AHAED JOURNAL a Professional Electronic Periodic Journal Issued by the Arab House for Adult Education and Development Journal Editorial Board Members

Renewal of Educational Thought in Adult Education Issue No. 1 April 2021

AHAED JOURNAL A professional electronic periodic journal issued by the Arab House for Adult Education and Development Journal Editorial Board Members:

- Elsy Wakil: Secretary General of the Arab House for Adult Education and Development, founder of the Lebanese Education Coalition, and a member of the Board of Directors for the Global Campaign for Education - Lebanon. - Ola Issa: Editor-in-chief of AHAED journal, and national director of the International Cooperation Foundation of the German Association for Adult Education (DVV International) in Palestine. - Mohamed Mediouni: Associationist, Researcher Interested in Adult Education and Learning Issues – Morocco. - Al-Sayed Mossad: Researcher and Adult Education Specialist _ Curriculum Author, and Member of the Arab Network for Literacy and Adult Education - Egypt. - Firas Saleh: Adult Education Facilitator, member of the Iraqi Education Coalition, and the Arab Campaign for Education for All - Iraq. - Tharwat Gaid: Holder of a master's degree in Public Policies and Development Projects Evaluation, an activist in adult education and human rights, and a member of the International Council for Adult Education, the ANHRE Network for Civic Education and the Arab Network for Literacy and Adult Education - Egypt. - Khouzama Rashid: A member of the ANHRE Network and the Jordanian Education Coalition, and its representative on the Board of Directors of the Arab Campaign for Education - Jordan. - Abeer Hilal: Activist in the field of adult education and learning (with disabilities), project secretary at the Sudanese Coalition for Education for All, member of the Executive Office of the World Family and Child Organization - Sudan.

Linguistic revision and refinement: Al-Sayed Mossad Abdel-Gawad, Mohamed Mediouni, Tharwat Gaid, Firas Saleh. Design of the first issue: Elie Azar. Translation of the first issue into English: Sonia Fuad El Cherkawi

2 Table of Contents

Editorial - Make yourself at home/Elsy Wakil 5 - Special Interview - Renew what? Why? With dr. Zahi Azar, President of the Arab 6 Campaign for Education, Secretary General of the Arab Network for Popular Education and founding member of the Arab House for Adult Education and Development/ Interviewed by Ola Issa - Adult Education Coordinators Forum - Coordinator in the field of adult 11 Education...Nobility of the mission and the multiplicity of roles/Mohammed Al-Madioni

File of the Issue - Renewal of educational thought in adult education 14 - Addressing the New Adult Learning / Education... (Post-Corona Crisis)" Results and 14 Recommendations of the Arab Academy for Adult Education and Development 2020/group of experts contributing to the Academy - Developing the skills of adult remote education teacher trainers: Introduction to educational 28 renewal (in light of the experience of the General Authority for Adult Education - Egypt)/ Dr. Iman Mohammad Abdel-Rahim - Digitization and Digital-Man: Reflection on digital communication experience in adult 32 education programs – Jordan/ Mohammad Al-Shayyab - Educational Renewal: Needs and Requirements/ Dr. Majda Mohammad Abdo 35 - The rationale for renewal in training programs and its fields/ Fatima Abdul Rahman Al-Alwan 38 - The challenges facing renewal in the Arab context and proposals to deal with them/ Malika 40 Ghabbar Adult Education News 43 - Arab House for Adult Education and Development "AHAED" News/ Elsy Wakil and Ola Issa 43 - The Arab House for Adult Education and Development "AHAED" adopts the regional 43 preparations in the Arab region for the 7th International Conference on Adult Education CONFINTEA VII - The Arab House for Adult Education and Development obtains membership in the 44 International Council for Adult Education (ICAE) - The Arab House for Adult Education and Development "AHAED" launches its own 45 specialized website - The Arab House for Adult Education and Development and the four regional Arab networks 46 that found it joining the membership of the Arab Education Coalition

- An intense meeting that included the Arab Network for Popular Education, the Lebanese 46 Educational Coalition and the Arab House for Adult Education and Development (AHAED)

- A five-year global campaign under the slogan "We Are ALE" 47

- The Arab Network for Literacy and Adult Education continues its efforts to support and promote 48 adult learning and education programs in Arab countries/ Nashwa Radwan

- Member of the Arab Network for Literacy and Adult Education, the Red Crescent Society of the 49 Gaza Strip implements an emergency plan to ensure the continuity and comprehensiveness of literacy programs in the Strip/ Imad Hamdi Al-Hattab - The Arab Network for Civic Education launches a number of initiatives and events/ Fotouh 50 Younes

3 Table of Contents - Empowerment of Women for Leadership Booklet 50 - "Youth for Democracy" Academy 51 - The launch of ANHRE digital learning platform www.epanhre.org 51 - The Arab Campaign for Education continues its international, regional and local activities to 53 enhance the unification of lobbying and advocacy efforts for adult learning and education/ Heba Al-Jaabari - Election of Refat Sabbah and Adam Mohammad to the steering committee membership of 53 the international "Education Cannot Wait" program - Launch of the Arab Educational Policy Academy at its first session 2020 53 - The Arab Educational Feminist Forum: Announcing the birth of a new vision for the role of 54 women in the Arab educational movement - The Palestinian Educational Feminist Forum "Feminism in the Educational Discourse" 56 - Establishing a youth group and strengthening its role in the Arab Campaign for Education 56 - Two national workshops on education financing policies in Iraq and Morocco 57 - Teacher Creativity Center supports the formation of community committees for education in 58 Palestine/ Hala Al Qubbaj - Educational Stand: a TV talk show serving regional learning and education issues 59 - The German Association for Adult Education concludes an orientation and training program for 59 the beneficiaries of the cash-for-work project in Jordan/ Nazaret Nazaretyan - A gender-specific set of tools for adult learning and education in the Middle East and North 60 Africa region/ Donia Benmeloud - The German Association for Adult Education and Dar Al Kalima University College launch the 61 cultural project "Hakaya Collective"/ Nidal Al Kaabi Translations - Because the future cannot wait; Reflecting on the "Futures" of ALE/ Christoph Jost and 63 Uwe Gartenschlaeger The Figure of the Issue - (Malak Hifni Nasif) Researcher of the Desert and the Liberator of Women/ 66 Al-Sayed Mussad Abdel-Gawad Research Summaries - Reaching the Marginalized - Good Practices in Adult Learning and Education 69 in the Middle East, Southeast Asia and South Asia/ Ola Issa, Firas Saleh, and Al-Sayed Mussad AHAED in the eyes of the readers 81

4 )) Make yourself at home ((

It is the "Arab House for Adult Education and Development", a house with many homes, it is a hospitable Arab house, the doors of which are literary open to all Arab brothers active in the "adult education" sector or about this education ... It is a house of advocacy for the commitment of all components of civil society to engage in this promising educational effort, at a time when social challenges of all kinds affecting education as a whole, and adult education in particular, are increasing ... it is an Arab house for adult education and "development" ... We have highlighted the word "development" in order to correct our approaches that we present to all visitors ... It is a house in which and where we debate, and suggest, and visitors criticize, propose and activate the culture of criticism, this culture is built in this house as it is a basic path in building everything new in adult education ... It is a dialogue that aims to unify visions - even at a minimum - so that we live a culture of collective solidarity, successful testing, and constructive participatory dialectic.

If we go to visit the Arab House, we will find in it many field activists, keeping up with intellectuals and organic thinkers, who are apparently sitting in it around coffee cups and tea cups, and thinking, not only about exchanging their experiences and ideas that have matured in several Arab countries, but also about the accumulation of their experiences, learning how to read experiences to build on them all new. The Arab house is also a place for women in which a woman is a cornerstone, full of rights, she participates in solemnity and depth in the construction process, and she has a high throne in the house so that her voice can be heard loud, honest, and piercing.

In this first issue of "AHAED" journal, we offer you from the heart an invitation to visit this house so that you can inspect it with its modest accomplishments and interconnected dreams, so that you can rest a little in it and become one of its basic pillars; in the service of people who want learning, education and development in our Arab world. Our journal is the offspring of this house, excluding no one who would like to take on this great educational challenge. "AHAED" journal, in its first issue after zero, invites you to renew your commitment to adult education because we have learned that together we give networking meaning through expression, thinking and the field, hoping that we can take steps forward with people. "AHAED" journal, which wishes to reflect the advanced principles of innovation, on which adult education initiatives are built today, invites you to make an effort; to expand the "participation" in it to include also learning seekers as writers in this journal, so that we are really looking up to live out the principles and premises we require in "AHAED" journal or within the desired renewal in the entire educational process.

Finally, I can only raise the voice calling you, because people are calling us; to renew determination, and to set out again and seriously with our people who are striving - not only - to change life, but to be the concern of life ... and in the end: Welcome ... Make yourself at home. Elsy Wakil General Secretary of the Arab House for Adult Education and Development, founder of the Lebanese Educational Coalition, and a member of the Board of Directors for the Global Campaign for Education - Lebanon.

5 Renew what? Why? Special Interview with dr. Zahi Azar, President of the Arab Campaign for Education, Secretary General of the Arab Network for Popular Education and founding member of the Arab House for Adult Education and Development Interviewed by Ola Issa, Editor-in-chief of AHAED journal In an Arab world exhausted by the tensions between two invitations; one of them is reluctant to review reality out of fear that it will end up submitting to others' orientations that do not express our authenticity, and the other is estranging from that reality, and does not see salvation from it except with a serious attempt to renew, re-read the lived reality, and form visions; to change it towards a better future, the Arab House for Adult Education and Development "AHAED" presents itself to the Arab adult learning and education community, carrying the niche for educational renewal in adult learning as a goal, a method, and a path.

In this dialogue, Dr. Zahi Azar tells us that this path is inevitable and unavoidable, and that goal deserves our determination and mobilizing the motivation. Of course, the curators of the Arab House "AHAED" realize that it is not an easy way, and in his own words, Azar says: "But it seems an important and worthy adventure ... This Arab house deserves ... a visit."

The Arab House for adult education and about a whole community movement here. Even development calls from the moment it was in numbers, which are very relative and launched to a path of renewal throughout questionable for many reasons; globally, we as the Arab region as a whole, so what do you an Arab society are at the end of the list of mean by renewal in educational thought of success in adult education. The details in this adult learning and education? area are numerous, not to mention issues such as the position of women, where at least two-thirds The question is accurate, and the answer is not of the illiterate are females, and here we also fall monolithic, rather it must take several paths. into the first ranks of excluding women from When we say renewal, it certainly means the learning and education in general, and from the need to start a process of criticism and self- field of adult education for many reasons that I criticism of the adult education path in the will not go into details in this regard. various Arab countries, and the organizations and associations working in it. This in itself is a major Unfortunately, I say: that somewhere, those in first stop in the renewal process. charge of adult education, and those working in adult education, must be convinced that there is The idea of renewal may seem inevitable in the some failure. Here we clash with a popular direction of the Arab House, which is indeed so, ideology (or a popular culture) that does not if we start from the fact that this criticism and place failure in any recognition. In our country self-criticism in our attempts to read reality you got to be very successful. Every failure is means that we start with our feeling of failure in ruled out because it is often the exclusion of the the adult education process. This failure is not official, or the worker, or the body supervising collective, and cannot be generalized as the whole process of learning and education. So, inevitability; because there are a number of spots over time, we used to not talk about failure, but where the experience is somewhat positive and always reduced it to something pretty unserious, successful in adult education. But we're talking or inefficient, and therefore, the solution is always

6 reduced it to something pretty unserious, or -ury". Because we no longer have time. Those inefficient, and therefore, the solution is capacity- who are aware of the challenges of our building, or restructuring, or similar kind of contemporary times know that social problems solution, but all of this is part of a major failure, are increasing a lot and are likely to increase in as no success can be achieved without self- the coming period. criticism, which must be able to acknowledge this failure, not to mention that the conviction by the The repercussions of the COVID-19 crisis affects issue of self-criticism goes beyond all this today, us strongly, not only at the general economic and to reach to be a basis not only in looking at the social level, but specifically at the level of past, but in establishing the process of education; because it will be the first victim of democratization of education and learning in the pandemic, as this already marginalized item general, because this "democratization" is the will be once more marginalized by reducing the path to launching a natural logical wheel in the budgets allocated to it at the governmental level, adult education process. which will further deteriorate the public school in general in most Arab countries. Here we talked about objective beginnings in the The deterioration of the public school means process of renewal. In this sense, this kind of more school dropout, which may reach numbers educational training dialogue, and at the same between 20% and 30% and will inflate the time practical - establishes the whole process of numbers of unemployment, and this means an renewing education and the democratic transition increase in the number of uneducated adults, all to it, which assumes that renewal is also a process of which is done very quickly in light of the of training educational cadres in a new integrated absence of normal economic wheel rotation in approach; in order to carry the process of moving most Arab countries. forward in the educational approach, its applications and interactions, to make the adult This educational decline will also affect our education process a success. concept of illiteracy, which must evolve as this phenomenon will affect - in addition to the direct This is one of the aspects of renewal that is form - many indirect forms in what we might call required, but it also undermines many of the several levels of illiteracy, even if those axioms that we are accustomed to, whether in the concerned are relatively able to read and write, life of civil society associations or in the life of and gradually affect "illiterate women", so to government institutions, whose employees must speak, many groups in society are candidates to also get used to these new principles of work in be among the work of activists in adult order to succeed. Here is an important role for the education. Arab House under the title: (Renewal) that seeks to build these cadres that think in this way to take There is no doubt that these collapses in their the responsibility of working in each of the accelerated form will push the poor, whose concerned Arab countries. poverty is increasing in the absence of a comprehensive socio-economic project, to resort Do we have the luxury of choosing between to various forms of religious extremism, which renewal and non-renewal? What do you see greatly affect the position of women in society, at stake, if we do not take those complex as well as lead to the marginalization of large paths you have talked about? social groups, who may choose their own dynamics that do not give education an essential Of course, we no longer have what you call "lux- place in life.

7 We never have the luxury of time, and the luxury society is essential and educational par of never embarking on a comprehensive renewal excellence for those working in this field within of the entire education process, on the other hand. the various Arab societies. Raising awareness of the reality that leads to a This, too, should be among the priorities of the rapid inflation of adults seeking education in Arab House.

So, what data should be available in order to achieve this inevitable renewal?

The process of networking in the Arab world is essential; to reach out to each other, so that we learn together jointly from each other, and we jointly read experiences here and there, as well as jointly build our capabilities to start the process of renewal. The presence of four networks in the Arab house, in addition to many friends and supporters in this field, may lead to building a nucleus distinguished by its awareness of the tragic reality we are living in, as well as building an experimental roadmap for salvation, which takes into account the peculiarities of each Arab country and within each Arab country. If such an Arab nucleus can exist and activate this existence; it means that we are also able to benefit from successful experiences in adult education that span a number of third world countries, or the first world, from which we take a number of useful elements that can renew visions and curricula in adult education. The issue is not only theoretical, it is theoretical and practical, in the sense that it is mainly field, but it is this interaction that confirms these visions and makes us as an Arab House more able to address the depth of our societies on two levels:

A. Civil Society Level: B. Governmental Bodies: It is wrong to think that civil society in the Approaching government bodies is essential, Arab world is interested in adult education. In as the largest number of these bodies also the formations of civil society, education, suffer from problems related to vision, unfortunately, as a whole is still marginal, and contrary to what is perceived by civil society; within education, adult education is considered because of the scarcity of dialogues between more marginal, and a small proportion of civil it and government bodies. In some places, society components deal with this issue, except crises are civilly and governmentally the in a few countries. same in dealing with adult education, Approaching the civil society is essential, and especially in these tragic circumstances. even an educational necessity, so that this civil society does not remain lost between the Launching this dialogue is very educational pressure of the ruling authority on the one for government bodies, which also strive to hand, and the pressure of external make adult education a success. The pursuit organizations that finance and impose on the of renewal presupposes this attempt with other hand. This approach is absolutely government bodies that may succeed, or fail, necessary for the various associations, bodies but have great chances of success. and associations to interact and give fundamental importance to education in their social work, and then be more powerful in their dialogue with funders and the imposition of their priorities.

8 Raising awareness of the importance of dialogue between civil society and government bodies is in itself one of the first foundational successes for renewal in the adult education process, albeit relatively, and it requires a lot of effort. The role of the Arab House in building innovative cadres in adult education also extends to the aforementioned two levels, and if we succeed at the level of government bodies - this may mean more effectiveness for this educational process, and give more robust tools in the renewal process as a whole.

What directions or paths do the Arab House consider important and priority in preparing these data for achieving educational renewal? The Arab House “AHAED” seeks to be a primary reference for those working in adult education in the Arab world, so what does this reference mean? There is no doubt that the reference is gradually being built, through many dimensions that this reference will have, the most important of which is to be a distinguished center for a productive meeting for those working in the issue of adult education, and has on its agenda several items integrated to give this impression and be effective:

a. Continue the reality reading process. education". b. Compilation of the existing statistical and h. Securing a reference website that includes the intellectual studies in this regard. contributions of the various networks and c. Training cadres capable of creativity in the associations working in this area, in addition process of renewal (through the Arab to the relevant research and studies. Academy for Adult Education and i. Delve into the issue of the position of women Development). as a whole in the educational and training d. Supervising the exchange process between the process. various organizations, bodies and associations j. Ensuring participation in the various operating in this regard. conferences held inside or outside the Arab e. Exchanging successful experiences about world. adult education in Arab countries. k. Seeking to build a new Arab educational f. Openness and sharing of successful curriculum in a participatory manner that experiences in adult education in the third benefits all those working in this field in the world. Arab countries. g. Participation in the process of renewing l. Establishing special forums under innovative educational concepts that are used in "adult headlines in the adult education process.

There is no doubt that what we have reviewed is within the constant part of the activities that the Arab House is supposed to carry out, provided that there must be a great deal of flexibility in that, as AHAED also interacts with the reality of adult education activities in the Arab world, and may propose many projects that support, serve and develop these trends. to speak, that is, it is a group of convictions that What are the obstacles that stand in the have been fixed over time and have led work on way of achieving these trends? How do you the level of adult education, and these trends interact with it in the Arab House? reproduce themselves; despite all the changes The most important obstacles are ideological, so that this ideology ( the dominant culture ) keeps

9 marginal, and continues to produce the old. If we innovative visions, and they are able in an want to give an example, let's look at the role of atmosphere of freedom to interact together and the facilitator in learning groups. You may call build this process of renewal in a real service that him what you want, he is a facilitator or may restore some of the future to the coordinator, but he often reproduces the marginalized and oppressed in their societies ... traditional character of the teacher, and the But it seems an important and worthy adventure education remains banking, according to Paolo ... This Arab House deserves ... a visit. Freire's expression, meaning that the teacher is the source of information. He transmits it and the student remains marginal in the educational process, receiving and being indoctrinated; so he Azar is one of the founders of the seldom succeeds, and often turns away and fails. Arab House for Adult Education Often this coordinator reproduces the "teacher" and Development and the first because it is a continuation of the pattern of the member of its first board of relationship that exists between his department directors. He is also the president of the Arab Campaign for and him. Education, Secretary General and founder of the Arab Network for )) There is no doubt that Popular Education. Dr. Azar has been in the adult education field the obstacles are many, for decades as part of his work on but the seriousness of the Ecumenical Project for working in AHAED may Popular Education in Lebanon. He is a recognized expert of course impose itself in the for working within the approach process of overcoming of Paulo Freire. these obstacles ((.

This is often reflected in the learning programs, which are without a curriculum, and are like reading writing and arithmetic books, received by learners and exclude them from building knowledge and interacting with it and acting in the community.

There are, of course, other types of obstacles such as the funder who imposes his will, or who indirectly imposes his approach, not to mention some governments in which the will to control each curriculum, approach and non-academic outcomes in the learning process prevails.

Finally, we say: AHAED reduces the possibility of non-success by relying on groups of individuals in different Arab countries, who have experienced educational work with adults with

10 Adult Education Coordinators Forum This Forum …

The issue of strengthening the capacities of facilitators and trainers in the field of adult education appears to be of particular importance at a time when the need for these social actors as pioneers of change grows; and as well the need for building another horizon of knowledge and enlightenment among adults. In view of the major orientations of the project led by "AHAED" and in support of the attendance effort that is being made at the formation and training forums and courses in various parts of our great homeland, and what the Arab Academy for Adult Education and Development offers in terms of space for sharing and thinking about adult education and development issues, and what the various networks operating in the field contribute to; we suggest this corner as a space for sharing topics of interest to various aspects of preparation and strengthening the capacities of coordinators and trainers in the areas of visualization and construction, learning approaches and methods, and the set of skills and competencies facilitating the work of these coordinators with local communities, in the form of illuminations that enable the reader to see the most important components integrated in the learning activity and the types of facilitated relationships to make it a success and make it in the service of community development.

This forum is open and welcomes the contributions of all workers in the field of training and formation, and specialists in the field of adult learning and education in general.

