In two vastly contrasting worlds, with different ethical, value-based, and social systems, education remains a critical and decisive process that determines the future of nations and positions societies among others. The development of the educational process is a clear indicator of the progress of some countries and the decline of others.

Interestingly, what distinguishes the West today in terms of education and teaching methods was what the Islamic world excelled in historically, presenting exemplary models of successful educational systems. While Arabs abandoned their ancestors' heritage and resorted to imitation, the West developed and advanced its systems, leading to a stark difference between a nation seeking the essence and truth of knowledge and one content with its form and appearance.

What are the most notable differences between the educational processes in the Arab and Western worlds? How did education become one of the key reasons for the West's advancement? How do Arab students studying abroad perceive Western education? This and more are explored in this report by “Al-Mujtama.”

A nation that seeks to rise and overcome its disputes and backwardness must prioritize the educational process.

 It's not surprising that the first ayahs of the Quran command reading and learning, as knowledge builds a person, giving them value and status. Even when Allah created Adam, He taught him what He did not teach the angels, Allah says, “And He taught Adam the names - all of them.” (Al-Baqarah: 31), making that knowledge a shield against corruption and bloodshed.

A nation aiming to rise and overcome its disputes and backwardness must place education at the forefront of its priorities. This focus should not be on education as a national service but on the educational process itself, how students benefit from it, and how it aligns with labor market needs. Otherwise, it would be like a heavy burden with no benefit.

Historically, the state's system in the Arab and Islamic regions relied on the endowment system, where essential needs like health and education were decentralized. Thus, the collapse of a political system did not necessarily mean the collapse of civilization, including education and health.

For example, when the Ottoman Empire reached its peak in the 16th and 17th centuries, the educational system relied on various types of schools. First were the religious schools established in mosques or their annexes, later moving to independent buildings, aimed at producing graduates for judicial and religious institutions like judges, teachers, and muftis. These schools offered a high level of education, teaching various subjects beyond religious sciences, such as philosophy, logic, mathematics, astronomy, engineering, and history.

The second type was the saray (palace) schools, established to educate Ottoman family members and prepare officials for saray duties.

The educational methodology in the West relies on critical thinking and innovation, whereas in our countries, the focus is on memorization and repetition.

Military schools aimed to prepare military officers and state officials. There were also local schools, including boys' schools, and the Grand Istanbul School, established by Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror as the first university, teaching four primary sciences: religious, literary, mathematical, and natural sciences.

Modern education entered the Ottoman Empire in 1839, transforming to the Western model at the time.

The West developed a different educational system stemming from intellectual culture and the Enlightenment revolution during the Industrial Revolution in the 18th and 19th centuries. An economic need arose for educated individuals to meet job requirements, and with increased production came the need to market goods, which required continuous employment for sustenance and luxuries. This created a sort of a closed-loop system.

The educational system was designed to provide all students with the same material at the same age to ensure a continuous supply of employees for the economy. Over time, this system began to have significant impacts on individual freedom and society.

Currently, the educational process in the West has evolved, whereas it has not undergone the same development in Arab countries. The system remains a closed process producing semi-educated individuals, sidelining religious, cultural, and moral education, and relying heavily on foreign and cultural curricula, causing a cultural identity crisis among children.

Despite the scientific advancement in the West contributing to prosperity, the ethical and moral aspects remain marginalized in the educational process.

Education in the Ottoman Empire, for example, took into account the individual needs of students. The teaching method relied on the student's ability to recall, research, and study independently, resulting in different outcomes compared to current public schools. Education was generally outside state control, with many revolutions and oppositions originating from the heart of religious schools. This type of education created a balance between state authority and the power of the people, providing a relatively greater degree of individual freedom.

What Distinguish the West?

The most prominent differences between the Arab and Western worlds lie in the current educational methodology. In the West, the focus is on critical thinking and innovation. Students are encouraged to be curious and explore knowledge independently, whereas in the Arab world, the focus is often on memorization and repetition. The educational system tends to be more routine-oriented than skill and innovation-oriented.

