Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen:

The issue of education is, in itself, a national developmental one, in that it has the natural role of spreading the culture of a nation and asserting its national identity. We, in the Arab world, consider our human resources as our greatest asset. The best means of building a brighter future for our world is by enhancing its educational and cultural status.

The aim of this conference should be to seek the most successful means of developing the human resources of our Arab world, and to make the most of those that have the greatest potential to contribute in this field, making it possible for the Arab society to meet the future challenges.

The status of Women and Education:

"…Education is a human right and a basic means of achieving the aims of equality, development and peace." (Pikin, September 1996) Yet societies in the Arab world still suffer from the problem of illiteracy in general and illiteracy among women, in particular. The percentage of illiterate women varies from one Arab nation to another. Many reports have revealed that several Arab nations are giving priority to programmes which eradicate illiteracy among both men and women. The Gulf states are distinguished for the reduction in illiteracy percentages that they have achieved in comparison with other Arab states. This is perhaps due to their better financial status and smaller populations.

The constitutions and regulations of Arab nations maintain the right of women to be educated and to be given equal opportunity with men. However is this applied practically?

The curriculums in most Arab states do not have any reference to the concepts of equality and justice between the sexes and most school textbooks still portray a somewhat blemished view of the role of women in society. However, Arab nations have achieved, in the last two decades, some noticeable progress in education in general, and in the education of women in particular. These two decades have witnessed a rise in the number of people being educated and in the number of employment opportunities being offered. In addition, several laws were passed which increased the contribution of women in the workforce and gave them some equality regarding their duties and rights.

If we look beyond the statistics, we may deduce that education, as a social system, emerged to accommodate to the existing traditional society. We also deduce that evaluative perspective towards changing the educational system is not linked to sufficient guidelines. Available statistics prove that the percentage of people studying varies from one Arab country to another, but the percentage of females studying is commonly lower.

Despite the fact that education in the Gulf states is relatively recent, some of these states are distinguished for the rise in the number of females being educated, and a good example is that in the UAE there is no difference in the number of females and males enrolling for elementary education. Whereas the percentage of females enrolling for the same stage is less than 10% in Syria, Lebanon, Bahrain, Jordan and Qatar. This rate is gradually rising in Kuwait, Tunisia, Iraq, Algeria and Libya and rising at a greater rate in Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Morocco and the Yemen.

If we observe the rise in the number of females graduating from secondary schools, we note that most of them enroll in Faculties of Art and Humanities while only a few enroll in applied sciences of technical colleges.

As for the enrolment of females in technical education, we note that the rate of females is much lower than that of males. Technical training is one of the most important means of assisting in the improvement of skills necessary in the work market. However, the criteria for implementing such training in the Arab nations has varied. Some have followed the process of regular technical teaching while others have encouraged the role of foundations and non-government organisations in aiding such education. Whatever the process followed may be, I believe that all fields of technical education should be accessible to Arab girls.

Choosing the option of technical education is influenced by many factors, the most important of which is a foreseeable view of the prospects for the role which females may play or may be set for them.

The most significant factors which stand as obstacles for Arab girls to enroll in a school or quit school early are:

• Traditions which hinder the principle of developed laws and obstruct their application
• The incomplete application of these laws and regulations
• Not complying with the policy of compulsory education.
• The fact that education is directly related to the financial situation of a family and the way this affects mainly the female. Such that recent studies mention poverty in terms of gender.
• Not exploiting education for employment and not planning in accordance with a scientific approach.
• The rate of female learning is affected by certain geographical areas such that it has fallen greatly in the rural and less developed areas.
• The great rise in the population of some Arab countries.
• The wars which have been waged in the region such as the war in Lebanon which lasted for seventeen years, the Iran-Iraq war and the Gulf war which led to a great waste of the areas and resources and restricted its development.

The accord of national reconciliation calls for the achievement of overall and equal development. The Taif Agreement defined the foundations for peace and stability in Lebanon. Education is the most significant cornerstone for the reconstruction of the country and its human resources after a long war which strained the nation’s people and foundations.

The rise in the number of females attending schools led clearly to an improvement in the education of females but illiteracy remains a major problem even though the rate of illiterate women in Lebanon has been reduced significantly in the last twenty-five years, in that in 1970 it was 43.3% whereas in 1995 it became 17.8%.