Coordinator in the field of adult Education ... Nobility of the mission and the multiplicity of roles The organizing principle that underpins all • Awareness of the components of the forms of education is based on integrating, educational-learning process in its liberating, humane and democratic values. The comprehensiveness and in its multiplicity of concept of learning in order to develop the dimensions (cognitive, relational and ability to act is essential to managing the rapid emotional). transformations and challenges facing our • Openness to the foundations and principles of societies, and this is essentially what andragogy, and the constant evocation of the consecrates the nobility of the task entrusted to peculiarities of adult education the coordinator working in the field of adult • Self-development ability. education. Engaging in the task of coordinating, • Awareness of the educational project and its activating and framing adult education goals, and ensuring that all educational effort programs requires that every interventionist falls within the guidelines for that project. have some basic elements for the success of the • To be keen to keep pace with the task, the most important of which can be requirements of educational renewal, and to summarized in: engage in the adventure of interventional educational research in order to renew practices

11 and ensure lifelong learning. people, on top of which is respect for their • Ensuring respect for the ethics of working with dignity and valuing their experiences.

In the following, we will present the most important axes that require these elements to take into account, and work to develop and enhance them:

1. The Coordinator is a social actor and a change and development worker: There is no "impartial" education, which leads to stressing the importance of the coordinator's choices, and the resulting decisions that concern his positions on the reality and those who live that reality who are in his circle of action.

People's justified and directed anger against injustice, exclusion and marginalization, and against exploitation and violence in all their forms, must consciously play its educational role and constitute a starting point for objective awareness of the conditions that secrete or consecrate those practices, and that form of relationships. Only in this way will the coordinator be an actor and a social worker standing on the side of those whose basic rights have been denied by the machine of the existing regimes. This, of course, requires that the coordinator make an ongoing effort to:

• Read the reality in which he moves in an objective scientific way. • Be aware of the various factors affecting this reality. • Have an objective understanding of the reality of the people with whom he works and starting from it; in order to keep up with them in the process of achieving the goals for which they were engaged in the learning programs.

The coordinator in the field of adult education is not just a teacher of an educational subject, or a conveyor of knowledge of interest to one or more fields of knowledge, whose mission ends with his group learning basic competencies related to reading, writing and arithmetic; this task goes beyond that to a joint building of capabilities and continuous empowerment of individuals and groups; in order for them to become masters of their destinies, shapers of their future, and contributors to the family, social, economic and cultural advancement of the communities in which they live. From Freire's point of view “teaching is not about transferring knowledge, but about creating opportunities for its production and construction.“

2. Relational aspect: The relationship of the coordinator with the class group goes beyond that framework, which is institutionally determined by traditional planning teacher / learner, and this requires many requirements, the most important of which can be pointed out:

• Objective comprehensive knowledge of the characteristics of class groups. • Dealing with group members as individual subjects, each with its own needs, interests, and life experiences. • The adoption of dialogue and participation as the basis for any learning process. • Adopting keeping up and accompanying as a principle in the learning process, capacity development, and building personal projects for learners.

12 The principle of accompaniment is particularly important in this context, as it allows, through the mechanisms of work associated to it, the coordinator to play multiple roles including the role of mentor, trainer, former, reference, motivator, and facilitator, with the ability to set the general rhythm of the learning process according to the need for each of these roles. The success of the task also requires that the coordinator be able to adapt the content individually to each learner. The coordinator’s style and attitudes towards each learner are extremely important, confirmed by the participants’ expressions such as: “I may forget what you tried to teach me, but I will never forget what you made me feel during the process.”

3. Lifelong training in the service of lifelong learning: The coordinator has come to be seen as "a specialist in the field, responsible for managing the entire learning process, from program planning to implementation, analysis, evaluation and teaching," and is therefore required, more than others, to learn continuously, remain alert, open to the achievements of the humanities and cope with everything new in approaches and competencies, with awareness imposed by the social responsibility that he bears through his involvement in the performance of this mission.

Today's adult education class coordinators are no longer simply knowledge builders. Consequently, the term “teacher” is being increasingly replaced by the term "mediator", "facilitator", "trainer", "processions", "group activator", ... and others. These terms contain a full range of specific skills that are essential for adult education. In addition to academic qualifications related to school subjects, the coordinator of adult education programs must possess a set of methodological and pedagogical skills, including preparation, planning and production of materials, and a good selection of resources, methods and assessment tools. The coordinator also needs social and interpersonal skills, as well as the ability to use theoretical and practical knowledge in his field of work.

Obviously, "the quality of adult education programs will improve automatically if we provide high- quality forming and training to adult teachers and educators." Therefore, it is the responsibility of the institutions first and the coordinators and supervisors as well (as part of a lifelong self-learning effort) to give the issue of forming and training what it deserves, and create a distance between them and the imitating ruminant practices of existing methods and curricula, through continuous accountability for their practices, their usefulness, and their suitability to the abilities and needs of learners and to the local contexts.

Mohamed Mediouni Associationist, Researcher Interested in Adult Education and Learning Issues – Morocco.

------References: *EAD 86/2019 : Le bon éducateur d’adultes – petit tour d’horizon. *EAD 86/2019 : Le bon éducateur d’adultes - Former de bons éducateurs d’adultes (de l’idée jusqu’au cadre juridique).

13 Renewal of educational thought in adult education The Arab House for Adult Education and Development "AHAED" has been calling since its inception for a renewal in the educational thought for adult learning and education. Indeed, renewal was one of the reasons for its establishment and launch. In his interview in this issue of the journal, Dr. Zahi Azar pointed to the inevitability of renewal and its importance as a main starting point for the Arab House and its directions towards achieving it. The organization of the Arab Academy for Adult Education and Development for the year 2020 (over 8 days during the month of November 2020) under the title "Addressing the New Adult Learning / Education ... (Post-Corona Crisis)", is one of the tracks that the Arab House has already implemented; to continue to advocate and support the introduction of renewal in the Arab region. The special file of this issue of the journal will, in addition to a selected number of articles and individual professional views of activists in the field of adult education in the Arab world, address a summary of the courses, results and recommendations of the Arab Academy for Adult Education and Development 2020.

"Addressing the New Adult Learning / Education ... (Post-Corona Crisis)“ Results and Recommendations of the Arab Academy for Adult Education and Development 2020

The experts who organized, facilitated, led and decided on papers, interventions, and various working groups, contributed to the drafting of this paper, and they are:

Refat Sabbah Dr. Zahi Azar Jawad Al-Gousous Dr. Ekbal El-Samalouty Nazaret Nazaretyan Fotouh Younes Mohamed Mediouni Elsy Wakil Ola Issa Tharwat Gaid Walid Saad Dr. Mithal Al-Ghazzawi Abdullah Al Naser Al-Sayed Mossad Motasem Zayed Ikhlas Al-Ziyadat Intisar Abu Ghosh Dr. Loay Assaf Hanaa Fawzi Ghassan Al-Saleh Malika Ghabbar Rana Sarhan Dr. Raafat Radwan Dr. Ashour Amry Dr. Ashraf Muharram Dr. Fatima Ayyad

Introduction

The Arab Academy for Adult Education and Development 2020 came in light of the closure procedures resulting from the Corona pandemic, and with the Arab House’s insistence on organizing the Academy online, in a new look and methodology, as the Academy came to draw a journey of learning and exchange of experiences, both in the academic or professional aspect, and to achieve a sharing of principles and platforms which establish a renewal in the approaches of "adult education", towards an educational future that meets all dimensions of development, at a time when the number of adults seeking learning is increasing in various parts of the Arab region. 43 women and men participated in the Academy from 8 Arab countries (Lebanon - Iraq - Palestine - Jordan - Egypt - Morocco - Sudan - Somalia). Eight workshops were held that included 30 small working groups, and the Academy lasted for 26 hours over 8 days.

14 There is no doubt that the challenges facing adult learning and education at this time and in the future in general are great, especially with regard to equality and equity, exclusion of women, discrimination and marginalization, debts that education pays for, and the crisis of spending on education. All of these matters are becoming more and more difficult with the impact of the pandemic on adults, and on the perceptions and relationships of generations to one another. It is undeniable, however, that real development really needs all expertise, especially those of adults. What is important to us in societal institutions is the next question of justice. The talk here is about a common vision of the role that adult learning and education take, we are talking about a social, economic and political role, as an educational movement that works on social, economic and human liberation in the paths, trends and approaches of learning.

So, we must seize this opportunity, and relaunch the trend of reviewing and rethinking reality. As for the word renewal, it is a very important word, so renewal is not a luxury, but rather a necessity if we re-read this reality. We need to renew the curriculum and the methodology. We should not see technical education as independent of larger visions. The Arab Academy began planting some of these seeds despite the difficulty of renewal in the face of thick ideological, economic, intellectual and cultural walls. Therefore, the Academy must be close to the people and be close to the mentality of the visionary who practices renewal.

The Academy included the following four axes: - The first axis: Adult Education "Concept, Innovation and Educational Renewal" - The second axis: Training Approaches "Concept and Practice" - The third axis: Adult Education and Civic Education - The fourth axis: Adult Education and Policies

The following paper describes a summary of the findings and recommendations of the participants' working groups of experts in the aforementioned axes; in addition to a fifth axis "Recommendations on Future Visions in the Work of the Arab House and the Arab Academy for Adult Education and Development".

First Axis: to a behavioral change that allows the Adult learning and education "concept, continuation and survival of life for society and educational innovation and renewal" the individual.

A theoretical framework: The concepts of As for radical education, it has a long history and liberal learning go back to the Greek sciences, ancient roots, but it has recently risen to raise and they believe that the mind acquires a better awareness, spread political awareness and take meaning and sense with age. It is a knowledge- initiative to act. Paulo Freire has adopted this based learning that develops the aesthetic, ethical type of education and appeared in his book and idealism of the individual. In progressive "Educating the Oppressed" stressing the philosophy, progressive education focuses on the importance of dialogue and that the teacher relationship between education, society and the should be a coordinator, as well as exchanging learner. Learning is for professional and practical views and the learners' positivity, and that life. In behavioral philosophy, there is an educational experiences should be linked to the emphasis on planning the environment that leads realities of the learners‘ lives and the problems

15 they face. According to Freire, human beings and solve societal problems, but rather represents know that they know, and they know that they a goal in itself and has a fundamental value, and can change their states and environments. As long this trend is called the growth of the mind. as individuals are able to do so, they are doers. Paulo Freire linked illiteracy with oppression and 2- The second trend: It revolves around the called it a culture of silence. Freire emphasizes subjectivity of the adult learner, that is, his that the source of these cultures is ignorance or personality in all its aspects on the basis that it is education, and the poor citizen lives a culture of balanced, and depends on the idea that man is by silence if he is unaware of the real circumstances nature good, and the more this goodness grows in of his poverty. Accordingly, poor people are the personality of the adult through education, absorbed into the social system that generates the more it helps him to be freer and more aware poverty from compulsive education. Freire of his personality and directing his self. This believes that traditional education is a banking trend is called adult's self-fulfillment. education in which the learner receives, records and stores assets, and this education violates the 3- The third trend: Its supporters believe that learners' freedom and autonomy. He proposes a the goal of adult education is a social liberating, conversational education that poses transformation, meaning that changing society is problems, making learners aware of the real seen as a basic axis of adult education, and this situation in which they live and the possible trend is revolutionary that calls for adult solutions to their reality. He adds to this that education to achieve a change in the social indigenous education is a political act, as there is system and replace it with other new systems. no neutral education, so education is either domestication or liberation. 4- The fourth trend: This is a compromise trend that revolves around the idea that the adult There are foundations for education for Paulo learner is a member of society and there are Freire: reciprocal relationships between them, and 1. Belief in the value of mankind and therefore the goal of adult education is to serve his ability to change his condition and the world both the individual and the society in which he in which he lives. lives and that great personal growth can only be 2. Considering knowledge as a achieved in a social milieu, and this trend is process of search and investigation, not called personal and social improvement. memorization and indoctrination. 3. Learning is not rigid or physically 5- The fifth trend: Its supporters believe that the fixed, but rather renewed and evolved given the goal of adult education should achieve the world as a variable. service of the productive institution in which the 4. The importance of awareness and adult works, on the basis that this adult criticism as an entry point for education, represents the main element in the production understanding and changing the world. process within the institution or society, and the goal of this trend is purely economic; because it There are multiple trends in adult education: mainly focuses on increasing the material production of the institution and his education 1- The first trend: Its supporters believe that the increases his production. goal of adult education is to acquire knowledge to form the structure of the mind and its growth, and From the above, it is clear that the fourth trend, that knowledge is not a means to achieve goals which is considered a compromise trend, combines

16 the second trend, which relates to the subjectivity trend is the most compatible and appropriate to of the adult learner and the development of his the nature of Arab societies and their value personality in all its aspects, and the third trend, system derived from the divine laws that invite which looks at changing society as a fundamental the individual to seek knowledge throughout his focus of adult education. Accordingly, the fourth life for the benefit of others.

Adult Education Concepts: 1. The broad concept: it means adult education processes that are used by adults to develop themselves, whether on their own or by others, and it is also used by all kinds of institutions to develop and promote their workers, their members, and those who join these institutions, so it is the educational process. 2. The technical concept of adult education: It describes a set of activities organized by many institutions to achieve specific educational goals. 3. The third meaning: It contains all the processes and activities related to social mobility. Definition of the United Nations Organization: In Definition of the United States of America: Adult 1960s, the United Nations Educational, Scientific education means all educational activities and Cultural Organization UNESCO, defined undertaken by adults after the twelve years adult education as: the sum of educational provided by general education. That is why adult experiences and influences to which an adult is education in the United States is viewed as the subject, and this includes formal lessons in any fourth educational level, which is distinguished subject, private educational work in clubs and from the first (primary), second (secondary), and institutions, as well as direct or indirect effects of third (university) education levels. mass media. It also includes independent education, technical and vocational education, Definition of Britain: Adult education means all etc. in developed countries, community types of non-professional education, which are development, literacy, and health. provided to individuals over the age of eighteen (18 years old), and provided by the responsible The Fifth International Conference on Adult authorities under the supervision of the Education in 1997: The Fifth International educational authority. It includes cultural and Conference on Adult Education, held in recreational fields, and it also means lifelong Hamburg, Germany in 1997, defined it as: the education. sum of educational processes that take place in formal or other ways, thanks to which adults of Definition of the Arab world: As for in the Arab the community develop their abilities, enrich world, and in developing countries in general, their knowledge, and improve their technical or the concept of adult education is considered a professional qualifications or take a new path relatively recent concept, as it dates back to the with them that can meet their needs and the needs sixties of the last century only, and it is still of their community. Adult education includes vague and undefined, and its meaning differs formal education and continuing education, as from one country to another, and even within the well as non-formal education and all forms of same country from one era to another. There are informal and spontaneous education available in also those who use it, in its comprehensive and a multicultural community where theoretical broad sense, to include the cultural, social and approaches and practicality-based approaches political literacy of individuals, as well as have been recognized. reading and writing literacy, and there are those

17 who limit it to the latter meaning only. Adult and experiences, to the extent that raises their education in Arab societies generally means social and economic level, and allows them to providing the opportunity for adults who have participate effectively in the development and completed the basic stage (the literacy stage) to advancement of their society, within the obtain their educational and cultural needs, in framework of the philosophy of continuing order to enable them to develop their capabilities education.

Educational Renewal - Concept and • The first stage: is considered a stage of Conditions for Achievement: training and experimentation. On the one Main definitions of renewal in education are hand, it allows gaining a better inspired by Haberman’s definition, which he understanding of the way in which defines as follows: “Renewal is an intentional, learning is accomplished, and on the other measurable improvement that is permanent and hand, exploration, planning and does not happen frequently. It is a process experimentation of educational strategies aimed at localizing, accepting and using a better adapted to the learning process. certain change, which must be sustainable and widely used, and not lose its initial • The second stage: is characterized by the characteristics.” Moreover, "educational consolidation of educational and teaching renewal or renewal in the field of education is a (didactic) and organizational knowledge deliberate process of transforming practices and skills. It enables the deepening and through the introduction of new curricular, expansion of theoretical knowledge, as educational or organizational matters that are well as the application during planning and published and are aimed at the continuous activation of a harmonious set of development of the educational success of pedagogical strategies. During this stage, learners.“ the various actors begin to critically consider the pedagogical kit and the Renewal results from an intentional act through various tools used. the accomplishment of actions aimed at changing a certain element (status, situation, • The final stage: during which the actors practice, methods ...) based on a diagnosis of are able to take a distance from their imbalance, inadequacy or dissatisfaction with practices, to analyze those practices with a the intended objectives, outcomes, or business degree of independence, as well as to relationships. Renewal usually takes place judge the value of the tools they use, adapt within social or institutional frameworks, and it them, as well as build others that are is these frameworks that allow it to continue compatible with the approach they prefer and develop. to work with in the field of education and management of learning. Localization of renewal and transfer of expertise: Educational renewal requires an Research as a means of introducing important period of time to become a reality in educational innovations: Research, especially educational practice, and we can talk about the interventionist or procedural one, is one three stages to stabilize educational renewal of the most important mechanisms for and ensure its continuity: integrating innovation initiatives into the educational system, as it allows for the

18 possibility of starting a study of reality and respect for the needs of those concerned with accountability for practices in light of change and the context of the development of emerging theories and approaches, and in full educational practices.

Some of the most important guidelines for educational renewal in the field of adult education: • Education to respect the viewpoints and enable learners to build a developed, changing point of view that is not bounded or definitive, because everything in our life is prone to development and change. • The ability to work together. • That the renewal initiatives allow building the capabilities and skills of discovery, starting from self- discovery to discovering the various components of the local and global natural and social environment in a direction that serves creativity, participation, responsibility and engagement in the nation's current causes. • Educational renewal is an enlightening and liberating act, as without this dimension, renewal loses its original meaning. • The real confrontation with the commodification that education is exposed to under the banner of educational renewal.

The most important founding elements of contribute to supporting the renewal in renewal in dealing with the concept of communities. adult education and what makes them • Mobilizing domestic resources to back and acquire a renewal character: support educational renewal, and activating the role of civil society organizations and the private Within the work of the small groups of experts, sector with governments; so that the various the participants in the Academy reached the bodies can be effective and influential in the following regarding the elements required to implementation of adult education programs. achieve or initiate the renewal process: • Involving women and young people in the adult education process, economic, individual and social empowerment, demanding gender equality • Renewed link with reality in line with the and enacting legislation that brings social justice, emergent variables, opening up to new and focusing on the role of adult learning and educational methods in adult education, preparing education in achieving justice and democracy. an alternative plan for education in line with the • Work to support and enable the development of urgent changes. all workers in the educational system because • The technology component, especially in light they are key and influential participants. of the challenges of COVID-19, and openness to • Evaluation needs new mechanisms to achieve languages, which helps in renewal. positive results in the development of adult • Adopting interactive approaches based on education programs. dialogue and discussion, activating the existing • Emphasis on conducting more studies and Arab networks interested in education, and research on the development of adult education creating the educational environment for in terms of methods, mechanisms, creativity, educational renewal and making the participants activity and training.

19 The most important obstacles to • Lack of follow-up, evaluation and impact educational renewal: testing mechanisms. • The absence of a unified Arab concept and a In the field of education in general, and because common Arab vision towards the development education is not necessarily neutral, and because of the concept of adult learning and education. the influence on its paths and directions is subject • Poor civil society participation with the to the power relationship that frames the political official authorities. struggle between the various formations, a kind • Lack of coordination and joint efforts in of resistance to change and renewal is formed support, training and formation of adult that does not facilitate renewal initiatives. learning and education coordinators. • Poverty and the deteriorating economic, Building on five papers presented by expert political and social situation in the Arab participants on the challenges and trends of adult region. learning and education in Jordan, Egypt, Iraq and • Poor exchange of experiences and initiatives Morocco, the working groups reached the most at the level of the Arab region important challenges facing the renewal in adult • The fragility of the link between formal and education in the Arab region: non-formal education • Weak technology infrastructure, which weakens the use of technology-based adult • Poor possession of unified concepts of adult education programs education by institutions operating in the field • The absence of justice, widespread of • Poor budgets and funding for adult education marginalization, and the absence of equal programs opportunities of access to education for • Weak databases on adults, their needs, certain groups such as women, persons with attitudes, and aspirations. disabilities, minorities, and the poor.

Second Axis: Training Approaches "Concept and Practice"

The training we want for the future we want: In looking at approaches to training and renewal, it is necessary to talk about a very legitimate initial question: Who renews what? In light of the aforementioned challenges, which usually result from the transition from the conceptual space to the practice space, and even as well at the level of impact. In its second axis, the Academy dealt with a look at the concept of training in the field of adult learning and education, the awareness of coordinators of their roles, and the renewal of concepts related to training in the field of adult learning and education, and the distinction between them.

