The Grand Imam receives the Minister of Education
His Eminence the Grand Imam, Prof. Dr. Ahmed El-Tayeb, Sheikh of Al-Azhar Al-Sharif, received at Al-Azhar Sheikhdom, Mr. Mohamed Abdel Latif, Minister of Education and Technical Education, to discuss ways to enhance joint cooperation.
His Eminence the Grand Imam said that education is one of the most important pillars for strengthening the religious and cultural identity of the youth and young people, and it is the protective wall to protect our children from the dangers of extremist thought and cultural invasion that aims to distort the system of values and morals, and normalize malignant societal diseases and behaviors that are inconsistent with sound human nature such as homosexuality and sexual relations outside the framework of the marriage system. Therefore, education in our Arab world has a specificity and an independent personality that must be consistent with the aspirations of the nation to create youth cadres capable of carrying the banner of leadership in the future.
His Eminence stressed the danger of being led by what is known as “modern educational systems and methods” which have undeclared goals to exclude our Arab and religious identity, and the need to be aware of plans to hijack Arab education in a way that serves the agendas of cultural invasion, and the need to restore the school to its prestigious role and its usual splendor, and that education should not be a burden on families, and that educational curricula should include what guarantees the building and graduation of young people capable of adhering to the values of religion and morality. His Eminence stressed the danger of dramatic works that aim to undermine the value of knowledge and the teacher, stating, "We must provide the appropriate environment to respect and appreciate the teacher and present him to students and society as a role model and example, and encourage him to give and give, and stand against attempts to dare him or mock his role, explaining that this will only be achieved through a sustainable project that cares about creating role models capable of inspiring young people and influencing them positively, saying: "I remember when I was a student, we had an imam and teachers, and our greatest wish was to become like them because of the culture, respect, love, modesty and sincerity we found in them, and we still memorize and remember what they taught us and these memories will remain engraved in our memory."
For his part, Minister Mohamed Abdel Latif expressed his appreciation for the great efforts made by the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar in spreading the true Islamic religion, and his gratitude for his presence in the Al-Azhar Al-Sharif institution that has exceeded a thousand years in spreading values, stressing that the ministry has an integrated work plan targeting the return of students to schools, and providing a real educational service that contributes to preparing students for future jobs, as well as On the importance of finding unconventional means to integrate values and ethics into educational curricula so that they can be easily translated into effective behaviors in society.
The Minister of Education also stressed the ministry's aspiration to enhance cooperation with Al-Azhar Al-Sharif in the areas of protecting students against extremism, and promoting the values of honesty, loyalty, and honoring parents and other noble values in society, by employing Al-Azhar scholars and professors in a number of workshops, and presenting content to students in a modern and easy way that is easy to understand and suitable for different age groups.