Organisation of Islamic Cooperation
The Collective Voice of The Muslim World
Date: 24/11/2012
In his message to the 6th Islamic Conference of Ministers of Higher Education and Scientific Research which concluded on 21st November 2012 in Khartoum, the Secretary General of OIC, Professor Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu stated that the ability of any system to foster an environment of knowledge creation and research is directly related to the opportunities it offers for the commercialization of research outcomes. He called upon the Member States to examine among other things, ways and means to foster university- industry linkages across the OIC countries and encouraging private sector partnership with the universities. He added that the Muslim world is facing enormous challenges of under-development, poverty, illiteracy, malnourishment, gender inequality and limited access to quality education. He stressed that excellence in knowledge, research and innovation is imperative for the Muslim world to reclaim its rightful place in the international arena. The Secretary General expressed satisfaction on the steady progress registered since 2005 in the OIC in the areas of higher education, science, technology and innovation. The progress owes itself to actions at the national level as well as the concerted efforts by the OIC and its relevant institutions. The Secretary General’s message to the Conference was read out by Assistant Secretary General OIC, Ambassador Abdul Moiz Bokhari. The Conference was inaugurated by Dr. Al-Haj Adam Youssef, Vice President of the Republic of Sudan and chaired by Prof. Khamis Kajo Kunda Altom, Minister for Higher Education and Scientific Research of Sudan. Dr. Abdulaziz Othman Altwaijri, Director General of ISESCO also addressed the Conference and briefed the Member States about ISESCO’s activities to develop planning and implementation mechanism for projects aimed at advancing science, technology and innovation capacities and strengthening higher education and scientific research. The Conference, inter alia, adopted the “Key Performance Indicators: Guidelines for Assessment and Quality Enhancement for Universities in the Islamic World”. This document is meant to serve as a guide for universities in the OIC Member States for achieving academic excellence, enhancement of R&D, improvement of quality of education to compete with the world class universities. The Conference also approved the establishment of the “Pan-Islamic Research and Education Network (PIREN)” as a platform for scientists, researchers and education networks for sharing knowledge and good practices to improve connectivity. The Conference programme included round table discussion on the role of higher education for development of science and technology for prosperous future. The Conference was attended by a large number of Ministers of Education, representatives of institutions of higher learning, NGOs and other organizations related to the field of higher education and scientific research.
