knowledge of basic rights
and duties, and a generally increased sense of citizenship and
enlightened involvement in civic life. It is generally believed
today all over the world that education is the most important
means to fight poverty. |
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| Meeting
basic learning needs is an international priority. |
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| 9.
The World Declaration on Education for All (Jomtien, 1990) affirmed
the necessity to provide basic learning needs by stating that:
'Every person - child, youth and adult - shall be able to
benefit from educational opportunities designed to meet their
basic learning needs.' |
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| 10.
Furthermore, the Jomtien Conference agreed on a framework, derived
from the World Declaration on Education for All, to be taken
as a guide for action at the national, regional and international
levels. |
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| Re-affirmation
of the jomtien message at the international level |
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11.
During the ten years after the Jomtien Conference, the international
community, with the participation of the Arab States, has
witnessed a series of conferences, all of which re-affirmed
the message of the Jomtien Declaration and linked education
to development, quality of life, human rights, democracy,
social integration and justice. These conferences called for
a special emphasis on the education of girls and women, and
the struggle against poverty, unemployment and social exclusion
(the World Summit for Children, 1990; the United Nations Conference
on Environment and Development, 1992; the World Conference
on Human Rights, 1993; the International Conference on Population
and Development, 1994; the World Conference on Special Needs
Education: Access and Quality, 1994; the World Summit for
Social Development, 1995; the Fourth World Conference on Women,
1995; the Fifth International Conference on Adult Education,
1997; etc).
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12.
The Mid-Decade Meeting of the International Consultative Forum
on Education for All (Amman, 1996) was held to assess what
has been achieved in the five years that followed the Jomtien
Conference. The meeting discussed various new challenges and
the continuing challenges that still have to be addressed.
The Amman Affirmation recommended 'stressing the forms of
learning and critical thinking that enable individuals to
understand changing environments, create new knowledge and
shape their own destinies'. It further noted that the continuing
challenges to the goals of EFA include mainly the education
of women and girls, the training, status and motivation of
teachers, the role of the family and the local community in
education, and the broad partnership to achieve EFA goals.
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Re-affirmation
of the jomtien message at the Arab level
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13.
At the Arab level, the Cairo Declaration (1994) emphasized
the role of education in achieving sustainable development.
The Conference expressed its determination 'to frame educational
programmes that would bring the region into a position of
world prominence in the next century'. The Conference concluded
that two major areas stand out as pressing priorities requiring
concerted action: the problem of illiteracy and the quality
of education.
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14.
Furthermore, the Arab Declaration on Adult Education (Cairo,
1997) re-affirmed the contents of Jomtien Declar- ation (1990)
and Amman Affirmation (1996), and renewed its commitment towards
The Arab Strategy for Education, the Strategy to Eradicate
Illiteracy in the Arab States and the recommendations of the
Arab conferences on education, particularly the Fifth Conference
of Ministers of Education and Those Responsable for Economic
Planning in the Arab States (MINEDARAB V) held in Cairo, 1994.
The Arab Declaration on Adult Education called for the necessity
to consider illiteracy eradication as a top priority for the
development of the Arab States. It also confirmed its endeavour
to ensure new opportunities and educational programmes for
the continuous education of adults.
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II
Achievements and problems
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15.
The efforts exerted at the international, regional and Arab
levels have culminated in various policies, laws, measures,
programmes and activities at the level of each Arab State.
This in turn has lead to an improvement in the quality of
life and to providing learning opportunities and improving
education quality.
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16.
Yet, all that has been achieved by the end of the twentieth
century remains below the expectations. Poverty is still widespread
and, where it exists, educational opportunities decrease and
so does the quality of health care. In addition, there is
a spread of other problems, like unemployment, violence, conflicts
and the continuous threat to family ties and social integration.
Poverty generates poverty, as illiteracy generates illiteracy
conducive to social decline. In some countries, the suffering
is greater than in others; in rural areas more than in urban
ones; in geographically remote areas, and among marginalized
minorities and nomads more than among others.
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| 17.
Although various studies have highlighted the importance of
educating females as a positive investment factor, girls and
women have not sufficiently benefited from the allocated resources.
Where girls do complete a primary education, there is often
a large gender gap in the transition rate to secondary school.
The gap between males and females becomes wider when literacy
is considered. When combined with other factors related to the
quality of life (especially in rural areas and shanty towns)
such as poverty, disability, violence against females, malnutrition,
rapid social changes, unemployment and risks of acquiring diseases
such as AIDS, it appears that the females are more systematically
disadvantaged than their male counterparts, on the basis of
discrimination by gender. Early childhood education still does
not receive the required attention |
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| Early
childhood education still does not receive the required attention
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| 18.
Most of the Arab States have a pre-primary system of education
for children aged 3-5 years. In some States, this takes on a
traditional form, such as the Kuttabs, supported by government
as in Morocco and Mauritania. The gross enrolment ratio (GER),
however, varies between 0.7 per cent and 99 per cent - the educational
indicator showing the widest discrepancy between Arab States.
But all states reported improvement between 1990 and 1999. In
the latter, the ratio is less than 13 per cent in ten states,
between 13 and 50 per cent in six states, and more than 70 per
cent in only two states (Lebanon 71 per cent and Kuwait 99 per
cent). This shows that Arab States, rich and poor countries
alike, do not devote the required attention to ECCD. It seems
that, for the Arab States, education at this stage is primarily
a family matter. |
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| 19.