Training in the field of adult learning and education seeks to the comprehensive development of individuals, to the trainees ’awareness of the reality in which they live, and to understand the obstacles and problems they face in the surroundings of their lives, in addition to directing knowledge and information at work and using them in solving problems and change.

When talking about renewal, we must talk about the training we want for the future we want. The future we want and aspire to is the birth of renaissance development societies that liberate the human being, punctuated by the constant pursuit of change, development and creativity. So, the training that

20 we need is the training that leads individuals and societies to the birth of a new awareness, the training that gives free rein to the trainees to think and realize the importance of change, the training that awakens from the slumber of rote education (banking education), which seeks to limit brain functions to the recollection of stored knowledge and information. We need training that helps the participants to become aware to enable them to clearly see the facts and remove the illusions left by the circumstances, a training that helps enable the participant to criticize the conditions in which he lives, and enhance the capabilities, skills, knowledge and attitudes in line with the rapid and continuous changes and developments.

Before considering the implementation of any training, training needs must be defined, and it is a reality analysis so that the training responds to the needs of individuals and society. Therefore, we need to define the needs, which is the gap between what is real and what is hoped for from the role of the training program in the field of adult learning and education in preparing the change. All parties must participate in identifying needs, and using different resources based on trust and understanding.

In order for that training that we want for the future to be achieved, the training must include an emotional aspect that is related to the attitudes, values and beliefs that the participant acquires from the situations and experiences, and from the surrounding environment that he affects and is affected by, as the participant acquires during his interaction with the training sufficient degrees of awareness in reading reality. On the other hand, there must be a skillful aspect, as the training program in the field of adult learning and education seeks to provide the participant with skills that enable him to live and work (craft skills, writing, reading and numeracy skills, life skills). Also, training based on interconnection and harmony between the various components of the training process and the participatory between the trainees and facilitators, and among the trainees themselves by exchanging knowledge and skills, is the appropriate training for adult learning and education.

Consequently, this type of training needs a facilitator / coordinator who is qualified with knowledge and skills, who believes in the ideas of sustainable development and lifelong learning, realizes the philosophy of popular education, knows the characteristics of adults and the principles that they deal with, is aware of his role or roles, and takes into account the different occupational, social and economic conditions among the participants.

Each participant has experiences, knowledge and trends that include matters related to work, family, society, and more. The participant wants the training to be directed towards a specific and clear goal and centered around the problems he suffers. The participant is also encouraged to learn and teach through a set of personal and community aspirations and ambitions.

Training in adult learning and education is based on the principle of participatory learning (birth together), and that knowledge is a collective product rather than an individual one. Training in the field of adult learning and education requires the method of dialogue learning and learning by doing, which is not provided by banking education, so how can the participant practice his role in change without questioning and without working?! It is also based on the principle of dialogue learning, which is a method of learning with and through the participants that aims to help the participants think, raise awareness of events, understand them, criticize them, analyze them, and take positions towards events, because reality does not change except when the person discovers the possibility of

21 change, and dialogue learning also aims to dislocate concepts to reconstruct them. Among the principles of participatory adult learning as well is learning by doing, which means learning and training through practice, participation and performance of certain activities that have specific goals.

The inevitability of renewing adult education curricula in the face of COVID-19 (and crises): The COVID-19 crisis and its accompanying old and modern problems have greatly affected the field of adult education, and this crisis emphasized the necessity and inevitability of renewal in order to revive and save this important part of the education system. The adoption of non-traditional educational approaches should be considered, even if these approaches are experimental.

The presence of more than 100 million Arabs outside the education system after the COVID-19 pandemic is a dangerous matter that calls for immediate action, but we believe that funding and government agencies focus on formal education, so these priorities must be renewed as well.

In the age of information and technology, the unskilled and untrained forces (the marginalized) are decreasing, the demand for trained skilled force is increasing, and the traditional professions have also begun to disappear. Therefore, the role of innovative approaches is to help adults to learn and train, and it is a method of learning that relies on experience as a basic source of knowledge. Even in the information age, we must not overlook that there are various motives for adults to learn and train, including social, economic and psychological motives that must be taken into account. It is also necessary to study and be aware of the characteristics of adults and their reflection on the process of education and training, whether they are physical, kinesthetic or emotional characteristics.

In light of the pandemic and in preparation for any other type of crisis, the educational content as well as the technological means must meet the needs of the learners, otherwise there will be no renewal element in them. However, there are obstacles that stand in the way of this renewal in light of crises, including the pandemic crisis, as the possibility exists that the dropout rates and the need to eradicate illiteracy are increasing, along with the development of the problem of the scarcity of funding sources for adult education projects and programs, which may lead to the strengthening of global economic neoliberal trends.

Countries now have the opportunity to rebuild better. They can make their most effective crisis recovery strategies a starting point for long-term improvements in their policies. Education officials and policymakers should use this crisis as an opportunity to develop new learning models that can reach everyone, prepare for emergencies, and make the educational system more resilient in the face of crises.

And there remains the important question that needs to be answered: Will the e-learning momentum continue after Corona, or will it fade and return to its previous course? There are many opinions here between those who think or perhaps wish that things will return to how they were before, and those who believe that there is no turning away from e-learning, which has long been awaited to shift into it even more.

22 Third Axis: from the pedagogical approach of Paulo Freire, Adult Education and Civic Education which aims to build an integrated and balanced individual in aspects of his personality socially, The controversy of the relationship between intellectually, and humanely, who is aware of his adult learning and education and civic rights, committed to his duties, and who believes education: Learning is an interactive social act in the rights of freedom, justice and equality, with reality, in which multiple parties contribute, who is capable of producing and developing, depends on experiences and lasts for life. It is proud of his belonging and loyalty to his related to reality and occurs within lived homeland and his nation, and who is experiences, and therefore it is very related not characterized by the scientific spirit, objectivity only to theories and practices, but also to values, and democratic behavior. behaviors and attitudes. However, whoever tries to make a realistic According to the American Center for Civic reading of the results of the pedagogical and Education, civic education in a democratic educational systems in the Arab world and their society means preparation for sustainable and impact on civic education will find that they strong democratic self-government, which means have been bound by the bureaucracy of supporting the political and civic participation of education, the justification of educational citizens on the basis of conscious and critical knowledge, the banking of teaching processes, reflection. But this definition devotes citizens to the philosophy of the one teacher and the the political community only. As for the glossary unilateral knowledge, the non-realism in of education terms, civic education is an educational activities, in addition to the education that aims to form a good citizen, as selectivity in evaluation systems. well as surrounding him with the problems of his society, and providing him with the necessary In order to get out of this controversial deadlock, information to raise awareness, which is the pedagogical and educational systems must be science that clarifies the citizen’s relationship renewed and developed, including adult with his social environment and what results from education with its goals, strategies, approaches to this relationship in terms of regulations, laws, civic education and its role in it. This cannot be rights and duties. Therefore, civic education is an achieved without providing some space of integrated educational project that aims primarily freedom within the educational institution and at building a free, conscious and mature human society, and without working to establish and being in all aspects of personality, including reinforce a culture of liberation within the educational concepts, values and skills that focus framework of working with individuals. on political, moral, ethical, and social upbringing. Therefore, there is a need to develop liberal Civic education aims at liberation and getting out educational visions in exchange for coercive of the state of oppression, alienation and education, so that all stages of the educational marginalization that individuals suffer, to achieve process (the broader one that includes levels of self-realization, develop individuals' abilities, policies, planning, implementation and positive citizenship, and respect for human rights evaluation) reflect a democratic and critical and pluralism. In other words, the goals of civic culture, awareness and enlightenment. This is education are to achieve freedom and social followed, of course, by the development of tools, justice, and to prepare individuals for free approaches and methodologies in line with the citizenship. Therefore, it is a philosophy derived principles of emancipatory civic education. 23 The possibility of redefining the educational volatility in education-related policies, and culture with a new vision: The circumstances despite its importance, in fact it is not considered and transformations of the pandemic show us that a priority. The deterioration in civic education is some change - even if significant - is still also evident due to the suppression of freedoms applicable. Some social behaviors have changed, in some areas, violations, behaviors, and the as have civic practices during the pandemic. But deteriorating economy and its impact on adult we need to read the reality and the influence of education and the concept of citizenship. various political, economic, social and ecological factors; so that we recognize the paths of change, There are perceptions for a future vision to and thus the possibilities of building a culture of ensure renewal in the presentations and civic education. approaches of civic education in adult learning and education: These perceptions Corona has come to reshape our lives, even in depend on the inseparability between civic ways of communication and spacing. There seem education and new economic practices, and to be different patterns of how to deal with the therefore, civic education must provide equal crisis. There are those who became aware of what opportunities for all; in order to achieve social is happening and became able to continue in a justice. With the need to assess the experience of more interactive and positive manner, and there civic education in the Arab world, and the need are those who were indifferent and did not try to for modern tools, including digital ones, it is change the patterns of their adaptation to reality, important to take into account the needs of and there are those who viewed the issue of learners, take into account geographical diversity change as a conspiracy or attack not only to and age groups, and that dialogue is adopted in refrain from interacting with it, but also to deny learning for the sake of civic education, and civic and fight it. education must be flexible, which requires qualification, preparation and support of Like the rest of the community, adult learning facilitators and coordinators, support and and education coordinators have also been generalization of curricula that are sensitive to affected by these trends, as well as the social change, and the use of pedagogical text, methodologies and approaches used in coping taking into account the needs, experiences and with the crisis and its aftermath, especially with aspirations of societies. the exacerbation of some social crises such as the increase in domestic violence, the Fourth Axis: What Policies for Adult marginalization of women, the absence of justice, Learning and Education? poor distribution, the difficulty of accessing services and economic challenges, economic It is no secret that the adult learning and opportunism, poor infrastructure, and the education sector faces a major policy challenge existence of problems related to security, in the Arab world. Policies operate in an terrorism and occupation, as in Palestine. economic and social context, and there is a great role for civil society, which advocates, pressures From this reading of reality, we conclude that and integrates in this aspect with governments continuous learning is becoming more and more and influences their policies. a priority, without which it is not possible to advance towards solutions and renewal, but the The public policy is a purposeful work program reality also says that there is instability and followed by individual or collective performance

24 in addressing a problem or facing an issue or responsible for resource allocation. topic, and it is a systematic, practical outcome of It is important to know who the public the interaction of inputs of demands and available policymakers are, and what are the stages of support with the outputs of decisions and policymaking. There are official governmental policies, to express the performance of the bodies represented by the legislative authority, political system. the executive authority, and the judicial Policies are the means by which the goals and authority, and there are non-official (non- objectives that have been adopted in the strategic governmental) bodies represented by lobbying plans are achieved. Public policies are constantly groups, political parties, and public opinion changing, and they are being modified, changed, (citizens). Policies go through stages of and rejected for the sake of new policies, and investigation, design, selection and public policy is inferred from the actions and implementation, and attention must be paid to behavior of many government agencies and the roles of each of those actors in each of these officials concerned over time, especially those stages.

How the pandemic has affected policies of adult education: The pandemic has caused the interruption of more than (1.6 billion) children and young people from education worldwide, in addition to the various effects of Corona, including poverty, human suffering, high illiteracy rate, and lack of justice. We have faced a set of questions about availability, curricula, teaching methods, follow-up, evaluation, and the impact of Corona on them, in addition to the impact of the pandemic on completing the achievement of the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals.

In this sense, we believe that innovative policies must take into account the stage of response and adaptation to the crisis, and then the stage of planning for the future. The current educational systems are unable to provide their services in traditional ways in the midst of the crises and the inability of educational institutions to provide educational services to the increasing numbers who wish to study in various adult education programs. In addition to the abundant flow of information, and the imbalance in the geographical distribution of educational institutions as a result of focusing on densely populated regions and urban areas, while educational services are inaccessible in remote and rural areas.

Among the suggested visions to support adult distance education and learning in response and post- response stages: professional sustainability of those working in the field of adult education and learning, providing continuous training and support for teachers before and during service, localizing technology in adult education and learning programs, and activating partnership and community responsibility.

Possible visions to activate successful policies in adult learning and education: It is self-evident and logical to think about the necessity of finding alternatives to what was prevalent before the Corona crisis, searching for various sources of funding, building bridges between civil society and governments, and developing alternative plans in case of emergency.

Conceptions can also be developed to secure the right of adults to educational policy, not only in times

25 of crises and epidemics, but also in the aftermath. Among these conceptions are the participation of civil society with governments in developing alternative plans and programs in times of crisis, the formation of networks within civil society that constitute a pressure force on governments to participate in developing educational policies, securing the right of adults to learn, and pressure towards ensuring equality in funding, plans, and programs, and attention to formal and non-formal education.

In terms of the suggested alternatives to activate the role of community participation in drawing up adult learning and education policies, it seems that it is important to spread awareness of the importance of adult learning and education and its link to economic development, activate the role of the Arab contract in partnership, and work to establish an Arab fund to finance adult education programs, get advocacy by Arab parliaments, establish alliances with concerned parties and stakeholders, set standards for adult education in which we define the criteria for success and continuity, create new methods and methodologies for distance learning, and use new methodologies with the community to support and promote adult learning and education, in addition to the need to hold government agencies accountable for implementing the announced plans to ensure community contribution in decision-making.

Fifth Axis: Future Innovative Visions – The Arab House and the Arab Academy for Adult Education and Development In the closing session of the Academy, the participants discussed the role of the Arab House for adult Education and development in light of the perceptions presented by the results of the Academy for the future and renewal in the educational thought of adult learning and education in the Arab region.

Promoting the development of the capabilities of the Arab House to effectively contribute to building the visions of renewal:

It seems clear that there is a need for the Arab House to arrange itself and build its components in the necessary manner, in order to be able to carry this great task, and there have been first steps taken from cooperation with UNESCO in the preparations for the processes and discussions of the Seventh International Conference on Adult Education to support Arab civil society, strengthen its participation with the national coordinating bodies, and strengthen the capabilities of workers in the field of adult learning and education in the Arab world.

It is important at this stage to think about the future, and to work towards a common vision for the future of adult learning and education in the Arab world, taking into account its importance and roles that greatly affect the development and progress of societies.

It is also necessary to invest in youth and increase the number and diversity of specializations of the participants in the Academy, in order to expand the adult learning and education community that advocates for renewal in the Arab world, and from this standpoint, it is possible to consider developing the academy into a course or diploma, developing subjects and courses before and after, and adding interactive activities. There is also a need to standardize the methodology (pedagogy of text and emancipatory learning) and raise the capabilities of the facilitators and the reliability of their

26 outputs, present approaches and problematic concepts, try to unify curricula, ideas and terminology, add a social psychology course to the Academy, develop the academy’s policy and the post-training course of action, and design various post-academic activities to ensure the continuity of its output.

Vision of work within the data of the Corona pandemic (and crises):

Participants in the Academy recommended the necessity of holding quarterly Academy meetings, and developing websites and statistics for adult education. They also drew attention to the imperative to provide the academic outputs to decision-makers in governments, the private sector, and more broadly the Arab civil society, and to work on developing work tools that will be imposed by the current reality (the pandemic) and the link between formal and informal education. There is also a need to try to create a permanent platform for adult education, develop mechanisms for following up and continuing the adult education process, and provide databases and statistics for learning and training materials and training on auxiliary tools for presentation and training on how to change behavior to address resistance to change and add the emotional aspect, in addition to working towards promoting the concept of self-financing, establishing a fund to finance Arab adult education, and having broad and great interest in technology and digital training.

Networking and communication mechanisms:

The participants recommended that the Arab House develop its strategies to lead the networking processes, where partnership and networking are based on justice, fairness, and defining the roles of all active and partner organizations; so that their roles do not conflict, but rather interact and enrich each other. They also drew attention to the need to provide clear, realistic and field mechanisms for networking, and to take advantage of networking and strengthen it through the exchange of experiences to develop and expand work regionally. On the other hand, networking within civil society must be facilitated through a clear map between associations and institutions, unification of visions between associations and institutions, and the transfer of expertise and experiences with regard to adult learning and education between the countries and bodies concerned. To complete the work cycle, it is necessary to continuously evaluate networking and measure its effects and results, and build and promote a culture of partnership, especially among associations with shared visions, as well it is necessary to advocate the enactment of legislation and regulations that support the work of civil society and its participation with governments.

27 Developing the skills of adult remote education teacher trainers Introduction to educational renewal (in light of the experience of the General Authority for Adult Education - Egypt) The Corona pandemic was not the only motivation for writing this article, for in 2014 - when I was in the general diploma in education - I was very passionate about the idea of why is ICT not invested in the field of adult education? This idea preoccupied me so much that I prepared it as a research plan to obtain a master’s degree entitled1: “A future vision for training adult distance education teachers remotely in Egypt in light of contemporary challenges,” through which I addressed the importance of technology and its role in developing education in general, and adult education in particular. Adult education and learning programs in the All of this requires experts to re-evaluate adult Arab world face many challenges, which seem to teacher training programs in our Arab world, and be difficulties that must be worked out, while in from here we are faced with questions: fact they are a wake-up call for renewal and development of what we now have in terms of • Are adult teacher training programs available experiences, skills and tools, which definitely to all teachers? need to be revised to match the variables of this • Are teachers undergoing periodic training that era, as well as the search for new mechanisms to constantly and adequately refine their skills? enrich these experiences and skills; to support • Is the impact of training programs assessed adult education and learning programs. after each program and its development?

The adult education system in our Arab world is Many questions make us need to look for a new based on a teacher who is a basis for taking the mechanism for training programs that leads to hand of the adult learner; to advance and ascend, the desired goals. and in order to become qualified for that, he must first strive to continuously develop his skills to a Given the Corona crisis and the fact that all adult degree that allows him to learn about everything education activities have been interrupted in new in adult education programs, and to acquire adult education institutions including the opening new skills that qualify him to perform his duties of literacy classes, holding training programs for to the fullest. teachers (old / new), and training programs for

------1 Iman Mohammad Abdel-Rahim Ahmad: a future vision for training adult distance education teachers in Egypt in light of contemporary challenges, Master Thesis, Faculty of Graduate Studies of Education, Cairo University, 2009.

28 adult education teacher trainers (Tot); it became and educational platforms. necessary to look for a way out of that crisis; so, 7. Continuous support for communication the Adult Education Authority has tended to take between the trainer and the teacher. advantage of and invest in technological 8. Benefiting from partner agencies specialized developments to restore its activities, and it has in the field of technology. taken the initiative to use electronic programs and applications that achieve its strategic objectives, Procedures for implementing the to open literacy classes using technology to experiment: continue the educational process for adults. The The measures taken by the Public Authority for first step towards this is upgrading the adult Adult Education to implement distance training educator's technological skills, and training on programs are as follows: the use of many available electronic applications to be used in communicating with adult learners, 1. Signing a cooperation protocol between the and for adult teachers to be trained, it was more Public Authority for Adult Education and some appropriate to train adult education teachers' technological universities. trainers on these skills, who in turn transmit those 2. Coordination with Ain Shams University and training experiences to the teacher. the Adult Education Center; to hold two training sessions to develop the technological skills of The Adult Education Authority has moved adult education trainers. towards a new vision to train the trainers of adult 3. Coordination with the Misr University for distance education teacher, and provide him with Science and Technology to hold two training many technological and technical skills. sessions to develop the technological skills of adult education trainers, some leaders, and staff In order to achieve this new vision, the authority of the Authority and its departments in the has cooperated with a number of partner agencies governorates. in designing and implementing a number of 4. The training programs have been officially distance training programs to develop the skills announced. of adult distance education trainers, using 5. Selection of trainers from the central multiple electronic applications, as follows: administration of the Authority and branches in Experiment objectives: the governorates. 6. Designing and implementing training 1. Developing the technical and technological programs through Zoom Cloud Meeting skills of trainers of the Adult Education application and Microsoft Teams application. Authority. 7. (150) trainers have been trained in the 2. Keeping pace with the progress in the training provided training programs. system. 3. Creating new mechanisms to confront the Technological skills included in the crises facing the field of adult education in the training programs: Arab world. 4. Supporting the continuity of training programs The training programs included many of the for adult education teacher's trainers. following technological skills: 5. Developing the technological and teaching skills of adult teachers. - The first training program: Developing the 6.Training on the use of technological applications skills of adult distance education trainers - in

29 cooperation with Ain Shams University: 3. Introducing Microsoft Teams and how to use it. 1. Introducing distance education and training 4. Introducing educational platforms in distance programs and their importance in adult education training programs. programs. 5. Practical application on an educational 2. Introducing the Zoom Cloud Meeting program platform and how to manage it, preparing and how to use it to conduct distance training learners' lists - opening educational classes - programs. preparing and publishing scientific material - 3. How to manage the e-learning process. following up learners - conducting educational 4. Designing electronic activities in training activities – conducting exams and correcting programs. them electronically ... etc. 5. Learning about the Google Classroom tool to open distance learning classes. Experiment results: 6. Preparing electronic tests by using Google Forms. 1. Conducting meetings via Zoom application 7. Electronic assessment of the training program. between the trainees each other. 2. Designing electronic activities by trainers. - The second training program: Managing 3. Developing an integrated electronic program virtual learning environments - in cooperation for distance training of adult teachers. with the Misr University for Science and 4. Designing electronic activities for adult Technology: teachers. 5. Training a number of adult teachers in the 1. Introducing the concept of distance education governorates using the Zoom app. and training. 6. Holding meetings between branch managers 2. The most common distance training methods. and their staff. 3. Introducing Microsoft Teams application and 7. Opening literacy classes using technology, how to use it. especially for people with disabilities. 4. Adding trainees via Microsoft Teams 8. Assigning all trainers to train a number of application. teachers via the Zoom application to open 5. How to create an institutional email to use the literacy classes using technology. Microsoft Teams application. 6. Dividing the trainees into separate working Despite the efforts made, distance education still groups within the application. faces great challenges in the field of adult 7. Setting up electronic activities and make them education and learning, and this makes us look available via the application. for new roles for television and radio channels, and not just relying on the Internet alone, as the - The third training program: Distance technological infrastructure, poverty, and Training Platforms and Applications - in marginalization play a major role in impeding cooperation with the Misr University for distance learning, although some now resort to Science and Technology: integrated or hybrid education.

