I. ORGANIZATION OF THE MEETING

Introduction

Within the framework of the UNESCO International Project on Technical and Vocational Education (UNEVOC), and, in accordance with Resolution No: 1.8 of the 26th session of UNESCO's General Conference, the UNESCO Regional Office for Education in the Arab States (UNEDBAS), in collaboration with Bahrain National Commission for UNESCO, convened the first Meeting of Technical and Vocational Education Experts in the Arab States in Bahrain, from 20th to 24th March, 1994 at Ahmed Al-Zayni Centre for Teachers Training, Manama, Bahrain.

UNESCO Regional Office for Education in the Arab States (UNEDBAS) in coordination with the National Commissions for UNESCO in the Arab States, earlier, requested for a group of experts and specialists in technical and vocational education, to prepare working documents, research and studies, and reports on the topics of the meeting and the efforts undertaken by the Arab States to develop and upgrade technical and vocational education programmes within the educational system, and to fulfill prevailing needs of business, industry, and the world of work.

The purpose of the documents and reports are to enhance and initiate discussions and to encourage more participation of the Arab States in UNEVOC.

Objectives of the Meeting

The objectives of the Meeting were to fulfill the following:

1. The formulation of a common mechanism in the Arab States for the development of technical and vocational education curricula and linking the National Networks with the Regional Network of the UNEVOC associated centres and institutions in the region through the introduction of UNEVOC and its objectives which include the following programme areas:

(a) International exchange of ideas, experiences, and studies on policy issues or technical and vocational education.

(b) Strengthening of national research and development capabilities in technical and vocational education.

(c) Facilitating access to national, regional and international databases and documentation centres of technical and vocational education.

2. Studying and analyzing pilot projects and experiences in the area of TVE Curriculum development in the Arab States.

Opening Ceremony


The Meeting was inaugurated on Sunday, 20th March, 1994 at 10.00 a.m. at Al-Zayni Centre for Teachers Training, Manama, Bahrain, under the auspices of HE Dr. Ali M. Fakhro, Minister of Education of the States of Bahrain and Chairman of Bahrain National Commission for UNESCO. Also present was HE Mr. Hassan Izzedine, Minister of Vocational and Technical Education of Lebanon. The Meeting started with a recitation of the Holy Quran, which was followed by a speech, delivered by Dr. Nizar Al Baharana, Vice President of the Bahrain University for Academic Programmes and Scientific Research. On behalf of the host country, Dr. Al Baharana, said that the expansion of education levels in the Arab States was still not up to expectations and was unable to meet the educational needs of the countries. He also said that in spite of the great efforts that were made to achieve the objective, they were unable to meet the expansion at different educational levels in the Arab States. As a result, expansion was not properly balanced in light of the needs of the development of economic and social environment. He strongly emphasized the role of technical and vocational education programmes in creating a balance and providing a qualified and trained labour force. He welcomed the participating States, Institutions and Organizations taking part in the Meeting and wished the participants success in achieving the objectives of the meeting.

Mr. R. Tiburtini, Chief of Technical and Vocational Education of UNESCO, also delivered a speech, in which he extended greetings of the Director General of UNESCO, Mr. Federico Mayor to the participants. He expressed his happiness that the meeting had taken place within the framework of the UNESCO International Project - UNEVOC, in Bahrain; especially because Bahrain had been one of the Arab States in which technical and vocational education started comparatively earlier. The first Technical School in Bahrain was established in 1936.

HE Mr. Hassan Izzedine, Minister of Vocational and Technical Education of Lebanon, also addressed the meeting and congratulated Bahrain for hosting the meeting. He said that he was extremely jubilant to be a part of the meeting, and stated that the Arab States were passing through hard times, requiring the development of technical and vocational education programmes. Even more, to meet the growing needs for the preparation of good citizens for the future. He also emphasized on the development of the institutions by ways and means of cooperation among Arab States, thus, meeting the interests and aspirations of the strategies in the Arab States.

