The Minister of Education Ibrahim Ghoneim arrived in Khartoum on Tuesday to attend the Sixth Islamic Conference for Ministers of Higher Education and Scientific Research. The conference brought together representatives from 57 member states and other interested parties. The aim of the conference is increase cooperation between the participating states and it is hoped that through this it will be possible to “contribute to the achievement of peace and security in the world in various ways, particularly through education," said a statement on the conference website. The conference has been organised by the Sudanese Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research. At the conference are representatives from 57 countries from the Islamic world including Sudan, Egypt, Algeria, Kazakhstan and Turkey. Also participating are international organisations including the Arab League Educational Culture and Scientific organisation, UNESCO and the Academy of Sciences for the Developing World. Dr Stacie Rissman-Joyce, an associate professor of practice at the Graduate School of Education (GSE) at the American University in Cairo (AUC), believes these types of conferences serve a useful purpose for the development of education. She said, “conferences such as these are important places to share information and ideas for reform because educational reform is a global issue." Rissman-Joyce mentioned a number of conferences planned for the future including the 2013 Global Summit on Education. She also said that the GSE is currently running a program which has invited eight visiting professors to lecture at AUC in a public forum style to encourage conversations on educational reform. Among the visiting professors will be Dr Tayseer El Noami, a former minister of education in Jordan, speaking on education reform in the Arab region.
