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The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) is holding in Conakry, Republic of Guinea, a training and awareness session on ways to capitalize on information and communication technology (ICT) to promote environmental and health education. The session is held in cooperation with the Guinean National Commission for ICESCO and benefits several school counselors and educational inspectors.

The four-day session, which kicked off on October 4, 2022, aims at developing national policies that integrate ICT in environmental and health education, building the capacities of technical and educational professionals in this field, producing the necessary digital resources, exchanging expertise and developing a united vision on the mechanism to capitalize on ICT to promote environmental and health education.

The event’s opening session featured the respective remarks of Mr. Mohamed Ali Sow, ICESCO National Correspondent; Mr. Malik Bah, Director-General of the National Institute for Pedagogical Research and Action in the Republic of Guinea; and Mr. Zouley Yamounou, Secretary-General of Ministry for Pre-University Education and Literacy. The three officials all commended ICESCO’s efforts to promote the educational process and its support for the Republic of Guinea.

For his part, Dr. Youssef Abou Daka, Program Director at ICESCO’s Sector of Education, stressed the importance of the session, hoping that it would achieve its goals of activating the roles of educational institutions in protecting the environment, promoting health safety and anchoring sound environmental and health practices among students.

The session addressed a number of themes, notably the reality and prospects of capitalizing on ICT to promote environmental and health education in Guinea and promoting its role in improving the quality of education; and the best educational practices to integrate ICT in education and training.

Believing that teachers are the key pillar in the educational system, and the driving force for achieving quality education, the world celebrates the World Teachers’ Day annually on the 5th of October, which is celebrated this year under the theme “Transforming education begins with teachers.” On this occasion, the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) calls for placing teachers at the forefront of the efforts aimed at transforming education, and restoring the due esteem for the teaching profession in order to develop creative and innovative minds and build balanced and capable personalities.

In September 2022, the international community announced its commitment to transform education to meet the learning needs of all in the present and future. In this vein, ICESCO recalls the need to realize that teachers are the cornerstone for achieving these hopes. The path towards a true transformation of education is based in the first place on intensifying investment in teachers to provide the required numbers of teachers, prepare and rehabilitate them in order to upgrade their skills and capacities through their appreciation and support to ensure their financial, material and moral stability, and provide incentives that develop their motivation and ensure an adequate working environment.

In this context, ICESCO stresses the need to bring about a radical and tangible transformation in the conditions of teachers, their training and professional development in a way as to contribute to transforming education as desired. Actually, the teacher we want for tomorrow is totally different from the one we have today. The future teacher needs proactive future thinking skills, critical and creative thinking skills, teamwork skills, skills of action during crises, teaching, assessment, follow-up, and remote communication skills using modern technology as well as emotional stability, psychological and emotional balance, the ability to communicate with others, the ability to work under pressure, and work in all circumstances and conditions.

ICESCO also calls for expanding investment in modern technologies, employing artificial intelligence applications in the educational process, and attaching great importance to enabling teachers to employ them.

The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), in cooperation with Nomadhood Platform, and in partnership with several regional and international institutions and bodies, held a symposium on climate issues and the fight against air pollution. The event aimed at strengthening ways and mechanisms for knowledge and experience sharing on the environment and enhancing the role of youth in COP27, which will be hosted by the Arab Republic of Egypt, in Sharm El-Sheikh, next November.

Dr. Foued El Ayni, Expert in Science and Technology Sector, and Dr. Huda Abdullah Megeirhi, Expert at the Center for Civilizational Dialogue, represented ICESCO in this symposium via videoconference. Dr. El Ayni reviewed the Organization’s efforts to contribute to environmental protection, green economy transition, and Member States’ capacity-building to adapt to the repercussions of climate change and air pollution through the consolidation of the concepts of smart and sustainable cities, awareness-raising among youth and training on the importance of preserving the planet.

For her part, Dr. Megeirhi highlighted the importance of the culture of dialogue on climate and air issues and their environmental and socio-economic repercussions, noting the need to preserve biological diversity through modern environmental technologies to achieve ambitious goals in the field of climate and promote dialogue between civilizations and generations to stress the importance of protecting the environment and the need for environmental dialogue based on respect for human values, justice and tolerance.

The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) and the Central Spiritual Administration of Muslims of Russia (CSAMR) in the Republic of Bashkortostan signed an agreement to create the ICESCO Chair for Arabic Language in Service of Dialogue and Coexistence at the Russian Islamic University, which reports to the Central Spiritual Administration. The Chair aims to promote the position of Arabic among the foreign languages taught at the Russian Islamic University in Ufa, and in all the universities of the Russian Federation and the countries of Central Asia.
The Agreement was signed by Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, ICESCO Director-General, and His Eminence Shaykh al-Islam Talgat Safa Tajuddin, Chairman of the CSAMR.