It is also noticeable that the West widely uses technology in education, such as cloud computing, e-learning, and innovative educational applications. In contrast, the Arab world faces challenges in fully adopting technology in education due to differences in infrastructure and technological requirements.

Western educational structures rely on the freedom to choose educational paths and specializations, allowing for flexibility and diversity in fields of study. In the Arab world, there may be restrictions on choosing educational paths, often favoring certain specializations over others.

Western educational culture encourages learning from mistakes and experiences, valuing innovation and failure as essential parts of the learning process. In contrast, the Arab world may have evaluative tendencies that prefer immediate success and focus on test results more than on creative work.

In Western education, there is an emphasis on the outcomes of the educational process and its alignment with the labor market's needs and the requirements for the country's development. In most Arab countries, the evaluation is often based on performance alone and the smooth running of the educational process, such as teachers attending classes and delivering lessons, regardless of the final output and the job market's needs.

Our Children Between Two Worlds

“Al-Mujtama” spoke with several Arab students who completed their university or postgraduate studies in Europe. The main differences they found between education in their Arab countries and in Western countries can be summarized as follows:

1. Freedom to choose a field of specialization even before completing secondary education. In some European countries, a student can switch to studying a particular field, such as the arts, if they have a passion for it, even before completing pre-university years.
2. Training in thinking methods rather than just scientific subjects, so that the student learns to analyze problems and solve them, engage in critical thinking, and learn how to learn, acquire information, and develop skills, making learning a continuous process not limited to academic studies.

The Arab and Islamic world has a rich value system rooted in Islam and consistent with human nature.

3. Education through applications and models via challenge-based learning, encouraging students to apply what they have learned. Students often work on projects, and at certain educational stages, there is a project for each subject as an application of the academic content.
4. Comprehensive education, studying subjects other than the specialization to ensure that the student is aware of various concepts beyond their field. For instance, an engineering graduate would have knowledge of other sciences such as humanities, medicine, or economics.
5. Emphasis on openness to other cultures, with many Western universities providing opportunities for students to travel and support them in learning about their fields in other countries, and to learn skills in dealing with different cultures.
6. Alignment with labor market needs, focusing scientific specializations on industries in which the country excels. For example, if a country is advanced in the automotive industry, engineering college specializations revolve around this industry. Hence, specializations align with the labor market.

These effective educational principles currently in the West were present in the Arab and Islamic world before adopting old Western systems. Students had the freedom to choose their subjects. In most Arab countries, boys learned writing, the Quran, and basic grammar. Once they mastered these subjects and skills, they listened to poetry and hadith. Some continued studying and delved deeper into one or more religious, literary, or scientific subjects, depending on the child's readiness and ability to learn and transition to the next educational stage.

Muslim scholars often traveled to learn and gain knowledge and interact with other societies, such as Imam Al-Shafi'i, who was born in the Levant and undertook a rich academic journey through Mecca, Medina, Yemen, Baghdad, and Egypt.

Many Muslim scholars excelled in multiple sciences, not just one, like Ibn Sina, who was a physician, philosopher, writer, and poet. There are numerous examples in this regard.

Despite the scientific progress in the West, which has contributed to prosperity and development, the ethical and moral aspect remains on the margins of the educational process. Sometimes schools and universities even encourage what contradicts human nature. We must acknowledge that this scientific progress has flaws because one of the roles of science is to discipline and refine human behavior.

In contrast, the Arab and Islamic world possesses a rich value system derived from Islam and consistent with human nature. If this were supported by advanced education, it would build a great civilization, not just mere development!

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Educational issues remain highly sensitive and critically important topic for societies and countries. They are given priority, allocated budgets, and researchers and experts devote their efforts and expertise to develop and advance societies to occupy a high and advanced position among nations. To discuss educational issues in Sudan, we sat with Dr. Yasser Mohamed Maki Abu Harraz, the former Director of the National Center for Educational Research and Curriculum, and the former Director of the National Center for Teacher Training, to present him with a set of issues related to the education in Sudan.

