The Minister of Education witnesses the activities of the International Day for Literacy and Adult Education
Dr. Reda Hegazy, Minister of Education and Technical Education, witnessed the activities of the International Day for Literacy and Adult Education, organized by the UNESCO Regional Office in Cairo.
This came in the presence of Dr. Noria Sanz, Director of the UNESCO Regional Office in Cairo, Dr. Mohamed Nassef, Head of the Adult Education Authority, Dr. Khaled Khader, Director of the Regional Center for Adult Education (ESFIC) Egypt, Dr. Marie-Anne Therese Munson, Education Program Specialist at the UNESCO Regional Office for Science in the Arab Countries, and Dr. Hegazy Ibrahim, Advisor to the Minister for Literacy Eradication and Lifelong Learning, and a group of experts in adult education programs in Egypt.
At the beginning of his speech, Dr. Reda Hegazy welcomed all the experts and partners in adult education programs in Egypt, expressing his thanks and appreciation to the UNESCO Regional Office in Cairo for the support and cooperation with the Adult Education Authority and the Ministry of Education and Technical Education in several projects, stressing the Ministry’s keenness to enhance cooperation. And partnership with the UNESCO Regional Office in Cairo in various fields of education.
The Minister also expressed his happiness to participate in these events, which aim to remind the world of the importance of adult education as well as provide spaces for discussion about challenges, opportunities and achievements at the international and local levels, saying: “This year’s celebration of International Literacy Day comes at a transitional stage that the world is going through. We are halfway to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals until 2030, of which literacy and adult education constitute a primary goal. We are also in a transitional phase after the Covid-19 crisis, which exacerbated educational challenges in the world as well as in Egypt, represented by an increase in the number of illiterates and dropouts. Of education.”
Dr. Reda Hegazy explained that Egypt has always paid great attention to the problem of illiteracy, as the compulsory education law and general rules for adult education were enacted in 1924, and the Adult Education Authority was established in 1991, which is the largest in the Arab region and the most established with its branches spread across all governorates of Egypt. He added that despite the great efforts made by the Authority, as well as by partners from civil society organizations, the increase in the number of illiterates, especially among females and in remote areas, is due to various reasons, the most important and dangerous of which is the lack of accurate information, as well as weak governance and coordination between partners, and low motivation among illiterate people to join the movement. Adult education programs and the challenge of overpopulation.
The minister continued: “We have a certain awareness that eradicating adult illiteracy is a basic human right, a means to enjoy other social, economic and health rights, and a pillar for building the foundations of peace and development in the new republic. We see that eradicating illiteracy is not only for achieving personal benefits, but an essential lever for achieving the desired transformations.” for more sustainable development.
Dr. Reda Hegazy affirmed that there are some directives necessary to make real transformations in adult education in our beloved country, Egypt. The first is to reimagine definitions and purposes in eradicating illiteracy. So that the indicator of freedom from illiteracy is not learning the alphabet only, but enhancing literacy, to include the ability to understand, analyze and create texts, as well as ensuring that the person freed from illiteracy is provided with the skills, values and knowledge necessary for his self-development and full active participation in his society. The second direction is a shift in our conviction in erasing Illiteracy moves from the concept of one competency at a specific time to a continuum of competencies that can be changed throughout life, for example the current necessities of integrating digital learning, media literacy, environmental and health awareness, communication skills, critical thinking skills, and project building into adult education programs.
The Minister stressed the importance of transforming the vision of lifelong learning into a community practice and culture in all formal and informal sectors and in all places, including the factory, the family and the club, and expanding partnerships to include the civil, private and business sectors, with an integrated methodology, governance and careful coordination, adding that in order for us to be able to implement the previous He mentioned that we need concrete measures, legislative changes, shifts in programs, expansion of partnerships and organized governance, and before that, building community convictions and listening to the voice and needs of local illiterate people.
Dr. Reda Hegazy said: “A national initiative has been prepared to enhance literacy and develop a strategy for lifelong learning. The Ministry, in cooperation with partners, has begun setting broad outlines for the completion of the national initiative. The initiative will absorb and translate all the global intellectual developments in adult learning, whether from the Seventh Conventia Conference.” In Marrakesh 2022, and the United Nations Conference on Transformations in Education 2022, but with realistic national arrangements and standards.