1. Introducing the concept of distance education Human communication is indispensable, and training. especially in adult education and learning, as it is 2. Methods of distance training and applications the gateway to imparting values such as peace, used. tolerance, rejection of violence, advocacy and

30 empowerment of women's issues, and citizenship, reality in the field of adult education and yet we must have educational renewal and seek learning. new methods that start from reading our lived

Dr. Iman Mohammad Abdel-Rahim PhD in Adult Education, Faculty of Graduate Studies of Education - Cairo University.

31 Digitization and Digital-Man Reflection on digital communication experience in adult education programs Every day, man becomes more involved in digitizing his life and transforming his digital world into a reality that touches all aspects of his life, and all human actions have digital implications. Unfortunately, these digital effects are not studied by cultural or social experts, rather these effects become smells that reveal to search engines and artificial intelligence systems a lot of information about this human being. Companies sell this information as fodders to other companies, which re- target the human being through his feelings and weaknesses without the need to address the mind and draw awareness and reality.

This reality, which has become a prominent lifestyle throughout the planet, raises very important questions, "Is the human being in a state of slavery through digitization?" Or "Is this reality a reciprocal relationship between humans and large companies, rather than services that a person benefits from in exchange for the information he provides about himself?“

If we look at the second question, we find that it is easy to progress from it and ask questions to verify and draw answers that can curb or facilitate this question. Here we can ask two basic questions: "Does man benefit from using digital communication platforms?" "Does man still have a choice to build that relationship?"

With the increase in human dependence on digital communication platforms, many of us have a basic need to reach one or some of those platforms, which have become most of what is transmitted. Rather, the digitization of human beings "digital-man" has become one of the requirements of the modern economy. Even some countries consider the digitalization of their citizens a valid path of good citizenship; people are now forced to use platforms imposed on them by their countries, their societies, and their reality.

On the other hand, the observer of digital-man of consciousness stemming from its being and behavior clearly sees a behavioral decay in the the deterioration of consciousness stemming communication process, an absence or from its universality. Whereas, humanity, as marginalization of the dialogue process during described by the writer (Francis Wolf) in his the transfer of topics, and the emergence of book "In Defense of the Cosmic"(1), is either extremist views, as these platforms allow the universal or does not exist. In other words, individual to an unequal dialogue model, and the digital communication platforms are gradually ability to mix what he wants to express with dehumanizing man. visual or audio boosters, and replace the interventions of others with limited ones or While the human being has no choice in using specific expressions. In other words, these digital platforms for communication, he has a platforms have strengthened individual premises, choice in the size and abundance of information and largely marginalized the collective premises he handles, and this is a small part of what he of dialogue, and this may lead to the development will provide in terms of information if the internet

32 of things progresses! Why does a person other than dialogue, such as the ability to display voluntarily give this information, and resort in specific content or share work on files, or that most cases to expressing his opinion, and to raise sometimes consultants were not practicing societal and personal issues through digital dialogue management or were not able to train, platforms? We would like to share here the so other platforms became able to solve these experience of the “Development and Community problems such as "Facebook". Of course, many Empowerment” project in response to the reality platforms have been tried, such as "YouTube", reflected in the Corona pandemic, how the "Snap Chat", "Google Classroom" ... etc. We platforms are used and why? What is the nature would like to point out the practices that were of dialogue at each stage? welcomed by the project participants and staff, or were familiar or easy to use. To research more on the nature of digital platforms, two workshops and dialogue sessions With the experience of the "Zoom" platform, we were devoted to the project's staff; to analyze the found that it seeks, as far as possible, to simulate elements of dialogue and features of platforms, direct speaking. It gives the facilitator or trainer and try to find one or more relationships that the relative freedom to choose the model or form bring them together. After analysis, we found that of communication by setting rules for the the "dialogue model or format" component and session, managing the dialogue process or "content" are directly linked to each platform. specifying the characteristics of each meeting. Some platforms give the sender the opportunity Despite all these characteristics, several uses to speak and express an opinion with simple have emerged for other platforms and for restrictions, but they give the recipient similar or specific activities. "WhatsApp" was better able more complex restrictions, or do not give him the to integrate images and video into the dialogue opportunity to participate. Thus, it imposes on process, while "Facebook" has provided those involved in the dialogue a single model or asynchronous dialogue, and through the live form of dialogue. This single model, whatever its broadcast feature, it has provided facilitators shape, may meet a specific activity; however, with the ability to integrate consultants and with the number and difference of activities, there specialists who are unable to manage dialogue in is a need to change the form or model of learning sessions by imposing a specific model dialogue, which is what most digital platforms do or form of communication that allows learners to not offer. limited participation without the need to interrupt the counselor. The first workshop was held to prepare an alternative plan to implement the first and final Our experience is summarized by the fact that phase of the project, which is based mainly on most of the platforms designed for education popular education approaches, and thus depends were complex and unfamiliar to marginalized mainly on dialogue and reflection. Among the groups. However, in most cases they simulate the most prominent platforms used were platforms method of rote education which unfortunately that provided everyone with the same equal practiced in schools, which contribute to the ability to express, although they may differ in process of marginalization by suppressing nature, such as "WhatsApp" and "Zoom". dialogue, and replacing awareness with a set of abstract skills and knowledge aimed at As for the second workshop, which was directly developing institutions, not individuals or related to training processes, there became needs communities.

33 Although the project was relatively successful in communication platforms play a positive role in using other platforms, overcoming the crisis and raising the levels of awareness stemming from even responding to it, it could not equate what it the universality of the individual? Thus, has presented during previous years. preserving the humanity of digitalized human Regarding the dialogue based on those platforms, beings "digital-men". with their multiplicity, none of them was Or the communication platforms can only reflect designed for the needs of the marginalized, as a marginalized image of inhuman humans? And they either imposed on the project an uneven that the only solution is to avoid digital dialogue style, or were complicated and unable to communication as much as possible, and focus be used by it. more on adult education programs as a space for joint expression and reinforcement of the We still have to wonder; can one day digital principles of collective awareness?

Mohammad Al-Shayyab Director of the Development and Community Empowerment Project, the German Association for Adult Education DVV International – Jordan.

------(1) Plaidoyer pour l’universel, Francis Wolff, FAYARD (2019).

34 Educational Renewal: Needs and Requirements Educational Renewal: is the adoption of new ideas, policies, programs, and methods and introducing them into the learning / educational environment; in order to bring about a tangible improvement in the efficiency of the educational service that expresses the hopes, aspirations and needs of society.

Educational renewal is considered a strategic option to achieve progress and development for societies, especially Arab ones, as it is part of the comprehensive reform and development processes, with the mechanisms it includes to support the positives and address the negatives.

There is no doubt that education is the engine of the project for the development of any society, and adult education is a broad and fertile field for different thought frameworks; because of its direct association with the needs of mature society.

Educational renewal in general, and in adult Also, we must take into account the progress of education in particular - requires certain implementation, as the sudden and conditions, including: that it must reflect the comprehensive renewal causes violent shocks in spirit of the times and its requirements, provide the existing educational system, as it collides solutions to problems, be linked to development with the current situation, especially since most plans, with the optimal investment of material of the educational and intellectual structures in and human resources, have sufficient knowledge particular, and the administrative organs are not of what is being renewed, achieve the principle of prepared for educational renewals or equal educational opportunities between the development projects. different geographical areas in the same country, and contribute to supporting the educational There are some challenges that face us when environment and stimulating job opportunities for renewing adult education in the Arab world. learners from among the community members. These challenges need a meditative pause for educational renewal. Everyone who works in the So that the decision-maker is aware of the field of adult education, directly or indirectly: concept of renewal, its importance, the (government institutions, civil society possibilities and requirements, and the tools institutions, private sector, religious institutions, included in the renewal, while being convinced of individuals) has an experience that cares about the idea of renewal itself, the need for it, and the quantity, and another that cares about quality, availability of time for implementation, the issue and there are those whose experiences indicate that we must pay attention to is how to renew? the combination of quantity and quality. What are the criteria for renewal? What are its However, we lack the integration of these efforts, objectives, characteristics, and implementation taking advantage of the multiple experiences and difficulties, and how do we overcome them? And generalizing them as soon as they succeed; who makes the renewal decision in the first whether at the local, regional or international place? level.

35 We also find the scarcity of interest in the outputs Are the employees of the foundation aware of the and recommendations of reports, studies and terminology related to their field of conferences, and the scarcity of measuring the specialization? If we apply a survey or a simple impact of training, which occurs in institutions, questionnaire about the extent to which workers whether for administrators or facilitators. in the different sectors know the common terminology associated with their field of work, As well we find stereotypical thought is prevalent we will be shocked by the result, the same can be in many institutions apart from creativity. For said as regards all institutions, not just adult example, but not limited to, how many education institutions. The greatest evidence of institutions have the time and qualified human this is the repetition of the same work in many resources to implement the idea of work teams in sectors without communication among their institutions? How many institutions think institutions, the complementarity of thought, and using the mental maps method, whether at the the amount of confusion in the results, and in the administrative level or the educational / learning end the homeland is the loser and the economies level in classrooms? of the countries are in decline.

In the field of leadership, has the director reached the rank of leader? What about monitoring, performance assessment, governance and quality .... We are very pleased to hear or review the most important international practices that countries have taken to eradicate illiteracy, and we are happy to apply the latest practices in family literacy, which will be the most successful experience if it is applied in the way it should be in light of the (COVID- 19) crisis, whether at the family or household level, with the benefit of distance education, but have those practices been tried? Have they been evaluated, corrected and documented?! Any experience is composed of intellectual conclusions, research efforts, and conscious practices from which we must quote what is in line with our circumstances and needs.

I know for sure that some of us reading this saying: Yes, this experiment was carried out through such-and-such association, or with such-and-such organization, but our question goes beyond the implementation, and the question becomes: Are these experiences documented, and if the documentation is done, where is it? It has already been done, and the results have been announced, but they are individual works, lacking complementarity.

We continue our questions and say: How many trainers use modern teacher training methods? How many facilitators use effective teaching and learning methods that are appropriate for learners and in line with their environments and individual differences? How many institutions have developed their curricula in light of the needs of the learner and the necessities of the times? In light of their strategic plans specifically prepared for times of crisis? And do not forget the minor media role, which lacks style, discourse methodology, and its social marketing tools.

In sum, the field of adult education needs many critical reviews, the first of which is self-review before reviewing our institutions, by renewing our ideas, updating our information, developing our skills, changing our attitudes and convictions for what is best for the benefit of ourselves and our institutions, and therefore our Arab nation, and Arab education must work to satisfy the learner and

36 society, taking into account the characteristics of renewal in the light of the requirements of the times, and there is no way for the educational renewal that we aspire to except by changing the inputs and the variety of processes; to ensure better outcomes consistent with our renewal.

Dr. Majda Mohammad Abdo PhD in Education, Researcher in Adult Education – Egypt.

37 The rationale for renewal in training programs and its fields

There is no doubt that renewal is a life necessity; for he who does not progress will get old, and if we acknowledge this introduction, it is appropriate for us to say: Renewal in training programs is no longer a luxury or a need, but rather a necessity, so training is not correct, unless we renew in training programs, in thought and practice. And we do not say this with perplexity and improvisation, but through personal experience in training, and this is what the practitioners, as well as the participants, say. If you had looked at a set of training programs, and what was going on in them, you might have shared these results with me, and stood - in the sentence - on the same stories that the trainers are telling, the same training methods, the same means, the same implications and contents, and the same feedback, if any ... So the training programs, especially the populist, have become dull and monotonous, that those interested will refrain from. There is no creativity in the contents, nor in the preparation and design, nor in the implementation and evaluation, in general ... In addition to that, we see a group of trainers seeking quick profit and stardom; that is why they describe themselves as international trainers, at the moment they finish a training course (training the trainers), and they also give their programs attractive titles, without a philosophical knowledge depth of the topic at hand, without qualification, without establishing human values, they are closer to clowning and fun ... They are so, they don't come out of the mantle of reading from presentations.

All of this call for renewal in training that come according to a specific agenda, or programs, and areas of renewal can be those that come randomly, without their outlined in the following issues: relevance to the training needs. First: The renewal in the philosophy of training Third: The trainers renew their ideas, knowledge and the intellectual assets that frame the world of and skills, instead of stagnating over the existing training, so it should not be forgotten that the ones, and reading from the presentations ... training aims at acquiring, correcting, and Therefore, the trainer must work on himself by developing; either knowledge, skill, or value. reading, attending quality training programs, and Based on this, every training that overlooks this learning about outstanding experiences, locally triad is a form of deception and loss. and internationally.

Second: Renewal in training content and Fourth: Renewal in designing training structure; so, we do not freeze on what is programs; some people think that the training common and widespread in the world of training, package is only the presentations ... and this is a many of which have become boring, and do not short view of the training package; it includes: create any training effect on its participants. the trainer's guide, the trainee's guide, activities, Hence, the training bodies must be more aware in exercises, and the means ... Hence, we see the the training industry, the most powerful of which need for creativity in designing the training are those that stem from training needs, not those package; subject, and form ... This is only possible

38 if those involved in the training do their best in Sixth: The renewal in marketing training designing the training bags, according to programs, instead of the traditional methods of scientific methodologies, and then we proceed to attracting participants, with external motives. If creativity. training is driven by training needs, trainees will come voluntarily and selectively; because it Fifth: Renewal in training methods and means, satisfies a need for them; which produces through attending dozens of training programs; I trainees who believe in the importance of say: A lot of them tend to be trainers lecturing, training. and may add to that, working groups, without awareness of the philosophy of cooperative Seventh: Renewal in the training assessment; learning, which is good, but it is even better to be those who contemplate the training spaces will creative in training methods and means; the notice that many of them neglect the feedback, strongest trainer is skilled in many methods, and even though it is of great importance, since it lets is varied in means ... We must not lose sight of us learn about the reasons for success, and the the fact that the transition from the hall to the factors of failure. Therefore, we call for field promotes active learning, and makes the improving the assessment and tightening it with trainee a producer of knowledge, not a recipient scientific tools, then we seek creativity and of it. Likewise, it is necessary to seize the renewal, taking into account the conditions of the Internet. trainees, and the time and place.

This is a hasty view of the justifications for renewal in training and its fields, in short, renewal is necessary; for what we have mentioned, and its fields are manifested in the philosophy of training, its content, its design, its implementation and its evaluation. May God give success.

Fatima Abdul Rahman Al-Alwan A volunteer at the Community Development Center Eira / Yarqa, and a facilitator in the Development and Community Empowerment Project, the German Association for Adult Education DVV International – Jordan.

39 The challenges facing renewal in the Arab context and proposals to deal with them

At a time when technological progress and scientific discovery made qualitative leaps that made the human community move at an accelerated pace in the direction of developing entertainment in human life, ease of access to information and the progress of health services, etc., Corona virus 19 invaded the world and was able to reveal imbalances and deepen the defects that societies know, and negatively and directly affect the lives of people, especially in our Arab societies, due to the unemployment, poverty and illiteracy the latter suffers ... and in the absence of clear strategies for development and in view of the policies of ignorance that work to absent thought and consecrate the lack of understanding of the references where political-ideological interferes with dogmatical and ethical ones, and to raise the sense of threat of identities, and other manifestations that justify the rigidity of attitudes, intolerance, non-acceptance of others, and the spread of hate speech in parallel with the spread of various manifestations of moral corruption such as fraud, bribery, theft of all kinds, and various behaviors that indicate a vibration in values ...

From these considerations, I chose to address in education represented in promoting upbringing this paper the subject of values, as it is one of the on a culture of equality, anti-discrimination, biggest challenges facing renewal in the Arab stereotypes and negative representations of context, because of its crucial role in adult women, and in promoting and protecting human education and even in the lives of people and rights universally recognized as rights based on societies, and given that qualifying learners to the principle of dignity and equality. overcome economic problems is not sufficient to ensure a decent life for them and peaceful However, working on values and instilling a coexistence among people, then attention to civic sense in the field of education requires values and education holds a responsibility greater attention and engagement with a set of shared by all components of society, starting from requirements, I single out some of them: the family to educational institutions to various community institutions, whether those related to education or others, as long as they are rooted in 1. Adult education is an opportunity to be the depth of daily life and refer to the methods of armed with thinking tools: It is not a field for behavior, possess the principles of behavior, charging minds with ideas and attitudes, passing reflect in thought and practice and strongly political and ideological positions, or inviting the influence judgment, decision-making and learner to adopt specific sectarian ideas and conduct. beliefs, but on the contrary, it is a field for accompanying learners to acquire skills and tools Attention to values in the field of education is of doubt and questioning knowledge and concern for the overlap and interaction between attitudes in order to examine them and upbringing and education, which is one of the developing independent positions towards them pillars of ensuring the building of a democratic ... Teaching individuals how to think for society aimed at improving the conditions of themselves is better for society than charging peoples and upgrading the indicators of sustainable them ...

40 2. The method that the teacher chooses in teacher is one of the effective methods of teaching is a factor in embarking on or education that makes him a facilitator capable of reluctance to learn: The interest in educational achieving cohesion among the members of the methods contributes to creating integration learners' community and able to control the between the consolidation of values, building learning process at its various stages. knowledge and accompanying learners towards enabling them to acquire the mechanisms of free Since the education on values does not suffice thinking and employ them in interaction with the with giving lessons about it, but requires the issues of their daily life and resistance to embodiment of those values in the behavior of everything that affects their dignity and the teacher himself, the role of the teacher is legitimate rights. central and decisive in the field of education, and his behavior, actions and attitudes in certain The most effective methods in my perception of situations, his methods of teaching and his values education are the effective communicative dealings are matters of great importance in methods that contribute greatly to motivating education on values, as well as the interest in the learners to engage directly in their learning and extent of his saturation with the noble universal themselves in values and the extent to which they are embodiedفاطمه forعبد to thinkالرحمن their abilityالعلوانenhance .in his daily behavior and educational practice متطوعةknowledge في made-مركز readyتنمية المجتمعfrom receivingالمحلي عيرا/ isolation a culture Knowing that education by example is central toيرقا، andوميسرة فيlaziness مشروع intellectualالتنمية والتمكينthat consecrates and establishing values, so that the more the role المجتمعي ,dependenceالمدعوم من intellectualالجمعية الألمانية ,of submission ,model is saturated with the principles of equality لتعليم الكبار - الأردن .dependency freedom, dignity and non-discrimination ... the The method that puts the learner in a direct more it has the ability to have positive effects on relationship with reality through studying cases the learners' hearts, and the greater the chances and dismantling topics is capable of drawing his of the possibility of changing the behavior of the attention, puts him in a real learning position, learners and achieving the desired goals. enables him to get rid of psychological resistance, motivates him to exercise his freedom of active 4. Linking values with the project culture: the participation and helps him understand and pedagogy of the project requires planning for achieve himself. integrated activities according to a plan related to programming and activating educational and Thus, effective communicative methods work to training projects, and motivating learners to shift the center of gravity in the educational engage in the field in their implementation and learning process from the teacher and enable him follow up the implementation steps and then to give up the dominance of the vertical evaluate their results without violating the relationship between him and the learners to requirements of education on values within the make room for horizontal communication guiding processes related on the one hand to the between them. The more the teacher succeeds in development of the personal project with what his role as a facilitator, the more he is able to the project requires of diligence, perseverance create real conditions for learning, which calls for and interaction with others in order to achieve practice, continuous training, and the ability to the goals set in the project and contribute to innovate in overcoming difficulties… raising the spirit of initiative, creativity and self- confidence, valuing personal capabilities and 3. The formation and empowerment of the raising the level of sense of responsibility and

41 duty, as well as acquiring the mechanism of What contributes to the upgrading of the criticism and self-criticism, and then on the other education space in parallel with the hand directing towards developing collective aforementioned is the interest in reconsidering projects which contribute to the acquisition of the design of the classroom and how to arrange values of solidarity, respect for rights and duties, the seats of learners and bypassing the traditional and the various requirements of coexistence in organization - in which the seats are installed in terms of dialogue and the ability to listen and parallel rows facing the teacher's platform - accept the other's opinion ... which allows only vertical interaction of learners and does not allow them the possibility of 5. Paying attention to the spaces in which horizontal interaction ... education takes place: By contributing to making them spaces for interaction and 6. Preparing and developing various guides developing the relationship based on dialogue that help in understanding and representing and communication, respecting the other, concepts related to the field of education on listening to him, recognizing him and accepting values such as the concepts of dignity, equality, his difference ... The more the learning space is freedom, non-discrimination, all forms of full of life, the more the learner exercises in its violence and the right to difference ... in addition shadow his right to think, question, discuss to other concepts that will clarify and enable a attitudes and defend them without fear or value reference capable of influencing thought violence. and behavior.

