GRALE III: Adult learning and education in the Arab States

The first Arab States regional launch of the third Global Report on Adult Learning and Education (GRALE III) took place on 1st to 4th October 2016 in Amman, Jordan, during a seminar entitled ‘Adult Education: Readings in the Failure and the Prospects for Renewal in the Arab World’. The seminar was attended by representatives of the UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning (UIL) as well as governmental and civil society organizations (CSOs) in the region. Over the course of the three-day meeting, participants discussed challenges currently facing adult learning and education (ALE) in the Arab States and identified ways of tackling these challenges. Participants stressed their commitment to realizing Sustainable Development Goal 4 by advocating for the recognition of ALE as a human right and a public good. They also emphasized the urgent need for quality education and the importance of achieving gender equality throughout the education system.

The meeting was organized by four Arab ALE networks in cooperation with the Institute for International Cooperation of the German Adult Education Association (DVV), the International Council for Adult Education (ICAE) and UIL. Representing UIL, Mr Werner Mauch and Ms Samah Shalaby delivered a presentation on significant outcomes of the GRALE III monitoring survey from both a global and regional perspective.

About GRALE III

GRALE III draws on monitoring surveys completed by 139 UNESCO Member States, including 13 countries from the Arab States region, to develop a differentiated picture of the global state of ALE. In their presentation, Mr Mauch and Ms Shalaby showed how data provided by the Arab States indicates that these countries have made progress in all areas of the Belém Framework for Action (2009). Mr Mauch and Ms Shalaby also discussed the potential contribution of ALE to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, examining the regional impact of ALE on three major areas: health and well-being; employment and the labour market; and social, civic and community life. One of the encouraging findings of GRALE III is that 75% of the Arab countries that responded to the monitoring survey agreed that ALE has a positive influence on health and well-being. During a special session, participants discussed how regional research on the links between ALE and health and well-being might be strengthened. 

This seminar was the first in a series of two launches of GRALE III in the region, with the next one set to take place next year in Rabat, Morocco.