On the other hand, the percentage of children who attend the
first grade of primary education after pursuing certain pre-primary
schooling (for one year or more) is higher than GER in pre-primary.
This indicates, first, that pre-primary schooling is short term
in most states, and second, that the tendency towards schooling
at the pre-primary level is increasing. In most Arab States,
ECCD still generally constitutes an important challenge, since
it affects school life at the primary level. |
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| Increase
in primary education enrollment |
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| 20.
The most important achievements in the Arab States in the
previous decade relate to enrolment in primary education. Most
of the Arab States either maintained or improved their enrolment
ratio in the first grade (6-7 years old). The countries which
still show low GER at this level (82 per cent and below in late
1990s) are Djibouti, the Sudan, Mauritania and Yemen. Where
enrolment ratios are high, the gender gap is smaller (1 to 4
percentage points), and where they are low it increases (10
percentage points). Yet, when looking at the net enrol- ment
ratio (NER) at the first grade the picture is different: nine
countries show a NER of 82 per cent and below. |
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| 21.
In terms of GER in primary education, the Arab States have demonstrated
significant progress. Only in three countries is GER equal to
68 per cent and below, versus thirteen countries where it is
90 per cent and above (and where gender parity index is 0.9
and above). Two countries have shown a very high rate of progress
between the early and late 1990s: the Sudan and Mauritania.
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| 22.
Besides this progress, the discrepancies between rural and urban
areas are still high, and female participation in primary education
is always less than that of males (the parity index is equal
to 1.0 and above in one country). In addition, the problem of
enrolment appears more striking when looking at the NER. In
spite of a real improvement in the 1990s, there are still six
countries which have a NER of less than 80 per cent, and where
the gap between boys and girls widens in this regard: the parity
index is equal to or less than 0.9 in six countries. |
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| Illiteracy
yet prevails |
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23.
The number of illiterates in the Arab States is estimated
today at 68 million (of which 63 per cent are women). Despite
the expanded efforts, one fourth of these is found in one
country: Egypt (17 million), and 70 per cent in five countries:
Egypt, the Sudan, Algeria, Morocco and Yemen. In most of these
countries illiteracy is accompanied by population size, high
population growth rates, poverty and concentration of population
in rural areas.
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| 24.
It is clear that the feature of illiteracy in the Arab States
is different from that of the expansion of primary education,
for illiteracy is the negative product of education that had
not been completely expanded in the past. The strongest element
in the spread of illiteracy in the Arab States and its strongest
explanatory factor is the gender gap. The Gender Parity Index
in these countries is 0.69. This indicates that illiteracy in
the Arab Region is caused not only by poverty, but also by attitudes
against education of girls and by the absence of effective policies
to change these attitudes. |
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25.
The presence of 68 million illiterates in the Arab Region
and the existence of illiteracy in all Arab States, though
in widely varying rates, not only represent a great challenge
to these states in terms of development, social justice and
the quality of life, but also serves as a serious indictment
to the education systems themselves. These marks are reflected
in the failure of schools to draw children and to retain them
enough to prevent them from returning to illiteracy as well
as in the low level of learning achievement.nt.
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| Quality
education is still a privilege for a few |
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| 26.
After Jomtien, learning achievement was adopted as a key indicator
of the quality of education. Nine Arab States participated (between
1993 and 1999) in the Monitoring Learning Achievement (MLA)
project conducted by UNESCO and UNICEF. The results show that
competencies acquired by pupils in primary education (4th grade)
are far below the standard proposed in Jomtien: only 12 per
cent, 10 per cent and 25 per cent showed high skills (80 per
cent of the competencies or more) in Arabic, mathematics and
life skills, respectively. In Arabic language, only Tunisia
and Morocco achieved the benchmark rate suggested at Jomtien
(80 per cent of pupils). None of the participating states achieved
the suggested level in mastering mathematics com- petencies.
Only Tunisia and Jordan reached the suggested level of achievement
in life-skills tests. In average, the achievement of girls was
better than that of boys. Achievement among pupils in urban
schools was higher than in rural schools. |
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27.
According to the results of the Monitoring Learning Achievement
project, primary education in the Arab States appears to be
of poor quality and not providing for the basic learning needs
to the pupils. This means that, in the past, these states
focused more on providing school places than on enhancing
the quality of education. Therefore, improving the quality
of education constitutes a main challenge to the Arab States.
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| 28.
Among the components of learning acquisition, basic skills for
a better life are to be taken into consideration. Many Arab
States include, in their educational goals and objectives, elements
related to these skills, such as vocational training, health,
environment and citizenship education. Mass media are also mentioned
as a means for the transmission of values and knowledge in relation
to these skills. However, in general, these essential aspects
of learning have not received sufficient attention and the information
about the acquisition of basic skills related to the quality
of life is still very scarce. |
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| Teachers'
qualifications need improvement |
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29.
Data from Arab States show that the teachers fulfilling the
minimum required national qualifications vary widely between
21 per cent and 100 per cent (late 1990s). In addition, the
required entry qualifications vary from completing secondary
school to completing four or five years at a higher education
institution. They also differ in terms of pedagogical requirements
from nil to a full programme approaching international standards.