Malika Ghabbar Representative of the Moroccan Association of Secondary Education Inspectors at the Moroccan Coalition for Education for All, Framer of Educational Workshops on Values, Human Rights and Educational Mediation – Morocco.

41 Adult Education News Arab House for Adult Education and Development "AHAED" News

The Arab House for Adult Education and Development "AHAED" adopts the regional preparations in the Arab region for the 7th International Conference on Adult Education CONFINTEA VII The Arab House for Adult Education and enhance the quality of contributions from Arab Development "AHAED" concluded a phase of countries in the fifth report to monitor progress preparation for the Seventh International in adult learning and education and lifelong Conference on Adult Education that lasted for a learning GRALE 5 through national surveys. year and a half in cooperation with the The Arab House, the founding networks and their Foundation for International Cooperation of the members participated in regional discussions and German Association for Adult Education DVV dialogues on monitoring mechanisms, and International, the UNESCO Institute for Lifelong electronic seminars were organized that brought Learning (UIL), the UNESCO Regional Office in together the national coordination bodies with Beirut, and the International Council for adult civil society, and implemented two initiatives to Education ICAE. strengthen the partnership between civil society and the bodies concerned with adult education The Arab House has adopted these preparations and learning in (Egypt and Lebanon) by as an extension of its vision as a renaissance, participating in the filling out the Fifth Report on educational, and enlightening project adopting a Adult Education questionnaire. regional renewal initiative resulting from continuous and long-term partnership and efforts The Arab House for Adult Education and between the Arab Network for Literacy and Adult Development (AHAED) held several specialized Education (ANLAE), the Arab Network for meetings in the presence of representatives of the Popular Education (ANPE), the Arab Network for four networks that include more than 475 Civic Education (ANHRE), and the Arab associations. A paper was issued in both Arabic Campaign for Education for All (ACEA). and English, expressing a common vision and reality for those interested in education / learning During the year 2020, with the support of the issues in the Arab region. During the months of German Association for Adult Education, the February and March 2021, the Arab House led Arab House contributed to capacity-building the Arab preparations in partnership with the efforts for Arab civil society organizations and UNESCO Regional Office, the UNESCO partnering and coordinating with national Institute for Lifelong Learning and the German government coordination bodies in order to Association for Adult Education, discussions and

43 coordination to hold a preparatory meeting with building to civil society and the national civil society parties and then the official regional coordinating bodies in all Arab countries; as well preparatory conference organized by UNESCO as AHAED journal, which will allocate, within and the UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning. its issues, a special issue to the preparations The findings, conclusions and recommendations related to the previous international conference, of civil society were presented by AHAED with the aim of preparing for an effective and members and the national coordinating bodies. influential Arab participation in the Seventh International Conference on Adult As part of his plan for 2021-2022, AHAED will Education CONFINTEA VII to be held in 2022 continue to provide more support and capacity in Morocco.

The Arab House for Adult Education and Development obtains membership in the International Council for Adult Education (ICAE)

In another serious step on the road to ensuring that the Arab voice reaches the international community of adult learning and education, and enhancing Arab contributions and a wide Arab presence in this sector, and after a number of preparatory steps and joint cooperation, the Arab House for Adult Education and Development "AHAED" has fulfilled the requirements for marks the beginning of its start to play the joining the International Council for Adult region’s representative role at the international Education ICAE, and obtained membership as a level. AHAED membership in the International regional network member on February 24, 2021. Council is an opportunity to contribute to developing a development vision for adult Professor Katarina Popovich, Secretary General education and place this issue at the top of of the International Council for Adult Education, international policies priorities". expressed her happiness at Arab House membership in the Council, saying, “We are In the first steps that follow obtaining the certain that this will be the beginning of a good membership, the Arab House joins the cooperation, and that together, working with international campaign that will last for 5 years committed members of the International Council and launched by the International Council for from the Arab region, we will definitely be able Adult Education under the title "We are adult to contribute strongly to promoting and learning and education - We Are ALE", which improving adult learning and education in the aims to promote a common global understanding region, so that we make sure that no one is left of adult learning and education, its impact and behind in these efforts". importance in the lives and progress of peoples.

Mr. Refat Sabbah, President of the Arab House for Adult Education and Development added that "AHAED accession to the International Council

44 The Arab House for Adult Education and Development "AHAED" launches its own specialized website In conjunction with the intensive Arab preparations for an effective and wide Arab participation based on the needs, trends and hopes of the Arab region in the upcoming Seventh International Conference for adult education in Morocco, the Arab House for Adult Education and Development is launching its official specialized website www.ahaed.org. This website aims to be the electronic arm of the Arab House as a platform for exchange and dialogue between educators, experts, institutions and policy makers; in order to renew the thinking and approaches of adult education and learning, and to enhance the role and capabilities of adult education so that it becomes a renaissance, educational and enlightening project for the Arab world. Through it, the Arab will be able to ensure wide participation as well as wide dissemination and participatory production of Arabic knowledge in adult learning and education.

New AHAED website is characterized by simplicity and modernity, as it features interactive Arabic content that simulates various adult education issues in the Arab region. The site's browsers will find comprehensive information about the starting points for establishing the Arab House, the Arab networks that were partners in its founding and its strategic partners, supporters and friends. Through the website, they can view the Arab House programs and activities in capacity building, advocacy, research, training, and policy dialogue, as well as access to various types of sources and Arabic content on adult learning and education through the publications and e-library section, and records of various seminars and events of AHAED and its partners. In the near future, the Arab adult learning and education community will have the opportunity to interact, contribute and use the website as a platform and forum for dialogue and exchange.

45 The Arab House for Adult Education and Development and the four regional Arab networks that found it joining the membership of the Arab Education Coalition At the invitation of UNESCO, the Arab House for Adult Education and Development "AHAED", the Arab Network for Literacy and Adult Education, the Arab Campaign for Education, the Arab Network for Popular Education, and the Arab Network for Civic Education joined the Arab Education Coalition. The Arab Coalition is an initiative launched by UNESCO to deal with the repercussions of the pandemic, and its membership includes regional institutions and policies operating in the Arab region. This coalition aims to develop visions and strategies to address the repercussions of the current and future pandemic, in addition to exchanging experiences and information among all the members.

An intense meeting that included the Arab Network for Popular Education, the Lebanese Educational Coalition and the Arab House for Adult Education and Development (AHAED) The Arab Network for Popular Education / Ecumenical Project for Popular Education (the Lebanese Educational Coalition) with the support of the Arab House for Adult Education and Development (AHAED) held a three-day meeting in December 2020 for strategic planning in the presence of representatives of the Arab Network for Popular Education – The Ecumenical Project – Association Najdeh – The Community of NGOs in Saida (Tajamoh) - The Civil Council Against Addiction (CCAA- Lebanon) - The Humanitarian Association for the Care of Patients and People with Special Needs - Maarouf Saad Social and Cultural Foundation - Al Moasat Association - Newrouz Association - Moubadarat Wa Kararat Association (Initiatives and Decisions) – The Lebanese Democratic Women's Gathering (RDFL).

It was a fruitful meeting in which the participants discussed the following topics: The Strategy of the Lebanese Educational Coalition presented by Dr. Zahi Azar, Liberation from Public Debt: The Reality of Lebanon presented by Mr. Amin Saleh, the subject of preparations for the Seventh International Conference on Adult Education, the Results of the Fourth Monitoring Report and its effects, the preparation of the Fifth Report, and the Role of AHAED with an intervention presented by Dr. Nehmat Geagea (representative of the Ministry of Social Affairs) and Mrs. Elsy Wakil, in addition to the issue of Renewal of Post-Corona Adult Learning / Education presented by Dr. Zahi Azar, The Compulsory Digital Transformation and Education presented by Dr. Dal Al-Hitti and Dr. Aida Al-

46 Khatib, and the Minimum Standards for education under emergencies presented by Mrs. Samar Sahyoun and Mrs. Maha Nammour, and setting up a strategic plan for the Lebanese Educational Coalition for a period of at least one year to keep pace with education in light of the Corona pandemic and the current conditions that Lebanon is going through, which is liberation from public debt and Lebanon's current reality.

The meeting also included the selection of members of the Coalition Coordinating Committee, which is responsible of registering the coalition and reformulating the goals, and which were formed by representatives of the partner societies, namely the Arab Network for Popular Education - The Ecumenical Project – Association Najdeh – The community of NGOs in Saida - The Civil Council Against Addiction - the Humanitarian Association for the care of Patients and People with Special Needs - Maarouf Saad Social and Cultural Foundation - Al Moasat Association - Newrouz Association – Moubadarat Wa Kararat Association – The Lebanese Democratic Women’s Gathering (RDFL).

A five-year global campaign under the slogan "We Are ALE" * In February 2021, the International Council for Adult Education (ICAE), in partnership with 15 global entities, launched a campaign that will continue for the next 5 years. This campaign expresses an international coalition of international, continental and re- -gional networks, associations, and organizations active in adult learning and education. It is a coalition dedicated to highlighting the paramount importance of adult learning and education in bringing about justice, well-being and positive change around the world. The We Are ALE Campaign believes that the 2030 Agenda for Education has recognized lifelong learning as a key element in achieving the sustainable development goals, but adult learning and education that is an essential part of lifelong learning is still not visible enough.

The campaign organizers and administrators confirm that in order for adult learning and education to be given the necessary attention to advance the reality of societies around the world and to understand its values, principles and impact, a strong advocacy is needed to engage the widest possible number of government and donor agencies, the private sector, international organizations and social movements in expressing common messages about the importance and impact of adult learning and education.

47 This global campaign adopts 5 messages in support of adult learning and education, which are:

1. Consolidation of work to promote the emergence of the importance of adult learning and education, its understanding and appreciation around the world. 2. A unified global voice in support of the emergence, understanding and appreciation of adult learning and education. 3. A global voice to promote adult learning and education. 4. Global networking and communication in order to serve the goals of adult learning and education. 5. Adult education unites us for justice, well-being and change.

Elsy Wakil and Ola Issa

------• For more information on how to contribute to the campaign, you can visit the campaign website www.we-are-ale.org or its social media pages.

The Arab Network for Literacy and Adult Education continues its efforts to support and promote adult learning and education programs in Arab countries The Arab Network for Literacy and Adult Education is currently adjusting, in accordance with Egyptian law, its conditions and amending its internal regulations to achieve a new innovative vision for continuous adult education and learning without discrimination for all through sustainable development approaches 2030 related to the right to decent work, health and citizenship. On the other hand, the network continued its efforts to support adult education curricula and methods in various Egyptian governorates, as the first specialized curriculum based on needs and concerned with eradicating women's illiteracy and empowering them economically, socially and politically (the women and life curriculum) was prepared and tested in 4 additional Egyptian governorates. It was digitized in 2019 in cooperation with Microsoft and with the approval of the Egyptian Adult Education Authority and the UNESCO Office. This curriculum has become sensitive to learning and education in light of the pandemic, and it has also been chosen for generalization in areas of Arab conflict and crises through the Coordinating Committee of the Arab Decade in the Arab League.

Dr. Ekbal El-Samalouty, former Dean of the Higher Institute of Social Service and General Secretary of the Arab Network for

48 Literacy and Adult Education, was also honored by the President of the Egyptian Republic for her contribution to public development. (education and empowerment of women) within the framework of the celebrations of International Women's Day in March 2021.

In addition, cooperation protocols have been concluded for joint work in support of the right to continuous adult education and learning with the Universities of Ain Shams, Menoufia and Fayoum, the Arab Open University, and with the Union of Arab Women Leaders and the Arab Women Pioneers Network in all Arab countries.

Nashwa Radwan Adult education specialist and secretary of the Arab Network for Literacy and Adult Education.

Member of the Arab Network for Literacy and Adult Education, the Red Crescent Society of the Gaza Strip implements an emergency plan to ensure the continuity and comprehensiveness of literacy programs in the Strip

The adult education program in the Red Crescent Society of the Gaza Strip has begun implementing a comprehensive plan to ensure the continuity of literacy programs and respond to the emergency situation in the Gaza Strip with the spread of the pandemic in it. Mr. Imad Hamdi Al-Hattab, Director of Educational and Cultural Affairs at the Association, pointed out that the plan focused in its awareness aspect on four main aspects: providing the basics for the various family members, including children, the sick and others, taking care of health and hygiene and securing access to basic medical needs, entertainment as a humanitarian need, in addition to solidarity between neighbors and residents of the same residential complexes, and taking care of the daily routine to help provide a sense of normality in the family’s life and not expose its members to more psychological pressure.

As for the continuation of the literacy program, the emergency plan relies on distance education by dividing the curriculum into 4 parts. Distance education includes cultural activities that stimulate cooperation, solidarity, local identity, and individual empowerment. The plan, which is characterized by flexibility, also provides opportunities for communication among teachers, coordination with the Department of Psychological Counseling and Awareness digitally, and the possibility of registering new learners digitally. As for the required exams, they will be done individually in the presence of the teacher with each learner separately, so as to ensure that the learners have their official certificates.

Imad Hamdi Al-Hattab Director of Educational and Cultural Affairs in Gaza Red Crescent Society.

49 The Arab Network for Civic Education launches a number of initiatives and events

Empowerment of Women for Leadership Booklet

The Arab Network for Civic Education - ANHRE, at the end of the "Empowerment of Women for Leadership" project, which targeted women in 9 local communities in Jordan, launched a network (Moubadarat / Initiatives) as an active network of local women's movements and community organizations with awareness and knowledge of the local context in terms of gender and women's rights. This network is considered the nucleus of a popular feminist movement to enhance the participation of women and increase their chances of engaging in public life and decision-making, and to integrate gender equality. This local network of local community organizations and women activists has been stimulated to take practical community actions and involve other women to participate in public decisions and increase local plans, ideas and opinions based on gender. This network is concerned with planning, implementing and evaluating gender-sensitive community initiatives to involve women in decision-making, adopting gender-sensitive trends and influencing political and societal decisions, in addition to empowering them to influence public opinion that would achieve gender equality.

The "Empowerment of Women for Leadership" project, which lasted for three years, continued from October 2017 to September 2020 and was implemented in the governorates of Maan, Tafila and Karak in the south, Zarqa, Madaba, and Balqaa in the center, and Irbid, Jerash and Ajloun in the north. A booklet was published detailing the project in all its phases, approaches and results. The booklet also included case studies and harvesting of results for future use and building on them. The sequence of project activities follows an educational approach adopted by the ANHRE network; it enables women to take practical action to make a change.

The booklet also documents practical actions that women leaders have taken to translate what has been learned into action; where women learn through experience to change their lives and positively influence the lives of people in their communities. The booklet explains the process of integrating society and women in efforts to create collective commitments that contribute to identifying the needs

50 of people, especially women who are difficult to reach and people most vulnerable to discrimination, exclusion and marginalization, as women participated in local decisions that adopt a gender approach, and ANHRE has been keen to document all these practices to celebrate, use and expand them.

"Youth for Democracy" Academy The Arab Network for Civic Education launched the (Hand / Yad) project, which began work in Palestine and Jordan and seeks to deepen the experience further in Jordan in 2020 and the coming years, and it seeks to work with members of professional and labor unions in Jordan to adopt a more fair approach and representation of the gender and youth in the framework of building on the principles of social dialogue and applying gender-sensitive initiatives based on dialogue.

Approximately 160 young unionists, males and females, interacted to build their capabilities around the democratic foundations of union work, human rights and gender equality, and to promote a culture of dialogue with current leaders and the media, to contribute to public policies and form media discourses related to their right to work, participation and fair representation at all levels, especially the internal union decision-making mechanisms.

In addition to the initiatives launched by the union youth in cooperation with their unions, advocacy meetings were held to come up with clear policy papers and positions that frame union work, its foundations, work references and suggested recommendations to promote the participation of women and youth in union work and enhance their role in the structures, internal regulations and committees of professional unions and their working mechanisms.

A number of important documents were developed, including the policy paper, the position paper "The Problem of Low Participation of Women and Youth in the Board of Directors of Professional Unions in Jordan," and reference rules to enhance the participation of youth and women in union work.

The launch of ANHRE digital learning platform www.epanhre.org

The Arab Network for Civic Education launched the digital platform for distance learning, in response to crises and digital development and to give a second opportunity to learn in light of the changes taking place in the world, so learning should continue through alternative learning paths and be a top priority at the present time. The development of this platform was aimed at maintaining communication and access to education and ensuring the sustainability of work through alternative

51 programs, to have distance learning and ensure the adoption of the integration of educational methods as a new methodology, including all programs. In the long run, the online learning platform will help develop our emergency capabilities to mitigate and manage risks in the future. We must ensure that beneficiaries, particularly women and girls, fully get the learning opportunities they need to reach their full potential, especially with the increasing financial constraints faced by many families.

This platform will be used as an alternative or additional educational path to support members of the ANHRE network and members of the existing network of women leaders and other youth groups and activists with whom the Arab Network for Civic Education and its members work. It will offer an innovative approach, including the use of an e-learning platform, to deliver high-quality educational programs to support women in overcoming barriers to learning opportunities. Learning paths, on the ground and online courses, will be integrated, as well as covering the theoretical and practical sides of training topics and issues.

The existence of an electronic learning platform will contribute to achieving the sustainable development goals, especially the fourth goal "ensuring inclusive and quality education for all and promoting lifelong learning." The electronic learning platform is available to registered users of the ANHRE network, its partners, and beneficiaries of the network's programs, especially the marginalized, the hard-to-reach, and the less privileged.

Fotouh Younes Executive Director of the Arab Network for Civic Education - ANHRE and a member of the Board of Directors of the Arab House for Adult Education and Development "AHAED".

52 The Arab Campaign for Education continues its international, regional and local activities to enhance the unification of lobbying and advocacy efforts for adult learning and education

Election of Refat Sabbah and Adam Mohammad to the steering committee membership of the international "Education Cannot Wait" program The Director General of the Teacher Creativity Center and the Secretary General of the Global Campaign for Education Refat Sabbah was elected as a representative of the High Level Leadership Group - Education Cannot Wait, and the Somalia Coalition for Education For All (EFASOM) Coordinator Adam Mohammad was elected as the representative of the Executive Committee. "Education Cannot Wait" is a new global fund to transform the delivery of education in emergencies. It is also a fund that brings together governments, humanitarian actors and development efforts to provide a more cooperative and rapid response to the educational needs of children and youth affected by crises. The fund as well aims to deliver safe, free and high-quality education to all children and youth affected by the crisis by 2030. The "Education Cannot Wait" program works alongside donors from the public and private sectors, to help reposition education as a priority on the humanitarian agenda, engage in a more collaborative approach among actors on the ground and promote additional funding to ensure that every child and young person affected by the crisis is in school and learning. It is noteworthy that the Coordinating Committee of the Consultative Group of International, Regional and National NGOs re-elected Sabbah last May as a representative of international institutions to membership of the 2030 Education Coordination Committee, which is the highest international body concerned with the education file, in relation to the implementation of the fourth goal within the Sustainable Development Goals, which were adopted in the framework of a United Nations summit organized in September 2015.

Launch of the Arab Educational Policy Academy at its first session 2020 The Arab Campaign for Education for All launched the activities of the Arab Educational Policy Academy at its first session for the year 2020, under the title (Financing Education in the Arab Region), with the participation of the Arab development expert, Dr. Adib Nehme, and a group of specialists and experts from the Arab world, the campaign staff and the

53 Chairman of the Campaign Board of Directors Dr. Zahi Azar and the campaign partners in Arab educational coalitions and the Global Campaign for Education. The General Coordinator of the Global Campaign for Education, Mr. Grant Kaswangeti, the president of the Global Campaign for Education, Mr. Refat Sabbah, the executive director of the Arab NGOs Network for Development, Mr. Ziad Abdul Samad, the Arab development expert, Dr. Adib Nehme, and the analyst and economist, Dr. Nasr Abdul Karim, also participated in the Academy sessions that were held in November 2020. The Academy addressed a set of important axes related to education financing policies, including the evaluation of efforts to achieve the fourth goal of the Sustainable Development Goals through a critical approach and questioning, policy evaluation, societal accountability towards financing education at the local and national levels, the concept of education financing and the most important mechanisms and sources of education financing, the policies of the World Bank Group towards education support and financing, the external debts of countries and their impact on education financing, and the future of education financing in light of the current crises, particularly the COVID- 19 pandemic. The context of holding the Academy comes as part of the basic strategies of the Arab Educational Policy Academy, which integrate training and capacity building on the one hand, and review and analysis of policies on the other hand. The Academy of Educational Policies aims to develop the capabilities of capable Arab educational cadres through research and dialogue, learning and training, meditation and reflection, and the Academy mainly targets workers in Arab civil society organizations, including Arab educational coalitions and their members and partner civic networks, and workers in universities, research and studies centers, and analysis of national, regional and international policies, in addition to workers in national and international institutions related to education.