The Chair falls within the framework of the cooperation programme between ICESCO and Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation for Distinguished Academic Performance to support the “Project of Teaching Arabic in non-Arabic Speaking Countries.” It aims at intensifying scientific and educational research on issues of teaching Arabic to non-Arabic speakers at the Russian Islamic University in Ufa and in all educational and scientific research institutions in the Russian Federation and countries of Central Asia; and developing approaches, curricula and tools for teaching Arabic for non-Arabic speakers within the framework of the local specificities of the region.

The Chair also seeks to enrich the comparative linguistic studies between Arabic and the mother languages of students and researchers; highlight the literary and scientific heritage written in the languages of Muslim peoples transcribed in the Arabic script in the Russian Federation and the countries of Central Asia; and highlight the moderation of Islam, its civilizational contributions and its noble human values.

The creation of the Chair falls as part of ICESCO’s vision to capitalize on specialized university chairs in the field of Arabic for Non-Arabic speakers to promote the roles of universities in promoting applied linguistic research, excellence and innovation, and diversifying sources of knowledge to enable universities to lead national efforts to develop Arabic education and create the necessary academic conditions to foster the spirit of innovation, initiative and development.

The national training session on the development of Arabic speaking skills, which was held by the ICESCO Educational Center in Malaysia, in cooperation with the Malaysian Ministry of Education, the Excellence Center for Arabic Teaching Methods at the Islamic Higher Institute, and the Department of Arabic Studies and Linguistics at the International Islamic University College in Selangor, concluded its activities. The event is part of the activities of ICESCO’s Center of Arabic for Non-Arabic Speakers, and the cooperation programmes between ICESCO and the National Commissions for Education, Science and Culture.

The closing ceremony, which was held on Friday, September 30, 2022, at the headquarters of the ICESCO Educational Center in Malaysia, brought together Dr. Abdul Razeq bin Zaini, Vice President of the International Islamic University College in Selangor, and Mr. Muhammad Fawzi bin Abdul and Mr. Muhammad Nur Sham bin Abdul Rahman, officials in the Malaysian Ministry of Education.

The four-day training session saw the participation of 56 Malaysian education professionals working in the field of Arabic language teaching from various Malaysian states and was moderated by three Malaysian experts, Dr. Noor Mazida bint Mahmoud, Dr. Azali bin Zainuddin and Dr. Shukri bin Zainuddin, in addition to a host of lecturers from the Department of Arabic Studies and Linguistics at the International University College in Selangor.

Dr. Abdelilah Benarafa, Deputy Director-General of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), met Ms. Françoise Remarck, Ivorian Minister of Culture and Francophonie, where they discussed ways to strengthen cooperation between ICESCO and Côte d’Ivoire in the field of culture.

The meeting, held on Friday 30 September 2022, on the sidelines of the UNESCO World Conference on Cultural Policies and Sustainable Development (MONDIACULT 2022), saw the participation of Dr. Mohamed Zinelabidine, Head of ICESCO Culture and Communication Sector; Robert Djérou Ly, Ambassador of Côte d’Ivoire to Mexico; and several officials of the Ivorian Ministry of Culture.

During the meeting, Dr. Benarafa reviewed the general orientations of ICESCO, stressing that Africa is at the heart of its priorities and strategic vision through the implementation of several programmes in the fields of education, science and culture.For her part, Ms. Remarck praised ICESCO’s efforts for the benefit of its Member States, welcoming the inscription of three historical sites on the Heritage List in the Islamic world in 2022.

The two parties also explored the necessary arrangements to proclaim Abidjan as the African region’s Culture Capital in the Islamic World for 2023. In this regard, the Minister reaffirmed the willingness of her country to organize the celebration in line with ICESCO’s Programme for Culture Capitals in the Islamic World.

The International Scientific Conference on Modern Challenges in Theoretical and Experimental Chemistry, which was held by the Islamic World Education, Science and Culture Organization (ICESCO), in partnership with Baku State University in the Republic of Azerbaijan, concluded its proceedings on Friday, September 30, 2022. The event aimed at promoting scientific research in theoretical and experimental chemistry, encouraging young researchers to pursue a career in the field, and celebrating the contributions of the Azerbaijani scientist Rafiga Aliyeva to the fields of chemistry and the environment.

The two-day Conference witnessed the participation of high-caliber personalities, notably ministers, officials, scientists and specialists in science and technology. During the sessions, the participants discussed the contributions of the scientist Rafiga Aliyeva to chemistry and exchanged thoughts on some modern applied research in the fields of analytical and environmental chemistry, environmental protection and chemistry teaching methodology.

In his address, Dr. Muhammad Sharif, Advisor at ICESCO’s Science and Technology Sector, reviewed the Organization’s efforts in promoting scientific research, modern technology and artificial intelligence, and developing entrepreneurship in Member States through various initiatives, programmes and activities, namely ICESCO’s programme for training youth in creating and developing small-scale projects in the fields of technology and innovation.