First, we would like to get a general overview of the development of education in Sudan over the past years.

– The Ministry of Education in Sudan has regularly held national conferences on education for review, development, and alignment with the overall educational system in the country. The first National Conference on Education was held in 1969, during which the educational ladder was changed to a (6, 3, 3) system instead of the (4, 4, 4) years system. Subsequent national educational conferences followed, including a significant one in 1990 that for the first time in Sudan's history, clearly defined the goals of Sudanese education since its independence on January 1, 1956. The latest was the National Education Conference in 2012, covering general education, higher education, and technical and vocational education.

For general education, the conference recommended reverting to separate subject curricula at the basic education stage and maintained the school year at 210 days. It also added an additional academic year to the educational ladder (8, 3) years, making it 12 years instead of 11. The Ministry of Education was given the option to place this year in either the basic or secondary education stage based on preference. After conducting numerous discussion sessions, workshops, and studies, the Ministry decided to add the year to the basic education stage, making it 9 years instead of 8. Additionally, the 2012 education conference recommended revising the goals of Sudanese education and the objectives of educational stages.

What is the extent of education spread and enrollment in educational institutions in Sudan compared to the population?

– The estimates for the number of students in general education stages (pre-university education), including Quranic schools and literacy classes, as well as students in both public and private higher education institutions, amounted to about 10 million students out of Sudan's total estimated population of 45 million in 2019. The estimates suggest that the population of Sudan reached around 48 million by the end of 2023.

What are the main issues facing the educational process in Sudan?

– The main educational issues in Sudan can be summarized as follows:

1. School Buildings: For instance, the Federal Ministry of Education's statistics for the academic year 2019/2020 for basic education schools (formerly) in Sudan showed that the highest percentage of available school buildings was in White Nile State (79%), followed by Kassala State (74%), and the lowest in North Darfur State (6%). For secondary education, the highest classroom availability was in Red Sea State (100%), followed by Kassala State (98%).
2. Textbooks: The National Center for Educational Research and Curriculum sets the specifications for printing school textbooks to ensure quality in terms of paper, coloring, cover, and printing quality. These specifications are provided to printers along with the original books to be adhered to precisely.
3. Seating: Several Sudanese states suffer from a shortage of seating for both students and teachers.
4. Public Education Spending and Financing: Economic factors are among the most influential on education, either positively or negatively, as they significantly affect educational budgets. The modern global concept of education is that it is an investment process, and educational planning now relies on economic indicators. The relationship between education and the economy is reciprocal; as the economy prospers, so does education, and vice versa.
5. Teacher Issues: Teachers are the most critical element in the educational process as they implement the curriculum in schools and play a fundamental role in nurturing and caring for students, monitoring their overall development intellectually, spiritually, physically, culturally, and socially. Therefore, it is essential to fully support all aspects related to teachers, from selection, preparation, appointment, training, and qualification to professional development, career progression, and social, financial, and psychological care. Teacher training is a top priority in educational planning because the teacher is the cornerstone of the educational process, and the success of this process primarily depends on the teacher's training and preparation in line with educational changes.

Given this reality, what are the main challenges facing education in Sudan?

– Based on the key educational issues mentioned above, the annual field visit results conducted by the National Center for Teacher Training and the National Center for Educational Research and Curriculum from 2000 to 2019, and reviewing the statistics and reports submitted to the General Directorate of Educational Planning at the Ministry of Education, and through the coordination educational conferences attended by ministers and directors of education from the states during the same period, the main challenges facing education in Sudan are:

1. Insufficient Funding for Education: Both from the central government and the states, which negatively impacts education, resulting in shortages in textbooks, teacher guides, seating, teacher recruitment and training, school building construction and maintenance, lack of laboratories, school activity tools, weak educational supervision, and limited educational technologies and aids.
2. Variation in Education Quality between States: Wealthier states enjoy better educational conditions, while poorer states suffer from deteriorating education quality.
3. Low Teacher Salaries and Benefits: Along with delayed salary payments.
4. Overcrowded Classrooms in Some States: Including Khartoum State, which negatively affects academic performance.
5. Long Rainy Season in Southern States: Such as South Darfur, South Kordofan, and Blue Nile (6 to 8 months), which disrupts the educational process, especially as some schools in these areas are built with unstable materials (hay).
6. Dropout Rates in Rural Schools: Due to students helping their families in farming and herding, early marriage among nomadic tribes, and a shortage of teachers in rural areas as teachers prefer to work in cities for family and financial reasons. Not to mention the insufficient teacher training at various levels.

How has the ongoing war in Sudan for more than a year and a half affected general and higher education?

– The deterioration of education in Sudan began with the leftist government led by former Prime Minister Dr. Abdalla Hamdok after the fall of the National Salvation Government in 2019. This was due to teachers and university professors frequently stopping work and the blocking of roads and disruption of transportation for extended periods, leading to a near-complete paralysis of the educational process, with three consecutive university freshman classes accumulating without studying after passing high school exams and being accepted into universities.

The significant decline in Sudanese education came with the onset of war initiated by the rebel militia led by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, aided by foreign mercenaries, on April 15, 2023. This resulted in the destruction of several universities and schools (completely or partially) in some states, especially Khartoum and West Darfur. Most higher education institutions in some states were burned and destroyed, such as the damage to the University of Gezira buildings in Wad Madani. A large number of students were displaced along with their families due to the war, relocating to other areas within Sudan or seeking refuge in neighboring countries like Egypt, Libya, Chad, Ethiopia, and Eritrea.

Are there American strategies to intervene in education curricula in the Arab world, are there practical applications for these strategies, and what has been Sudan’s experience in dealing with them?

– We know that there are foreign (American, “Israeli”) attempts to intervene in some Arab and Islamic countries, one way or another, to alter educational curricula to become secular and atheistic, aiming to produce generations imbued with secular and atheistic ideas, distancing them from their religious beliefs, history, and Islamic cultures.

This happened in Sudan during the leftist and secularist rule from 2019 to 2022 when Dr. Omar al-Qaray was appointed Director of the National Center for Educational Research and Curriculum. He transferred several curriculum specialists from the center to the Ministry of Education in Khartoum State and formed committees from outside the center to prepare school books without meeting the school book specifications, removing the Quran subject and Quranic ayahs and prophetic hadiths from other school books.

These books were distributed to schools in the states, prompting students and their families to protest in many Sudanese cities, leading to some states burning these atheist books in front of the media. After the leftist government fell, Mahmoud Sir Al-Khatm Al-Houri, may Allah have mercy on him, was appointed Minister of Education. He issued a ministerial decision to cancel all these books prepared during Dr. Al-Qaray's term after the state lost substantial funds printing them. A large quantity of these books remains stored in the Ministry of Education warehouses in Khartoum, bearing witness to that dark period in Sudanese education history.

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Educational curricula are utilized by Ministries of Education to modify student behavior, develop their skills and positive attitudes, and instill social habits and values that align with societal norms. These curricula also work towards refining ethics and nurturing inclinations.

The curricula, with their knowledge, skills, attitudes, and values, serve as the nourishment upon which student education is built. They are the central element in the educational process. Therefore, countries have focused on developing curricula in all their elements to keep pace with societal development and the accompanying challenges, enabling society to progress in line with global advancements.

Islamic Education Contributes to Developing Students' Minds, Improving Their Morals, and Utilizing Their Abilities for Constructing the World

Experts in the educational field recognize that education in Islamic countries has derived its goals and methods from the theories of John Dewey and his followers. These theorists view education as a social function, essential for any human community seeking to maintain its existence and advance on the ladder of progress. Education, in their view, should be carried out in light of a social philosophy and in social contexts, aiming to create citizens who perform social functions such as preserving, improving, and refining culture.