The Arab Educational Feminist Forum: activists, members of Arab national educational coalitions, and many Arab women's institutions. Announcing the birth of a new vision for the role of women in the Arab educational The Arab Campaign for Education, through this movement 3-day forum, aimed to contribute to unifying the In December 2020, the Arab Campaign for efforts of feminist movements in the Arab region Education for All - ACEA, in partnership with to come up with a mechanism of action based on regional and member partners in the campaign strengthening the role of feminist movements in network, carried out the activities of the Arab the educational movement and supporting the Educational Feminist Forum, under the title position of women in education, in addition to "Arab Feminist Movements and their Role in the other goals that are: Defining aspects of Educational Movement: Betting on Equality and achievement and failure in the work of feminist Equal Opportunity". The forum was characterized movements in the education sector, and by a high-level international and regional identifying the extent of the economic, social and presence, as well as hundreds of Arab feminist health impact of the COVID - 19 pandemic on

54 women's lives in general, and the education of that increased in the furnace of the Corona women and girls in particular. During the forum, pandemic according to what the follow-up distinguished initiatives and experiences in the reflects, and we must not wait for the statistics field of women and education were presented at that will be issued after months, it is unfortunate the local, national and regional levels, during that we do not see any initiatives to monitor the which an attempt was also made to anticipate the phenomenon early. In addition to stressing the future role of feminist movements and their work importance of activating the role of civil society in the field of education, in addition to organizations to promote women's education, developing strategic work features that guarantee especially in light of the crises experienced by the sustainability of women's education and societies, the need to fully adhere to the empowerment, especially in times of crises and standards and controls necessary for the quality emergencies. of women's education, giving adequate attention to the education of women with disabilities to Participants presented a large number of achieve the principle of equal opportunities in recommendations and proposals, the most education, linking women's education to prominent of which were: obligating decision- Sustainable Development Goals, the serious makers to take practical steps to promote girls' pursuit through scientific research and studies to and women's education by supporting legislation reduce the phenomenon of school dropout among to reduce the marriage of minors that prevents girls, paying attention to distance education in its girls from completing education, the necessity to various means as an alternative to traditional target areas where girls ’education does not education, also the inclusion of the national receive clear attention and cooperation, education course within the formal education participation in supporting families to bring back curricula, and the need to pay attention to girls who have left school due to poverty or any women's technical education to provide skills harmful practices, developing an Arab framework that assist women in upgrading their role in that organizes women's empowerment, society and thus empowering them at the mobilizing all efforts in favor of passing economic and social level. The participants as regulations and legislation that enhance women's well focused on the importance of having access to their full and unimpaired rights in many political will and governmental and societal areas, maximizing interventions and coordinating support for the advancement of women. efforts to ensure integration of efforts to include a change in curricula that allows to overcome the stereotypical treatment that reflected itself in the stereotype of the image, activating the role of the media through awareness campaigns on the rights of the girl by focusing on the marriage of minors and harmful practices, making free and compulsory basic education a priority and in a way that the widening of the discussion about free education to include university education, as it is a shortcoming to continue shutting down the compulsory education issue despite its importance, and without forgetting the importance of governments assuming their role in compulsory education and addressing the truancy

55 reality of the educational discourse and the The Palestinian Educational Feminist reality of the work of the feminist movement in Forum "Feminism in the Educational the educational side, in addition to identifying Discourse" the social and economic obstacles to the work of The Arab Campaign for Education for All, in the feminist movement in the educational aspect, partnership with the Palestinian Educational by focusing on the current situation in light of Coalition and the Teacher Creativity Center, the Corona pandemic and the blurring of the organized the "Feminism in the Educational immediate and the near future visions, in Discourse" forum from 20 to 22 March 2021 addition to anticipating the future role of feminist online - via the Zoom platform, with the aim of movement work in the educational aspect, by reaching a Palestinian feminist educational focusing on concrete strategies and new concepts discourse, by strengthening the role of feminist in the feminist movement, taking into account movements and uniting their efforts in favor of the young generation of feminists. liberal education that in turn leads to both societal change and national liberation, based on Several axes were discussed during the forum the fourth and fifth goals of the Sustainable through three specialized sessions and multiple Development Goals, in cooperation with the visions, which presented an analysis of the relevant ministries and educational institutions as reality of the Palestinian educational discourse in well as Palestinian civil society institutions. It is its academic, political, and media dimensions, the first Palestinian forum that discusses and of civil society institutions, and discussed the feminism in the educational discourse, an extent of the contribution and impact of each of extension of the Arab Educational Feminist them in promoting access to an educational Forum, which was held at the end of December feminist discourse, in addition to reading the of 2020. Palestinian feminist discourse and trying to dismantle it by focusing on its educational This forum brought together experts, academics dimension. and activists in the formal and informal The historical dimension in dealing with the educational and feminist fields, in rich educational and feminist discourse was also educational dialogue sessions, which discussed in highlighted. depth the analysis of the formal and informal educational feminist discourse from various academic, media and political angles, as well as Establishing a youth group and the feminist educational discourse of civil society strengthening its role in the Arab institutions. The presence of these prominent Campaign for Education parties, and their contribution based on their experiences, constituted a crucial matter in The youth group from the Arab Campaign for promoting the partnership approach aimed at Education for All - ACEA participated in the clarifying the visions and policies of the relevant online global association activities organized by ministries and unions in the Palestinian the Global Education Campaign from 23 to 25 educational feminist discourse, which paved the March 2021, with the intention of allowing way for the diagnosis of the reality of the members to ratify the association’s decision held Palestinian educational and feminist discourse, in November 2018 to add a second seat to the and the extent of its harmony among the Youth Department of the Global Campaign for educational and feminist parties. Where the Education Council. forum came with the aim of extrapolating the The members also discussed the movement’s

56 priorities in the areas of politics, advocacy, Two national workshops on education campaigns, and research, including membership financing policies in Iraq and Morocco commitment efforts. The Arab Campaign for Education for All, in On the first day, Jibril Ahmed, a member of the cooperation with the Iraqi Education Coalition Executive Committee of the Youth Group from and the Moroccan Education Coalition, Somalia, participated with a speech about the role concluded two national workshops on education that the youth group plays in the Arab Campaign financing policies in Iraq and Morocco via for Education for All in engaging the youth of the Zoom. The Iraq workshop was held on Saturday Arab world in shaping the future of education and 6 March 2021 and the Morocco workshop on developing axes and components of a strategic Friday 12 March 2021, with the aim of plan that ensures their participation and presenting and discussing the reality of Funding empowerment and ensuring that they play a education and the most important policies, supportive role to the efforts of the Arab mechanisms and sources of funding for Campaign for Education, while Rantia Sabbah, a education at the local level, within the member of the group's executive committee from framework of advocating for the campaign, Palestine, referred to the reality of youth and educational coalitions and civil society education in the Arab world and the most organizations for education issues at the local important challenges facing them in the region. level.

Heba Al-Jaabari Liaison coordinator for the Arab Campaign for Education.

57 Teacher Creativity Center supports the formation of community committees for education in Palestine During the year 2020, the Teacher Creativity Center led the coordination of educational sector institutions in addition to its leadership of the institutions of the Palestinian Education Coalition, which had a significant and tangible impact on uniting the efforts of civil society institutions working in the education sector in Palestine, as the center contributed to creating space for dialogue and discussion between these institutions through the dialogue sessions that it was organizing to discuss the emerging issues on the scene caused by the Corona pandemic, such as the arrival of marginalized groups to education, the application of the health protocol followed to return to schools, the discussion of the future of education and so on, thus raising the voice of civil society in defending and advocating the right to education for all groups, and restoring the role of civil society institutions are on the map of actors in policy planning. This came after the Ministry of Education worked at the beginning of the pandemic to develop a national response plan for the education sector without involving civil society institutions. The center worked on forming educational community committees in several areas in the West Bank, which contributed to keeping local communities interacting and playing an effective role in discussing education issues.

Farha Abu Al-Haija, one of the women members greater interest of the government, financiers and of the Community Education Committee in the local community shifted to the health sector, Burqin - Jenin, said in an interview with her as the Teacher Creativity Center was one of the about the importance of the community education first institutions to pay attention to the issue of committees established by the Teacher Creativity funding for the education sector, as it is one of Center: “The formation of the committee during the important vital sectors that have been greatly the closure period contributed greatly to the affected by the pandemic, and the center had a transmission of the experience of parents in e- major role in raising the important and urgent learning, and there has become a platform issue during the pandemic, which is the issue of through which they can communicate their voice local funding for education, and through its and demands and express what they face while leadership of the education sector institutions educating their children. Creating such and the Palestinian Education Coalition, a local committees has had the effect of enhancing the advocacy campaign was undertaken to raise involvement of all parties to the educational community awareness about the importance of process in expressing their opinion regarding the the education tax and its contribution to course of the educational process”. As for Abu increasing domestic spending on the Mohammad, from Qabatia, he now understands development of the education sector. what the education tax (formerly knowledge) is and how through which education can be developed and supported in local communities. Hala Al Qubbaj Director of Teacher Creativity With the emergence of the new Corona virus, the Center programs.

58 Educational stand: a TV talk show serving regional learning and education issues

The Arab Campaign for Education, represented by the Teacher Creativity Center, is organizing, in partnership with the Palestinian educational satellite channel, Al-Quds, a TV program under the title "Educational Stand". This talk show is moderated by Mr. Refat Sabbah, President of the Global Campaign for Education. Sabbah believes that an "Educational Stand" is a program that seeks to analyze local, regional and global educational policies and trends and to identify the positions of educators of various stripes with the aim of coming up with perceptions of the features of education in the coming days, and gathering Arab mental efforts to contribute to the advancement of the education process and its transfer from a system that depends on the consumption of knowledge to its production. The program also seeks to open a community dialogue in order to involve everyone in developing a community vision for education.

During the year 2021, the program presented dialogues on four important educational issues, including issues of adult learning and education and its role in light of the pandemic, as well as issues of learning and interactive education through digital platforms, the requirements and capabilities of educational supervision in light of the pandemic, in addition to the challenges faced by mothers in distance education. One of its episodes also discussed the feminism and educational discourse.

The German Association for Adult Education concludes an orientation and training program for the beneficiaries of the cash-for-work project in Jordan Jordan is one of the countries mostly affected by the Syrian crisis. According to UNHCR, Jordan hosts almost 661.997 Syrian refugees*, most of them in local communities in Amman, Mafraq, Irbid and Zarqa governorates. Despite major international support, refugee crisis still stays one of the main challenges the country is facing.

At the end of 2019, DVV International in Jordan began implementing an orientation and training program for the beneficiaries of the cash-for-work project within the GIZ project “Improvement of Green Infrastructure in Jordan through Labor intensive Measures”. The project aimed to improve income opportunities for the beneficiaries participating in the cash-for-work program by providing

59 opportunities for mentoring, counseling and The project has been implemented under training, and by providing the necessary tools and exceptional circumstances due to the COVID-19 materials, supporting employment or establishing pandemic. With the start of the project, a small business and enterprise initiatives. The complete closure was announced in Jordan. To main objective of the project was to improve the meet this new challenge, the German Association income generating opportunities of beneficiaries for Adult Education staff provided electronic involved in the Cash for Work Program by means of communication to the beneficiaries of provision of orientation and training as well as by the project. During the shutdowns, training provision of tools and materials as support for sessions, meetings and communication continued employment or establishment of business in digital and social media. initiatives. The project was implemented in very special The project was based on participatory conditions of COVID-19. In the beginning of the approaches combining the learning about the project the national lockdown was introduced in needs of communities and its members as well as Jordan. To face this challenge DVV International the learning about needs and strengths of team introduced online communication with project’s beneficiaries. The project was project’s beneficiaries. In the period of implemented in five communities in Irbid, lockdown, meetings and training sessions were Mafraq and Zarqa governorates. 260 Syrians and taking place online trough social media. Jordanians have been trained by DVV international Team, Vocational Training Corporation, National Agricultural Research Nazaret Nazaretyan Centre as well as selected business trainers and Regional Director of DVV consultants. International in the Middle East. ------Image copyright: DVV International in Jordan. * http://data2.unhcr.org/en/situations/syria/location/36 (November 4, 2020)

A gender-specific set of tools for adult learning and education in the Middle East and North Africa region The culmination of a joint cooperation over a period of 6 months between the offices of the German Association for Adult Education DVV International in North Africa and the Middle East, and in partnership with the representatives of more than 45 national, local and regional partners in Tunisia, Morocco, Palestine, Jordan and Lebanon, the DVV International published a gender-specific set of tools for adult learning and education in the MENA Region. This set of tools is an additional step towards promoting joint action in order to support equal access to learning opportunities and benefit from learning for women and men, and to support national and local partners providing adult learning and education services in developing their programs to allow women and men to be empowered and to enhance their participation in quality learning programs that are specific and appropriate to their needs and aspirations.

60 The German Association for Adult Education provides this toolkit for partners and stakeholders to review together some of the best practices used in the field of gender issues and applied to adult learning and education in the Middle East and North Africa, especially with regard to addressing issues of gender roles, enhancing the role of women in decision-making, and promoting participation in learning procedures, with an emphasis on a safe learning environment. This toolkit also provides practical, effective and innovative solutions to contribute to improving adult learning and education programs that are gender-sensitive and inclusive of all members of society.

Stakeholders can access the Arabic, English and French versions of the toolkit via the following link: https://www.dvv-international.de/en/ale-toolbox/teaching-and-training/gender-in-ale- toolkit/download-center-gender-in-ale-toolkit The Arabic version can also be accessed through the following link: https://www.dvv- international.jo/e-library A short introductory video about the toolkit in Arabic can be accessed through the following link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BgB9lAzUrpE

Donia Benmeloud Regional Director of DVV International in North Africa.

The German Association for Adult Education and Dar Al Kalima University College launch the cultural project "Hakaya Collective" With joint efforts between DVV International in Palestine and Dar Al Kalima University College of Arts and Culture, preparations were completed at the beginning of this year for the launch of the "Hakaya Collective/Stories from Palestine" project. The project lasts for three years, with joint funding from the European Union and the of shaping the components of the Palestinian German Federal Ministry for Economic identity, so that the essence of the project Cooperation and Development, and in depends on making use of the large intersection cooperation with eight community centers for areas between the fields of culture and education educating youth and adults in the West Bank and in order to enhance the participation of Gaza Strip. Palestinian civil society institutions, specifically the community youth and adult education The project is consistent with the vision of the centers, in the depth of cultural and artistic work institutions based on it in consolidating in order to preserve and promote Palestinian Palestinian culture within the local learning and culture, and enhance the capabilities of these education methodologies and as an essential part institutions to embrace education and cultural

61 action and provide them with the necessary tools notably building the capacity of partner to build cultural education methodologies to community youth and adult education centers, improve living conditions and achieve steps activating their presence within their community towards local development in which the core frameworks to provide an opportunity for values are justice and freedom, within an members of these communities to participate in increasingly difficult global context at all social, cultural and artistic expression, and raising economic and political levels. public awareness about the Palestinian cultural heritage and the Palestinian narrative by The "Hakaya Collective/stories from Palestine" promoting Palestinian cultural and artistic project aspires to achieve several goals, most products locally and Europeanly.

Nidal Al Kaabi Director of the "Hakaya Collective" project at DVV International in Palestine.

62 Translations This Corner … The Arab House for Adult Education and Development "AHAED" seeks to provide a platform for exchange and dialogue between educators, experts, institutions and policy makers. In order to renew the thinking and approaches of adult education and learning, and to enhance the role and capabilities of adult education. This endeavor includes regional and international networking and opening the field for dialogue between different contexts, not to dictate to each other, but to share and exchange with each other in a manner that allows the enrichment and support of learning and joint development processes, and keeping the bodies working in adult education in the Arab world informed of new developments in this field in the other parts of the world. Through this corner of the journal, we will provide selected translations of content from other contexts in line with each issue's file and pressing issues in adult education. The translation of this issue is an article civil society, government and academic partners published by the DVV International*. DVV in more than 30 countries in Africa, Asia, Latin International represents nearly 900 adult America and Europe. education centers (Volkshochschulen) and their local associations, and is the largest provider of The translated article** was published under the further education (outside of formal academic title "Reflecting on the Futures of ALE - Because and professional education frameworks) in the future cannot wait"***. It provides a reflection Germany. As the leading professional on the change that has become inevitable in the organization in adult education and development adult learning and education sector, in light of cooperation, DVV International has been the pandemic that began in 2020, and in light of committed to supporting lifelong learning for the global trends of dialogue about the future of more than 50 years. DVV International provides adult learning and education, and the worldwide support; to create and develop circumstances, conditions and transformations so sustainable structures for youth and adult that all parties can ensure the sustainability of education. It collaborates with more than 200 adult learning and education provision.

Christoph Uwe Jost Gartenschlaeger

------* Source: Official website of the DVV International (January 19, 2021), https://www.dvv-international.de/en/ ** Source of the article in the original language (English): The periodic newsletter of DVV International (January 19,2021), https://www.dvv-international.de/en/our-work/blog/detail/reflecting-on-the-futures-of-ale-because-the-future- cannot-wait *** The Authors: Mr. Christoph Jost, Director General of DVV International, and Mr. Uwe Gartenschlaeger, President of the European Network for Adult Education, and Deputy Director General of DVV International, Germany. Source of the two images, DVV International ©: https://www.dvv-international.de/en/

63 Against this background, the International Because the future cannot wait; Council for Adult Education (ICAE) started a Reflecting on the "Futures" of ALE course of action to reposition ALE, inviting a The world is changing fast and dramatically. The broad range of academics, advocates and previous year provided manifold evidence that practitioners to participate in a process to we live in times of transition with complex new imagine the future of the sector. The result is a challenges: The pandemic, the development of fundamental paper “Adult Learning and the digital world, climate change, violent Education (ALE) – Because the Future cannot conflicts and social friction around the globe wait”*, which not only contributes to UNESCO’s created a dynamic and volatile environment with initiative to reimagine what they call “The more and more people struggling to find adequate Futures of Education”, but shapes the discussion ways to master one’s personal life and participate around ALE for the coming years. constructively in the changes taking place in their societies. New skills and competences are The UNESCO "Futures of Education" initiative required to ensure individuals and societies will mobilises the “ways of being and knowing in be able to master the challenges ahead. It has order to leverage humanity’s collective become obvious that politicians and providers of intelligence. It relies on a broad, open education must urgently rethink the content of consultative process that involves youth, our education services, because education holds educators, civil society, governments, business the key to equipping people with the abilities and other stakeholders. needed, and to creating the potential for The work will be guided by a high-level transformative action. This includes, especially, International Commission of thought leaders the content and the way adult learning and from diverse fields and different regions of the education (ALE) is delivered: speedy action is world. needed to master the challenges. This is because In November 2021 the commission will publish a adults – who are not only a role model for youth report designed to share a forward-looking vision and children – will play a decisive role in these of what education and learning might yet become processes of change. and offer a policy agenda.”**

------* The full paper can be accessed through the link: https://en.unesco.org/futuresofeducation/sites/default/files/2020- 10/ICAE%20-%20Futures%20of%20ALE%20FINAL.pdf ** Read more about the initiative here: https://en.unesco.org/futuresofeducation/

The role of ALE within and, in most societies, adults are the largest age the paradigm of Lifelong Learning bracket. Adults need to cope with rapid and In its contribution, ICAE welcomes the UN sometimes dramatic changes and are the group member states’ agreement regarding the need for that has to make crucial decisions that affect our Lifelong Learning (LLL), but remark that not environment today and in the future. enough attention is given to ALE within the paradigm of LLL, having in mind that: • The urgency of the implementation of the 2030 Agenda, numerous crises and conflicts around the • Adulthood is the longest period in anyone’s life globe, threats to the planet and to humanity, and

64 the fact that millions of people are still lagging remaining tasks, ALE should support adults in behind, makes ALE one of the top priorities and order to secure the sustainability of our planet, as the precondition to progress in other fields. well as the creation of just, peaceful and inclusive democratic societies. Hence, the Anchored in a clear understanding of education development and broad-based acceptance of a for all as a basic human right, ICAE outlines the wider, more holistic understanding of ALE is role of ALE in a period of change. As an essential essential. part of LLL, ALE equips people to navigate through changes ahead and enables them to shape All this is based on an understanding that the future. Differentiating from the discussion of learning should be delivered in a joyful and the previous decades, where ALE was valued meaningful way, respecting adults as partners in solely in respect to ensuring and improving the the learning process. Partnership in teaching and employability of individuals and providing them learning is clearly identified as the only way possibilities to receive basic education and ALE can successfully deliver change-oriented literacy, ICAE claims that in addition to these skills and competencies.

engaged as “critical friends” trying to hold Necessary preconditions for a governments accountable for their commitments. sustainable ALE delivery ICAE mentions several preconditions which • Finally, the provision of high-quality ALE should be in place to enable ALE to provide its requires the existence of a well-developed full potential: system of pre- and in-service trainings for adult educators, including options to study ALE in • Governments have to create favorable legal higher education. ICAE claims that this should frameworks and offer substantial financial be accompanied by government-supported resources for ALE. Unfortunately, this needs to facilities that allow for the development of be improved in many countries. Despite the wide modern curricula, offering research and acceptance of Lifelong Learning as the basic providing consultation to the sector, enabling concept for the education sector, ALE very often education providers to stay innovative and in remains without or with only little support. touch with the developments in society.