This is a large discrepancy. The concept of teaching licence
is still not common in educational circles and professionalization
of teaching remains a rhetorical discourse. However, the pupil/teacher
ratio is low in general. It ranges between 11 and 25 in fourteen
states, as opposed to 26 and 30 in three states and 31 and
above in two. Furthermore, more efforts should be exerted
in order to resolve many problems facing the status of teachers,
mainly concerning their work conditions and their social position,
in order to attract young and qualified people.
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| Improvements
in internal efficiency |
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| 30.
Available data on internal efficiency show slight decline in
repetition rates, improvement in the number of pupils staying
at school until the 5th grade and better performance of girls
as compared to boys. However, the primary level of the education
systems in the Arab States still shows weaknesses in internal
efficiency: persistence of drop-out and repetition (which increase
the higher one goes up the educational ladder), and the long
time needed to complete primary education. |
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| Expenditures
on education |
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| 31.
Achievements and problems of education in the Arab States depend
largely, among other factors, on expenditure. Arab States exerted
a substantial effort that led to a greater expenditure on education
in the last decade. But, in view of what has been mentioned
about enrolment ratios and quality of education, the expenditure
on primary education seems to be suffering from different problems:
inadequacy, in some countries, between financial resources and
educational requirements; wastage or lack of rationalization
of spending; weakness in capital expenditure (investment); high
cost of educating remote and widespread population; and weakness
in budgeting techniques. Such problems raise questions about
the potential role of non-governmental organizations, diversification
of financial sources, mobilization of resources, accountability,
and the means to build the national capacity for planning, budgeting
and assessment. |
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| Poor
management of education systems |
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| 32.
If the increase of financial resources may be a pressing need
for poor countries, the major problem in most of Arab States
is how to make a good use of available resources, human as well
as financial. Surveys on learning achievement showed the absence
of developed systems of monitoring. Reports on expenditure show
problems in terms of planning and budgeting. Education management
information systems (EMIS) are lacking in general. Problems
of centralization versus decentralization are still debated.
Thus, the issue of efficient educational management constitutes
a serious challenge in the Arab States in order to meet the
goals of EFA. |
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| III.
Challenges and opportunities |
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33.
Time is passing and, in the Arab Region, millions of individuals
remain deprived of education and millions are getting education
of poor quality, while most of the rest are not appropriately
prepared for the technological era and the international competition
in the new millenium. We are faced with the challenge of achieving
what has not been achieved since Jomtien and with the new
challenges after 2000.
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| 34.
There is a general consensus on EFA goals, and that education
for all is pivotal in addressing increasing poverty, sustaining
socio-economic progress, and honouring the human rights of every
individual. Lacking are the necessary resources. And despite
the political will, and although education stands high on rhetorical
agendas of governments, commitments made at Jomtien by Arab
States remain highly visible but significantly unmet. |
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| 35.
It is more starkly evident that failure to quicken the pace
of progress towards Jomtien goals will have grave consequences
for peace, stability and prosperity. The stage is now set for
a stronger, more action-oriented approach of country initiatives
for basic education, with important international commitment
and support, reset within the circumstances and imperatives
of the new millenium. |
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The
challenges of the twenty-first century - outlook for 2010
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36.
Globalization imposes a labour market that surpasses the boundaries
of countries and a tough competition according to the acquired
qualifications. These qualifications are primarily the product
of learning.
37. Globalization furthermore dictates the increasing
use of technology, which is the most efficient means for production
and communication. But the ability to make use of technology
and what that entails in terms of skills and knowledge is
also a product of learning. So what can the Arab educational
authorities and organizations do to prevent marginalization
and to positively participate in the globalization process?
38. Technology also induces in people a deep transformation
in how to learn, how to use what they have learned, and how
to evaluate the importance and relevance of what they have
learned. We live in a period where economical progress is
essentially based on knowledge. Thus, learning becomes more
than ever a decisive factor in prosperity.
39. This also means that the cost of learning will
increase. This is as true for households as it is for countries.
Poor countries, unable to enter more technology-intensive-based
markets, run the risk of excessive marginalization in trade
and investment. In developed and developing countries alike,
poverty and inequality at the household levels are increasingly
associated with educational attainment. And the gap is widening
between those who have access to information and the capacity
to use technology of communication (e-mail, e-commerce and
e-learning) and those who don't or can't.
40. The Arab States furthermore face the problem of
the usage of foreign language as the technological medium.
Mastering a foreign language is not generalized, nor is the
Arabization of technology.
41. The unpredictable changes surrounding our
lives give daily new meaning to the imperatives of the Jomtien
commitments. That is because, as skills requirements for adequate,
livelihood sustaining employment rise, basic education becomes
ever more essential for work, or for school success and transition
to secondary and higher levels of education.
42. Demographic growth poses another challenge to the
education systems. While the annual average growth rate is
estimated for the years 2000-2010 at 1.2 per cent for the
world and 1.5 per cent for the developing countries, it is
2.5 per cent for the Arab States. In 2010, the estimated population
of the age group 5-18 years old is 110 million. If the enrolment
ratio in general education will be around 80 per cent for
this age group, Arab States have to ensure educational opportunities
to 88 million students, i.e. to provide resources for an additional
29 million students (present figure: 59 million students).