From this perspective, the goal of education is to create a good citizen who plays their role in maintaining and refining the culture of society. It is a society that defines the philosophy it wishes to cultivate, the values and ideals it wants its members to adhere to, and the skills they should master.

However, if we look at the goals of education within the Islamic framework, we find that Islamic education transcends the narrow regional concept of citizenship to a higher level of objectives, represented in “nurturing a good human being.” This refers to the human being in the comprehensive human sense, inherently and universally, not merely as a citizen of a specific region. This broader meaning is undoubtedly more inclusive than any educational concept in non-Islamic contexts.

Islamic Educational Curricula

Islamic education is a powerful tool in developing students' minds, improving their morals, guiding their energies, and nurturing their abilities for the construction of the world. Islamic education is characterized by a comprehensive approach to nurturing all aspects of a person's character. It aims to achieve many educational goals, such as equipping students with the skills necessary for the construction of the earth, developing their intellectual and moral abilities, and guiding their energies towards positive interaction with their community according to accepted standards derived from Islamic Sharia and societal customs. Religion is both knowledge and practice, a comprehensive methodology encompassing all aspects of life. Allah says, “Say, 'Indeed, my prayer, my rites of sacrifice, my living and my dying are for Allah, Lord of the worlds. No partner has He. And this I have been commanded, and I am the first [among you] of the Muslims.'” (Al-An'am: 162-163)

Neglecting Islamic Education Curricula Has Negative Effects in Terms of Civilizational Backwardness, Loss of Identity, and Societal DecayTop of Form

The Reality of Religious Education Curricula in Islamic Countries

The reality of religious education curricula in Islamic countries confirms the existence of significant shortcomings across these nations. In a study conducted by researcher Ruqayya As'ad Saleh Arar at An-Najah National University for her master's degree, she concluded the following results after analyzing the content she collected:

• The low representation of contemporary issues in the curriculum content, with only a few social and economic issues being addressed.
• The absence of contemporary jurisprudential issues needed by students at this stage.
• The study praised Kuwait’s experience in developing Islamic education curricula and adopting modern approaches, which included, trending towards a separate experience method between the branches of the subject, integrating knowledge in subject topics, and trending towards concepts and activities.

The study also discussed modern trends in teaching Islamic education, which included the trends towards mastery, cooperation, teaching thinking, and enrichment.

The reality indicates that when a student finishes secondary education in most Arab and Islamic countries, their formal connection with Islamic education ends completely, as if university students do not need to learn about their religion, Islamic values, and morals!

Instilling Correct Belief in Students’ Hearts Through Persuasion and Evidence, Not Imitation That Builds Shaky Faith

Islamic education is no less important than foreign languages, which are almost present in all educational stages now in most Arab and Islamic countries, from nursery to the final stages of formal education and beyond. Islamic education does not need the large space allocated to foreign languages in educational curricula. If curriculum developers have found the time and space to include foreign language learning across various university specializations, allocating time and space for Islamic education should not pose a problem. On the contrary, incorporating Islamic education into university education will solve many serious and numerous problems faced by societies.

Neglecting Islamic education curricula in schools and universities has serious negative effects, such as civilizational backwardness, loss of identity, weakening strength, societal decay, and exposure to corrupt and extremist currents. This neglect leads to generations disconnected from their religion, with no sense of belonging or identity, ready to absorb false ideas, misguided ideologies, and deviant morals.

What’s expected from Islamic Education Curriculum Developers

Given the current state of Islamic education curricula in most Arab and Islamic countries, the hope is for curriculum developers to respond to the inclusion of modern technological advancements in education, adopting goals, content, and activities that align with these advancements. They should also respond to societal aspirations and the requirements of the modern age, without neglecting the needs of students in this era.

