Roadmap for survival

Under the Fourth Industrial Revolution, technology has become a catalyst for the development of the educational process and there is no substitute for it. Distance education, or integrated education, was imposed by force of the absence of an alternative, to ensure the continuity of the educational system in the face of the Crown crisis, which has weighed on school and university education. We have witnessed that the response of educational institutions to the idea of ​​moving from traditional education to electronics, in its various forms, was wavering and confusing on multiple levels and levels. To ensure that this transition takes place and its success, the education system must be reconfigured to adapt to the new reality, strengthening the three components that constitute the incubation environment of any education system that depends in part on technology. These components are legislative, educational, and technical. We present here what looks like a national roadmap based on its content on some recommendations issued by the virtual national forum on the e-learning system and modern education technologies, which was organized by the Lebanese University last month, and on some proposals with specialization, with the aim of a safe passage in the education sector from the edge of confusion and stumbling. The productivity and development bank.

Legislatively, the conditions for practicing distance education in all countries of the world are governed by the provisions of the Education Law. As for Lebanon, the Parliamentary Education Commission has studied two bills, the first presented by Representative Edgar Trabelsi in 2019, and aims to legalize distance education as a permanent system by modifying an article of the Law. of Higher Education, and the second prepared by Representative Bahia Hariri as an exception to regulate “distance learning” Only in cases of need, which was not approved in the last legislative session and was returned to the committees for further study. Hence the need to enact the laws necessary to meet the requirements of distance education, in particular the reform of Law 285 that regulates higher education, and the establishment of a national institution specialized in distance education that constitutes a Educational scientific reference for educational institutions that want to use this form of education, similar to the institution. The French National for Distance Education (established in 1939 and its name and function changed several times according to the periods and techniques used at the time), in addition to the need to establish an accreditation body for higher and electronic education that cares about establish standards for electronic programs, with the importance of legislation that includes a list of types of titles in specific tracks compatible with This new method of education in Lebanon, already determines the technical and human requirements that educational institutions and students must have before embarking on the use of this model.
At an educational level, there is a three-dimensional image that must be looked at and taken into account, at the level of the role and function of educational institutions, the qualification and training of educational personnel, and the formulation of content.
At the role level, there must be a change or development in the role of the educational institution and academic staff. It is no longer enough that the role is reduced to the transfer of knowledge and skills in the specific specialization, but to the importance of producing graduates capable of facing problems that we did not yet know and jobs that do not yet exist and use them. Technologies not invented either. Not to mention the importance of preparing and training academic staff for the effective and productive use of technological technologies. These technologies include computer operating systems, the use of multimedia, the preparation of interactive presentations and the design and publication of electronic educational materials, in addition to subjecting teachers to training courses on the evaluation process remotely by asking questions. critics. Analysis and research. In the final dimension, that is, the formulation of content, it is necessary to prepare academic curricula that follow the rhythm of the distance learning process, and promote the trend towards the training of students to acquire self-learning skills, the step of the teaching to learning and from receiving information to processing and analysis.
Technically, the preparation of the infrastructure is the backbone to guarantee a fair education and the sustainability of the education system that uses technology. The availability of the Internet is the main ingredient of the preparation. Given the pressing economic situation, there is a need to change the pricing and tariff principles adopted by the Ministry of Communications for the packages offered, so that the different segments of society, especially the poorest, can subscribe to high-quality packages ( greater than 2 or 4 megabytes), which will help to improve the process of communication and communication in distance education. In addition, working on the issuance of decrees by the ministry to create Internet packages for education at reduced prices will form a force to increase the number of subscribers and therefore ensure the Internet for all. Furthermore, the establishment of national educational platforms present in Lebanon to store videos, educational content and training will reduce the high cost of the Internet, as a platform for training itineraries and for the Educational Center for Research and Development. Finally, in the technical aspect, it is necessary to refer to the recommendations made in the forum on the importance of the distance education process via the terrestrial network to allow the largest segment of citizens to benefit from the discounts offered by the Ministry of Communications to the subscribers of the Ogero organization, as well as citizens benefiting from discounts. That the ministry provided to internet service providers, which reached between 30% and 40%.
Let’s pass safely. Educational issues should not be measured in terms of the economic balance of gains and losses, nor should they be a material to record victories in battles politically, or work to divide them regionally and sectarianly. And this investment is necessary to create a generation that is capable of interaction, not just a recipient of knowledge.

* college professor

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