The educational status of women in Lebanon has improved tremendously in the last twenty-five years and this is a result of the developed participation of women in the economical and social life of the country making them a vital pillar in the productivity of the country.

The latest survey of the Centre for Educational Research and Development revealed that the number of students in public schools was equal for males and females.

The survey also showed that the number of females enrolled in technical schools at the intermediate and secondary level had increased significantly.

In universities, most females pursue their studies basically in the field of humanities but they are leaning more and more towards fields which are less general and more technically specialised. Despite the negative impact of the Civil War on the status of the Lebanese University, women were still able to enroll in university and thus participate effectively in the development of social life in general.

Lebanese women play a vital role in education; around fifty-three thousand women today occupy different posts in this field. According to a statistical survey held in 1996, 63.1% of the employees in education were women, 14% of which were teachers. That makes 68.9% of the total number of teachers in Lebanon in general; which is 70.4% of the total number of teachers in the elementary and intermediate levels. This percentage lessens as we move to upper levels until it reaches the ratio of one to four (one female to four male teachers), at the university level.

At this stage, it is important to call attention to the educational renaissance which was decided upon by the Lebanese Cabinet on August 17, 1994. This made it possible for a new educational system to rise in January of the year 1996. This new system ensures and clarifies the promotion policy from one level to another. In addition, it guarantees a smooth movement between the official regular learning programmes and the vocational and technical ones.

The mentioned plan ensures elementary education for all children and makes it compulsory. Thereby making public education a major national concern which everyone will work on improving in order to achieve our main goals; some of which are:

1. Providing modern public schools which accommodate the national economical and social needs of the country, and reflect the latest technological development.
2. Focusing on the importance of providing a national education, especially after the long and severe civil war.
3. Amending and unifying the educational programmes so that they assert our national identity and reflect the equality of males and females in the reconstruction of the nation.
4. Offering equal opportunities for all children to learn and enroll in schools.
5. Educating the children affected by the fighting in Lebanon.
6. Meeting the special needs of the war casualties and rehabilitating the handicapped.

Despite all the obstacles, we note that as a result of the developed social, political thought, the scientific and technological advancement, and the way in which Arab women’s awareness has gradually improved. Thus we can say that the status of the Arab Women in general has changed on the economic social, vocational and legislative levels. She is now contributing positively in the general development of our region. On the basis of all that has been said, we feel it necessary to make a few suggestions to improve education for women:

1. Establishing a guide that forms the proper framework for a strategy enabling educational development, and making elementary education widespread and compulsory.
2. Applying a policy for eradicating illiteracy.
3. Educating women in accordance with our general goals.
4. Improving programmes for planning and administration so that they meet the needs of the job market.
5. Ensuring equal opportunity in the fields of education and specialised training.
6. Improving the positive image of women’s status and role in our educational programmes.
7. Encouraging technical education and assuring the essential conditions for it.
8. Having a comprehensive educational policy that goes hand-in-hand with a media policy so that together they serve the goals of the system at all learning levels.
9. Working on acquiring skills that improve productivity in general.
10. Controlling the number of female drop-outs, especially at the elementary level.
11. Encouraging research and studies which promote a better way and status for the Arab female.
12. Working on ensuring the positive coordination among the Arab countries in the educational field.

The scope of the responsibility which Arab women hold in the educational field in this age of communicational and informational development, confirms her natural understanding of the role of education in future advancement, and her role in that process. We consider it essential that women continue to play this role and help in guiding Arab societies towards modern development.

This mission assumes that the participation of Arab women becomes a complete one in all the fields of development, keeping in mind, that the future of the Arab world relies on the extent to which equality amongst its citizens becomes a basic principle in applying all its potential for the sake of developing its human resources.

Facing the future challenges in the social, economical and cultural conflicts with the Israeli enemy, makes unifying all our efforts a necessity. It is worth mentioning here, the recent freeze on normalising relations with Israel which Arab Foreign Ministers agreed on.

From this lectern, I call on all the honourable people of the Arab world to take part in the commemoration of this painful memory on the eighteenth of April, and denounce this Israeli aggression and carnage, calling for the immediate implementation of the United Nation Resolutions, and specifically Resolution 425 which calls for the complete and unconditional withdrawal of Israeli forces from Lebanese territory.

I hope we can all work together to achieve a just and comprehensive peace in the region.

Thank you for your attention.

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