2024-04-18 22:21:56
Organized by the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) and the Naif Arab University of Security Sciences (NAUSS) in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, this symposium aims to discuss ways to consolidate the concepts and values of media and information education and work to integrate them into school curricula in order to develop critical thinking skills and strengthen mechanisms for obtaining correct information from reliable sources .
Speaking on this occasion, the Minister of Youth, Culture and Communication, Mohamed Mehdi Bensaid, underlined Morocco’s commitment to media and communication issues “to promote a media culture based on development critical thinking among all levels of society, particularly young people”, in order to protect them from the dangers of fake news.
The Kingdom is working to prepare studies on disinformation and fake news in the media, while including media education subjects in school curricula, “with the aim of strengthening media culture among young people, in the service of educational objectives and to develop knowledge on the reception and analysis of current events”, indicated Mr. Bensaid during this event held in cooperation with his ministry and the League of Arab States, represented by the Department of Media and Communication – Technical Secretariat of the Council of Arab Ministers of Information.
In this regard, he called for the development of an ethical code aimed at protecting recipients of suspicious content and making them aware of the danger of their sharing and dissemination, as well as working to use the means of information and communication in a positive manner, with the aim of achieving specific educational objectives.
For his part, Boubker Sabik, spokesperson for the General Directorate of National Security (DGSN) and the General Directorate of Territorial Surveillance (DGST), indicated that the choice of this subject is explained by the need to immunize society against various emerging risks and increase common awareness of the importance of education and awareness as a prelude to crime prevention.
The DGSN and DGST pole “has developed an integrated approach to strengthen awareness in security work and include education and awareness in police training plans”, specified Mr. Sabik, stressing that the Security, in its overall concept, goes beyond the classic vision which previously reduced it to prevention and coercion.
According to him, the challenges posed by social networks require the development and development of transversal approaches to neutralize the risks to which young people and children are exposed.
Insecure access to digital space can make children, adolescents or young people prey to rapid recruitment and extremism, he added.
For his part, Hicham El Blaoui, Secretary General of the Presidency of the Public Ministry, highlighted the role of media education in a global context marked by a technological revolution in the media field, because it allows individuals to raise the level of awareness and acquire skills that help them analyze the content they receive and understand the media environment and that enable them to make conscious choices about positive media content.
The growing enthusiasm for digital media has led to psychological, social and value problems, which represent real challenges for media education, “which requires treating them within the framework of an intelligent use of media mechanisms. “media education capable of allowing us to acquire the skills to use different media in a rational manner”, noted Mr. El Blaoui.
He stressed, in this sense, that the Public Prosecutor’s Office plays multiple roles to protect the media sector by confronting acts that violate individual rights and freedoms or morals and which occur through the means of communication, as well as ‘by fighting against incitement to violence and hatred, among other things.
Farid El Bacha, interim president of the Mohammed V University of Rabat, for his part, highlighted the importance of the theme of the conference, in view of the great development observed in the media and communication.
The digital world provides an infinite amount of information, through various digital platforms, which requires understanding and analyzing it, said Mr. El Bacha, highlighting the importance of media education as a tool. essential to enable the individual to grasp media content and analyze it critically.
For his part, the Director General of ICESCO, Salem Ben Mohammed El Malek, affirmed that the media have power with mechanisms against which we must arm ourselves in terms of construction, education, development and training, presenting, in this context, data on the new online media environment, which shows that more than 4.4 billion people, representing 64.6% of the world population, exchange information and ideas via social media.
The dazzlement of the world by new media and the boom in communication that this field is experiencing require us to face the projections that make it a means of violating the privacy of individuals and of conveying fake news, which requires the implementation in place of media education defending the values of equality, justice and citizenship, said Mr. El Malek.
For his part, Secretary of the Supreme Council of the Naif Arab University of Security Sciences, Khalid bin Abdulaziz Alharfash, affirmed that the university, based on its responsibilities in implementing Arab strategies and plans security and crime prevention, seeks, through its programs, to translate interest in the issue of the media and their role in the fight and prevention of crime into a tangible reality that contributes to strengthening the concept of intellectual security.
He expressed his wish to see this conference constitute a starting point towards an Arab strategic plan for the generalization of media education.
Media education is the foundation on which the achievement of intellectual security in Islamic and Arab societies rests, said Mr. Alharfash, calling for greater interest in quality and its scientific, technical and media requirements for develop the media in Arab and Islamic countries.
In a recorded speech, Jean Emmanuel Ouédraogo, Burkina Faso Minister of Communication, Culture, Arts and Tourism, highlighted his country’s interest in media education, reviewing the efforts made in this area, through raising awareness of the proper use of social media.
This two-day conference is structured around several themes, including “Media/education partnership in building a knowledge society and supporting sustainable development”, “Ethical framework for freedom of expression in legislation and Arab and international media conventions”, “Importance of media education to face media, intellectual and security challenges” and “Artificial intelligence and the future of media education”.
Participants in the meeting will also discuss “pioneering Arab and international experiences in promoting media literacy”, “The basics of responsible use of media, social networks and information sources” and “Integration of education to the media in Arab school curricula”.
2024-04-18 22:21:56