We hope curriculum developers in our countries will focus on nurturing students in:

• Faith: By instilling the correct belief in students’ hearts through persuasion and evidence, not imitation that builds shaky faith in the face of intellectual and cultural challenges.
• Critical Thinking Skills: By incorporating what is mentioned in the Quran and the Sunnah, which call for contemplation, reflection, and employing evidence for persuasion.
• The Ability to Dialogue and Coexist with Others: Dialogue is a fundamental value in the Quran. People are different, and integration among them can only be achieved through dialogue, knowing that the criterion for superiority among people is the piety of Allah.
• Utilizing Technology for Self-Learning: Technology is the tool of contemporary society, an effective means of communication, and a means of opening up to knowledge.

In light of the above, we recommend curriculum developers to:

• Enrich Islamic education curricula with activities that enhance the orientation towards e-learning and the utilization of technology in education.
• Analyze Islamic education curricula in light of contemporary developments and issues quantitatively, then enrich them with contemporary issues accumulatively as students progress through their grades according to the sequence for jurisprudence units.
• Increase the number of Islamic education classes to enable teachers to focus on presenting contemporary jurisprudential issues during lessons in an engaging manner that stimulates students' thinking and sharpens their interests by presenting them in additional enrichment activities.
• Conduct periodic evaluative studies of the content of Islamic education books in light of contemporary jurisprudential issues to keep pace with societal progress and represent emerging contemporary issues.

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1. Taken from: Islamic Educational Curricula: Reality and Expectations, Ruqayya As'ad Saleh Arar, An-Najah National University, with modifications.

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This is an open letter to His Excellency, the Engineer, Minister of Education... With Greetings

Your Excellency, Minister of Education, Mr. Jalal Al-Tabtabaei,

You have assumed the Ministry of Education at a time when the educational system faces significant challenges requiring radical solutions and decisive measures. Among the most pressing of these challenges is the phenomenon of cheating in examinations, which has escalated in recent years to become a problem that directly threatens the credibility of the educational process and undermines the core educational values that should be instilled in students. Cheating is no longer a mere individual transgression by some students but has evolved into a phenomenon fueled by gaps in the system, including weak supervision, lack of strict accountability, and collusion by some responsible parties.

The current measure adopted by the ministry, which involves rotating school principals during exam periods, has proven limited in addressing this phenomenon. Rather than tackling the problem at its roots, the approach relies on superficial measures that do not yield the desired results. The real solution lies in establishing a strict monitoring system that ensures thorough oversight of examinations and enforces accountability for anyone found negligent or complicit, whether principals or administrative staff.

Additionally, the criteria for selecting school principals need to be re-evaluated so that seniority is not the sole decisive factor. Candidates for this position should be chosen based on high competence, integrity, honesty, and the ability to manage the educational process with firmness and transparency. Years of service alone are insufficient to guarantee performance quality; they should be supplemented by a proven track record of achievements and effective contributions to improving the educational environment.

Your Excellency, Minister of Education, Mr. Jalal Al-Tabtabaei,

Another pressing issue currently facing the ministry is the crisis of supervisory positions, which has cast a shadow over the stability of the educational field and significantly affected the workflow within schools. The sector suffers from a large number of vacancies in supervisory roles, including leadership positions, technical supervisors, and department heads. This shortage has placed additional burdens on school administrations, leaving some schools without the necessary guidance or supervision to ensure the efficient running of the educational process.

What is even more concerning is that these vacancies have not been filled with the required competencies. Instead, some parties have exploited these gaps to serve personal interests. Individuals who lack genuine practical experience in the educational field have reached decision-making positions. These individuals are neither sufficiently aware of the challenges schools face nor deeply understand the daily problems teachers and students encounter. Rather than providing effective solutions, they have used their positions to build power bases and control administrative decisions in ways that create conflicts of interest and hinder many vital procedures.

This situation has led to educational disasters over the past two years, negatively impacting education quality and school stability. Administrative decisions have become disconnected from the needs of the field and directed towards narrow agendas, exacerbating tensions between educational staff and higher administrations.