Thereafter, Mr. Sulieman A. Sulieman, Technical and Vocational Specialist in the UNESCO Regional Office for Education in the Arab States (UNEDBAS), delivered a speech in which he conveyed the greetings of the Director of UNEDBAS, Mr. Abdul Gader El-Atrash and added that the meeting was being hosted in the framework of UNEVOC by the Bahrain National Commission for UNESCO. He further said that the meeting was a clear indication of the efforts and cooperation between UNEDBAS and the National Commissions for UNESCO in the Arab States.

Procedural Meeting

The opening ceremony was followed b the Procedural Meeting, and the bureau of the meeting were elected as follows:

CHAIRPERSON:	Mr. Ebrahim Y. Al Abdulla, Bahrain
VICE CHAIRPERSONS:	Mrs. Awatif A. Al Bashti, Libya Mr. Sharaf Eddin Mohammed, Syria
RAPPORTEUR:	Mr. Othman A. Sharafi, Sudan

A Drafting Committee was formulated under the leadership of the Rapporteur, and comprised of the following:

Mr. Mohammed E. Al Anati, Jordan
Mr. Said T. Malla, Saudi Arabia
Mr. Mohammed H. Al Dhahab, Oman
Mr. Mahmood S. Hijazi, Egypt

The Agenda which was prepared and distributed by the UNESCO Regional Office for Education in the Arab States (UNEDBAS), was reviewed and amended according to comments of the participants. APPENDIX (A)

Participants


Thirty-eight representatives participated in the meeting. There were 16 representatives from different Arab States, 13 from Bahrain, one representative each from the Arab Bureau of Education for the Gulf States (ABEGS), Arab Federation for Technical Education (AFTE), and the International Labour Organization (ILO), three from UNESCO, two observers from the Development Services Corporation in Lebanon and one consultant. For a full list of participants please see Appendix (B).

II. DOCUMENTS OF THE MEETING


According to the previous contacts and coordination between the UNESCO Regional Office for Education in the Arab States (UNEDBAS) and Bahrain National Commission for UNESCO, the following main documents were prepared and circulated for the meeting:

1. UNESCO International Project on Technical and Vocational Education (UNEVOC) prepared by Mr. Sulieman A. Sulieman.

2. Curricula and the structures of Technical and Vocational Education in the Arab States, and its relevance to development and employment needs, prepared by Mr. Sulieman A. Sulieman.

3. Technical and Vocational Policies in the Arab States prepared by Mr. Monther W. Al-Masri.

4. Importance of research and development in increasing the effectiveness of technical and vocational education programmes and the experience of modular system in the development of technical and vocational education curricula in Bahrain, prepared by Mr. Abdul Raoof Abu Kabir.

5. Education and training of teachers in Vocational and Technical Education in Bahrain, prepared by Mr. Faez Fawzi.

6. Networks, databases and documentation centres and their importance in increasing the effectiveness of technical and vocational education programmes, prepared by Mr. Ahmed B. Al-Naib.

In addition to the above documents, participants from various Arab States presented reports concerning the development of technical and vocational education in their respective countries within the framework of UNESCO International Project on Technical and Vocational Education (UNEVOC).

III. PROCEEDINGS OF THE MEETING

First Day:	Sunday, 20th March, 1994
Subject:	UNESCO International Project on Technical and Vocational Education (UNEVOC)

The document on the UNESCO International Project on Technical and Vocational Education (UNEVOC) was presented in the meeting and discussed. This document reflected the background of the project, which goes back to UNESCO's First Conference for the Development of Technical and Vocational Education, which was held in Berlin in 1987. The document focused on the aims and objectives, and modalities of action of the project. The major programme areas of the project include: international exchange of ideas, experiences, and studies on policy issues; strengthening of national research and development capabilities; and facilitating access to data bases and documentation centres through formulation of National, Regional and International Networks within the framework of UNEVOC. The project is characterized by the participation of many Member States in its activities. The work plan of the project was presented with emphasis on activities in the Arab States as well as in other UNESCO regions. The activities will emphasize curriculum development and utilization of modern technologies in increasing the efficiency of technical and vocational educational programmes in the educational system and requirements of the world of work. Member States will be encouraged to initiate and undertake pilot projects which take into consideration innovations in TVE and promotion of girls and women in technical and vocational education programmes.

