The head of the Evangelical organization concluded an Arab dialogue tour in Beirut with the participation of a number of Arab intellectual leaders. The Evangelical Dialogue Forum concluded the activities of the “Arab Community of Risks and Human Solidarity” conference. The Lebanese Minister of Education participated with the Evangelical organization in the Arab dialogue tour to discuss the challenges of education in Arab society. The head of the Evangelical organization stated that:
- Confronting risks and challenges through spreading a culture of diversity and pluralism is a shared task between the religious institution, educational institutions, and civil society organizations.
- Education is one of the main factors in confronting risks and the revival of societies.
- Educational systems in our changing world must be flexible in their structure, paths, and curricula.
Dr. Abbas Halabi, the Minister of Education and Higher Education in Lebanon, stated that:
- The Evangelical organization plays a great national role in improving the lives of the needy and providing educational and health services, in addition to raising cultural awareness and encouraging non-discriminatory dialogue.
- “Productive education” is capable of confronting the challenges in our Arab communities and is based on ensuring continuity and quality.
Journalist Hamdi Rizk stated that educational institutions are responsible for preparing and equipping a generation with the ability to understand and deal with the challenges and developments of the era, and to lead change towards progress and development.
Dr. Riyad Jirjor, President of the Development, Culture, and Dialogue Forum in Lebanon, said that through the activities of the Arab Dialogue, they aim to reach the factors influencing the educational discourse in the Arab society, and the issue of education and building the Arab mind is one of their priorities.
Dr. Reverend André Zaki, head of the Evangelical Church in Egypt, concluded the events of the Arab Dialogue tour for the Dialogue of Cultures Forum at the Evangelical Coptic Authority, under the title “Arab Society of Risks and Human Solidarity”, in the Lebanese capital, Beirut. The event was attended by a number of Egyptian thinkers, including former Minister of Culture Helmy El-Namnam, political and strategic studies adviser Dr. Emad Gad, journalist Hamdi Rizk, Dr. Hanan Youssef, head of the Arab Organization for International Cooperation, Esmat Sheha, head of the Egyptian Organization for Human Rights and member of the National Council for Human Rights, Dr. Ayman Abdel Wahab, editor-in-chief of Ahwal Misriya Magazine, Emad Khalil, member of the Egyptian Parliament, Mahmoud El-Qot, member of the Egyptian Senate, Samira Luka, Director of the First Dialogue Sector at the Evangelical Authority and member of the National Council for Human Rights, and Heba Yousry, Director of Programs at the Dialogue of Cultures Forum at the Evangelical Authority, as well as representatives of civil society institutions from members of the Dialogue Network in the Arab region, including Lebanon, Jordan, Palestine, Morocco, and Iraq.
In the same context, Dr. Abbas Halabi, the Minister of Education and Higher Education in Lebanon, participated in a seminar entitled “A reading on the reality and challenges of education in the Arab society,” in which several factors influencing the educational discourse in the Arab society were discussed, such as religion, economy, and culture. At the beginning of the meeting, the head of the Evangelical denomination welcomed all the participants in the conference from Egypt and Arab countries and said: “Confronting risks and challenges through spreading the culture of diversity and pluralism is a collaborative work of multiple parties, as the state through legislation and procedures and the rule of law, the religious institution through the insistence on a tolerant religious discourse that considers the public good, and upbringing institutions, which also have a role in supporting the culture of diversity and pluralism, and civil society organizations with their tools and capabilities that can work to promote the concept of sustainable development.”
Zaki added: “Education is one of the key factors in facing risks and promoting the rise of societies, and educational systems in our changing world must be flexible in their structure, pathways, and curricula.” During the seminar, Dr. Abbas Halabi, the Minister of Education and Higher Education in Lebanon, said: “The Evangelical Presbyterian Church has a great national role in improving the lives of the poor through providing education, health services, raising cultural awareness, and promoting dialogue without discrimination based on gender or religion.”
He also added, “productive education is capable of facing the challenges in our Arab societies, and it is based on ensuring continuity and quality of the product, and developing curricula is a fundamental issue…and awareness is based on scientific research and new knowledge.”
During his participation in the seminar on the reality and challenges of education, journalist Hamdi Rizk said, “educational institutions are responsible for preparing and preparing a generation capable of absorbing the challenges of the era and its developments, and how to deal with them and lead change towards progress and development.”
Dr. Riad Jirjor, the head of the Forum for Development, Culture, and Dialogue in Lebanon, also confirmed during the seminar on the challenges of education that “we aspire to develop a knowledge society, and education is the only means to achieve that.”