• In comparison to other subsectors of education, With this contribution, ICAE has taken the lead ALE delivery depends to a wide extent on the in the necessary process to rethink ALE. The engagement of civil society and community- issues raised here have the potential to shape our based organisations. Government structures, if discussions not only in the context of the they exist at all, are more often focused on UNESCO initiative, but on our way to the next specific narrow aspects (e.g. vocational training, CONFINTEA (International Conferences on literacy). Especially the desperately needed Adult Education) as well. It will take place in innovative forms of ALE that address 2022 and should further the process of sustainability and active citizenship issues are implementing the Sustainable Development nearly exclusively delivered by non-state actors. Goals (SDGs) of the 2030 Agenda. ICAE is concerned about an increasing tendency of shrinking spaces and a severe lack of funding for these organisations. This is even more the Ola Issa case in places where civil society organisations are

65 The Figure of the Issue (Malak Hifni Nasif) Researcher of the Desert and the Liberator of Women Enlightened thought has ripe fruits, as it is the product of a spirit rebelling against the stale reality, and the persistent emitter whose nails have been stuck in the rocks of the outdated legacies, which hinder the release and liberation for the sake of creativity, a spirit that has not lost in its bite the cuffs and the shackling, indifferent to the scars left behind by a nail or a tusk. It's the life of those who ask for it and take it by force. (Malak Hifni Nasif) Researcher of the Desert/ Bahithat al- Badiya, and the liberator of women. She is a unique model of enlightened thought, and the rebellious, liberated, creative spirit.

Personal Life: certificate, and Malak was the first Egyptian girl Malak Hifni Nasif, an Egyptian writer and to obtain this certificate, and then moved to the advocate of social reform, fairness and liberation higher section (Teachers Department ) in the of Egyptian women was born in the early same school, where she graduated at the top of twentieth century (December 25, 1886 AD - her class in 1903. After a practical training in October 17, 1918 AD) was born in El Gamaliya teaching for two years, she received the diploma neighborhood in Cairo. She is the eldest of seven in 1905 and later obtained a degree in higher sons of Hifni Nasif Bey, a lawman and poet, an education. She worked as a teacher in the same Arabic language teacher, and one of the Egyptian section where she graduated in the Saniyyah university's founders. College until her marriage.

Malek Hefni Nasif was considered the first Suffering for liberation: Egyptian woman to utter a public call for the In 1907, she married one of the notables of liberation of women and equality between them Fayoum, Sheikh of the Arabs (Abd al-Sattar al- and men, and she was also the first Egyptian girl Basil). She lived in Qasr al-Basil in the center of to obtain the primary certificate in 1900, and was (Atsa) in the Fayoum governorate, and in that distinguished by her broad culture, as she was environment, she knew closely the low life that fluent in English, French, and some other women live, and then, she limited her activism to languages; which had an impact on the formation the call for reform and the emancipation of of her personality and defining the features of her women in a way that does not contradict with culture. religion or tradition. Her fate was not to She began her education in foreign schools, then conceive; so, she suffered from what the barren she joined the Saniyyah Teacher Training woman suffers in the Bedouin community. Her College, from which she obtained the primary pride was wounded, and here the educated certificate in 1900, which is the first year in woman was shocked by the traditions of the which girls applied to take the exam to obtain that Badia, and her suffering increased when her

------Source of the image: womenofegyptmag.com

66 husband remarried his first wife, whom he had the necessity of educating women, as it was the divorced before his marriage to her, and with only way to free her mind and correct her morals. whom he had given birth to a daughter. She lived These articles were collected in a two-part book seven years in this suffering, she expressed her entitled “The Women,” the first part of which agony in her writings, with pain and sadness, and was published in 1910, while the second part is in her writings, she rebelled against divorce, preserved as manuscripts that have not been reflecting her own experience in life. She devoted published until today. She also has another book her pen to the issues of women's freedom in entitled (Women's Rights) whose death society, divorce, and barren women. The biggest prevented it from being completed. Most of her surprise in her life was when she underwent the work revolves around raising girls, providing diagnosis of a famous doctor in gynecology, and insights, and family problems. The Researcher of discovered that the reason for her failure to give the Desert used public speaking and giving birth was due to her husband, not her, as he had public lectures to women at Al-Jarida, the suffered after his first marriage, and the birth of Egyptian University, and women's associations, his daughter, a disease that forced him to undergo as a means to advocate women in their rights and surgery, for which he became infertile, causing just causes. She was an amazing lecturer with her grief over her grief. such influence that even "Ahmad Zaki Pasha", nicknamed "Sheikh of Arabism", used to praise Steps on the path to women's liberation: her, and he said that she brought back the golden Malak Hifni Nasif established the "Union of age when women used to compete with men in Disciplined Women", to include many Egyptian the field of writing and rhetoric. and Arab women and some foreign women, The “Researcher of the Desert” represented which aims to guide women to what is in their the Egyptian woman at the first Egyptian goodness and take care of their affairs. She also conference in 1911 to discuss means of formed a nursing association to help the afflicted reform, in which she presented the demands Egyptians and Arabs, and it was the basis for that she deemed necessary to reform the what was later known as "The Red Crescent", and condition of Egyptian women. Her that during Italy's attack on Tripoli, which made suggestions were summarized in ten points, Egypt rise to support it. Among the tasks of the which she considered that the demands that association that she formed was to send aid, were submitted to the conference to be including blankets, clothes, and medicines to the studied didn't mention them, so she hastened victims of this aggression, and she set up a school to do so, and they are summarized in: to teach girls the profession of nursing at her • Teaching girls the right Islamic religion. home in Cairo, and ensured this school all its • Providing girls with primary and secondary needs from her own money. She also began education. establishing a girls' workshop and a shelter for • Housekeeping, health and child rearing the needy, and decided to allocate thirty-five education. acres for the completion of the project, but her • Allocating a number of girls to study death prevented that. medicine and the art of teaching; so that they can do enough for women. Strenuous efforts to claim women's rights: She had a scattered collection of poetry about Malak Hifni Nasif was one of the first advocates women's affairs: marriage, divorce, unveiling, of women's rights, as she began announcing her veil, and liberation, such as equality, opinion in Al-Mu'ayyad newspaper, then went on education, and work. to publish her articles in Al-Jarida, dealing with

67 The veil is a never-ending battle: for civilized advancement, as they claim." During this period, a fierce pen battle was going on between the advocates of removing the veil Her death: and the supporters of the veil, and the intensity of Malak Hifni Nasif died of Influenza on October the battle reached many of the leaders of 17, 1918 at the age of 32 at her father's home in literature and thought, and these battles were Cairo, and was buried in her family's cemetery at among the effects of the uproar that was sparked "Imam Al-Shafi'i". Women of her time, headed by the book "The Liberation of Women and the by Huda Shaarawi, escorted her to her last New Woman" by Qassem Amin; it was logical resting place, so Malak Hifni Nasif was the first that the Researcher of the Desert would descend woman to have a memorial service, which was into the arena armed with its broad culture, held at Cairo University. Hafez Ibrahim and moderate upbringing and knowledge of the Khalil Mutran lamented her with two poems, as rulings and principles of Sharia, so she refuted did the Lebanese writer May Ziadeh. Many the opinions of those who called for the removal institutions and streets in Egypt have been named of the veil, and those who referred to the after her; in recognition of her role in the field of undevelopment of the East to it, and she had a women's rights. proverb in which she said: The Arab woman will remain the icon of our "European nations were equal in unveiling, and Arab nation when she takes her rights of their progress was not at one level, some of them education, work, and equality … Women are are strong nations, and among them are weak men's idols, responsible for raising them and nations, so why did not the unveiling equalize all preparing them for life; all men are raised by a of them in the course of progress, if it is the basis woman.

Al-Sayed Mossad Abdel-Gawad Member of the Journal's Editorial Board, Researcher and Adult Education Specialist - Curriculum Author and Member of the Arab Network for Literacy and Adult Education – Egypt.

68 Research Summaries Ola Issa, Firas Saleh, and Al-Sayed Mossad

Reaching the Marginalized - Good Practices in Adult Learning and Education in the Middle East, Southeast Asia and South Asia A publication edited by Johann Heilmann and Nazaret Nazaretyan, and published by DVV International, with financial support from BMZ, as part of cooperation and joint work between its regional offices in Southeast Asia (Laos and Cambodia) and the Middle East (Jordan and Palestine). The full version can be accessed in Arabic and English through the following link: https://www.dvv- international.jo/e-library This book is a part of a joint project aimed at promoting adult education through close cooperation with local partners, in particular addressing and meeting the educational needs of the most marginalized groups by discussing good practices related to adult learning and education contribution to poverty reduction in the concerned countries. The book resulted from a participatory process that included a set of stages:

- Conducting two case studies to examine images of poverty and marginalization from different perspectives in Jordan and Cambodia. - Preparing two critical reflection papers expressing the viewpoint and opinion of two experts from the Middle East and Southeast Asia on the axes of (learning, marginalization, and economics), and (learning, marginalization and gender), and an overview of the failures and shortcomings of these issues. - Holding two participatory workshops with a group of experts and practitioners (men and women) from the two regions; to discuss the content of the two studies and the two reflection papers, and set criteria for selecting examples of good practices. - Collecting 13 examples of good practices from various countries in Southeast Asia, the Middle East, Egypt and Germany regarding the success of adult learning and education in addressing the issues of marginalization and poverty in the aforementioned contexts. - Draw conclusions and recommendations based on the various stages mentioned above, and direct these recommendations to the bodies working in adult learning and education and those who support it, as well as the governmental and civil authorities responsible for it.

69 The two case studies in Jordan and Cambodia, and the two critical articles that give a reflective look at the developments (success or failure) of work in adult learning and education, and addressing marginalization and poverty through it - are the cornerstone of all discussions and developments that took place during the implementation of this research project.

The study "Images of Poverty and Marginalization from Different Perspectives – The Case of Jordan" prepared for the group by Majdi Al-Qurum is based on two methodologies: the first is a descriptive desk review, and the other is a field case study and descriptive analysis. The literature, facts and statistics on poverty and inequality were reviewed over a period of 10 years in Jordan. As for the field study, participation and the involvement of members of the local community were relied on, as the focus was on a poor neighbourhood in the Zarqa area called Juna'a, as there is a mixture of urban and rural appearance in the neighbourhood.

In its descriptive part, the study narrates the reality of poverty and inequality in the Middle East, as international references indicate the absence of official interest in monitoring the gap between the wealthy and the poor, and it links this to the deepening of economic and political crises and instability, and to the defect in the tax, investment and privatization systems. The study also deals in more detail with the reality of poverty and inequality in Jordan. Despite the availability of some digital indicators that show the fluctuation in the measurement of the poverty line and its factors in Jordan, international references such as the World Bank reports indicate that these indicators are unrealistic, and predict that at least 33% of the population in Jordan actually lives below the poverty line.

From the point of view of the poor, their definition of poverty is far from the official definitions, and they rely on their simple calculations of basic requirements in light of the current prices, in addition to the minimum food and non-food needs of their family according to the number of its members. The study also found that the wealthy do not differ from the poor groups in their definition of poverty and the determination of the minimum required to meet the requirements of living.

In terms of perspectives on whether or not equality exists, the measures that are officially taken into account are the per capita spending in terms of GDP and other factors such as average income, consumption, education, and the number of family members. However, from the local community's point of view, equality is linked first and foremost to corruption, as it gives “the opportunity to a certain class to earn an income at the expense of equal opportunities. This includes inequality in access to quality education, health services, and employment, as the elite benefit, according to the views of many, from scholarships, working in the health sector, and getting the best jobs, including high-level formal jobs. The less fortunate people get only the subsistence level, and thus they are constantly caught in the same trap". The other factor is the government's weak policy and its contradictory strategies in dealing with poverty and inequality.

On the other hand, the study deals with the documented causes of poverty in Jordan and mainly attributes them to three main factors: low wage rates that barely meet the basics of life, unemployment, and the health status of poor families. The study also indicates a low rate of economic participation by citizens. Low wages are the result of weak economic development in Jordan. In

70 addition to refugee crises from neighboring countries, Jordan lacks an inclusive social welfare system. In terms of the field study, the local community talked about reasons such as the high cost of living, lack of job opportunities, low wages, and the lack of stable job opportunities. There was a difference in the views of women and men, with women seeing that part of the crisis was the men's mismanagement of family resources, while men saw that women's competition in the labor market led to unemployment and poverty. However, the participants unanimously agreed on the role played by poor education and poor access to high-quality education, in addition to corruption, and inequality of opportunity.

In conditions of poverty and marginalization, families resort to various coping mechanisms. These mechanisms often focus on fulfilling the basics, even at the expense of quality. The poor also emphasize the importance of learning as a basic way out of poverty, and they are constantly looking for free learning opportunities. However, poverty is also linked to inequality in levels of education. The less learning opportunities for heads of households, the higher the likelihood of their members being exposed to poverty and not having access to learning opportunities.

In analyzing these results, the researcher indicates that there is an ever-increasing gap between the views of the poor and government policies. He presents a set of recommendations that are based on the principle of the importance of listening to these divergent points of view, studying them and analyzing their data, causes and consequences. Among the most important recommendations made by the study are the following:

• The need to provide support for high-quality educational programs for the poor, especially in rural areas. • Publishing poverty statistics and definitions without political interference. • A clear government strategy for poverty reduction should take into account the root causes of poverty and individual characteristics. • The coping mechanisms that the poor resort to must be positively supported, especially the economic mechanisms that enable them to obtain adequate income. • The need for educational and awareness programs on managing family resources and selecting appropriate alternatives.

As for the study “Images of Poverty and presence of groups representing the two groups Marginalization – The Cambodia Case” in the discussion groups. prepared for the group by (Khet Long, Socheth Ean), it focused on two societies, one rural and The study describes the economic and social the other urban; in order to reflect the diverse reality of Cambodia, as major changes have images of poverty and marginalization from taken place that have transformed the economy various viewpoints. The study was based on the towards a free market after the end of the violent methodology of reviewing the literature and field conflict, through the Paris Peace Agreement in research of the identified communities. The 1991. Since that time, both politics and the researchers documented that it was not easy to economy have become more stable and can find a comparable sample of the poor and the attract and significantly increase foreign aid and wealthy, but this was dealt with by ensuring the foreign direct investment. As a post-conflict

71 country, Cambodia has experienced unusual wealthy, they have negative attitudes towards the developments over a decade, performing poor, and they believe that the poor usually lack economic growth, ranking sixth, and being one of critical thinking, and are not committed to only 46 countries that had increased by 7% per supporting their children in school, and that their capita annually on average, for 14 consecutive lifestyles are often carefree and less saving, and years, according to World Bank statistics. do not work hard or enough to save their families from poverty, while the wealthy try in different However, Cambodia is still suffering from ways to deal with problems in their lives. These poverty by more than 35%, and with more than trends reveal the gap and the scant knowledge of 79% exposed to entering the poverty line. The the other between the two groups. distinction between different regions was evident in the tendency to migrate from rural to urban However, this is not so clear and simple, the poor areas, where the main reason for such migration rely on low-skilled jobs in garment factories, was to earn money to support families and meet entertainment businesses, construction sites, or their needs, as there is a lack of job opportunities small agricultural projects; because such jobs do in villages or their neighboring areas. On the not require higher education, or professional other hand, there are no adequate, systematic and practical experience in a garment factory, or on comprehensive preparation plans by the construction sites, and they depend on only one government. Consequently, many of these rural- source of income, and this indicates a lack of to-urban migrants are tricked into buying a house equity in opportunities for education and work. or plot of land in slum areas, exacerbating their problems such as lack of infrastructure, disaster The majority of the poor still see the value of risks, urban services, and policies targeting the education and they are all hopeful that they will poor. For this reason, 55% of Cambodia's urban be able to lift themselves out of poverty and population still lives in slums. Although their secure a better future. But in the worst cases, income has increased in urban areas compared to they know that their children will have to leave rural areas, they are still unable to afford the school at an early age and go to work in order to higher cost of living in urban areas. earn a living without opportunities to complete their education. In its findings, the study refers to the poor's The study noted inequality between the wealthy perceptions of their conditions, as the poor study and the poor in terms of social, political, and participants see that they are exposed to economic participation and development within discrimination, danger, and vulnerability. Some their societies. The study also observed the of them were not able to determine the meaning difference between the poor and the wealthy of poverty and its root causes, which proves that groups in terms of knowledge, mentality, living they are not only poor in matter, but also poor in conditions, and opportunities. These causes of general knowledge and analytical ideas. In the inequality are not limited to the poor themselves context of poverty, the attitudes of the poor have but rather stem from community or governance affected their working methods and their systems in terms of access to education, health lifestyles. However, they expressed their desire to services, information, social protection, and lift themselves out of poverty, but were unable to financial support (capital, skills development, do so due to their lack of specific skills. As for the etc.).

As for adult education opportunities and programs, they are designed and implemented with little participation and ownership by the grassroots, particularly the poor, municipal councils and relevant

72 stakeholders, and the poor are still unable to participate in the adult learning and education program activities; this is because they have enrolled in additional classes with their teachers from morning to evening to complete their knowledge in the general classes. Most of the professional skills obtained by poor youth are not diversified and only respond to the needs of the local market, such as sewing, beauty salons, and car repairs. They do not have the option to attend these types of training, and some cannot join the training to improve their skills due to their commitment to study and train for a few months or more without being paid. In addition, corruption in the participant selection process is a constant obstacle to the poor who are not selected.

Consequently, the study reached the following various forms. recommendations: In his article "Sustainable Liberation is for • Empowering the poor by giving them space to Sustainable Development ... A Basic obtain skilled work with training in a new Condition" Zahi Azar - Lebanon believes that profession (training and practice), and generate the role of adult learning and education is not more income for their families. only to help individuals and societies find ways • Promoting understanding and practice to get out of the cycle of poverty, but also to regarding domestic vegetable gardens, animal change their perceptions and understanding of husbandry, and agribusiness creation (food poverty, wealth, oppression, empowerment, processing). marginalization and power. Despite decades of • Developing and integrating awareness international development work and cooperation, programs to enhance understanding and including the provision of various forms of adult knowledge of reproductive health issues. learning and education, the world continues to • Improving the capacity of community witness major setbacks in terms of efforts to education centers managers in operational reduce poverty, empower societies, and narrow management, budget management, resource the gap between wealthy and poor. Azar draws mobilization, and program implementation, on the Middle East's experience in adult learning through modeling and developing an audit and education in the context of oppression mechanism to verify monitoring and ideology and its relationship to the economy. evaluation of community education centers for While adult learning and education programs are standards, impact change and sustainability. successful in many cases in helping the poor find • Community education centers should work to alternative ways of living and adapt to their develop their own mechanisms and tools to conditions, they still fail to support them in conduct regular researches. changing their lives. They deceive them and • Community education centers should be places tempt them to "get around" the basic reasons for that everyone can access and use to implement their marginalization, namely, to accept and be their program activities. happy with the least and simplest way to survive, and thus, contribute to prolonging their Following these two studies, the book presents marginalization and oppression. two critical articles that reflect on the causes of failure and success in the context of He wonders about this harmful link between addressing adult learning and education to issues economic issues and sustainable development on of poverty and marginalization, and its response the one hand, and the spirit of adult learning and to the needs of the poor and marginalized in its education aimed at liberating people and societies

73 on the other hand. In order to achieve the desired Moreover, Azar criticizes the naive assumption - change, Azar suggests that adult learning and and perhaps the intended - that a single global education should be liberated from considering approach to adult learning and education adults as resources that need to build their centered on sustainable development and on technical skills to improve their economic affairs. maintaining the "grey economy" will solve the Instead, they must view themselves as human issue of poverty. For this reason, he demonstrates beings - whole entities whose needs, aspirations, the apparent failure of such an approach in the and interactions with their reality must be Arab world, not only by governments, but by understood and fulfilled. civil society as well.