The role of UNEVOC Secretariat in Paris, Implementation Unit in Berlin, UNESCO Regional Offices, and Associate Centres were presented and discussed.

Second Day:	Monday, 21st March, 1994
Subject:	TVE Curriculum Development

The second day was devoted to discussing the following working documents:

1. Technical and Vocational Education policies in the Arab States. This document dealt with a number of cases and general policies related to technical and vocational education in the Arab States. The discussions centered on different levels of technical work and their relations with the educational system, technical and vocational system, formal and informal education and the enrollment in technical and vocational education. Technical and Vocational, and general education systems should be complementary to each other. Also, it discussed matters of planning, administering and the difficulties being experienced; and relationship of technical and vocational education with higher education and the connection between work, and production units with educational institutions. The funding sources and the features of the database, related to the requirements of the market which is also needed by the planners and policy makers, were also discussed. The document highlighted a number of cases connected with labour force in the Arab States, and its effect on the preparation of the labour force in general, and specially, on technical and vocational education.

The document also highlighted the structure of the population and the nature of the demand of labour force, and the pyramidal imbalance in its preparation related to the working force. Finally, the document suggested a number of recommendations concerning the topics discussed.

2. Importance of Research and Development in Increasing the Effectiveness of Technical and Vocational Education Programmes in Bahrain. This document contained six chapters. The first chapter dealt with a brief summary of education and the introduction of technical and vocational education in Bahrain, and the various stages of its growth till the application of modular and credit hour systems. The second chapter dealt with the administrative and supervising bodies involved in technical and vocational education and the role of production organizations and business community. The third chapter described the details of the modular system, its main features, objectives and justification of the introduction of the system. This system was put into action in the scholasticyear, 1988-89. The fourth chapter highlighted the positive results achieved from the Research and Development Project, through data and statistics. The fifth chapter discussed the difficulties being faced in the development of technical and vocational education project, and introduced practical solutions to difficulties and shortcomings. The sixth chapter highlighted a number of results, and made recommendations which may help in better achievement of development of pilot projects, namely, the development project of technical and vocational education in Bahrain.

In conclusion, Bahrain experience in the development of technical and vocational education curricula for the secondary school level was thoroughly explained and discussed.

3. Education and Training of Teachers in Technical and Vocational Education in Bahrain. The document described Bahrain's experience in the preparation of teachers for technical and vocational education, the development of labour force in Bahrain and the place of technical and vocational education in the educational system. It also dealt with the requirements for the preparation of teachers for technical and vocational education.

The participants during discussions took into consideration, recommendations from experts of technical and vocational education from UNESCO and the Arab Federation for Technical Education to prepare the teachers for the planning of the Bachelor of Engineering programme in Bahrain University. The document also dealt with the programme of Bachelor of Engineering in Auto Mechanics and Electricity.

4. Curricula and Structures of Technical and Vocational Education in the Arab States and its Relevance to the Development and Employment Needs. The document described a number of socio-economic factors affecting identification needs of the labour force and the method of correlation of the technical and vocational education curricula with these needs by utilization of modern methods of curriculum development; i.e., DACUM. The articulation of technical and vocational education with other streams of education was also discussed. The document emphasized the importance of taking into consideration planning and development processes as they are related to individuals and communities needs. The document further took into consideration changes and development in business, industry, and the world of work and the importance of involving people from these sectors in TVE curriculum development and programme formulation.

Third Day:	Tuesday, 22nd March 1994
Subject:	National Networks and the Regional Network in the Arab States

The participants visited two Technical Schools in Bahrain; Al Jabria Technical Secondary School and Sheikh Abdulla Bin Issa Al-Khalifa Secondary Technical and Commercial School, where they observed application of educational and training programmes. The participants also visited Bahrain National Museum.