This demographic increase places severe pressures on the education
systems in terms of expenditure, management, qualified human
resources, etc. At the same time, the population growth entails
competing demands for resources to ensure other basic needs
such as nutrition, housing, health services, etc. Some education
systems in the Arab States have suffered from high indebtedness
and the consequences of applying structural adjustment and
economic reform policies.
43.
Furthermore, in the past decade a number of Arab States suffered
from persistent troubles and conflicts (Algeria and the Sudan),
embargoes (Iraq, Lybian Arab Jamahiriya and the Sudan), occupation
and wars (Lebanon, Palestine, Syrian Arab Republic and the
Sudan). The education systems in these countries suffered
deeply from these troubles which hindered their capacities
and delayed the achievement of their objectives according
to the Jomtien Declaration. The return to peace and normal
life through the elimination of all forms of occupation, embargoes,
conflicts and tensions appears to be a sine qua non precondition
to ensure education for all in troubled areas. In parallel,
education has a role to play in contributing to create a peaceful
environment in the region.
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Building
on available opportunities and progress made
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44.
Facing these challenges does not initiate from a void. It
has to be recognized that there are opportunities available
that were not there a decade ago. An unequivocal global consensus
has been forged around the critical role of education for
sustainable human development. There is an even stronger reaffirmation
of the importance of human rights. Since the Copenhagen Summit
(1995), there is renewed concern for the rights of the socially
excluded, marginalized, and impoverished, and mounting recognition
of the benefits for societies of educating females.
45.
Donors are answering the calls from countries to strengthen
ownership of competencies and the development of national
capacities. The educational deterioration that many developing
countries experienced in the 1990s has been stemmed. And it
is noticeable that civil society has become more likely to
assume its responsibilities.
46. New and creative ways are now available also for
reaching out to learners with disabilities or learning difficulties,
as a means of ensuring that their capacities for learning
are given the utmost chance to flourish.
47. Modern information and communication technologies
offer in general enormous potential for educational outreach,
enhancing access, self-paced learning and meticulous assessment
of learning outcomes.
48. At the national level, new synergies are beginning
to develop around more comprehensive governance systems and
the participation of a wider set of actors, such as NGOs representing
civil society in educational planning and implementation.
49. At the global level, original core sponsorship
of education for all (by UNESCO, UNICEF, the World Bank and
UNDP) has extended through the International Consultative
Forum to engage another United Nations agency (UNFPA) and
representation from a wide set of public, private and non-governmental
constituencies.
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The
Year 2000: renewing the commitment to the Jomtien Declaration
50. Ten years after the Jomtien Declaration, the definition
of basic education and the commitments surrounding it still
stand as a persistent challenge to the Arab States. This Declaration
focused, for the first time, on the basic learning needs of
neglected minorities and on learning achievement rather than
on mere school enrolment.
51. The ten articles of the Jomtien Declaration
throw lights, illuminating the road ahead:(1)
Meeting basic learning needs;(2)
shaping the vision; (3)
universalizing access and promoting equity; (4)
focusing on learning acquisition; (5)
broadening the means and scope of basic education; (6)
enhancing the environment for learning; (7)
strengthening partnerships; (8)
developing supporting policy context; (9)
mobilizing resources; and (10)
strengthening international solidarity.
52.
The Jomtien Declaration remains even more vibrant and relevant
today. The commitment should be renewed. And the follow-up
efforts already exerted by the states must be continued and
enriched by the experiences and the information gained during
the past decade. We have a shared responsibility to ensure
that failure is prevented.
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The
Arab Framework for Action: a guide for all the partners to
achieve EFA
53. Taking into account the above-mentioned background,
the achievements and the problems in the Arab States and the
challenges - those imposed by what was unmet in the 1990s
and those imposed by the developments of the twenty-first
century - the Arab States are called upon to adopt this Framework
for Action and to act in conformity with it.
54. The purpose of the Arab Framework for Action is
to act as a reference and a guide for all stakeholders concerned
with education in the Arab States and committed to achieving
education for all, in their plans and programmes, each within
its adopted goals, missions, and target groups, with the view
of strengthening partnerships at the global, regional and
local levels, in the single aim of meeting basic learning
needs of all by 2010.
55. The main stakeholders to this Framework
are:
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(1)
The governments of the Arab States which hold responsibility
for immediate action towards achieving the goals of education
for all, and for leading and co-ordinating actions aimed
at achieving these goals;
(2)
All stakeholders from civil society at the national level,
i.e. universities and other educational institutions, NGOs,
the private sector, etc., which should take a proactive
role in contributing significantly to the achievement of
the goals of education for all;
(3)
Arab and other regional organizations in the Arab States
Region responsible for providing support and for promoting
bilateral and multilateral co-operation at the Arab regional
level; and
(4)
International agencies and organizations responsible for
providing support and promoting bilateral and multilateral
co-operation at the international level.
|
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| IV.
Principles for action |
| |
56.
The following five principles are proposed as guidelines for
all actions aiming at ensuring the provision of basic learning
needs in the Arab States.
57. The principle of comprehensiveness, which
includes the following: |
| |
- Viewing
education for all through the expanded vision confirmed
in Jomtien;
- Considering
learning as one of the key components of the quality of
life, and an essential factor in improving this quality;
- The
acknowledgment at all levels and sectors of society that
learning is the cornerstone to sustainable human development;
- Dealing
with the learner in a holistic manner, in order to understand
their surrounding environment, and to meet their needs and
develop their personalities in an integrated and harmonious
manner.
|
| |
| 58.