Therefore, Your Excellency, there is an urgent need to establish a clear and fair mechanism for filling supervisory positions, with competence and practical experience as the primary criteria. All current supervisory staff should be re-evaluated to ensure that those in these positions possess a clear educational vision and field experience that enables them to effectively support schools and work towards improving the educational process in a manner that serves both students and educational staff alike.

Your Excellency, Minister of Education, Mr. Jalal Al-Tabtabaei,

The organizational structure of the ministry represents one of the fundamental issues that require serious and swift attention, given its direct impact on the efficiency of work in the educational field. The current structure suffers from significant ambiguity in the distribution of tasks and powers among various departments, leading to overlapping roles and creating an unstable work environment. This overlap complicates the implementation of educational plans, as ministry and field staff often find themselves uncertain about their responsibilities, negatively affecting overall performance quality.

One of the prominent issues in this regard is the current state of technical supervision within the organizational structure. Technical supervision is considered a key element in supporting and developing the educational process. It provides pedagogical guidance and supervision for teachers, aiming to enhance their skills and performance. Unfortunately, however, technical supervisors face ambiguity regarding their position within the ministry’s organizational structure. Are they directly subordinate to school administration, or are they an independent entity reporting to higher administrations within the ministry?

This ambiguity creates conflicts of authority. At times, a technical supervisor may find themselves at odds with a school principal, where the principal might perceive the supervisor’s actions as interference in their duties, while the supervisor believes it is their right to guide teachers and provide feedback on the educational process. Such tensions weaken the role of technical supervision, which should be an effective developmental tool.

Moreover, technical supervision suffers from a lack of clear plans defining their scope of work and coordination mechanisms with other departments. In the absence of such clarity, their role becomes limited and fails to achieve the desired impact on improving education quality. This issue not only affects the performance of supervisors but also impacts teachers and students, as the technical supervisor is supposed to play a supportive and assisting role in creating a stimulating and productive educational environment.

Therefore, Your Excellency, we recommend revisiting the ministry’s organizational structure and clearly defining the position of technical supervision. Effective coordination mechanisms between technical supervisors and school administrations must be established, granting supervisors the necessary powers to perform their duties without conflicting with the authorities of other departments. There should also be a clear plan ensuring ongoing and organized communication among all relevant parties, contributing to achieving the ministry's goals and comprehensively improving the educational process.

Your Excellency,

The burden is immense, and the challenges facing the ministry are great, but our trust in your ability to confront them is greater. We believe that with your strong will and clear vision, you will be able to make the necessary changes to elevate the level of education. The educational field looks forward to your decisive decisions to bring about positive change, enhance the stability of the educational system, and improve its outcomes, contributing to building a better future for our children.

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A common phrase suggests that more than half of the jobs that our children will perform today have not yet been invented! This means that we need generations equipped with the necessary skills to face an uncertain future, and this is the role of education, which is not limited to transferring knowledge but building minds capable of adaptation and innovation.

In most of our Arab countries, educational systems still contribute to stifling young minds, confining them to narrow circles that prevent them from venturing into the realm of thinking and creativity. This is achieved through the “triangle of destruction;” its first side being “rote memorization and recitation,” neglecting the development of critical and creative thinking skills. The second side manifests in fostering a culture of “conveying minds” rather than creative and innovative minds, resulting in individuals lacking critical thinking skills and living within a culture of conformity. The third side is the failure of these systems to keep pace with major transformations such as the digital revolution and artificial intelligence, which hinders the preparedness of youth for the future labor market.

Developing the minds of our youth requires a new educational philosophy that focuses on fostering critical and creative thinking.

As a result of this decline, our schools and universities are producing stagnant minds and limited abilities. The role of education in shaping young minds and building critical and creative thinking skills has diminished. It has become necessary to reimagine education to align with contemporary demands and comprehensively and sustainably enhance human intellect.

Developing the minds of our Arab youth requires a new educational philosophy that focuses on fostering critical and creative thinking through promoting scientific methods and analytical thinking. Additionally, educational policies should align with digital transformations and artificial intelligence, linking them to the regional and global labor market.