In the afternoon, discussions were held about institutions and centres taking part in UNEVOC, and experiences of different regions were discussed. They also discussed the duties of the National and Regional Units through the text which was distributed. It contained the Institutions and Centres which applied to join UNEVOC. The individual participating countries' experiences and reports on TVE activities within UNEVOC were presented.

Fourth Day:	Wednesday, 23rd March 1994
Subject:	Networking, Databases, Documentation Centres, and their Importance in Development and Increasing the Effectiveness of Technical and Vocational Education Programmes

HE Mr. Hassan Izzedine, Minister of Vocational and Technical Education in Lebanon, made an intervention in which he highlighted the importance of the development of technical and vocational education curricula, to meet the challenges being faced by the Arab States.

The working document on networking, databases, and documentation centres, and their importance in developing and increasing the effectiveness of technical and vocational education programmes was presented. The document highlighted the general conception of networking, databases and documentation centres emphasizing features, importance and utilization, and their role in the Arab States. The document also dealt with the essential features of the services of databases, which were available, results of their experiences in this field, problems and shortcomings which hindered the documentation and these services in the Arab States. The document also summarized a number of international experiences and projects, and specifically highlighted the Educational References, Information Centres and the National Networks for the Coordination of Technical and Vocational Education Curricula, the Educational Innovation Programmes and International Technical Illustration Bank (ITIB). The document also emphasized on the National Network Centres Project for the Development of Technical and Vocational Human Resources in the Arab States and the Project of Databases System for the Arab Institutions for Technical and Vocational Education. In conclusion, the document highlighted future prospects for databases and documentation centre services.

Fifth Day:

Thursday, 24th March, 1994

- Final Meeting:

Representative of the Republic of Lebanon expressed the wish of the Minister of Vocational and Technical Education to host the Headquarters of the Regional Unit for the Arab States responsible for the UNESCO International Project on Technical and Vocational Education (UNEVOC), in Lebanon. The representative also offered to cooperate and assist in establishing and equipping it jointly with UNESCO.

The final draft report was discussed, amended and approved by the participants.

- Closing Session:

In his closing statement, the Chairperson, Mr. Ebrahim Y. Al Abdulla, praised the participants for their hard work to make the meeting a success and to achieve its objectives. He emphasized the importance of the coordination of activities of those responsible for technical and vocational education in the Arab States. He thanked the Secretary General of Bahrain National Commission for UNESCO, Mr. Rashid Sulabikh, and his colleagues for the hard work they have done for the meeting. He also thanked UNESCO and UNEDBAS for organizing the meeting which gave an excellent opportunity to the representatives of different Arab States, to take advantage of the growing importance of technical and vocational education.

Mr. Sharaf Edin Mohammed, the Vice Chairperson, addressing the meeting on behalf of the participants, thanked the Chairperson of the meeting and the Bahrain National Commission for UNESCO, for holding the meeting and for the hospitality extended to the participants during their saty in Bahrain. He emphasized the importance of such meetings, which strengthen the efforts to develop technical and vocational education and exchange experiences among the Arab States.

Mr. Sulieman A. Sulieman, representing UNEDBAS, addressing the closing session, thanked the participants for their active role and the Bahrain National Commission for UNESCO for the efficient services and for hosting the meeting

N.B.: The proceedings containing the working documents and the country reports will be published as a separate volume in due course and will be distributed to participants.

IV. RESULTS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

UNESCO International Project on Technical and Vocational Education (UNEVOC)

1. The importance of establishing a regional unit in the Arab States responsible for UNESCO International Project on Technical and Vocational Education (UNEVOC). This unit should be linked with UNESCO Regional Office for Education in the Arab States (UNEDBAS).

2. The Regional Unit is foreseen to undertake the following tasks:

(i) Linking the Arab States with the International Project on Technical and Vocational Education (UNEVOC).

(ii) Coordination and exchange of experiences, among the Arab States on technical and vocational education.