The principle of equity, which consists of the following:.
|
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- Considering
access to educational opportunities as an absolute right
to be provided by society to all citizens of all ages without
discrimination;
- Considering
social and geographical inequality of educational opportunities
as a factor leading to the creation of a gap in society
that is hard to close;
- Integrating
in the educational plans and processes the various excluded
groups, such as the impoverished, rural populations, the
marginalized, the displaced, refugees, nomads, immigrants,
street and working children, and others in difficult circumstances;
- Addressing
the needs of special groups and racial, religious, and cultural
minorities when generalizing programmes and curricula;
- Considering
gender discrimination in basic education as incompatible
with social equity and with development needs, and as a
breach in human rights;
- Considering
the inclusion of learners with special needs, especially
those with disabilities and learning difficulties, in educational
programmes, as a right and an essential means for their
self-actualization and social integration;
- Providing
the gifted and talented with special care and an appropriate
teaching/learning environment so as to develop their talents
and capacities in order to contribute in the development
process and to meet the challenges of the future.
|
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| 59.
The principle of a learner-friendly environment, which
includes the following: |
| |
- Providing
a healthy and secure environment to learners;
- Providing
quality education relevant to learners' needs and to the
requirements of the changing society;
- Providing
an educational environment based on mutual rights and responsibilities,
and non-discrimination between genders;
- Fostering
the attitudes that enhance the values of respect, tolerance,
and understanding of others;
- Promoting
independent thinking and expression among learners;
- Providing
committed teachers keen to discover the learners' potentials
and to work for their development;
- Making
this environment available and affordable to all.
|
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| 60.
The principle of commitment, which includes the following: |
| |
- High-level
re-commitment at all levels of government and leadership
in civil society, regional and international organizations
and other partners, to renewed efforts towards meeting the
basic learning needs of all, children, youth, and adults,
in line with national and international goals and targets;
- Commitment
by all relevant bodies to a renewed campaign for resource
mobilization at all levels, global and local, to provide
more innovative and equitable formulas to resolve the problem
of human and financial resources of countries in the greatest
need.
|
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| 61.
The principle of keeping pace with technological advancements,
which includes the following: |
| |
-
Considering the rapid transformations in technology of communication
as a supporting factor for the provision of education, starting
from basic education. Among other things, technology helps
in classifying learning objectives and determining the expected
performance from learners, subdividing subject matters and
facilitating their presentation, individualizing learning,
assessing learning and analysing learner's performance,
and conducting examinations, and using distant education
to get access to populations in geographically remote areas;
- Considering
the use of technology, which includes, in addition to hardware
and software, the use of Arabic and of foreign languages,
as indispensable to help education meet the challenges of
the new century.
|
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| V.
Objectives and orientations for implementation |
| |
|
62.
The Jomtien Framework for Action invited all Member States
to develop their special goals and objectives in their efforts
to meet the basic learning needs of children, youth and adults.
63. The EFA mid-decade review meeting (Amman, 1996)
emphasized five major areas of concern: improving learning
achievement, mobilizing resources, developing partnerships,
building national capacities and meeting the basic learning
needs for all in the twenty-first century.
64.
With the end of the decade, it is necessary to acknowledge
the difficulties facing education systems which have prevented
the Jomtien goals from being achieved. Among these difficulties
have been shortage of financial and human resources or their
misallocation and waste, poor mobilization, the difficulties
related to the management of a complex system such as education
and the complexity of its relationship with other systems,
the mismatch between the size of the pressure to meet the
goals and the size of the exerted efforts, etc.
65. The successes achieved should also be recognized
and the commitment among the four major groups of partners
that hold responsibility for achieving the goal in the future,
i.e. governments, civil society, regional agencies and organizations,
and international agencies and organizations renewed, and
all have to set clear goals and objectives.
|
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| Seven
Objectives |
| |
| 66.
Therefore, building on the Jomtien Declaration and the present
needs of the Arab States, the new objectives and targets for
achieving the ultimate goal of education for all in the Arab
States could be re-defined for the coming years (2000-2010)
as follows (these objectives allow for periodical assessment
of the progress achieved): |
| |
(1)
Expanded and improved early childhood care and development,
which includes, besides providing health care, nutrition
and other basic social services to young children, providing
them opportunities for learning and development at educational
institutions with a view to fully developing their capacities
including their physical, cognitive, creative and psycho-social
abilities.
(2) Extending basic education and its provision to achieve
high quality education leading to excellence for all children,
with special emphasis on those with special needs. This
requires ensuring compulsory basic education, supporting
needy families in enrolling their children in schools, categorically
prohibiting child employment, and providing for the inclusion
in schools of all children, including those with special
needs.
(3) Extended opportunities for basic education and training
programmes to acquire life and vocational skills for all
youth and adults. This includes enhancing the existing non-formal
learning structures, developing new ones and providing diversified
forms of technical and vocational training and lifelong
learning for both males and females.
(4) Universalizing literacy among adolescents, and decreasing
illiteracy rates among adults by setting realistic yet still
ambitious targets, which would lead to significant progress.
