الأستاذة إيمان
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Address of the Director General of the
Arab Bureau of Education for the Gulf States (ABEGS)
In the Launching of the
Training Program on (TIMSS) International Tests
Manama – Kingdom of Bahrain
19-23/5/2008
In the name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate
May peace and God's mercy and blessings be upon you.
Your Excellency Dr. Majid bin Ali al- Nuaimi, Minister of Education, Kingdom of Bahrain,
Your Excellency Dr. Hans Wagemaker, Executive Director, International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA),
Your Excellencies,
Brothers and sisters,
On this important occasion which gathers us on the land of the Kingdom of Bahrain within the framework of common educational work, lead by our esteemed leaders, God bless them, it is my pleasure to extend our highest gratitude and thankfulness to H.M Sheikh Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, for all the attention and care he pays to education.
Thanks again to H.M The King who has made educational renaissance the basis for development and progress, and a catalyst for development and modernization in all aspects of life in this lightened country. Thanks to those exceptional efforts exerted, the Kingdom of Bahrain became a source of pride amongst sister countries, and occupied a leading rank in the Human Development Index issued by the United Nations Development Programme. It is no wonder to a country which made educational development a passage for the development and welfare of human being.
In fact, I am not here to enumerate the significant educational achievements that have been realized, yet it is fair enough to point to King Hamad Schools of the Future Project, and the selection of the Kingdom of Bahrain as a headquarter for the regional center of E-Learning. Also thanks to your Excellency as you make the Ministry of Education a bee cell open to expertise and experiences, and latest technologies and Sciences to select therefrom the fruits of best advanced human knowledge.
Thanks to you and your efforts, the Ministry of Education accessed various developmental fields that deserve praise and appreciation. Also, thanks shall be extended to their Excellencies members of the General Conference of the Arab Bureau of Education for the Gulf States for your encouragement to the bureau mission and plans, as well as your support to its projects and developmental programs, where Member States follow up the latest updates in international institutions in various fields of sciences.
This meeting which brings us together today, under your esteemed patronage, is one of those programs that translate the tendency of the Bureau towards improving the performance and quality of joint action programs.
Your Excellency,
Esteemed Audience,
Given the importance of Mathematics and Science in educational curricula system, they have received special attention from the Ministries of Education in the Members States. Accordingly, various programs and activities targeting the development of Science and Mathematics curricula were adopted, in terms of themes, content, teaching methodologies and assessment. The Ministries of Education having realized the importance of empowering our students and developing their capabilities to be eligible to compete with their counterparts globally, they approached the participation in international competitions and studies that aim to identify the real levels of school achievement in different subjects, especially in Science and Mathematics.
The Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) represents one of the most important international competitions, supervised by the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA), whose Executive Director, Dr. Hans Wagemaker, honors us by being here today.
Hence the trend towards the participation of our students in this important competition, where the participation of all Member States in the Arab Bureau of Education for the Gulf States was finalized in the last round of TIMSS last year.
To achieve the ultimate and the most important goal of these international studies of curricula development and outputs of teaching Science and Mathematics, Their Excellencies addressed the Members of the General Conference of the Bureau to play real and sound role in coordination with the IEA on what should be done by the Ministries of Education to embody the actual benefit of this effective international event.
To implement this, a meeting was conducted with Dr. Wagemaker and his distinguished colleagues in the Information Center in the City of Hamburg last August.
In this meeting it was agreed on a collaborative program between the Bureau and the IEA aiming primarily at building national capacities in all areas of implementation of (TIMSS), starting from collecting samples, writing national reports and identifying required draft development resolutions.
A group of programs has been proposed and will be implemented by the Bureau in cooperation with the IEA next year, starting 2009.
Since the initial results of (TIMSS) tests 2007 will be launched next month (June), it has been agreed to hold this training program at this time, so that our specialized national teams can be ready to tackle the many and complex data, so that the goal of participation can be achieved.
In order not to stick to results and the ranking of countries in Tests and stop; we should, with all determination, deploy those results to identify points of strengths and reinforce same; and points of weaknesses in the curricula of Mathematics and Science at all levels and report same to officials of education in our countries.
In view of that, they can take sound development decisions that make Mathematics and Science, fields for development of thought, integrity of conduct, as well as generation of creativity and competitiveness amongst students.
His Excellency.... Ladies and Gentlemen
Within this framework, comes your launching of this training program which is meant to habilitate specialized national cadres capable of well-interpreting tests' data, empower them with comprehensive knowledge to build databases, perform profound and necessary analysis of students results, develop linkage relationships between students' levels on one hand, and school and social variables affecting them on the other; and finally prepare and publish national reports that contribute to educational decision- making.
Here, I would like to avail this opportunity to extend thanks to the participant colleagues in the programme; and extend our appreciation and regards for their interaction in preparing for this occasion through the designated website on the bureau portal.
Also I laud their competencies and expertise, which make me confident that they will enrich our program and achieve the designated objective.
Your Excellency,
Dear brothers and sisters,
I am very pleased that this program opens us to distinctive global expertise. It also concurrently comes at the time the office is implementing a developmental project for Mathematics and Science curricula according to the latest chains internationally recognized, in which the Ministry of Education in the Kingdom of Bahrain participates therein, and which outputs will start to emerge in the next academic year, God willing.
Thank you, Your Excellency for your patronage of the Bureau and its activities.
Thanks to colleagues in your esteemed Ministry who have exerted every effort to make our meeting a success.
Also, I would like to extend special gratitude to His Excellency Dr. Abdullah Al Mutawa, Deputy Minister for Education and Curricula, and member of the Executive Board of the Bureau.
Also thanks to Her Excellency Dr. Huda Al-Awadi (Minister's advisor for Studies and Research, and the National Coordinator of TIMSS project) and to all employees of the Ministry.
Finally, I would like to seize this opportunity, to extend my sincere gratitude and appreciation to Dr. Hans Wagemaker for his presence, personal supervision and follow-up despite his fully occupied schedule, and thanks also to Dr. Dirk Hastedt Co-Director of IEA, and Mr. Oliver Neuschmidt, Coordinator of Global Data Processing Centre.
May peace and God's mercy and blessings be upon you
.