(iii) Establishment of a Central Database for the Arab Region responsible for collecting data and analyzing statistics. And to coordinate and exchange such information among the Arab States.

(iv) Coordination and exchange of experiences and the transfer of high technology and its utilization in strengthening the effectiveness of technical and vocational education programmes through the cooperation and coordination among the relevant institutions in the Arab States in order to meet and develop their professional needs.

(v) Working closely with UNESCO's Educational Innovative Programme for Development in the Arab States (EIPDAS).

3. Designating a National Unit in each Arab State to liaison with UNESCO International Project on Technical and Vocational Education (UNEVOC).

4. Responsibilities of the National Unit will be as follows:

(i) To have close cooperation with the Regional Unit to achieve the objectives of the project (UNEVOC).

(ii) To exchange and follow up the execution of the Regional Unit Projects with the National Units responsible for the development of technical and vocational education in accordance with the local circumstances.

(iii) Providing the Regional Unit with results and experiences achieved from execution of the projects in order to achieve coordination among National Units.

(iv) Regional Unit should regularly be kept informed by the National Units to provide feasibility studies on the development and improvement of technical and vocational education for their evaluation and continued participation in their execution.

(v) To unify all national efforts for the collection of data and documentation on technical and vocational education.

5. Arab States are to continue to have direct contact with UNEVOC until the establishment of the Regional Unit.

TVE Curriculum Development

1. Involvement of different types of business, industry, and services with different committees concerned with TVE curriculum development in order to cope with fast technological development for the services of education and community.
2. Reducing the barriers and opening channels (horizontal and vertical) between general education and technical and vocational education, with respect to structures and contents in order to support qualitative level of technical and vocational education.

3. The importance of coordination among different levels of technical and vocational education and its linkage to employment and development plans.

4. Utilization of innovative experiences and development projects of TVE curricula and structures which have been applied in a number of the Arab States, i.e., the Bahrain experience and other pilot projects in the region.

5. Designing of TVE curricula and programmes in order to meet needs of the labour market and give opportunity to students to continue their education.

6. Emphasizing the importance of introducing technology and vocational education within the general education curricula (Basic and secondary education).

7. Embarking on the importance of introducing productive work and projects within the technical and vocational education curricula and to treat the productive activities as an application field, where students would practice their future careers.

8. Taking necessary measures to develop local resources in the production of low cost educational materials for technical and vocational education.

National Networks and Regional Network in the Arab States

1. Effective participation between Arab States and the International Network within the framework of UNESCO International Project on Technical and Vocational Education (UNEVOC) in the processing of data collection and dissemination pertaining to ideas, experiences, pilot projects and innovations in technical and vocational education.

2. Support of national capabilities in areas of research and development of technical and vocational education, and cooperation in exchanging studies related to technical and vocational education policies within the region.

General Recommendations

1. Working for the development of planning of technical and vocational education and the coordination between parties concerned, through a centralized body responsible for planning and coordination within the state.
2. Giving more importance to enrollment of girls in technical and vocational education and increasing possible fields of study in order to strengthen the effectiveness of their role in development, according to needs and circumstances of the respective states.

3. The importance of coordination and cooperation between educational institutions and production organizations in order to benefit from the production organizations in the training of teachers and students, and providing them with opportunities to participate in construction, operation and maintenance activities.

4. Encouraging exchange of teaching, training and administrative personnel engaged in the field of technical and vocational education within the state and region.

5. Adopting the Unified Arab System of professional classification and description issued by the Arab Labour Organization (ALO) in order to facilitate mobility of the labour force and encourage cooperation between educational and training systems in the preparation of qualified labour force.

6. Giving more attention to the continued training of technical and vocational education personnel in order to meet labour needs for both technical and curricula development.

7. Giving more attention to the preparation of teachers of technical and vocational education, taking into consideration technological, educational and practical experiences to enable them to qualify at the university level.

8. The necessity of involving business and industry in funding of technical and vocational education.