(5) Ensuring mastery of basic learning skills and excellence
for all through the empowerment of all learners to attain
outstanding achievement levels that make full use of their
potential, starting with the mastery of basic skills, vocational
and life skills, and attaining excellence in creativity
and inventiveness. This will require improving the quality
of education in all its aspects, including teachers' qualifications
and conditions of employment, curricula, teaching and assessment
methods, and the learning environment.
(6)
Full equality and effective participation in basic education
for girls and women, and the elimination of gender biases
and disparities in all schools and education systems.
(7) Improving educational governance and management, which
entails improving decision-making processes, accountability
systems, building capacities, and extending and strengthening
partnerships in planning, implementation, monitoring and
evaluation.
|
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| Each state
sets its own targets for each of these objectives in such a
manner as to allow the assessment of the progress made, reviewing
these targets periodically and modifying them according to new
developments. |
| |
| Five
Orientations for implementation: |
| |
|
67.
Five orientations for implementation constitute the approaches
to be adopted at the national level towards reaching the determined
objectives.
|
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Orientation
1: Promote partnerships, which includes the following
mechanisms:
- Organizing the support provided by regional and international
organizations, and by bilateral and multilateral co-operation
in a concerted manner and orienting it according to national
priorities;
- Greater
participation of civil society in designing, implementing
and monitoring basic education programmes, and allowing
for the participation of the private sector, NGOs, local
communities and religious foundations, in the achievement
of EFA goals;
- Better
co-operation, exchange of information, transparency, accountability
and trust amongst all partners in the process of universalizing
basic education.
Orientation 2: Integrate programs and projects, through:
- Implementing integrated health, social and educational
policies. Health problems can prevent children from attending
school and from learning. Ensuring that children are healthy
and able to learn is especially relevant to efforts to increase
enrolment and learning achievement, i.e. it encourages the
poorest and most disadvantaged children to attend school
and to devote the needed efforts for success;
- Incorporating
all programmes for the education of children, youth and
adults into an integrated national vision and linking the
educational plans to the economic and social development
plans within the framework of sustainable development efforts
and strategies. Also, employment policies based on training,
education, and the eradication of illiteracy increase the
value of learning in society, with its subsequent rewards;
- Ensuring
synergies between the different programmes of education,
considering that adult education affects the education of
children and that expanding secondary education creates
incentives to expanding enrolment in primary edu- cation;
- Using
all available media and technological channels in coordination
with the efforts exerted in education.
Orientation
3: Promote knowledge-based decision-making and inform everybody.
This includes:
- Assessing curricular objectives, contents, teaching methods,
forms of evaluation and activities, and examining the needs,
aspirations and achievements of each learner through scientific
research, in order to take objective decisions thereon.
- Providing
society with a clear picture of educational reality, after
collection, analysis, and dissemination of relevant data,
in order to ensure societal accountability.
Orientation 4: Mobilize all possible resources through
the enhancement of national investments in education, effective
use of available human and material resources, and the mobilization
of support from all concerned parties (the public sector,
the private sector, the local communities, non-governmental
organizations, bilateral and multilateral co-operation agencies
and regional and international organizations) towards education
for all.
Orientation 5: Enhance management and monitoring
efficiency, which encompasses the following:
- Setting clear targets to be achieved at the national (and
local) level, that reflect what had been agreed upon internationally
and nationally, and any other commitments. These objectives
should emphasize, along with quantitative aspects, the qualitative
aspects, such as the levels of expected achievement in terms
of knowledge and skills to be acquired, the quality of educational
material and environment. These objectives must identify
the categories that should receive priority;
- Designing
and implementing schemes for the monitoring and assessment
of curricula, and for the adjustment of processes;
- Developing
the management systems, enhancing the qualifications of
human resources, and building national capacities;
- Institutionalizing
assessment and follow up;
- Rationalizing
expenditures.
|
| |
| Each State
is invited to develop a self-monitoring system of its commitment
to each orientation proposed in this Framework for Action, of
its implementation of these orientations, as well as the difficulties
related to them. |
| |
| V. Priorities |
| |
|
Two
priorities for All Arab States:
68. In view of the achievements of the Arab States
collectively in the expansion of basic education (Objective
2), the problem occupying the first priority in the Arab Region
as a whole is that of the quality of education. Therefore,
and in accordance with the Cairo Declaration as well, improving
the quality of education is to be considered as the first
priority in the Arab Framework for Action for meeting the
goals of education for all at both quantitative and qualitative
levels. This means that Arab countries must aim at ensuring
mastery of basic learning skills and excellence for all. In
spite of all efforts made to universalize basic education,
the provision of a high-quality education remains a goal imposed
by the sustainable development requirements, a positive attitude
towards globalization, and the challenges of the world market
competition and free trade. This priority encompasses all
educational processes and skills, including the achievement
by all learners of nationally defined and objectively measured
levels of learning in literacy, numeracy and life skills,
including technology skills, that entail open-mindedness,
development of thinking, the desire for knowledge and the
desire to seek knowledge from all sources. Within this priority,
the emphasis goes to improving the teachers' status, including
their qualifications and work conditions. The slogan for the
coming years in the Arab States should be: teachers' empowerment,
professionalization and training to reach the highest possible
levels in scientific, professional and cultural specialization.