As for (Archana Dwivedi), she explains, based on the Indian experience, in her article "Poverty - Gender - Adult Education" the need to use the lens of feminism to understand poverty, marginalization and power relations, given the history of development and the current conditions of humankind. While Azar discusses how to use the "grey economy" to entrap the poor in the trap of adapting to their marginalization, Dwivedi discusses how gray spaces are being used in every aspect of life, including the economy, to "hide" and promote the marginalization of the most vulnerable gender.

(Dwivedi) describes the double burden of poverty and gender embedded in the very difficult reality of the poor, especially women and girls: There are societies that adhere to traditional norms that overlook women's value - along with discriminatory practices such as denial of inheritance, lack of participation in family decision-making, etc. Then there is the context of the most depriving economies of some groups from any control over their economic potential, decisions, benefits, and the future. In a third sense, there is a lack of conviction that investing in quality education, especially for women, and more particularly in informal adult learning and education, can change not only the reality of women but also the way societies function and develop. Consequently, Dwivedi criticizes the global tendency of governments to focus on narrow areas such as health education for women rather than adopting a more holistic approach that enables women to enrich their lives and participate in challenging and changing social structures.

So, the two articles provide social, economic, and gender perspectives, not only to explain how and why adult learning and education works in certain directions, but also to be able to develop better ways to address inequality in providing adult learning and education, and diversity in its impact on different components of societies.

On the other hand, and based on the strong conviction of the great benefit and need for continued adult learning and education, a conviction rooted deeply in the theory and research of andragogy as well as in the accumulated evidence emanating from professional practices over the years and in many diverse contexts, the book provides a set of examples of good practices that serve as evidence of the various elements of success, and innovative approaches to address actual challenges in the face of success in dealing with issues of poverty and marginalization in adult learning and education, and this is a summary of the examples presented in the text:

Women on Wheels - India: Azad Foundation calls this approach to training "Gender-Just Skill

74 Education Framework" (GJSE), A GJSE Framework considers women’s rights to gender transformative training and education; that is rights-based and giving them the agency to engage as learners along with advocacy and to ensure that sustainable support systems exist to facilitate women’s engagement with the markets. It emphasizes self-learning and critical thinking as well as technical skills. The training modules are designed in an interactive and flexible manner that takes into account their social conditions, in a way that enables women to take breaks from the learning process and follow it up later, and they can also move between the modules and take them according to their ability to participate.

Activating Livelihoods Referral Pathways through Flexible Coaching as Alternatives to Cash - Jordan: The project Activating Livelihoods Referral Pathways Through Flexible Coaching as Alternatives to Cash was funded by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). The project aimed at improving the livelihoods of urban refugees and vulnerable Jordanians through coaching, guidance, and referrals to ongoing services; and by implementing activities that address skills shortages, and promote employment and self-employment. Furthermore, the project aimed at improving the self-reliance of urban refugees and vulnerable Jordanians by strengthening their skill-sets and their ability to become employed or self- employed. By improving livelihoods, the participants in this project and their families will gradually become less dependent on cash and other assistance.

QUDRA Project “Comprehensive Skills Development (Career Counselling, Technical Skills, Transition to the Labor Market and Income Generation) in the Context of the Syrian Refugee Crisis”: The project targeted a group of young people, Syrian refugees and vulnerable Jordanians. It piloted cooperation between local NGOs and the Vocational Training Institute (VTI), it also piloted the practical training component, which took place at local SMEs. The project consisted of the following phases: Orientation sessions: The project was based on the REFLECT (Regenerated Freirean Literacy through Empowering Community Techniques) approach, so beneficiaries could identify their personal challenges as well as identify opportunities. Education - Skills Training: Based on the outcomes of the orientation sessions, knowledge pathways and courses for participants were determined in appropriate groups within the training programs. Post orientation - individual vocational counselling and referrals: After participants completed the orientation sessions and skills training that promoted work opportunities, they got vocational guidance through individual counselling sessions.

Mobile Skills Trainings for the Marginalized - to attend vocational training. The overwhelming Laos: This project aims to break the walls of majority are engaged in agriculture and the traditional TVET by offering demand-oriented informal economy. Wage-based employment skills trainings to villagers, using teaching staff, opportunities are rare. Annually between 300 and experiences and materials from the formal 400 people benefitted through 15 training schools. courses. More than one third reported that their The project meets the needs of villagers in poor income improved some two years after the areas in terms of vocational skills. Nearly 40% of training. Many participants reported improved them belong to ethnic minorities with high drop- nutrition for themselves and their families as out rates after primary education, and no possibility well.

75 Factory Literacy Program - Cambodia: The able to achieve a lot, learning how to read, write program aims to enable young women and girls and make calculations through the small working in factories to acquire basic functional development project. The project reached its literacy, numeracy and life skills, and to empower objective, as the women learned how to read, them to better understand their own fundamental write and make calculations. Some continued rights. At the same time, it supports the with the project of dairy production even after government and the factories to promote Public the project ended. Private Partnerships (PPP) and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in Cambodia. The project Education of Hope from Gaza - Lifelong involved strong cooperation and coordination Learning (LLL) as an approach to a better between the government (MoEYS), factories, Quality of Life: Under the title Neighborhoods NGOs, and UNESCO. Each partner had specific of Hope, the aim of the project was to provide roles related to their areas of expertise. The usually unexpected but safe and effective spaces program offers literacy and numeracy skills along for open and appreciative learning, exploring and with life skills. The project conducts classes reflection among the participants in terms of how flexible in time and length, in 25 participating to hold on to hope and be lifelong learners. factories which integrate interactive teaching The target group was split into diverse groups for methods like group work, pair work and the different activities; that is, in each group presentations. The life skills topics were selected there was a fresh graduate, a student, a after interviewing potential participants. The professional, an unemployed individual, a learners, teachers and factory managers all see farmer, a person from academia, a community obvious progress in improved literacy and activist and an artist or a person with other numeracy, but also in confidence. exceptional talents. The diversity in each group was planned to increase the potential of Words, Numbers and Milk in Egypt: This exchange and learning for each individual from project was done in Egypt, in one of the poor the rest of their vast backgrounds, experiences, neighborhoods of the suburbs of Cairo, where and perspectives. people work in collecting and sorting the garbage. The group consisted of unemployed Each group of participants went through five Egyptian women who desire to learn how to read stations in a full-day of outdoor learning. Within and write, and at the same time to make a living each station, they shared stories of painful and through a small development project. At the hopeful experiences, reflected on their own initial meetings for learning how to read and experiences and on those of their neighbors, write, these women were discussing priorities in embraced a new experience, collectively order to find a title for the process. During this constructed meaningful perspectives about topics discussion they came up with the idea of doing a of their interest, and exchanged ideas for further project while they met to learn how to read, write learning. The project had a significant influence and calculate. The women wrote a primary text on restoring hope and positive thinking about where everyone gave her opinion about the new perspectives on the importance of learning project. The project was a simple one. At the and active participation among participants. beginning they wanted to bring along a cow, then Besides enhanced self-care and awareness they decided to buy powdered milk and make among them, one of the main changes that yogurt, lebneh, and cheese from it, and also to resulted from this project was effective make sandwiches from products later on ... So, in networking and joint brainstorming among the short time of nine months, the women were youth.

76 Kadam Badhate Chalo - Ending Violence Development in three Jordanian governorates Against Women in India: Kadam Badhat Chalo, mostly affected by the Syrian refugee crisis. The is a unique collaboration between youth (both project was implemented in cooperation with boys and girls) and the community for taking three local NGOs. The aim of the project was to collective action on ending violence against promote social and economic integration through women and girls in each of their communities. It participation and self-management of community develops and supports youth leadership among institutions, providing educational services boys and girls, while providing them with skills through three axes: (promotion of literacy, family and tools to lead this change. It has been designed culture, vocational training and handicrafts) based on the assumption that the key to ending combined with pre-orientation sessions, post- violence against women and girls lies in changing training orientation sessions, and then attitudes, gender, relations and equations between engagement in community-based initiatives. men and women, boys and girls, and that this cannot be done without the active participation of From 2013-2018, the project was able to develop youth and young men, in particular, in the the capacity and structure for local NGOs, community. The objective is to build the qualify 45 volunteers as facilitators, enhance capacities of young girls and boys enabling them knowledge, skills and raise awareness of 2,594 to work together and recognize gender-based beneficiaries, including Syrian refugees and discrimination; to nurture youth leaderships to vulnerable Jordanians from the host communities address gender-based challenges and violence directly, launching and implementation of against women and girls (VAWG) in their approximately 50 community-based initiatives, families, schools, and communities; and to and referral of approximately 20% of empower the young to ensure accountability of beneficiaries to other service providers. The institutions and make them responsive to and implementation of the project was based on the active in preventing violence against women and REFLECT method. The project showed, that girls (VAWG). giving participants, Syrians and Jordanians, the opportunity to speak and listen to each other, Promoting Social and Economic Integration contributed to the transformation of the living through Learning in Jordan: A Community situation from conflict and competition to a new learning project, as a model of socio-economic state of understanding, and then through integration was developed and implemented developing of the dialogue they moved to under the umbrella of the Ministry of Social common collaboration stage.

From Adult Education Projects to Adult Education Centers in Jordan: After several years of cooperation by DVVI with six community-based organizations (CBOs) and community development centers (CDCs), the need for the process of transformation to move from a project to an institutional approach to the work of those partners became obvious. With the institutional approach, DVVI intended to promote the establishment of ALE infrastructures, providing ALE services based on the needs of community members and each community itself. Within the project, capacities of the targeted adult education centers (AECs) have been developed on: using appropriate training methods for adults, networking and educational and development needs assessment; using participatory education approaches, providing vocational training, implementing community development initiatives, etc. Also, DVVI is supporting the institutions in developing management tools, their own educational products, training materials and curricula.

77 Parallel to capacity-building, DVVI supports the implementation of income-generation and employability-raising activities for unemployed youth and adults, and adult women and men without any professional education, and Syrian refugees.

Engaging in the Marketing of Small Businesses in Thailand: One of the outstanding programs of the Office of Non-Formal and Informal Education (ONIE) in Thailand is its Education for Vocational Skills Development. Learners are prepared to learn anything in order to increase their income. Vocational courses provide one of the answers. Members from local communities gather in groups of six to ten people and request their community learning center (CLC) teachers to organize short vocational courses on various subjects in which they are interested. The duration of the courses is between three and thirty hours depending on the subjects concerned, the course cannot take a long time since the learners mostly have their main career to attend to. The challenge for course participants after the end of the course is about marketing. The products are sold only within a small group in the village. ONIE expects that the learners can earn more money by producing and selling their products across the country and not only in their village. The project therefore intends to help the learners to be able to use digital technology (smartphone and the Internet) as tools for selling their products.

Global Citizenship - Global Responsibility - Global Action, Germany: Global learning addresses global social, ecological, political and economic challenges and developments impacting on our everyday lives. With the project entitled Global Learning in the AEC, DVV International supports AECs in developing and implementing events related to global learning since 1977. The project aims at enabling people to find orientation in the globalized world, to become aware of their responsibility as global citizens, and to identify ways in which they can contribute to global peace, justice, equality, wellbeing and eventually the reduction of poverty.

in developed and developing countries, it has In the conclusion of the book … different perceptions, and there are different The editors summarized the conclusions of the ways that countries deal with this global working groups and studies that were completed, challenge. However, poverty in developing and examples of good practices that were countries has more dramatic implications and is collected, as the main conclusion was that there is much more widespread. Most developing a need for a constructive critical and analytical countries have very limited infrastructure and view on poverty reduction efforts and resources to deal with it. As a result, development cooperation and the adult learning development cooperation has long addressed and education relationship with them. Likewise, poverty reduction in different ways. the importance and necessity of the role that civil society plays alongside the rest of the actors. The There are legitimate questions about how much editors do not overlook the necessity and development efforts worldwide are achieving importance of dialogue in order to reach a real change, especially given that the recipients common vision and understanding of adult are still far away from developed countries on learning and education. key indicators, from the perspectives of quality of medical and other services, availability of jobs There are different dimensions of poverty. It exists requiring high productivity and good salary levels,

78 and investment in education and highly qualified ALE. In some countries, ALE means mainly personnel. In all such areas poverty continues to literacy programs, and comes under ministries, be one of the main challenges in most of the dealing only with literacy classes. In some "global South". countries, the classes take place in schools and are implemented by school teachers, who usually There is seldom clear understanding of ALE as an lack qualifications for training adults. Recent inseparable part of an educational and learning statistics regarding SDG 4 Indicator 4.3.1 show system, rather they are short-term measures. The participation rate of youth and adults in formal programs are often seen by participants as and non-formal education and training in the opportunities for benefits. The variety of ALE previous 12 months, by sex. There are however programs does however provide real support to no data on ALE on participation in most people developing vocational skills, literacy countries. Data exist mainly in EU member skills, women’s empowerment and emancipation. countries and some other OECD member Participation in ALE offers opportunities for countries. people increased in inclusion in the local economy. A variety of approaches practiced in ALE projects are presented in previous examples. In the provision of ALE for disadvantaged They are often based on the individual needs and groups, CSOs together with public institutions previous experiences of participants of what play a main role. ALE within development helped them not just to get professional skills but cooperation takes place in CSOs: in their to develop abilities to practice those skills. premises, based on their training programs, by Examples of ALE projects developed based on their trainers and facilitators. Public institutions the needs of Women in India, the Mujawarat – are also involved. Many actors, however, are not Neighbourhood Project in Gaza, the Mobile VET sufficiently familiar with broader concepts of project in Lao PDR, literacy projects in Egypt ALE, mainly dealing just with its parts, e.g. and in Cambodia, and Projects for Syrian literacy courses or vocational training. Recently refugees and vulnerable Jordanians, all show the we observe the increased role of the private potential of ALE Participatory approaches based sector, especially in providing vocational on dialogue are strong instruments to empower training. However, this participation also is not and emancipate marginalized people. There are systematic, taking different form from project to thousands of other ALE projects implemented in project, from institution to institution, from donor many countries, by organisations big and small, to donor. local and international, which display similar or even more convincing results. However, ALE is What is missing is a common understanding of not implemented systematically.

The following are the editors’ main recommendations: 1. The ALE must be recognised as separate component of development and of development cooperation. This will allow us to have better measurement mechanisms for its impact, and also allow its more effective use in development cooperation.

2. Paying adequate attention to ALE through national frameworks through clear actors of ALE, with clear quality standards and requirements toward implementing ALE.

79 3. The international community needs to pay more attention to educational opportunities all through life in order to measure and attain its own targets within SDG 4.

4. In implementing ALE programs, it is important to include representatives from different groups especially those in poverty, by gender, age, ethnic and religious minorities etc. and to strive for access for everyone. ALE implementing institutions must not be seen just as institutions for the poor. ALE is an integral part of LLL for all, and inclusion is an important component to assure social cohesion.

5. More attention is needed to ALE offerings, including economic and digital skills development. The emancipation component of ALE is crucial to real change in people’s life. Only through educational and economic emancipation is real inclusion possible.

6. Civil society plays a crucial role in the provision of ALE for poor people. It is also important to attract representatives of other stakeholders, in particular the private sector, especially in implementing employability-raising ALE. Public responsibility for ALE as a key education sector player must also be recognised.

7. It is important to make ALE accessible. There are examples of doing this through different types of adult education institutions - AECs, CLCs, Learning Centers, etc. There are also promising examples of creating Mobile Training Centers, which visit remote communities and make learning opportunities available there.

8. Promoting ALE in cases of crises. ALE is one of the instruments to help affected people find a way to adapt to their new life situation. Professionalised ALE institutions provide a vital educational service for refugees; with them many mistakes in the integration of refugees could be avoided.

9. A data base is needed for innovative ALE projects and programs, available to many organizations, which could inspire adult educators in and between different countries to benefit from them.

10. It is important to have strong investment in ALE itself. To ensure sustainability it is also essential to invest in strong ALE structures. Solid foundations and structures supported by the respective governments, civil society and if possible, the private sector are needed for the strong and visible impact of ALE in all cases.

80 AHAED in the eyes of the readers A strong start for AHAED journal

Selecting the topic of the Coronavirus pandemic and its impact on adult education and learning programs in the Arab world as the main issue file, and presenting different views of experts in the field to address this pandemic and the most important mechanisms that must be followed to support adult education and learning activities.

The journal was distinguished by many positives, Second: In terms of coordination: including: 1. AHAED journal is characterized by presenting its content in a modern and First: In terms of content: attractive way. 1. Its board of directors relies on experts in adult 2. Using an appropriate font size. education who have clear ideas and visions 3. Presenting the references and sources that contribute to the advancement of the referred to by the researcher. field. 4. Placing the photo of the article author to 2. Choosing new themes in adult education that introduce him/her. are not traditional ones. 5. The number of pages of the magazine is very 3. Presenting the figure of the issue that has a appropriate. role in promoting adult education and learning enriches the journal’s topics, and Proposals: broadens the perceptions and knowledge of 1. Presenting the vision and mission of AHAED the journal’s readers, and it was a very clearly in the front of the journal. successful choice. 2. Presenting the steps and mechanisms for 4. The articles of the participants varied among implementing a single field experiment that representatives of government agencies, civil affected the field of adult education to benefit society, and educational researchers. from in the field. 5. Attention to groups that did not receive 3. Presenting one of the approaches used in enough attention, especially in the field of adult education in the Arab world and adult education such as displaced persons and introducing its goals and methods. refugees, and their right to education in 4. Mentioning the most important activities of accordance with the painful circumstances adult education in the Arab world in a few they are going through. lines during the journal's production period. 6. The journal takes the credit for its interest in 5. Reducing the number of words per page. content at the expense of quantity, as it did 6. Placing the journal editorial page at the not focus on presenting many topics that do beginning of the journal. not achieve the goal, while it focused on 7. Foreign characters that have influenced adult presenting pioneering experiences and education can be displayed. expertise to overcome the Corona crisis. 7. Presenting research summaries in adult education that others can benefit from. This is Dr. Iman Mohammad a very great goal. Abdel-Rahim

81 An Arab platform specialized in adult education (AHAED) journal is one of the most important very few Arab platforms specialized in adult education, due to the diversity of its content and ideas, its integration and comprehensiveness, and it includes a large number of specialized experts from institutions (government and civil society) in the field of adult education. AHAED has defined itself well, based on the principles of the Arab House, defining its target audience and what it wants to publish; to include more distinguished expert writers, to provide a wider field of diverse insights for readers. Perhaps what it started with in terms of introducing the journal and its comprehensiveness of the topics of training and methodologies, digitizing adult education programs, documenting the outcomes of the approach and methodology of women and life, and proposing a vision between education and upbringing in light of the Corona crisis, the issue of displacement that occupies the world, educational culture, and news of adult education in the Arab world and internationally, translations for learning in light of the Corona pandemic, a presentation of the figure of the issue, models that represent a candle of hope in the field of literacy, and a summary of a research paper, this is a complete and wonderful presentation of the first issue of an Arab journal specialized in the field of adult education.

But there are some important notes that I - Adding an internal cover to the contents of the would like to add to complete the artistic issue at the front of the journal. direction of the journal, namely: - It is preferable for the journal to include a statistical part in the field of literacy and adult - On the first page of the cover chart, there are education in the Arab world and internationally, .with an analytical reading of it .(لخمسة) and (نعليم) dictational mistakes such as - On page No. (3), that the order of the names is - The journal needs more diversity in presenting inconsistent with the names of the experts, for Arab experiences, so that it includes them in example, the name of Mr. Refat Sabbah was terms of topics and writers, and an international written before the name of Mr. Nazaret experience should be added to it in each issue. Nazaretyan and the images are switched, as it is - Documenting the topics of the issue using stated at the beginning of the page that the images from reality. identification is from right to left. - The journal needs to develop conferences and - The headlines' fonts were unclear and need to seminars held directly or online. be changed in the future to be more distinctive. - The journal singles out space for - I also suggest that there should be a title for the entrepreneurship as an important part of adult issue, especially since most of what was education that cannot be marginalized. mentioned in the first issue of the journal was concerned with adult education during the Corona crisis and beyond. Dr. Magda Mohammad Abdo Khalil

82 The editorial board of AHAED journal was pleased to present to you its first issue, and we aspire to hear your views on any proposals to develop the journal in its subsequent issues. We also encourage all interested persons to write to the editorial board and the Arab House for adult education and development staff through the following email addresses for any contributions / inquiries / questions: [email protected] or [email protected]

You can visit the website of the Arab House for Adult Education and Development at the following link: www.ahaed.org

You can also visit the official page of the Arab House for Adult Education and Development on Facebook via the following link to learn about the news and developments of AHAED’s work: https://www.facebook.com/AHAED.org