The Minister added that the initiative will reflect a transformative approach in the work of the Adult Education Authority, as well as taking the approach of effective and integrated partnership with government agencies and civil sectors, as well as making real changes in the contents, programs and methods, noting that the initiative is being developed in cooperation with the UNESCO office, and we hope that all partners will Cooperation in making the national initiative a success
For her part, Nuria Sanz, Regional Director of UNESCO in Cairo, stressed that the International Literacy Day is very important because of its impact on one of the basic human rights, noting that literacy is essential to providing individuals with relevant knowledge, skills and competencies, transforming education, and forming more sustainable societies. and peaceful.
Nuria Sanz spoke about the new initiative, which includes a new comprehensive education and learning package for Egyptian women, which is being developed by the UNESCO Cairo Office, the Adult Education Authority, and the UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning, stressing that empowering women through the acquisition of basic skills and knowledge is a step towards gender equality and development. sustainable in Egypt.
She pointed out that reading, writing and arithmetic are an engine for sustainable development, as they empower individuals and help them acquire more knowledge, skills and competencies necessary to improve work, care for the environment and quality of life. This is what the UNESCO office in Cairo, in cooperation with the Ministry of Education, aims to achieve.
In his speech, Dr. Muhammad Nassif emphasized that adult education is one of the main tools and keys within society to achieve sustainable development in its social, economic and environmental dimensions, and the elimination or reduction of illiteracy is the only passport to liberation from ignorance, poverty, disease and unemployment and to achieve economic, social and health empowerment. Security and political, as the International Day this year aims to raise awareness of the suffering of more than [775] million people around the world from the seriousness of illiteracy, as women represent two-thirds of this number, the backbone of the family, and the family is the first building block in society, and that caring for women’s education is caring for society as a whole, Focusing on the role of teachers and changing teaching practices in light of technology, which saves time, effort and costs, and makes the learning process fun and interesting, and we define future and modern strategies to reduce this problem, and exchange global experiences and successful practices.
Nassif emphasized the importance of hosting think tanks and dialogue forums to develop strategies and implement the best policies for the issue of literacy to raise awareness of the importance of the issue, and to emphasize urging young people to volunteer in fighting illiteracy as one of the most important social problems whose negative effects are reflected in sustainable development in its social, economic and environmental dimensions.
Nassef pointed out that the eradication of illiteracy will contribute to achieving many gains that contribute to building more sustainable and more peaceful societies, as these gains are represented in achieving social cohesion within society, strengthening the concepts of loyalty and belonging, and understanding the cultural, social, economic and historical aspects of the society in which they live. This will enable them to accept diversity and acceptance of the other, and enable adult learners to access information, and this will help limit the spread of rumors, misinformation, and fake news that may cause confusion and conflicts within the same society, and help adult learners resolve conflicts that may arise between them in peaceful ways. Those who are literate and numerate can effectively express their ideas and concerns to reach common ground and compromise solutions, in addition to promoting gender equality and empowering women; When a woman learns to read and write, this makes her able to participate in decision-making processes, obtain her real opportunity in education and work, and contribute to the development of her family and society, which contributes to building more peaceful societies.
In his speech, Dr. Khaled Khader stressed that despite the great progress in advancing illiteracy all over the world, an estimated 763 million people still lack basic reading, writing and numeracy skills, and females represent two-thirds, so there is an urgent need to put forward innovative strategies and programs to eradicate Illiteracy, especially since literacy is the basis of lifelong learning, rather it is an integral part not only of the right to education, but of the right to life.
In order to foster a true learning society, learning systems must shift away from rigid and fragmented structures towards a lifelong learning process based on lifelong learning and skills improvement in formal and informal settings.
He stressed the importance of taking advantage of artificial intelligence to make teaching and learning more widespread, easier and more comprehensive.
He pointed out that the Regional Center for Adult Education in Sers El-Layan, in cooperation with the partner agencies (UNESCO office in Cairo, the Adult Education Authority, the Ministry of Social Solidarity, and civil society institutions), is always trying to achieve the goals of UNESCO and the Ministry of Education in achieving the goals of sustainable development and lifelong learning for the learner. Great.
During the celebration, Dr. Hegazy Ibrahim, Advisor to the Minister for Literacy and Lifelong Learning, presented a presentation on "Features of Egypt's National Strategy for Lifelong Learning", during which he reviewed the concept of illiteracy and freedom from it, and the obstacles facing societies such as the reluctance of illiterate people to learn, early dropout from education, educational poverty, Referring to illiteracy and negative societal convictions, pointing to the importance of uniting civil society efforts to overcome illiteracy.
He also reviewed the main objectives of the initiative, the national campaigns for adult education, and the expanded educational programs and contents, in addition to reviewing features of the initiative's methodology to be parallel and gradual in order to bear fruit and achieve its goals.