69. In view of the limited human and financial
resources available, it is of utmost importance in the Arab
States to mobilize efforts and capabilities. That will require
good governance and good management, both to assist in the
achievement of the quality of education and other goals, and
to ensure the implementation of the determined principles
adopted in the Framework for Action. Therefore, improving
educational governance and management (Objective 7) can be
considered as the second priority in the Arab Region as a
whole. This includes the development of education decision-support
systems and building national capacities at central, regional,
and local levels, to ensure the use of knowledge in decision-making
at all these levels and in all educational endeavours, from
policies to planning and management of operational activities,
and from mobilization of resources to monitoring and assessment
of results. Within this priority the emphasis would be in
the coming years on capacity-building.
Eradication of illiteracy: a top priority for national,
regional, and international mobilization
70. The Arab States, singly and jointly, are concerned
with all objectives of the Arab Framework for Action. But,
considering the massive and important problems facing them,
whether in catching up with previous commitments or in meeting
the demands of the coming century, the greatest problem for
the Arab States is, in general, that of illiteracy. There
are two reasons for this: the first relates to the number
of illiterates in these countries (around 68 million, or 38.5
per cent of the population 15 years of age or older) and with
the wide gender gap in literacy (Parity Index = 0.69). The
second relates to the multiplier effect of literacy. Illiteracy
among adults, especially women, lowers children's school enrolment
and the educational achievement (quality of education) of
those in school, and exacerbates failure and early school
drop-out rates (effectiveness of education). Illiteracy is
also associated with early marriage, high fertility and high
infant mortality rates. Illiteracy reinforces gender discrimination
in society, while literacy helps improve the overall quality
of life.
71. Therefore, and in accordance with the Cairo Declaration
(1994), the eradication of illiteracy is today (in the year
2000) a high priority in the Arab States for national, regional
and international mobilization of resources to achieve EFA
goals (Objective 4). For, as stated in the Cairo Declaration:
'It is impossible to imagine the development and resurgence
of the Arab world without putting an end to the problem of
illiteracy in all the Arab countries.' Within this priority,
the emphasis goes first to the education of girls and women.
Two other priorities for Arab co-operation and national development
72. In view of the relative neglect of early childhood
education in the Arab States and the potential of such education
for the enhancement of learning achievement and improving
internal efficiency in primary school, early childhood care
and development deserves much more attention in the coming
ten years, particularly in regional co-operation activities
and among those states where illiteracy does not constitute
a heavy burden. Efforts should be devoted both to the expansion
and diversification of ECCD delivery services, and to the
innovation and improvement of educational curricula, bearing
in mind that early childhood care and development is not confined
to pre-schooling but includes care given by the whole family
from birth onwards.
73. In parallel to the above-mentioned priorities,
efforts should be made to diversify delivery systems of educational
services to youth and adults, in order to broaden educational
opportunities. The enormous potential of new information and
communication technologies should be exploited at the national,
sub-regional and regional levels. In terms of educational
methods, priority should be given to the development of a
multimedia environment to be used both for formal and non-formal
education, encouraging the investment in cultural industries
related to teaching/learning activities.
Each Arab State has its own national priorities
74. The aforementioned sets of priorities apply to
the Arab States as a whole, but it is difficult to apply to
them individually. In fact, some states are close to overcoming
the problem of illiteracy and the gender gap related to it.
These include Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Palestine,
Qatar, Kuwait and Lebanon, followed by the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya,
Saudi Arabia and the Syrian Arab Republic. For other countries,
illiteracy remains the number one challenge, and these include
Egypt, the Sudan, Morocco, Mauritania and Yemen, followed
by Tunisia, Algeria, Djibouti, Iraq and Oman. This discrepancy
in positions changes the scale of priorities from one group
to another. The same should be said about early childhood
education, where Kuwait and Lebanon are approaching full enrolment.
75.
In all cases, each country is called upon to define its priorities
and their sequence of importance according to the problems
facing it and to review these priorities in a periodical manner
according to what has been achieved. This is a necessary step
to define the plan of action in each country and, in that
light, to define the extent of Arab regional and international
co-operation.
.
|
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| VII.
Arab regional and international co-operation |
| |
Increasing
the efficiency of Arab co-operation
76. The Arab Region is composed of twenty-one states,
most of which share a common language and a common culture.
Furthermore, and more important, they are bonded by a sense
of belonging to one nation, in that what besets one state affects
the others, and by a sense of combined strength of will for
the general progress of the Arab nation. A condition for that
progress is the achievement of the goals of education for all,
both quantitatively and qualitatively.
77. Arab States are also brought together by Arab regional
organizations concerned with the issues of co-ordination and
co-operation among the different states. In the year 2000, the
Arab States will renew their commitments for co-operation and
their faith in its returns for all. The disparity in development
levels is an additional incentive for the establishment of that
co-operation. Achieving the education for all goals will be
the product of their individual and collective efforts.
78. This co-operation will take place mainly through
two channels: |
| |
- Bilateral
and multi-lateral relations, where the exchange of information
and experiences takes place, where assistance is provided,
agreements are concluded, and the flow of human resources
and investments is encouraged;
- Networks,
and regional and sub-regional organizations (ALECSO, ISESCO,
ABEGS, AGFUND) which develop joint programmes and projects
in co-operation with international organizations, and provide
technical information and expertise.
|
|
|
79.