Importance and Challenges

Science is not merely knowledge that is transferred and inherited but rather comprehensive development of all necessary life skills. Through it, an individual gains the ability to think outside the box and find innovative solutions to problems, cooperate, and work in teams. It elevates the mind and enhances communication and negotiation skills. Education is not just a means to obtain certificates but an investment in the future, creating minds capable of building advanced societies.

Education plays a vital role in shaping an individual’s character and developing self-awareness and social consciousness. It provides the knowledge and skills necessary to understand oneself and one’s capabilities, build self-confidence, and make informed decisions. It also contributes to instilling values of good citizenship, tolerance, and cooperation and raises awareness of societal issues, preparing individuals to actively contribute to building more prosperous communities.

Young people in most of our Arab countries face numerous challenges that hinder their access to quality education. The most prominent of these challenges can be summarized as follows:

• Digital Gaps: These pose a significant barrier to quality education. When millions of young people lack access to good internet services or possess outdated and low-quality devices, it certainly hinders their ability to learn through the modern technologies necessary for advanced education. Moreover, many suffer from a lack of essential digital skills to interact with new education systems.

Major Challenges in Education in Our Countries: Digital Gaps, Weak Curricula, Lack of Resources

• Weak Curricula: This is one of the most significant issues that most Arab countries have not overcome. Most curricula are stagnant and lag behind contemporary developments, focusing on rote learning rather than critical and creative thinking. They lack periodic updates, making them poor and insufficient to meet labor market requirements, thus weakening the readiness of youth to create or even face the future.
• Lack of Resources: In many developing countries, a lack of resources leads to poor-quality education, starting from a shortage of qualified teachers to deteriorating school infrastructure and a lack of basic educational materials. This negatively impacts the educational process as a whole, resulting in generations incapable of contributing significantly to human progress.

Stimulating Young Minds

Amid the enormous challenges facing our Arab world, developing young minds emerges as a top priority for building a promising future. The youth are the backbone of the nation and the ones capable of creating solutions to contemporary problems. To achieve this, experts recommend creating an environment that stimulates young minds and develops their creative abilities through various strategies, including:

• Constantly exposing the mind to new ideas and experiences, which acts as a mental exercise enhancing its capabilities. Reading, for instance, opens wide horizons and develops critical thinking. Additionally, listening to different opinions and engaging in intellectual discussions broadens our perspectives, increases our mental flexibility, and confronting new experiences consistently enhances the mind's flexibility and ability to learn and adapt.
• Engaging in sports: It is not just a physical activity but an investment in brain and mental health. Studies indicate that physical exercise significantly improves brain functions by enhancing circulation and increasing oxygen flow to the brain, thereby boosting its thinking and analytical abilities.
• Breaking the daily routine and trying new ways of living is a powerful stimulant for the mind. When we change our daily path or try new activities, we push our brains to work in different ways. This change forces us to think creatively and adapt to unexpected situations, enhancing our mental flexibility and problem-solving abilities.

We are in dire need of a generation of youth with intellectual flexibility and the ability to learn and develop continuously.

Our era desperately needs a generation of youth with intellectual flexibility and the capacity for continuous learning and development. This is where the importance of a “growth mindset” comes into play, believing that abilities and talents are not fixed but can be developed through effort and perseverance.

According to psychology professors, those with a fixed mindset believe their abilities are limited and unchangeable, while those with a growth mindset believe they can continuously improve themselves through effort and perseverance. This difference in belief significantly impacts their motivation and self-confidence.

Psychologists assert that when young people adopt a growth mindset, they view failure as an opportunity to learn and grow, boosting their confidence and driving them to exert more effort. They understand that success requires perseverance and hard work, not just innate talent.

Adopting a growth mindset contributes, according to psychology experts, to instilling a spirit of initiative and innovation in youth. The intellectual flexibility characteristic of this mindset drives them to think outside the box and seek unconventional solutions to challenges, transforming them into a driving force for creativity across various sectors, from entrepreneurship and technology to cultural and social fields.

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