In view of the experience of the past decade where the achievements
of the Arab States, collectively and individually, did not
meet the requirements , the Arab States are invited to do
the following:
|
| |
(1)
Assess the previous co-operation experiences through the
two above-mentioned channels, to enhance co-operation in
the coming years and extend the benefits derived from co-operation
on everyone, including the establishment of specialized
regional centres, joint programmes and projects, as well
as common lists of learning competencies expected from learners.
(2)
Renew the mobilization of bilateral and multilateral co-
operation. This requires that each country lists its priorities
for co-operation, in terms of partners, as well as in terms
of types of co-operation, capabilities to assist and the
areas where assistance is needed. More developed countries
are called upon to provide assistance for less developed
countries.
(3)
Strengthen Arab organizations, specialized regional centres,
and Arab networks and programmes. This will involve enhancing
the capacities of these agencies and helping them direct
their activities towards more assistance for needier countries.
(4)
Consider efforts to address shortcomings in the achievement
of the set objectives of basic education in any state of
the Region as a joint Arab responsibility.
|
| |
| Increasing
the benefit of Arab-international co-operation |
|
| |
| 80.
In their approach to co-operation with international institutions
and organizations, especially those located in the Arab region,
the Arab States should refer to the Jomtien Declaration concerning
international co-operation: |
| |
(1)
'Meeting basic learning needs constitutes a common and universal
human responsibility. It requires international solidarity
and equitable and fair economic relations in order to redress
existing economic disparities. All nations have valuable
knowledge and experiences to share in designing effective
educational policies and programmes'.
(2)
'Substantial and long-term increases in resources for basic
education will be needed. The world community, including
governmental agencies and institutions, has an urgent responsibility
to alleviate the constraints that prevent some countries
from achieving the goals of education for all.'
|
| |
| 81.
Arab States should also refer to the Jomtien Framework for Action
on action priorities at the international level. These include: |
1) 'Enhancing national capacities' for designing and managing
programmes and services for basic education;
2)
'Providing sustained long-term support for national and
regional actions', which includes providing 'increased international
funding . . . to help the less developed countries implement
their own autonomous plans for action in line with the expanded
vision of basic Education for All';
3)
'Providing technical assistance on policy issues.'
|
| 82.
Therefore, taking into consideration the experience of the past
decade, Arab States call upon the international community to
do the following: |
- Renew the international commitment to provide financial
assistance to the less developed Arab States that are unable,
with their own resources and with those provided by Arab
co-operation, to fulfil the requirements for achieving the
education for all goals within the coming ten years;
- Renew the commitment of international agencies and organizations,
especially those sponsoring the Arab Regional Conference
on Education for All (Cairo), and those participating in
the World Education Forum (Dakar), to provide sustained
and long-term assistance for national and Arab regional
activities, especially those linked to developing national
capacities and to designing and implementing priority strategies,
plans, programmes and projects for education.
|
| 83.
For their part, Arab States will renew their commitment for
positive interaction with international agencies and organizations,
under the banner of the Jomtien Declaration, especially in the
area of knowledge development and data-base construction. They
will undertake periodical assessment studies on education in
these states, in line with the goals and orientations adopted
in this Arab Framework for Action. |
| |
| VIII.
Designing national autonomous plans for action |
| |
84.
The EFA 2000 Assessment allowed each Arab State to recognize
its decade's achievements and what it was unable to achieve.
It helped each state to understand what prevented it from achieving
the EFA goals. These countries are invited to perform such an
assessment in a periodic manner.
85. The Arab Framework provides a guide for each country
to work towards achieving its own targets based upon the principles,
objectives, strategies, priorities and forms of Arab and international
co-operation set out in this document.
86. Each Arab State is now called upon to determine
a time frame for future action, identifying specific targets
to be achieved by the year 2010. These targets should be phased
so that at the end of each phase a new assessment could be made
of what has and what has not been achieved.
87. In this respect, each Arab State is invited to define,
according to its own circumstances and possibilities, the upper
and lower limits that it shall strive to attain with regard
to each individual EFA objective contained in this Framework
for Action. It is also called upon to enshrine its commitments
in official and public texts.
88. Defining objectives and targets to achieve requires
more than political will and intentions. It also requires educational
and scientific research reflecting the actual educational situation
and examining possible action alternatives, including governance
and management methods, centralization versus decentralization,
public versus private sector, role of the civil society, sources
of local, national, regional and international funding, forms
and direction for co-operation, etc. At this stage, national
stakeholders should initiate and maintain the necessary communication
with other states and organizations, and survey the local human
and financial resources so that planning for maximal mobilization
of resources and capacities can be undertaken in a realistic
manner. Based on all this, the minimum and maximum thresholds
for achievement can be defined for each of the seven objectives
mentioned in this Framework for Action.
89. Therefore, the Arab States are called upon
to meet again in 2002 in a regional Arab Ministerial Conference,
the subject of which would be education for all in the Arab
States - targets for 2010. At this meeting, the Arab States,
and the Arab and international organizations, could deliberate
on the orientation of the national plans within the context
of Arab and international support and co-operation.
90. The regional organizations and the international
community are called upon to assist all Arab States to develop
their autonomous plans for achieving the goals of education
for all, in preparation of the Ministerial Conference proposed
for 2002. |
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